[arj75]

How old are you, arj? I've been seeking a diagnosis for over a year now (I've been pretty sick and these vaginal infections are the only "tangible" symptom I have). That's scary. I smoked HEAVILY for a while and I already know that I'm susceptible to cancerous changes in my body. I guess maybe I should press for a chest x-ray too. All doctors have been willing to do is blood work. No scans or x-rays....

Please keep us updated on your new findings. I hope everything is ok.

Morphia, I am 31 years to old lol. I have been smoking since I was 17. I also smoked pot on and off for about the same time...minus the 2 years when I was pregnant. I do think your immune system is low. I could give you chapters and chapters of information of what changes occur in your body when under high stress, or what happens to your body when you are ill for long periods. But i don't want to even open that can of worms. lol. You may want to do that just to rule it out. But, being that you are so young, it's doubtful that your insurance will pay for it. But you may have some good insurance that would take care of it..not sure what you got going on with that....

Chest X-rays aren't that expensive though, or EKG's ECG's whatever you prefer to call them. I'm not sure how much this stress test on my heart is gonna cost me. (Have to have this done because EKG was abnormal), I also have some sort of mass in my breast...but I had this checked seven years ago....it's was ok then...caused from too much caffeine. But my doctor is forceing me to have this removed. I was gonna wait and have it taken out when I got my boob job. lol.

[Morphia]

My chest x-ray shows a mass, and my EKG my T waves are abnormal. Actually, I happy that this was discovered as I was getting tired of being treated like a hypochondriac.

How old are you, arj? I've been seeking a diagnosis for over a year now (I've been pretty sick and these vaginal infections are the only "tangible" symptom I have). That's scary. I smoked HEAVILY for a while and I already know that I'm susceptible to cancerous changes in my body. I guess maybe I should press for a chest x-ray too. All doctors have been willing to do is blood work. No scans or x-rays....

Please keep us updated on your new findings. I hope everything is ok.

[arj75]

Hey ladies,

Well, I had the doctor appointment today (actually two different appointments). I talked to my RN (at gyno) for about 20 minutes regarding bv. She worked at a planned parenthood clinic for 20 years ( I think that's how long she said) This is her advice that she gave me to manage BV. (Obviously, this is a personal reference, so I cannot site this information lol) She actually even has recurring BV. This is what she suggested.... (I'm a little scared about douching, but this has worked for her.

3 days, before your period, douche with vinegar and water
3 days after your period, douche with vinegar and water
In the middle of your cycle (when the eggs are coming down)..look for when your discharge changes from a white creamy texture to more of a mucous discharge, douche then as well with vinegar and water.

I think it's a little interesting, as I have felt ovulation has had an impact on our balance as well.

I think I'm gonna do the vinegar baths (strong very strong lol)..but with the same cycle approach.

Also, no std's, but I don't know what bacteria was there... my gyno referred me to another gyno (that's all I know), and my pap was abnormal, so the colpo is next week.

I have been doctor hopping since feb. trying to seek a doctor to help me with my anxiety, because i have explained to 4 doctors, that I felt that there was a health issue that was causing insomnia and these attacks in the first place. but they would just throw some prozac at me, or xanax whatever they got, and send me on my way. So, my most recent doctor (who listened) sent me in to have EKG and chest X-ray. My chest x-ray shows a mass, and my EKG my T waves are abnormal. Actually, I happy that this was discovered as I was getting tired of being treated like a hypochondriac. (Hello, I know my own body)

Please ladies quit smoking.

[lori]

Just to add to the STD convo...I have had one STD and I had no symptoms at all. My gyno just happened to test for it because she thought my BV symptoms could be something worse. I had been dating the guy for a little while and apparently he had it first and had never had symptoms either. It's really scary that you could have something without knowing it. Which is why I think that everyone here, if they haven't already, should definately get tested to rule that out.

Absolutely totally agree. (Glad you got treated, Sassy.)

[sassy]

arj: I have thought about that, too. I always want to buy the little wet wipes they sell in the toilet paper aisle but my fiancee makes fun of me. But, I think I will. It's cleaner, anyhow.

[arj75]

Also, about the urine thing..isnt our urethra orifice in front of our vagina's canal, and wiping front to back, we are wiping it back to it. There is bacteria in this area...whenever urine cultures are to be done...we use wet wipes to get rid of it...(for a clean catch.) And I am now, and will, forever more not being using toilet paper. It does have bacteria on it. E. Coli is found on toothbrushes often, and since shit spores float, they surely can land on toilet paper as well.

There are too many bacteria that science doesn't even know about yet. I feel like it is a smart choice (not out there) to reduce these risks much as possible.

[arj75]

It apparently takes less Flagyl to kill Trich than it does BV, so if you've taken a full course of Flagyl at some point, it should have killed it, hopefully.

Just want to emphasize again, though - I'm not saying any of us have undiagnosed Trich. It's just a theory. If you consider the numbers:

- only 10% of men have symptoms
- only 10-15% or women have specific symptoms
- only 60-70% diagnosed by wet prep

... the logical conclusion is that there are some women falling through the cracks. Again, I'm not saying we should all run out and get Trich cultures tomorrow. Just one of the many things to consider - if you're getting re-infected by unprotected sex over and over again.

Another possibility to consider that I read about in The V Book - some men have semen that kills lactobacillus! (Oh great.) There's no way to treat this, or even test for it. So in the end, there's nothing you can do but just use condoms.

I just think it's useful to be aware of all the possibilities.

I have said this before, semen and urine come out of the same spot on the dudes weiner lol. The urethra. So, is it too far fetched to assume that the bacteria in his urine is the cause for infection, not the semen? (There is only one hole.....)

[neverending]

Thanks for the info. However, this link says that the wet prep is not that accurate for diagnosing Trich:

http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/259/8/1223

"wet-mount examination detected only 53 (60%) of the cases ..."

Again, I am NOT saying anyone has Trich. But based on these stats, I think it's worth considering as a possibility for some women who are getting re-infected over and over after unprotected sex from the same guy.
I have no idea what you mean. Flagyl apparently treats Trich, too.

Lori: I understand that what you read said it is not always detected but I'm speaking from experience TRICH IS VERY NOTICEABLE.

[sassy]

Just to add to the STD convo...I have had one STD and I had no symptoms at all. My gyno just happened to test for it because she thought my BV symptoms could be something worse. I had been dating the guy for a little while and apparently he had it first and had never had symptoms either. It's really scary that you could have something without knowing it. Which is why I think that everyone here, if they haven't already, should definately get tested to rule that out. I took the antibiotics for the STD and nothing really changed...still had BV and all so it was kind of weird.

[lori]

I do think that trich can be missed, (early stages?) I will read that article again.... but, (for me) I think if I had trich that my worms would have a pretty damn large family by now being that I have had bv for far too long.

It apparently takes less Flagyl to kill Trich than it does BV, so if you've taken a full course of Flagyl at some point, it should have killed it, hopefully.

Just want to emphasize again, though - I'm not saying any of us have undiagnosed Trich. It's just a theory. If you consider the numbers:

- only 10% of men have symptoms
- only 10-15% or women have specific symptoms
- only 60-70% diagnosed by wet prep

... the logical conclusion is that there are some women falling through the cracks. Again, I'm not saying we should all run out and get Trich cultures tomorrow. Just one of the many things to consider - if you're getting re-infected by unprotected sex over and over again.

Another possibility to consider that I read about in The V Book - some men have semen that kills lactobacillus! (Oh great.) There's no way to treat this, or even test for it. So in the end, there's nothing you can do but just use condoms.

I just think it's useful to be aware of all the possibilities.

[jewelscando]

Well, who knows. I have been checked over and over and over again for STD's, and never diagnosed with Trich. My ex was also tested, and prescribed Flagyl...to no avail. So...I agree, Trich could be present..but I don't have the symptoms. Other then the smell. No yellowish green discharge. Just the white stuff. Oh well...sorry to cause a stir guys...just wanted to say hi. Obviously...Lori still feels she's the queen...so...LONG LIVE THE QUEEN!!!

No need to reply...I won't play that game again!!!

[arj75]

Thanks for the info. However, this link says that the wet prep is not that accurate for diagnosing Trich:

http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/259/8/1223

"wet-mount examination detected only 53 (60%) of the cases ..."

Again, I am NOT saying anyone has Trich. But based on these stats, I think it's worth considering as a possibility for some women who are getting re-infected over and over after unprotected sex from the same guy.
I have no idea what you mean. Flagyl apparently treats Trich, too.

Lori, what I mean is the fda passed a drug to treat BV...that had only a 38% success rate? ( I think that's what it was...I'm not going back to read it, because I'm not interested in taking a drug that was passed out of pure desperate measures to treat bv. (I think the FDA is getting worried about a riot of angry women who have gone insane from dealing with bv. lol I also think they are concerned with bv a bit more now too...knowing it increases risk of contracting HIV.

I do think that trich can be missed, (early stages?) I will read that article again.... but, (for me) I think if I had trich that my worms would have a pretty damn large family by now being that I have had bv for far too long.

I did a little bit of digging on cholesterol...dietary guidelines for fats (lipids) is 20 to 35% of energy intake. I'll find the grams later...
The good sources should come from fish and nuts. We want polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids. (vegetable oils)
Interesting info (for me at least) People from cultures who consume a lot seafood in their diets....these countries (or area's) have lower rates for depression. And, fish (omega- 3 fatty acids) suppress inflammatory responses ( itis) = inflammation. (I'm the itis girl...some other ladies here are too, I am sure.) Supplements of omega's though don't do much...some say they are dangerous... (made from soy)...

I would love to attach links of information that I find, if I knew how...I'm sure it's simple. A lot of this information that I do find..is not online, but from science professors, nutrition books, and a lot of medical journals from online or the library.... I need a scanner.

Dietary fibers......digested ( in a way) by GI tract bacteria (hmm) ...there are soluble and insoluble fibers (bacteria in GI tract digest insoluble ) bran, (yuck), celery, (yuck), hulls of seeds, (yuck) skins of corn kernels..(ok, but how many ears of corn shall I eat....I will look into it......

[lori]

Uhm, I used to do wet preps and let me tell you Trich is very noticable on a slide. Even when the doctors didn't test for Trich we would know if the person had it or not. I remember getting a urine culture in. The person thought she had a UTI but what we found was Trich floating around in the urine. Trich is a parasite with flagella. I wish you all could see them under a microscope. It will make your skin crawl.
Here is a link as to what they look like:
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=htt...2006-47,GFRC:en

Thanks for the info. However, this link says that the wet prep is not that accurate for diagnosing Trich:

http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/259/8/1223

"wet-mount examination detected only 53 (60%) of the cases ..."

Again, I am NOT saying anyone has Trich. But based on these stats, I think it's worth considering as a possibility for some women who are getting re-infected over and over after unprotected sex from the same guy.

Ladies the FDA passes tenamax (whatever the fucking name is) (with a 38% success rate) maybe not that low, but low enough for me to question their ethics. If you ask me why that drug was passed....I think it was to save insurance costs for wet slids.... Maybe I'm way off, but thats exactly how I feel. Isn't that drug used to kill trich? (not for sure if it was or not)

I'm losing all trust in the fda, doctors, and insurance companies......

I have no idea what you mean. Flagyl apparently treats Trich, too.

[neverending]

Jewels: Welcome back!

[arj75]

Uhm, I used to do wet preps and let me tell you Trich is very noticable on a slide. Even when the doctors didn't test for Trich we would know if the person had it or not. I remember getting a urine culture in. The person thought she had a UTI but what we found was Trich floating around in the urine. Trich is a parasite with flagella. I wish you all could see them under a microscope. It will make your skin crawl.
Here is a link as to what they look like:
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=htt...2006-47,GFRC:en

Ummm, I'm here too bitch, and to make an apology to jewels (I have been feeling pretty bad about it actually). As if I have been suffering from bv for as long as she has...I would be taking matters into my own hands as well. Ladies the FDA passes tenamax (whatever the fucking name is) (with a 38% success rate) maybe not that low, but low enough for me to question their ethics. If you ask me why that drug was passed....I think it was to save insurance costs for wet slids.... Maybe I'm way off, but thats exactly how I feel. Isn't that drug used to kill trich? (not for sure if it was or not)

I'm losing all trust in the fda, doctors, and insurance companies......

[neverending]

I covered this in my latest blog entry, but I have a theory about this - If having unprotected sex keeps causing BV, it could be Trichomoniasis. (Keep in mind, this is just a theory.)

• According to the CDC, "Most men with trichomoniasis do not have signs or symptoms."
• Trichmoniasis shows up on a wet prep only 70% of the time. [*according to The V Book] To get a firm diagnosis, you need a lab culture.
• also according to The V Book, Trichmoniasis symptoms (foul odor, frothy yellow-green discharge) only presents in 10-15% of women who have it, because they usually have it along with BV - so the BV symptoms (fishy odor, milky-gray discharge) are noticed more (Not to mention that they are pretty similar symptoms anyway.)

So based on these facts, it's possible that some women have Trich infections that go undiagnosed. A course of flagyl will cure a Trich infection, but they are continually re-infected by their man who doesn't know he has it too.

Keep in mind, it's just a theory.

I knew very little about Trich before, and I don't think this applies to me personally. (Some of my recurrences happened when I was not having sex at all.) But reading about Trich makes me think that this might be the case for some women who always have recurrences after unprotected sex.

Uhm, I used to do wet preps and let me tell you Trich is very noticable on a slide. Even when the doctors didn't test for Trich we would know if the person had it or not. I remember getting a urine culture in. The person thought she had a UTI but what we found was Trich floating around in the urine. Trich is a parasite with flagella. I wish you all could see them under a microscope. It will make your skin crawl.
Here is a link as to what they look like:
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=htt...2006-47,GFRC:en

[lori]

Lori--I was tested for trich before when I couldn't get rid of my BV and it was negative. I've been tested for everything actually.

I've been tested for every STD ever known to mankind, too. I've been in a monogamous relationship for 7 years (which is as long as I've had BV, which sucks) with periods of long-distance-celibacy in between. So I don't think I'm at risk for STD's, but all my GYN's insist on testing me each time. I'm perfectly fine with it, and I understand why they need to do it. But it's always funny to see them try to say to me in a nice way - "Your man could be messing around with a dirty skank-whore behind your back! And that's why we need to check you for gonorrhea for the umpteenth time!"

But I think in some women, your theory is probably right. Doctors are lazy and probably just assume its BV.

Yeah, I was pretty amazed when I read that "most" men who have Trich don't even have symptoms. Maybe I wasn't paying enough attention during my junior high sex ed. class.

[sassy]

Metrogel has never given me a yeast infection. I like it a lot more than Flagyl because it has less side effects and I found it to work for longer periods of time.

Lori--I was tested for trich before when I couldn't get rid of my BV and it was negative. I've been tested for everything actually. But I think in some women, your theory is probably right. Doctors are lazy and probably just assume its BV.

[Morphia]

Hello Everyone...

I've stayed quiet...but wanted to give my friends an update.

I've done alot of research on the boric acid, being that I can't personally take it. I think I figured out why I had such a bad alergic reaction to it. The pesticide Boric Acid contains Sulfer.. I am alergic to any and all sulfer products, ie. Bactrium (anti biotic) and Water pills...I guess they all have some kind of Sulfer in them. "Boric acid is produced mainly from borate minerals by the reaction with sulfuric acid". So Sassy...this is the reason why I broke out in that horrible bleeding rash.. And my doctors did say that I was having an Internal Alergic reaction to something. Obviously, had they known the ingredients in the Boric, they would have been able to figure it out. So..... anyone that is alergice to Bactrium....do not take Boric Acid either.

For me...I've found a few things that I now realize what the cause of my B.V. was. My ex boyfriend....He is the culprit. How do I know??? Well, let's see...I had B.V. 1 time about 12yrs ago or so..only to return Five years ago, which was right after I met my ex. We were together for 5yrs. In which time, I had B.V. more times then I can count.

Since we broke up...we've had sex a few times, and of course, everytime, without fail...my b.v. returns. SO.... I have a new boyfriend!!! Actually, he's an old friend from my past...and we finally got together. We have had sex probably 5 times in the past two weeks, AND NO B.V. The last time I used FLAGYL VAGINALLY was right before he and I started talking which was about a month ago. So..with that being said...I'm not sure if it's the new boyfriend or it was the FLAGYL Vaginally that has taken my B.V. away.

Either way...I'm still B.V. free on my end here!! I went to the doctor again a few weeks ago..and spoke to them again about the Flagyl Vaginally. He said, the pill is just in Powder Form. They make it both in pill and gel. There's nothing wrong with inserting it vaginally. BUT...THAT'S JUST WHAT MY DOCTOR SAID!! Ask yours for advice as well!!

Hope all is well. Never Ending...could you please give me the info on your Estroil? Just PM me if you would!!

Thanks!!

Hey, jewels! I'm glad to know you found your trigger. I don't have a trigger. Mine just plain won't go away. I'm going to try metrogel this time. My doctor is doing metrogel for 7 days, then once a week for a month. then once a month for four months. But I can't start on the metrogel until I get rid of this yeast infection. :'(

I do need to know something. Many of you have stated that Flagyl gives you a yeast infection. I got one from using it too. Does metrogel have a lower occurrence of yeast infections for you ladies? Thanks!

[lori]

For me...I've found a few things that I now realize what the cause of my B.V. was. My ex boyfriend....He is the culprit. How do I know??? Well, let's see...I had B.V. 1 time about 12yrs ago or so..only to return Five years ago, which was right after I met my ex. We were together for 5yrs. In which time, I had B.V. more times then I can count.

Since we broke up...we've had sex a few times, and of course, everytime, without fail...my b.v. returns.

I covered this in my latest blog entry, but I have a theory about this - If having unprotected sex keeps causing BV, it could be Trichomoniasis. (Keep in mind, this is just a theory.)

• According to the CDC, "Most men with trichomoniasis do not have signs or symptoms."
• Trichmoniasis shows up on a wet prep only 70% of the time. [*according to The V Book] To get a firm diagnosis, you need a lab culture.
• also according to The V Book, Trichmoniasis symptoms (foul odor, frothy yellow-green discharge) only presents in 10-15% of women who have it, because they usually have it along with BV - so the BV symptoms (fishy odor, milky-gray discharge) are noticed more (Not to mention that they are pretty similar symptoms anyway.)

So based on these facts, it's possible that some women have Trich infections that go undiagnosed. A course of flagyl will cure a Trich infection, but they are continually re-infected by their man who doesn't know he has it too.

Keep in mind, it's just a theory.

I knew very little about Trich before, and I don't think this applies to me personally. (Some of my recurrences happened when I was not having sex at all.) But reading about Trich makes me think that this might be the case for some women who always have recurrences after unprotected sex.