Ladies, severe irritation down there, what can I do to help this??

[Ihurt]

Hey all,

I have a question hopefully someone can help me with. I have recently come down with a yeast infection and have bad irritation down there in the vluva and anal area. It is that very red and irritated skin that burns and stings whenever water hits the area or when I shower. When I use the bathroom to have a bowel movement, OMG, it hurts and burns so bad!! Especailly after I wash off down there. My gyne gave me a script for this cream, it is called Lotrisone cream. It is a very light steroid cream mixed with a anti-fungal med. It helps, but very little, not nearly enough as I am still Very irritated down there. Are there any creams that help with this? I have no clue what it is. I mean I took a diflucan a few days ago and have been putting anti-fungal cream down there in the anal and vulva area. If it were yeast, I would think it would be better. I am suppose to talk back with the gyne sometime today or tomorrow. Thank God I have not had any runs or anything and have been going only once a day( and that is misery as far as the burning and stinging goes after I wash). I have to wash off as I am VERY prone to getting UTI's. But I am sooo uncomfortable down there. Has anyone here dealt with this and what do you use to calm the area and the inflammation down there?? Thanks in advance for any replies or suggestions you may have..

 

[scottsma]

We have over the counter Canestan.You get pessaries and a cream to use.There is also a Vagisil cream and powder and feminine wipes.Worth having a look on line for the US equivalent.Hope you find relief soon,I know how horrible it is.

 

[Ihurt]

Hey there,

Thanks for the reply. I have been using the durgs like Canestan but not getting to much relief. I went to the gyne and she gave me a cream to put on( lotirsone). it is a prescription anti-fungal mixed with a very light steroid cream. It is Not helping very much at all. I have some irritation inside as well, but the worst is the irritation on the anal area and the vulva area where the opening to the vagina is. It is so bad. I mean everytime I get water on it, it burns soo awful. Not sure what else I can put on it. I really hope the gyne will have some ideas... Thanks again for the advice and support...

 

[scottsma]

I know what it can be like,but luckily only had it really bad once.I was climbing the walls !!! Pessaries would seem like a good idea for internal irritation,but it sounds like you might need a strong steroid cream for external bits.How about trying crushed ice in a baggie and an old sock or something,in the meanwhile.........I'm just clutching at straws here.I hope you get sorted soon. Hugs.

 

[Ihurt]

Thank you Scottsma for the suggestions. I will try the ice tonight, maybe that will help. I am going to see the gyne tomorrow. I pray she can help me somehow. I also have bladder issues ( Interstitial Cystitis and chronic infections) and my bladder is killing me too now . Thanks again...

I know what it can be like,but luckily only had it really bad once.I was climbing the walls !!! Pessaries would seem like a good idea for internal irritation,but it sounds like you might need a strong steroid cream for external bits.How about trying crushed ice in a baggie and an old sock or something,in the meanwhile.........I'm just clutching at straws here.I hope you get sorted soon. Hugs.

 

[PsychoJane]

Talk with her about the chance of it being from bacterial origin. I know we would assume something smelly and discharges and all when it comes to bacterial infection but I had an occurrence post surgery that would show none of that. My wound site was infected and I probably ended up with cross-contamination of a strep down there. It was mostly itching and burning. Could it be a possibility?

 

[xX_LittleMissValentine_Xx]

I basically lived with thrush for about two years. I constantly used the canesten cream and it never really went away. I just lived with it.

Then after my surgery in Jan I was doing sitz baths a couple of times a day for a few months and after that I have only had one bout of thrush. I think Maybe sitting in just water for all that time somehow managed to clean it out better than just using the creams.

It sounds like you already do similar though - Just putting it out there.

 

[Ihurt]

Thanks for the tip ladies. I know when I was at the gyne's office last week, she did a swab test and it did show Bacterial Vaginosis. There are literally only 2 drugs on the market that treat it. One is Clidamycin( which I am allergic too) and then there is Falgyl the pills( which I cannot take) and the flagyl gel which you put in there. I have used the gel before and it worked but ended up givng me a horrid yeast infection and then the BV just came back anyhow. Now my bladder is infected I am sure as I am feeling so awful. I am going to see the gyne today. I know the nurse mentioned something like sending me to a infectious disease doctor because I am unable to take the drugs that treat the BV without having bad side effects. Not even sure what an infectious disease doc can even offer though. Right now my bladder and urethra are the biggest painful issue. I feel like I gotta pee ALL the time and everything burns all the time down there. . I pray the gyne will be able to help somehow.. Thanks ladies for all your advice and suggestions, I really appreciate it. PshycoJane: I will ask the gyne about the possibility of this being some other sort of bacterial issue. Littlemissvalentine; Thanks for the tip on the warm water soaks..

 

[Astra]

Ihurt, and I bet you do!

Canesten is ok for thrush and the pill that comes with it, but for the inflammation and irritation (and I get loads of it, it must be a crohnie thang) Canesten HC is the best, it's on prescription only and contains 1% Hydrocortisone.
xx

 

[Sophia]

I was going to suggest the Diflucan pill, but I see you've already taken that, with no relief? I had a terrible yeast infection once that was literally driving me nuts, where I had to walk around the house and outside at a fast pace just to force my mind off the itching. I was given a Diflucan pill, and it helped in just a few hours... I was also given Xylocain (local anesthetic cream), but if you're sore and don't know for certain what is going on, then I'm not sure it's the best advice.

I guess you have already thought of this, but zinc cream could help the soreness, and I don't think it's harmful to try, as it's used for babies too.

Hope you feel better soon!

 

[PsychoJane]

I'm sorry I did not come back sooner with the followings since you are seeing your gyne today. I'll get you a link from where I took the following suggestions. There are alternatives out there and also idea of what to do in other to prevent the reoccurrence of the BV which can be rather high (58%). The condition is a bit hard to put back in place but there are some additional thing to try out there.

So here is the link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3181210/

And here's a summary of the alternatives/ complementary solutions to discuss with your team.:

There are alternative antibiotics out there, I don't know if being intolerant to metronidazole would mean you would be intolerant to these agents as they are similar in structure from what I understand but
-Secnidazole and tinidazole can also be used

-cleocin cream

Topical use of probiotic; there is one called Normogin but basically, it's to increase the good bacteries in there to prevent reoccurrence. Its to be used intravaginally

-They referred to the possibility to acidify the vaginal mucosa as it's promoted when it turn alkaline but this is not the most promising technique. There are gels out there that could possibly be applied.

-They suggest that ******** with certain natural antiseptics oil could bring results; thymol (oil of thym) and eugenol (oil of clover) could have properties that would be beneficial for BV. I don't know what the dosage would have to be though.

There even is a gel containing silver nano particle that has been created by some chinese team.

Anyway, my point is that I believe you still have alternatives ahead! Hopefully something will allow you to get relief.

 

[mish2575]

I know what it can be like,but luckily only had it really bad once.I was climbing the walls !!! Pessaries would seem like a good idea for internal irritation,but it sounds like you might need a strong steroid cream for external bits.How about trying crushed ice in a baggie and an old sock or something,in the meanwhile.........I'm just clutching at straws here.I hope you get sorted soon. Hugs.

I get raw in the buttock area from a leaking boil (hidradenitis). I first clean the area with antiseptic cleanser (Hibiclens). It INSTANTLY stops the pain. . . I don't really know why. I then will put my homemade diaper cream on it: Aquaphor mixed with cornstarch.

This works like a charm. Just be careful not to use the Hibiclens near the urethra, it gives a UTI feeling for about 24 hours if you do.

 

[sickofcrohns]

Quick question: have you considered whether you are allergic to the treatment creams? I'm allergic to most antifungals, including Canesten -- using them makes the itching *worse*. You may want to talk to your doctor about other types of antifungals -- not just different formats (suppositories, pills) but also entirely different drugs, if you suspect you are having an allergic reaction to the ones you've tried so far. They may be prescription-only and cost more, but if they work, they'll be worth it!

-----

OK, seeing as there's a lot going on, here are some other things you can try if you are forced to take an antibiotic that then exposes you to a yeast infection:

If I feel a yeast infection going on, I use unsweetened plain live culture yogurt (any brand will do -- full fat is better than low fat) internally and externally for a few days. The yogurt supplies live bacteria that fight the yeast, and the cool and fatty milk proteins soothe the itchiness.

Another thing that helps is soaking in a lukewarm bath with baking soda in it, and then drying the entire itchy region afterwards by patting with a towel and then drying with a hair dryer set to "cool."

DO NOT apply full-strength steroid creams to any mucous membranes!! Doing this will make them raw and painful!! If you have a pure steroid cream and want to use it -- for instance, if you think you might be allergic to the antifungal/steroid cream, and want to try a pure steroid cream -- dilute it in an unscented hand cream or in yogurt.

These tricks have all helped me a lot over the years.

I hope you find some relief soon!