[mfc10]

maggie,

when you say that you phased out boric acid...how long was that process?

thanks,
sooo sad

It was over a period of months--like about 3, I think. But it did the trick when NOTHING else worked for me.

Maggie

[sooo sad]

maggie,

when you say that you phased out boric acid...how long was that process?

thanks,
sooo sad

[mfc10]

I have two questions, if you all do not mind?

Does anyone else here have that horrible burning?


***thank you in advance***

This was my story for about a year. What FINALLY helped me was figuring out (in tandem with my late gyn) that the burning was caused by a yeast infection comprised of non-Albicans Candida. The species I was infected with are very resistant to most all yeast-infection medications, even Diflucan. What finally helped was stearing clear of Flagyl (which encourages yeast growth) and using boric acid vaginally, then re-populating the vagina with the correct strains of Lactobacilli. This was before Fem-Dophilus was available in the USA. It was called Ombe in Europe. I had to get friends who lived in Austria to buy it for me & mail it to me. But that one-two punch did the trick. My gyn had a compounding pharmacy make up 300-mg. capsules of boric acid to use once every night for two weeks, vaginally. (Most "recipes" say to use 600-mg. to fill a capsule, but my gyn agreed that the "European method" of just using 300-mg. should work fine.) A pantyliner is necessary when using boric acid, since it drips out over time.
I was afraid of putting something with the name ACID into my already burning-with-fire vagina, but it actually felt soothing as it dissolved/melted in there.

After things cleared up, I continued taking the Ombe (now called Fem-Dophilus), and used a boric acid capsule 2x per week and a 1/2 of a tea tree oil suppository on alternate days. As time went on, I phased out the boric acid completely, and used the 1/2 tea tree oil suppository 2x per week. Now, 18 months or more later, I still do maintenance by using Estrace estrogen cream vaginally every other day, and Sylk lubricant (pH=4.7) on alternate days.

I hear you about the too-burny-for-sex stuff too. We abstained at least 15 months from start to finish. Good thing I had an understanding husband!

Hope this helps! Hang in there!
Maggie

[CanCan]

Quick Question -- do any of you have a thyroid problem? Hyperthyroidism runs in my family and I've heard it's linked to many hormonal problems. I'm going to get mine checked soon and I'm wondering if it has something to do with my BV. Let me know if any of you have thyroid conditions.

Thanks!

Yes, I'm sure many BV cases are linked to imbalanced hormones. I am slightly hypothyroid. I was on Synthroid last year, then stopped taking it, and am getting re tested next week so that the doctor knows which strength of pill to prescribe to me. In case my levels changed.

[mfc10]

hey maggie,

i was wondering where do you order your sylk from? i looked on sylkonline.com but it's kinda expensive. i didn't know if i could trust the other websites...don't want to order a knock off...

thanks,
sooo sad

That's where I get mine--I buy two at a time--there is usually a discount if one does that. It's expensive, but there are no other lubricants of the correct pH out there! And the ingredients are natural & very mild. I LOVE it!!
Worth every penny.

Hugs,
Maggie

[kinkaju]

I'm seeing something new about Reuteri. I called every single HFS in town and no one seems to know what it is!

I was taking a probiotic called Reuteri a few years ago when I was having recurring yeast issues. I found it in the refrigerated section of Mrs. Green's Natural Market, near where I live. In fact, I saw the same exact kind just last week when I went into that store.

This is the one I took: http://www.potentherbs.com/shop/reuteri-naturesway.html

[sooo sad]

hi neverending...
i'm new and i was wondering how you got rid of this bv from hell? i'm trying to get ideas from ladies who have beaten this horrible condition. hopefully i can join you, lori, and the other ladies that have won this terrible battle. i started on fem d. and it's better and the discharge is less but was wondering what do you do for maintenance, if you do.
thanks in advance,
sooo sad

[sooo sad]

hey maggie,

i was wondering where do you order your sylk from? i looked on sylkonline.com but it's kinda expensive. i didn't know if i could trust the other websites...don't want to order a knock off...

thanks,
sooo sad

[tabby]

Quick Question -- do any of you have a thyroid problem? Hyperthyroidism runs in my family and I've heard it's linked to many hormonal problems. I'm going to get mine checked soon and I'm wondering if it has something to do with my BV. Let me know if any of you have thyroid conditions.

Thanks!

Hi Carrie, (Love your screen name)

I just had a thyroid panel done back in February, plus some blood work for Diabetes. I'm getting up there in age so they run these tests every year.
Everything came back as normal. But you are correct that thyroid issues affects hormones.


I also wanted to include in this post that, after researching the past hour, I came across another post where a woman said she believed her BV to be linked to seasonal allergies. And that when she took her allergy medication, the BV went away.

I'm not certain of the rules around here but I'd be happy to link that post, in case it's of any help to any one.

[CarrieBradshaw]

Quick Question -- do any of you have a thyroid problem? Hyperthyroidism runs in my family and I've heard it's linked to many hormonal problems. I'm going to get mine checked soon and I'm wondering if it has something to do with my BV. Let me know if any of you have thyroid conditions.

Thanks!

[tabby]

Hello Ladies,

I return here after a lengthy absence with a heavy heart.

Last year I began a battle with chronic BV. Pelvic achiness, wretched smell, itching (mild), but the worst of all....the continual BURNING. Burning when I sit, walk, pee...and I literally lost my mind. The doctors I saw, gave up on me and suggested I start taking an antidepressant instead of worrying about my vagina.

I was on every pill and remedy listed throughout many posts on the thread. I don't know what happened. After three straight months of burning, I had a nervous breakdown one night, cried, threw things, and woke up the next day and it was gone. I have NO idea what made it go but it was just gone....until it came back in February this year. Same symptoms, same burning.

Took a worthless trip to the doctor to get flagyl. I knew that the infection was so far gone, I needed something because I felt some chills.

Well, this time the flagyl did nada, but take the chills away. In fact, the burning increased while on the medicine! And so did the yellowish to clear discharge. After being on 1000 mg a day of this, and feeling sick - you know that feeling flagyl gives you....I decided to try Pau d' arco tea, goldenseal, and oil of oregano. Still, no improvement.

I have two questions, if you all do not mind?

Does anyone else here have that horrible burning?

Does this candigen /genestra stuff work for anyone?

I am really short on cash, and I just can't plop down more money on something that's not going to work.

I'm seeing something new about Reuteri. I called every single HFS in town and no one seems to know what it is!

- sign me, desperate as hell, pissed off, and tired of not being able to be intimate with my husband

***thank you in advance***

[lisabon]

Thanks CanCan and Lori for the quick reply.

Well, looks like I spoke too soon. My discharge returned, but it's just slightly. It's at least 90% better than what I had to endure 3 days ago so I'm not complaining much. I dunno, this may be a stupid question, but how do you know if the capsule has been disolved fully or even if it's stuck up there? I mean, I currently have no irritation, I don't feel funny up there or anything. I know when I took the Yeast Arrest, the discharge from the capsule itself was severe and noticable. There hasn't been a lot of discharge since I put the FemD cap up there Monday. Does that mean it hasn't disolved yet?

[mg86]

well ladies wish me luck!! in reference to my post from earlier today - I called CVS about the Flagyl and as if by some miracle I still had a refill left!!! It has been almost a year since the last time I took it so I was very surprised. It was for 4 tablets as one dose. Well I just swallowed all 4 pills and it was AWFUL...the taste is seriously one of the most disgusting things I can imagine..it gives me chills just thinking about it! It is still lingering in my mouth but I'm crossing my fingers this will work for me. I'm going to begin taking the femdoph 2x a day tomorrow, probably for about 3 weeks. I haven't had sex in months, so I don't have to worry about a partner re-infecting me or anything right now. I HOPE THIS WORKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[CanCan]

F.D.A. approval is a wonderful thing to have, yes. But my boyfriend's penis does not FDA approval, and I let it go inside my vagina every night! Just trying to crack a joke.

[Miss Deena]

Okay so I am not sure if this has been covered or if this is the right thread.

So I have found that if my guy cums inside of me there is a very distinct smell and its not so great. I do wash off after and all that jazz but not like a shower. After i shower it all goes back to normal. Has anyone found a quick wash to use in between showers? Or something?

[lori]

Hey all,

About the vaginal use of Fem-doph: I know I screamed NOOOO! yesterday. I apologize for that, that's not what I usually do. As always - use your own judgment. But make sure it's an informed decision.

There are ladies here who've used Fem-doph vaginally and had BAD experiences - with their discharge turning funky, and the capsules not dissolving completely. The undissolved capsules are a particular problem, because the pieces can cause irritation and possible tearing. (I can't find these posts, but if I do, I'll add them to my blog later.)

OTOH, other ladies have posted a lecture from Dr. Gregor Reid saying that people have used Fem-doph vaginally in clinical trials, and it's been very effective. But he also made a point of saying that there is no FDA approval for this type of use.

So here's my opinion: I wouldn't do it. People in clinical trials are guinea pigs, and also have round-the-clock care from doctors who can take care of you if things go wrong. And the Fem-dophilus, as it is sold now, is just not designed for vaginal use. As you can see from my recent message, I've had major problems with sticking things in my vagina. If you read this entire thread, it's a long list of people desperately sticking all sorts of things in their vagina hoping to fix this problem - and more times than not, it results in irritation and even injury.

Seriously, we should re-title this thread: "Bad Product Pussy Explosions!" The entire reason I bothered to write my blog is to catalog the many scary fuck-ups that people have went through in this thread, just so that they wouldn't be repeated. Yes, I ended up putting a lot more into my blog, but that was the original reason I started writing it.

Trust me, I'd love for there to be a good product designed for vaginal use that offers relief right away. I hope Dr. Reid's lecture means that he's working on a vaginal product based on Fem-doph. I'm also excited about the Swanson product, and hope that means more companies are making these products, so market forces will make them better, cheaper and sell it at my local CVS!

Until then, my suggestion is - use these products as directed. It's supposed to be taken orally, and it's designed to work that way. I know everyone here is desperate for relief, so you want to apply the product directly on the problem. I know people are skeptical that it will put enough good bacteria into your vagina just by swallowing it, so they want to just stick it right up there. Trust me, I know that feeling.

But be patient and just take it orally. Take 2/day at first, for at least 2 weeks. Just let Fem-doph do its thing the way it's designed to. The ultimate goal is to let your vagina heal and regain the right balance on its own; not just sticking stuff up there all the time for maintenance.

Anyway, that's MY opinion. It's always up to you.

[CanCan]

Ooops. I got desperate and stuck one up there yesterday. The damn thing wasn't working orally. I had some results when I first took them orally, then I got my period and it all went to hell. My BV came back worse than what I started off with and it sorta freaked me out cause it was never this bad ever. Anyways, sticking one up there helped. I don't have an abundance of discharge, but there is a very very very slight smell (it's not a bad smell persay, it's just a smell that I don't recognize). However, there might be little to no discharge, but the BV is still up in there. I stuck my finger up there, took it out and the BV evidence was on my finger *sigh*

um, lets see.. I haven't had any irritation since putting the capsule up my cha cha. No itching (thank you lord)... besides the discharge, that was my major issue. *knock on wood*. Don't wanna get too happy cause it's only been a day and 2morrow, the discharge and itching could be back full force. I was gonna stick another capsule up there tonight with hopes of it wiping out the BV completley, but with ur CAPS of warning, I'm going to refrain.

The reason I decided to take the risk is cause I was reading old post and two people had tried it and said it worked so... What have been the results when people used it as a suppository?

Hi Lisabon,
To answer your question, I am one of the people that took the Femdophilus vaginally, and it worked for me. But if you read my old post, you will see that I don't stick the whole capsule up there. They take a long time to dissolve, so I wouldn't want to risk having them get stuck. What I do is once a week, I open up one of the Femdophilus capsule, dump half of it into a few drops of Sylk lubricant, mix it up fast, and then put it back into an empty capsule (vegi-cap) and then quickly insert it high into my vaginal cavity with a finger. And I make sure there is a little bit of the Sylk on my finger while doing this, as the lubricant makes it easier to insert. And I do this right before bedtime. Because you don't want it to fall out. Everyone is different, but this seems to be working for me. I do it for maintenance once a week or so. And I now don't have discharge or a smell. However, I am ALSO taking one capsule of Femdophilus every night before bed with a glass of distilled water!! So perhaps this is helping too!

[damselindistress]

Thanks, Lori, for responding. I, luckily, don't get that smell, just an occasional itch, like every other day, when I check, glob of egg-white like stuff hanging out at the entrance of my va jay jay, making me itch. At the GYN's office, she checks under the microscope, says slight bacterial infection, but when cultured NOTHING. Weird. Clindesse only works temporarily so I think I'll ask for the Flagyl this time. Any of your guys having strange issues? When my man ejaculates, this yellow, jelly-like glob comes out first, then his semen. FINALLY, he went to the urologist who diagnosed prostatitis, did semen analysis. Everything is supposedly fine - even the jelly stuff, only he's producing no sperm whatsoever. Now we're on to the specialist. Doctors say my problem and his problem not connected, but sure seems weird that neither of us recall ever having this issue until we got together. Thanks for doing this Ladies. This is absolutely maddening and it's so nice to have some understanding. While I have the most wonderful man in the world, as long as we both can have an orgasm, he's not worried, ugh.

[mg86]

i smell!!!!!!!

Lori -

I read what you said about taking Flagyl and Fem-Doph - makes perfect sense and I think that is what I'll try next. I really HATE Flagyl though. It gives me such a bad stomachache and a terrible taste in my mouth. I haven't been to the doctor in a little under a year - but I've had so many prescriptions for Flagyl from different doctors...I'm going to call CVS today and see if by chance one of them has a refill left on it. I would go to the doctor, but it is very hard to fit in an appointment with my work schedule. If I don't have any refills left, is it safe to buy it anywhere online??

I am getting so tired of this. I am at work and I feel like everyone can smell this disgusting odor emanating from me. I don't even know how to describe it ... maybe kind of like the poop smell sprinkles talks about? LOL My period has just ended, and the discharge is very thin and watery with what looks like little bubbles. Does anyone else have this??

lisabon - I tried the Fem-Doph as a suppository once and I had a really weird smell. It was probably "normal" because of inserting it, but it was so weird that it was enough to stop me from trying it again. I have been taking Fem Doph orally too for a few weeks and haven't noticed any improvement either.

[lisabon]

Yes. And DON'T DO IT.

I've got to run, but I'll post more info. later. (You can search this thread yourself for others' experiences.)

JUST DON'T DO IT!!!!

Ooops. I got desperate and stuck one up there yesterday. The damn thing wasn't working orally. I had some results when I first took them orally, then I got my period and it all went to hell. My BV came back worse than what I started off with and it sorta freaked me out cause it was never this bad ever. Anyways, sticking one up there helped. I don't have an abundance of discharge, but there is a very very very slight smell (it's not a bad smell persay, it's just a smell that I don't recognize). However, there might be little to no discharge, but the BV is still up in there. I stuck my finger up there, took it out and the BV evidence was on my finger *sigh*

um, lets see.. I haven't had any irritation since putting the capsule up my cha cha. No itching (thank you lord)... besides the discharge, that was my major issue. *knock on wood*. Don't wanna get too happy cause it's only been a day and 2morrow, the discharge and itching could be back full force. I was gonna stick another capsule up there tonight with hopes of it wiping out the BV completley, but with ur CAPS of warning, I'm going to refrain.

The reason I decided to take the risk is cause I was reading old post and two people had tried it and said it worked so... What have been the results when people used it as a suppository?