Vaginal dermatitis or not?

[lilsmitty]

I have a vaginal infection. I have had this problem for approx 20 years.  A nurse diagnosed me about 11 years ago and prescribed a topical .05% cream i put on it. I never had to apply the cream twice. It always worked the first time.
the symptoms are: severe itching. My labia cracks open and my mucous membrane is raw.  I have to get in the shower to urinate.
The stinging is unbearable.
It is not dermatitis. it is not lichen, it is not anything normally listed under female gynological problems. I lost the cream in a move. I have tried to get my records from my insurance who I no longer have, and they have been archived.
Can someone help me? it is ruining my life. it seems to me that the topical ointment was a steroid of somekind. I found it once on a Rx company website. its nothing normally prescribed for any female problems. Trust me I have tried the ALL.  
The nurse wsa the only person that ever helped me with this.  She took one look and told me what it was and prescribed the cream. I was so happy I cried. Now, I am back to square one.  
Help please, if someone knows what I have let me know. Also from what I remember, it's something I would have to live with for the rest of my life, but it was controlled by the cream she gave me. She told me when I had a slight problem, put it on. or if I felt it coming on with the itching, use the cream. She was right on.

[booboo1]

This sounds like the problem I have.  Have you figured out what it was and what the cream was?  I would REALLY appreciate the info.

Thanks so much!

[Destyni]

Not sure if Elidel is prescribed for this or not.  I have a prescription for it because I have eczema.  I get it on my face and sometimes elbows.  So now it seems like I have it vaginally too.  I am also in menopause as I had a hysterectomy. I tried all the meds for yeast and BV. Nothing made it feel better. The itch was out of this world. So I got desperate and tried my elidel. It burned at first and made it feel sort of numb.  It is like a steroid cream, just without the actual steroid so I figured what the heck.  Now I can say it is the ONLY thing that actually works. I can go for days itch free.  Then when it starts to itch, I put it on again and I am again itch free.  So maybe something to explore. It sure made a difference in my mental state as I do not feel crazy depserate anymore.

[heatheraki]

I can really sympathise with the pain you are going through. I've had this condition for four years now and its a living hell.
After becoming allergic to all other prescribed creams, the only thing I'm allowed to put on is dermovate and thats in very limited quantities.
Initially there is some relief but since you are only allowed to put this on once a day it doesn't take long to be in agony again.
If you also suffer from swelling and burning on the inside as I do then you can get some relief from inserting natural yoghurt. The cooling sensation is sheer heaven, especially when its burning so much you dont know what to do with yourself.
I've been on a yeast diet and nickel since I'm allergic to that too... but the flare ups keep coming and I have to say they really get you down.
Sometimes the labia swell to an unbelieavable degree, and when I have that, plus raw, peeling skin its horrendous. So if there is anyone out there who has found anything that can make a difference... please pass it on and help the rest of us get a quality of life back.
I wish that I had an answer for you but you could at least go down the road of using the dermovate. Better than nothing I reckon.

[twinkle97]

I have had a similar problem for about a year and a half.  Although my  symtoms are not as severe as some have described, it's really starting to get to me.  I've been prescribed numerous steroid creams, the last being dermovate.  None worked.  Two weeks ago I got some herbal liquid from a chinese herbal doctor which most towns have now.  You mix the liquid with water and wash with it.  The symtoms haven't completely gone, however irritation less frequent and the redness has reduced so I'm hopeful that it will do the job eventually as it's the only thing thats made any difference.  It's called JIE ER YIN XI YE.  If you google search then you can get more info.

[drivingmemental]

i have had the same condition for about 15yrs and lately it has become so bad it is unbearable. i was prescribed a cortisone cream 'Elocon' 0.1% and lately it hasn't been helping as much as it seemed to. i am aware that your body gets used to medications over time and also cortisone shouldn't be used for long periods. If anyone can suggest anything i would greatly appreciate it. I have been to a couple of GP's over the years and felt humiliated each time. All they could suggest was "wash in chamonile tea" "wear cotton underwear or none at all" "reduce caffiene and any preservatives from diet" which i tried but without any change to the condition. the Elocon cream tended to reduce the symptons for a few days but it would flare up again. In desparation i have tried my children's itch cream Eurax cream  which helped a little but doesn't last long. i scratch in my sleep and wake up with lacerations so bad that i can hardly pee or walk properly the next day. sometimes the itching is so bad in the middle of the nigth that it wakes me up. I haven't been able to have sex for months either. I want to get a referral to a dermatologist but am worried i will be humiliated, treated like i have some weird disease or treated for thrush, or told to just bath in tea! Does anyone know if this has a name?

[trac777]

An autoimmune disease called Behcet's Syndrome's initial symptoms closely resemble the herpes virus, causing vaginal sores, cuts, fissures, folliculitis and or inflammation in the genital area. Other symptoms develop many years later. I believe that many of you have this illness at varied degrees. It is different in everyone who has it. Your body is basically allergicly reacting to things around you. Your immune system is in over drive, it is an autoimmune disorder caused by enviromental damage to your immune system. It can not be fixed. It could get better or worse, depending on how well you take care of yourselves and how well you are treated.

. My symptoms started at age fifteen with itching, inflammation, then folliculitis (ingrown hairs), then cuts all over from time to time. It is different for everyone who has it. Some people just have inflammation where others may get cuts, or sores aswell. Folliculitis is a type of acne and is very common in Behcet's and occurs during or before a "flare" and can be on the face or anywhere. Chronic yeast infections and BV come hand and hand with Behcet's because it is a immune system disorder that weakens the immune system because the immune system is working in over drive. You are now allergic to more things. It is not contagious and it doesn't run in families. Researchers around the world think it is triggered by strep throat or from other enviromental causes, which permanitally damaged the immune system. It has been proven to not be genetic. Gential to Gential contact will cause a reaction "flare" in these people, so will a common illness, injury, or stress. It is very important for people who have this to rest often, use condoms, and take good care of themselves to avoid flares. They will also need medication like steriods and or immune suppressants, depending on their case.  Someone who needs a lot of medication to start, might not need that much with a little time. Common symptoms later in the disease, if it goes untreated, are digestive symptoms, bowel inflammation, possible bladder inflammation that feels like a bladder infection, arthritis, fibromyalga, and very late in the disease serious eye inflammation and possibly central nervous system involvement. People rarely die from this illness, the main thing a person has to be worried about is quality of life. That why you want to be proactive, not scared. This disease can be managed if properly treated.

For about ten years I had the gential symptoms and was sure it was herpes and never mentioned it to my doctors again. None of the medication for herpes had ever helped me and I also noticed my husband never got sick from me. The inflammation was the worst and I was using hydrocortisone on my own by then for some relief.

I started having other symptoms like irritable bowel syndrome and fatigue. Then after I had two children my symptoms got a lot worse. FIbromyalga, Interstitial Cystitis, Epi-scleritis (inflammation of the small blood vessels in my eyes), and things like that. My immune system was attacking my body. It took years before I had enough symptoms and saw enough doctors to start getting it treated. They are still not totally sure what is wrong with me. There is a lot of misconceptions about these things because they are thought to be rare. The truth is that they are just highly under treated in the United States. They think I have something called Behcet's Syndrome, the world's oldest known disease. It is an autoimmune disease that can be very mild or more severe. It is hard to tell what it is unless you are able to get enough of the symptoms well documented and you have just the right symptoms even though your symptoms might be totally different than everyone else's symptoms. The stress in your life plays a big role in how bad your flares will be.

There are no tests that can tell if you have Behcet's. It is based on symptoms only. Vaginal symptoms that look like herpes (herpes causes inflammation, cuts, or sores), canker sores in the mouth at least three times per year, and inflammation in the blood vessels in the eyes. It can take years for enough of the symptoms to show up and they usually don't show up at the same time. You really need to fight for answers. Go to the American Behcet's Association for more information, but remember when you are there, those are the worst cases, most people with Behcet's don't have it that severe and do well with treatment.

[trac777]

I wanted to tell you the reason I don't have an offical Behcet's Syndrome diagnosis yet is because I have yet to have any serious organ damage documented, which can actually be really hard to do. Not everyone has to wait as long as I have been waiting. A lot of the time small damage from tissue and blood vessel inflammation can not be seen by any tests. Often, surgery is required for them to find vasculitis. That is how they found vasculitis in me during surgery looking for endometriosis. If it wasn't for that I wouldn't still be waiting to start treatment. I am lucky because my symptoms have not been as serious as some, but it has also been a big problem because I have been suffering greatly and not gotten the help I needed many times. Most of my symptoms cannot be seen and it's been very hard to prove that something is wrong.  I have had to fight back against people thinking this was all in my mind. I have had to find a medical cause for my symptoms on my own and a lot of time was wasted because it came on over a long period of time. Only one of the hundreds of doctors I've seen had ever even heard of Behcet's Syndrome, he was a GI doctor. They do not look for it. One doctor, my Rheumatologist, told me he didn't even believe it existed. This disease is very real. It's treated all over the world, but most American doctors no nothing about it. They do not know the symptoms or how to treat it. They rely on old information and still think it only happens to people in the middle east even though research has shown it happens because something has damaged the immune system and not because of your genes. It does not run in families and it is not always a text book case. You would think it would show up on MRI's, but often with Behcet't it's the very smallest blood vessels involved, and those don't show up most of the time. It takes a big incident for them to see it and prove that you have it . American doctors don't want to be liable for treating anything until they have enough medical proof to be sure that you require the treatment. It is not easy to get that far. For us, it is more important to get the treatment before something bad happens, not afterwards. I have all the symptoms and I am being treated with immune suppressants and I have had several doctors diagnosis my symptoms as Behcet's Syndrome, but with this disease the ultimate decision is up to the Rheumatologist. My rheumatologist says it shouldn't matter if I have an official diagnosis as long as it is being treated. He says he is more concerned right now that I will lose my ability to qualify for insurance once I have a diagnosis. One thing to look for as far as tests are concern would be a a slighly high white blood cell count...your nerophils mainly, but others white cells also. It could mean just that you aren't feeling well at the time to have it be a little high, but if you can gather your records and show that you have an on going problem with a high white blood cell count, that would be a first step in showing your doctors something is not normal.

One more thing....I've seen over twenty GYN's as well as other doctors and I did my own research on the possible causes for the inflammation and for the cuts some people with Behcet's Syndrome get. I can tell you from what I have learned  that these symptoms are not caused by any type of HPV. They also would not be caused by Herpes 1 in people with no other apparent serious health problems like HIV. Bacterial Vaginosis and Yeast Infections may cause inflammation and small cracks in the folds of the skin, they do not cause cuts in center areas of the skin, and they heal without reoccurance once the infection is treated. An anal fissure can sometimes occur in the center area of the pernium (between the front and back) because of straining or constipation. Unless you have developed more than one cut at a time at some point, or have developed cuts in different areas of the genitals other than the pernium, a pernium cut may just be a fissure. An anal fissure would be a single cut that keeps happening in the same place over and over again on in the center of the pernium. An anal fissure is caused by repeatedly tearing open the thin skin in that area from straining. Not like the small cuts that just happen for no reason the way they happen with the Herpes Simplex Virus and Behcet's Syndrome. I have one cut the comes back over and over again on my pernium area, but I also get cuts in other areas from time to time aswell along with severe inflammation. All of my hormone levels are normal. Those are the only things I've found that could be the possible causes for these symptoms. Just having the inflammation is a symptom, not everyone get's the little cuts. Not everyone get's full blown Behcet's either. If you take good care of yourself, you can do really well.

[girlwithlupus]

I came hoping to find a little info here and I can't believe  what I've just read. I am pretty darn sure this is what is wrong with me. I see my doc on wed's and I am really glad I came here first . Thank you, everyone for your knowledge.Wow, I already have Lupus, now possible this... Well, I guess what's one more autoimmune disease . My doctor is really going to get an ear full...lol

[adiajean]

Vaginitis: At age 19 to maybe 22 I had frequent bacterial vaginitis and yeast infections. They always responded to treatment but frequently recurred. My doctor at the time referred me to Dr. Sobel at Wayne State. It was recommended that I avoid anything that may produce an allergy. What worked for years was avoiding spermacide and only using J&J baby soap.
In 2006 I had a yeast infection for about 3 months. My doctor was Julie Masters of SJMO. What I figured out was that Tampax Pearl was the cause because I noticed cotton pieces shedding. I stopped those tampons and the infection went away.
Now…I’ve had vaginits for most of 2008. There has been only 3 short periods of time that I have been symptom free. I have tried to avoid anything that might cause an allergy. The first infection started with generic soap. I came to the doctor after approx 2 months of symptoms and was symptom free for only 2 weeks after taking diflucan and doxycycline.  The second infection was a quick recurrence and I think KY might have been the offending agent because the infection was bad a few days after KY.  This infection did not get better until I ended up taking 3 antibiotics in a row (doxy, zithro, and flagyl) and diflucan. While I took the flagyl and one week after I took it I had n/v/d and then developed abdominal pain so I went into WB-Troy to make sure nothing was wrong. All of my labs and stools were negative as far as I know, but the cat scan showed a 6mm nodule in the LLL. One week later I ended up with a UTI and took bactrim and diflucan actually 2 days apart times three and that worked. After that I was symptom free for 6 weeks. When I came back to the doctor after a month of symptoms that would react to and calm down a little bit with weekly diflucan I ended up with BV and yeast again. Since I had a bad experience with Flagyl the last time I insisted on another option. I took Clinda for a week it did nothing. Came back in and Dr. Stark told me to try Replense I had a horrible reaction. Next I ended up on 3 weeks of Flagyl. During that time I took diflucan once, repeated in 3 days repeated in one week and the next week I came back into the doctor cuz the infection did not get better. So then I tried a week of boric acid and ended up noticing oral thrush a week after the flagyl was done. Since then I’ve taken weekly diflucan. After the boric acid the odor went away but I was still draining. All of my symptoms soon returned, I started smelling quite offensive, back to the doctor and the latest was 3 weeks of boric acid. I stopped the weekly diflucan during that time and started it right after. I was symptom free for 2 weeks. Now I have a very uncomfortable infection  and discharge again… My appt with Dr. Sokel is not until January. It is not right that I should have to wait another 2 months. This is really distressing me. I feel like I’m begging for help and just getting band-aids. I have a boyfriend now that is really nice about all of this but I am completely embarrassed and ashamed even though I’m doing everything I can. Please help. This all makes me cry.
I visited the obgyn again Wednesday. He gave me the idea to test for celiac at an allergist. I really think that if I take diflucan every week and I don’t get better a yeast infection is not my problem it’s my symptom. So what is really wrong. I’ll test for anything.
I went to the allergist today and we talked about this and my plan is to try a new soap and avoid condoms and tampons. we'll see.

[Ezmarelda14]

Im 22 and pregnant with my first which is due in 7wks. For the last 4years I have been fighting constant BV and Thrush which I was able to manage with creams and fluconazole however since I have been pregnant my symptoms have become extreme. I am in a lot of pain all the time with excessive discharge and itching. None of the creams seem to help anymore and to make matters worse nothing will show up in swabs. It wasnt untill my sister in law said her mother had dermatitis and had always thought it was thrush. I enquired with my doctor who thinks that could be what Iv had all along but he cant treat it with anything untill after my baby is born. I would like to know why during my repeated trips to the gynacologyst this condition was never mentioned as a possibility.

[Christy1955]

WOW! I was very impressed with the very informative message you posted. One of my specialists suggested I had Behcet's Disease. She is treating me for Fibromyalgia ("diagnosed" a year ago).  I have been so uncomfortable in the vaginal area for 6 months now. At times it feels like sand paper was rubbed all over my Labia! I also notice pimple like sores as well. Everything you described is what I am experiencing. Before that I suffered (still do) from painful oral sores on my tongue, gums, and checks. At the request of my Neurologist, I saw my Gyno three days ago and she too suggested I may have Behcet's. She also called it Vaginal Dermititis. She prescribed an ointment (RX only), Triamcinolone Acetonide Cream - 0.1%. I have been using it these last three days and it does help. On top of all that, I have Interstitial Cystits (diagnosed 4
years ago). I have all female doctors who know one another and work together on my various problems. Oh, I also had a hysterectomy 8 years ago due to Cervial Dysplacia. It has been suggested that I inherited my father's autoimmune problems. He passed away 11 years ago from complications of Rheumatoid Arthritis and Scheladerma (a horrible autoimmune disease that literally causes your organs to attack one another and thus slowly stop functioning all together.
I will see my Fibro doc next week and I plan to discuss what I read on this site. I continue to love life and live it to the fullest! I teach elementary school and love every minute of it. I am also enjoying my two precious grandchildren. I am too young (54 yrs.) to give up. I do what I need to and have to in order to cherish each moment all day long!
I will continue to visit this website for updates, help, etc.
Have a wonderful day and week!

[dawngifts]

I broke out with this condition a few months ago and tried almost everything!
The doctor's knew nothing & treated it as a yeast infection which it was not, they gave me a perscription creme with canesten & hydrocort but said not to use it too much because it will thin your skin. Fluconazole helped but the infection just came right back.
So I suggested could it be diaper rash because it looked the same- blisters, red resh & cracking. They told me to use penatin diaper rash creme.
Witchazel only burns & stings, aloe vera jel doesn't really help.

What does help me is rinsing a few times a day with 10-20% apple cider vinegar in water ( use a squirt bottle or water bottle with the close top squirt lids). If it burns when you pee, use the squirt bottle at the same time to immediately wash off the urine. Then dry on cool with blowdryer. I use (AVEENO fragrance free diaper rash cream) which does wonders with healing up those blisters & cracking fast! You may want to wear pantyliners so you don't stick to your undies. I highly suggest trying this product, it must be the oat kernal extract with the other ingredients that does the trick!
Don't wear underwear to bed, you want to air it out at night. If you are at home a lot, try not to wear undies, again it needs to air out just like when parents let their kids go with no diapers to air out their rashes.
Don't use scented laundry soap, use unscented or for sensitive skin types. Or use just plain water in the machine. I was warned against using (no name) cheap brand maxi's too. Stick with unscented name brands you trust, just like with diapers on baby's.
Shaving can also cause you to break out! It could be the gel strips they added to razors nowadays. Personal shavers may also cause a breakout if you get too close to the skin.
Any scented or tingling lubricants can also cause irritations.
It seems to me this could be a new developed allergy from what I have been researching.
I also have Fibromyalgia & Rheumatoid arthritis, so there could be a connection.
Still have yet to find a way to get rid of this, but in the meantime I am using the above mentioned to keep outbreaks under control and want to get an allergy test done.
All these steps I am taking are a pain but it really helps a lot!
I hope this info helps all of you too.

[heatheraki]

Whatever you do, avoid Ky gel. This stuff has in it an ingredient that aggrivates even the slightest yeast infection. Canestan too can be a bit of a no no.I was prescribed months of the stuff for continuous thrush infections and ended up becoming allergic to it. What started as a simple bout of thrush ended up two years later with full blown vaginal dermatitis. ( or possibly Bechet's  disiease, having read the message left before.) Try epaderm, for body washing. really good product.

[ljbnpain]

I just found this website a few weeks ago, and at first I thought I was the only one with this, the same symptons as you. I have alot of itchy spells burning when I urinate, it gets really raw and it hurts when I sit and it hurts when I walk. It is so painful at times I havent had sex since April 2008. I finally went to the doctor in 2008 and he told me I had vulvodynia, another word for vaginal dermatitis.It has been very depressing for the last year and a half for me and especially my husband when it comes to no sex. The doctor prescribed a steroid ointment Clobestol .05%. This maybe what you are talking about. I was also told to use only dove soap to wash in, to wash my underwear in baby laundry detergent or unscented or dye-free soap, unscented pads and tampons and not to wear underwear as much as possible while I was at home so air could get to it. The ointment worked as long as you keep using it but he said using to much could make it worst. I was told I had alot of scars inside thats why sex was so painful, he prescribed a pain pill to numb the nerves. Its been a tough road. To top it all off I was also told it was a life long condition too. If anybody else have any good advice please let me know. I understand been there done that.

[wordgirl234]

was it called Kenalog ointment? that was the only thing that ever worked for me.

[missHeart]

wow you really have helped me. i.ve felt like i'm really weird and have something wrong that no one else has.
from puberty on i have had fissures on the genital area, worse as i get older.( i am 20 now) in november of 2008 it got so bad i couldn't walk, my vagina was swollen, itchy and in soo much pain.skin was just falling off and there was raw sore spots that went down my thighs. i had horrible diarrhea, and constipation, along with being depressed and tired all the time. i have what i thought was cancor sores all the time so bad that i can't eat. you said nothing about menses cycle but mine is not regular at all. sex is almost impossible, only when the breakouts aren't around. different lubes irritate along with my own body lubrication.i saw a naturapathic physician for a while and cut out gluten and sugar and that seemed to help alot. but it seems to keep coming back. i'm frustrated and stressed about it and the stress only makes it worse.  i've had every STD test and they even took a skin biopsy which made it worse. the only thing they said was wrong with me is something about my white blood cells being abnormal, but the doctor said it was nothing too worrisome. they send me away saying they don't now what is wrong and to wear cotton underwear and don't use any soap. i have had this problem for 8 years now and have had no idea as to what it could be. it is slightly a relief to know i am not the only person who has this.
does it cause sterilization at know do you know?

[terri615]

clobetsol is what you are looking for.  Good luck.

[unefille3945]

Everyone with any type of dermatitis should consult a doctor and ask for allergy tests. Now there are two types, delayed and immediate. Often delayed allergies are the answer to many health problems. I am asthmatic and therefore have cut out lots of different ingredients ( though I have been bad and not followed the list properly!) Now I  have suddenly developed an invisible dermatitis on the entry of the vagina! I have tried what the doctor told me and changed toilet paper, soap, even my tampons are hyper allergenic! But it hasn't gone and I know that I have to take out the list of delayed allergies that are stored in my file. The thing with delayed allergies is that you don't feel a reaction. I for example have a delayed allergy to eggs. So if I eat them, at first nothing happens, then between 12-24 hours later i begin itching. Because its so mild I sometimes think what can one piece of cake do! There are no scabs or rashes, I just itch! I have a list of lots of other food intolerances and I guess its time to eliminate them all from my diet! If you try removing the contact allergies and nothing happens try food! It may be as simple as cutting out eggs!  Oh and by the way my asthma has gone from being hospitalized every two weeks to occurring once a year! By the way doctors don't often suggest this, it was a Chinese medicine doctor who suggested it at first. Also remember allergies and intolerances change with time, so if you were tested ten years ago get tested again!  Dermatitis is always caused by something, figure out what that is instead of just using cream! Good luck ladies!

[123kag]

It comforting to read others are in the same situation as me! I have just been to a dermatology centre. Localised atopic dermatitis was the most recent diagonis of the condition which really can be unbearable (Im sure you would all agree). So with all the usual advice, change toilet paper, washing powders, laundry liquids, tampons etc I have now been told to try this. Use betnovate 1/5 cream twice a day for 10 days straight. Then take 4 days off. Repeat if necessary. Then when the condition is not as itchy use a lower strength cream such as hydrocortisone1% for maintenance when necessary. As good as this all sounds... we shall see! Oh and the other advice is lower the stress...Easier said then done when you are always annoyed with it! Good Luck everyone.

[Naidz30]

Betnovate ointment! worked miracles for me...
I have been putting up with similar symptoms for years now.. unbearable itching, burning, and just contstant pain from being red raw.. At times it would make me cry, it affected work, driving, sleeping, everything! I couldn't sit still for more than a minute without having to run off and and try something, anything to stop the itching.  Anyhow..being 35 weeks pregnant my OB finally took a look! Hmmm Dermatitis he said..prescribed me Betnovate ointment, I rushed home to apply it and....Relief!!! omg finally! I've been using it now for 4 days and it seems to really be doing the trick, My skin down there feels smooth again finally, no sores from scrathing, no burning or stinging, nothing... Honestly if you have symptoms like these..ask your doc for a script for this stuff, it may just do the trick :)

[Arlenelg]

After reading all your comments I feel I have something similar.  The cream I was prescribed was Betazole by my Gyn.  I apply it once and all the symptoms disappear.

[angela_mary]

i had genital warts and discharge for a year now,,all anitbiotic i took from my physician is not working,,its keep on coming back,,what should i do? pls help me

[agh19]

I have had problems with vaginal itching for years and my dr prescribed nystatin/triamcinolone/acetonide cream. I have also been prescribed Desonide which helped but the nystatin combo cream is better. I also take baking soda baths and these have given me some relief as well as taking antihistmines to help control the itching. At my last appt my dr suggested a biopsy to check for skin disease if the itching kept coming back so I think this is my next step. I'm making an appt with a gyno this week and I have an appt with a dermatologist next week. I hope info this helps!!

[kohani]

Im coming back as a dismissive male G.P. with no bedside manner that specializes in mens health! Thank you to all the wonderful women that have shared their most intimate stories on this site.I have suffered from this painful condition since my late teens. I am now in my late forties.I have been accused of anything from sticking odd and varied objects up my vagina to being just plain psychotic.I have under gone many tests,unnecessary surgeries(one life threatening) and countless embarrassing doctors and specialists appointments. All to be told that this was a life long condition and to just live with it.********! I come from a medical background and have always had the utmost faith in western medicine so it took me a very long time to embrace the natural medicine side of things. After the loss of two marriages,many jobs due to taking too many sick days and an attempted suicide,I finally decided to contact a natureopath.Joy of joys! After acupuncture and some herbal tonics and topical treatments I am on my way to recovery.I urge anyone with this life debilitating condition to look outside the square. You just might find that  veil of despair lifting and believe me,the sun is shining on the other side.Good luck my brave comrades.