[CarrieBradshaw]

Hi Ladies! I've been lurking for quite some time and I almost want to cry reading your posts. I've been battling BV for about a year and a half. It all started right when I switched to a low dose pill (Yaz). As soon as I went off Yaz, it went away for 9 months, but I just had a bad spell. I'm on Othro Tri Cyclen Lo now which I think is MUCH better than Yaz. Anyways, I've had success with Acidophilus pills. I read that a lot of you haven't -- maybe some women have different bacteria that respond better to those pills??? Anyways, maybe if you are trying, just give them a couple months and see how they work.

BUT, good news, I've been doing a lot of research on Jarrow's Fem-dophilus pills. Seems the makers of them have been studying BV in women for 20 years. I've gotten some and have been using them vaginally and orally. I am feeling really good right now which is probably the best feeling ever because it has been a nightmare feeling wet and itchy and feeling like everytime I go to the bathroom what surprise will be there next???? ya know?? Luckily, my smell never really got bad, which I am thanking God for. But all the other symptoms make me want to cry in bed all day.

Check out this presentation by the creators of Fem-dophilus. In Chapter 8, he says that BV can be CURED by inserting 2 capsules of the pill daily for 5 days. WOW!!!!!!!!!!! He lines it up next to Metro results and FemD's results are better!!!!! I am amazed. I'm on my first bottle right now so I am hopeful, but like I said I've had success with Acidophilus in the past.

http://www.jarrow.com/Dr-Reid-Start

(BTW, I do not work for Jarrow, I'm just a sufferer like you and have spent probably 100 hours reseraching cures on the internet).

BTW -- things that I've tried that didn't work - changing my diet, RePhresh (RepHresh is HORRIBLE!!!!!!!!!!)

Good luck to you all! I empathize with every one of you.

[guitarhero]

I've just bought the 3 % hydrogen peroxide douche so will see how I get on, has anyone else tried it?

[konphusion26]

I'd have to agree with YME30 about the acidophilus capsules... they did nothing. Tried the flagyl pills vaginally just to see, and they didnt even dissolve. lol Oh well, back to the drawing board. Im still using my boric acid capsules, actually just filled another batch. My period is tapering off now, so i'll shove a few of those in there for preventative maintenance I guess. All else fails, i'll just have to tough out the metallic taste and nausea for a few days and force this flagyl orally. YUCK!

[Bella10]

Hi Bella, I can honestly say I have at least 3 bottles of acidopoulous pills. Two are currently in my refrigerator and the other one is in my bathroom cabinet. I got two from Atkins Health Store and the other from Walgreens, I paid alot of money for this crap but they dont work. Is there a specific brand that you buy that really works for you? But to answer your question I didn't take the pills while on the metro but I took them over the past year and it didn't help one bit. I can't recall if I asked you this question before about the brand you take but if I did could you tell me again and has it been working for you?

I don't know if they work for me because I never taken them concurrently with the metro but I am trying it this time. The pills that I buy are Nature's Bounty Extra Strength Probiotic Acidophilus with Pectin. It has 3 billion live cells per capsule. I am going to take two a day while on the metro. I don't know if it will work but it is worth a try I guess. I will do anything. I even ironed all my cotton underwear hahaha I was going to boil them but read that an iron is pretty effective at killing bacteria. Ah well we'll see what happens I have 10 long days on the metro.

[yme30]

I'm sorry that the BV didn't go away with the metro. Let me know what the Dr says about Tindazole. He will prob prescribe you one more round of meds and then if the BV still doesn't go away he will prob want to see you again. I took my first metro tonight with dinner. The next 10 days are going to stink esp since sat is my friends b-day and the party is at a bar and I can't drink ah well I will have to come up with some excuse. Just out of curiosity did you take the acidopoulous pills with the metro?

Hi Bella, I can honestly say I have at least 3 bottles of acidopoulous pills. Two are currently in my refrigerator and the other one is in my bathroom cabinet. I got two from Atkins Health Store and the other from Walgreens, I paid alot of money for this crap but they dont work. Is there a specific brand that you buy that really works for you? But to answer your question I didn't take the pills while on the metro but I took them over the past year and it didn't help one bit. I can't recall if I asked you this question before about the brand you take but if I did could you tell me again and has it been working for you?

[aramia]

Hi All, I can't believe that this forum exists, yay, because I have been all over the internet looking for more info. My nurse practitioner gave me boric acid this last time I was diagnosed with BV, I have been struggling with it for about 9 years off and on. I have only been on antibiotics once, and it came right back. So far the boric acid seems to be working, but I can tell that the BV comes back every time I get my period..is it the tampons, or the blood? Anyway, I have been taking about 4 boric acid suppositories right after my period and it seems to be working. My symtoms are actually not too bad lately, were worse when I was with a woman...but now I am trying to get pregnant. Even though I can't find anything that says that BV can be an issue when trying to get pregnant, it does seem like it is an issue once you become pregnant.

Anyway, any info or advice would be great!

[Bella10]

Hi Bella glad u had fun on your trip. I started to get the metallic taste from the metro so unfortunately I wasn't able to dodge it like I thought. I am all out of metro yet I still have the BV so back to the doctor I go. I called the nurse and asked if the doctor could give me the tindazole she said she didn't know if I would have to come in to be re-examined and she would get back with me to see if the doctor will approve it. I hope so, its my money and my body so whats the big deal, I still have the BV so why not honor my request. Anyway I will keep everyone posted on whats to come, also my pap results should be on the way, I hope it is good news. Bye for now everyone. Be good.

I'm sorry that the BV didn't go away with the metro. Let me know what the Dr says about Tindazole. He will prob prescribe you one more round of meds and then if the BV still doesn't go away he will prob want to see you again. I took my first metro tonight with dinner. The next 10 days are going to stink esp since sat is my friends b-day and the party is at a bar and I can't drink ah well I will have to come up with some excuse. Just out of curiosity did you take the acidopoulous pills with the metro?

[Schmu]

Hello all, yes I'm a brand newbie. But, I found this site researching BV. I gotta tell ya, if I could, I'd give you all a great big hug and a fat kiss on the forehead!!! I've had BV "outbreaks" over the years, but NEVER like this. It started out with a smell, almost like cheerios, which Ironically, is what I normally eat. Then it eventually EVOLVED into this awful ammonia smell. It's HORRIBLE. I went to my gyn and she did the ph test and was "normal" but, you know what you know, and this smell was definately not mine. I'm sooooo glad to know that I'm not some type of freak of nature. You girls really eased my mind. So anyway.... has anyone ever taken the oral metro? I've taken it and the odor and discharge went away, but then about a week later, my mences began.... whatdayaknow, it's back again. I'm wondering though, can alcohol make it less effective? Although I'd taken the four pills in one shot, I did a networking event about four days later. Had a couple cosmos... Just wondering. Again, thanks ladies, you brought me back to humanity. lol.

[CanCan]

Anyways a few months ago a friend of mine suggested I try vitamin B6. I did, I also started taking golden root seal and echinacea.
So, the combination of a multi vitamin tablet, an echinacea tablet and a golden root seal have cleared it up. I also put a clove of garlic up there overnight but to be honest I'm not sure that had anything to do with it, I just heard garlic is a natural healer.
I was clear for over a month and it was amazing, nothing at all, no smell or discharge. I didnt have to wear panty liners, something I've had to do for 5 years everyday!

However, I thought I'd risk it and stopped taking the tablets last week, I'm sorry to say 2 days ago it all came back. I'm so annoyed but have started my tablets again in high doses hoping they'll work again!

I'm doing one multivitamin, one B-6, and one B-Complex every day. And one folic acid tablet every other day. And one goldenseal caplet whenever I happen to remember, I guess every other day. I still have the BV, doesn't seem as bad, but I feel like it is at least under control right now.

I find it a bit of a drag to always be remembering to take these supplements. Now I keep a pill box in my handbag so I rememeber. I know no one has said that the Vitamin B has cured their infection other than Jason's wife, but with all the reading I have done on this stuff, I really think that it is helping us in the long run. Out of all the vitamins, I find that Vitamin B is the one that seems to make me feel the best - and I feel it working right away. I actually feel myself calm down when I take it. So I know it is doing something beneficial! It's good for your nerves.

[yme30]

Hi Bella glad u had fun on your trip. I started to get the metallic taste from the metro so unfortunately I wasn't able to dodge it like I thought. I am all out of metro yet I still have the BV so back to the doctor I go. I called the nurse and asked if the doctor could give me the tindazole she said she didn't know if I would have to come in to be re-examined and she would get back with me to see if the doctor will approve it. I hope so, its my money and my body so whats the big deal, I still have the BV so why not honor my request. Anyway I will keep everyone posted on whats to come, also my pap results should be on the way, I hope it is good news. Bye for now everyone. Be good.

[sassy]

Guitarhero: Someone else reccommended B6 and a lot of girls tried it, although I don't think it worked for many people. I've tried it and the folic acid with zero results, unfortunately. I hope your BV goes away again!

[guitarhero]

hi there all, I wanted to add some words of wisdom to the bacterial vaginosis hell discussion. I have been suffering on and off for about 4/5 years now.
I slept with two guys around the same time and that's when I first noticed the symptoms, it was unprotected sex, I'm a fool I know. I'm not sure if this infection is completely to do wuith men but mine seems linked to their semen. Anyways I had it treated (for what I thought was thrush) with metrodizanole. The stuff worked but it came back with my next period. This seems to have been a trend with me. I have read so much info about it though and semen and blood appear to be the key triggers.
Anyways the next time I again got metrodizanole and the next time and the next time, but as it disappeared half way through the anti bios I stopped taking them. Stupid mistake. My doctor later told me this probably made the bad bacteria's double - god knows why! Metrodizanol also gived me terrible thrush as it kills the good bacteria too.
Next course of action was aci-gel, now discontinued, worked well but not a permanent solution, also wasn't very practical.
I tried live yoghurt on both tampons and put up vagina via syringes, useless
I changed my pants twice a day, started wearing big lose cotton underwear, bought brand new stuff, still no change - used different washing powders and never used soap down there or put my shower head around area - still no change in vaginosis. Sound familiar?!
I've tried vinegar soaked tampons - useless
So until recently I was starting to think that the only thing that worked was metrodizanole but I'd always have to wait for the inevitable reoccurence and thrush.
Anyways a few months ago a friend of mine suggested I try vitamin B6. I did, I also started taking golden root seal and echinacea.
So, the combination of a multi vitamin tablet, an echinacea tablet and a golden root seal have cleared it up. I also put a clove of garlic up there overnight but to be honest I'm not sure that had anything to do with it, I just heard garlic is a natural healer.
I was clear for over a month and it was amazing, nothing at all, no smell or discharge. I didnt have to wear panty liners, something I've had to do for 5 years everyday!

However, I thought I'd risk it and stopped taking the tablets last week, I'm sorry to say 2 days ago it all came back. I'm so annoyed but have started my tablets again in high doses hoping they'll work again!
I've heard a hydrogen peroxide douche is good and folic acid also, things I may try if the tablets dont work for me again.

Good luck to us all

[SpRiNkLeS]

Yay!!!!!!!!!!! My happy beer is showing!!! I'm posting so that I can see it again. I had no clue what the hell an avatar was but since my happy beer wasn't showing up through my personal photo (I thought that was how everyone else's picture showed up) I decided to try out the avatar thing.

So I guess I should give a BV update seeing as this IS all about BV. Ok well after reading that a lot of you ladies here have an "ammonia" smell I was like.............what the hell is that? So then I googled it and was totally embarrassed to realize that ammonia is basically pee. I guess it's the adult version of saying pee. WELL damn I'm just a walking bathroom then because I get the ammonia smell too! Oh ok I was talking about my update. Well I am on my 4th day of my metrogel and it's working awesome. All the smells have completely gone away except for the "ammonia" smell. It is very light, hardly recognizable until WHAm! and then ten minutes later it is completely gone again.

Has anyone here ever tried any of those over the counter energy pills? You'd think my energy would have been soaring today due to the fact that I don't smell like shit, fish, sewage, McDonald french fries (ironic because I don't even eat McDonald's) or plain funk but strangely my energy was even lower than it's usual low.

[neverending]

Hey you all I'm doing my externs at a women's clinic...I didn't want to become a nag the first day..but i will get to see how the doctors handle recurrent bv/yeast. They say it's becoming more common to see atropic vaginitis in pre-teen's, nursing mother's, and after pregnancy, and of course those who have or are using some types of birthcontrol....

Neverending do you still have to use the estriol, or have you stopped preventive maintenance?

Take care you all...

I don't use anything but the nuvaring now. I think I only used the Estroil for 3 mos., then I stopped all together .

[arj75]

Hey you all I'm doing my externs at a women's clinic...I didn't want to become a nag the first day..but i will get to see how the doctors handle recurrent bv/yeast. They say it's becoming more common to see atropic vaginitis in pre-teen's, nursing mother's, and after pregnancy, and of course those who have or are using some types of birthcontrol....

Neverending do you still have to use the estriol, or have you stopped preventive maintenance?

Take care you all...

[jewelscando]

Thank you for the research on that. I am back from skiing and had fun and barely thought about BV the whole time until the ride home last night. I am going to Victoria Secret tonight to get some new underwear and then I will boil my old ones and put some white distilled vinegar in the pot. Thats great you don't get that metallic taste in your mouth or the nausea. I don't think you are developing a tolerance to it. Are you taking the two pills of acidopoulous with them everyday? Maybe that is the difference. Also always take the metro with food to ease the harshness on your stomach also. I am starting my metro tomorrow and the avc suppositories. I stopped drinking saturday so I will start them tomorrow night and I am drinking a lot of water now and until them to flush out any remaining alcohol since I had a bad reaction to listerine the last time. I just hope I don't get a reaction with the supp since it is the first time I am taking it. If the metro doesn't work and you go back to your Dr ask about Tindazole. The FDA approved it for bacterial vaginitis last Aug. It is similar to Flagyl (Metro) but it is a diff med so if you feel you are getting a tolerance to metro ask for this drug and maybe your body will act more to the tindazole becasue it is a new drug being introduced to your body.

I took Tindazole. My side effects were, massive metalic taste in my mouth, and very bad headaches. Took BV away, just like the Flagyl did, but it returned as usual.

[Bella10]

Laundry should be sanitized by washing in the hottest possible water and then adding a cup of white distilled vinegar to the final rinse. Because it would take a gallon of bleach in a standard washer to kill yeast spores (which would shred your clothing), boiling clothing and other items of close contact (such as underwear and sheets) for five minutes is suggested. Microwaving on the high setting for five minutes will also kill yeast spores; freezing, however, will not.
Hi Bella I copied and pasted the above from a website I found concerning yeast. I dont know how true the above statements are. I personally have always washed my panties in hot water and I also remember watching the local news here in my hometown and they said that if you place your clothes in the dryer on the hottest setting it almost kills all the germs lurking in your laundry. But we all cant do that because some of our clothes require special care. Anyway I hope this helps I will do more research on it though.

Also I have been taking the Metro for 1 1/2 days now but I dont get the metallic taste I am use to getting also I dont feel sick to my stomach either, why all of a sudden no more side effects, could it be I developed a tolerance for the Metro, I hope not.

Thank you for the research on that. I am back from skiing and had fun and barely thought about BV the whole time until the ride home last night. I am going to Victoria Secret tonight to get some new underwear and then I will boil my old ones and put some white distilled vinegar in the pot. Thats great you don't get that metallic taste in your mouth or the nausea. I don't think you are developing a tolerance to it. Are you taking the two pills of acidopoulous with them everyday? Maybe that is the difference. Also always take the metro with food to ease the harshness on your stomach also. I am starting my metro tomorrow and the avc suppositories. I stopped drinking saturday so I will start them tomorrow night and I am drinking a lot of water now and until them to flush out any remaining alcohol since I had a bad reaction to listerine the last time. I just hope I don't get a reaction with the supp since it is the first time I am taking it. If the metro doesn't work and you go back to your Dr ask about Tindazole. The FDA approved it for bacterial vaginitis last Aug. It is similar to Flagyl (Metro) but it is a diff med so if you feel you are getting a tolerance to metro ask for this drug and maybe your body will act more to the tindazole becasue it is a new drug being introduced to your body.

[neverending]

Hi Neverending! Thanks so much for the link but I noticed the description mentioned that the suppositories help with vaginal dryness. That’s not really my problem at all unfortunately so if I did buy the Estriol (that’s the way they spelled it) would that make me excessively wet? Or is it mainly for the Estrogen because the Estrogen I think is what I am now hoping to experiment with.

Ladies: Have any of you ever noticed a small little box labeled Estrogen and another labeled Progesterone at CVS and all the other Drug stores? I saw it on a shelf in the health section a few weeks ago when I had an unexpected midnight run ( I have come to realize that your kids now rule your life) and if I remember correctly it was only about $10 or $12. I’m thinking of trying the Estrogen one but it is so cheap that I’m thinking it could be a flop. I mean you get what you pay for you know. But has anyone ever seen it? Or tried it?

Hey, I don't think the estroil will make you extra wet but then again everybody's body is different. I am still struggling with vagina dryness even though I took the estroil, so I guess it depends on you.
I hope everything works out for you.

[yme30]

Sprinkles you make me feel like having BV isn't so bad you are so comical about it and I love reading your post. Since joining this forum I don't stress out like I use to, all I can do is take it one day at a time and pray to God that my battle with BV will soon be over.

ljames I hope that everything works out okay, keep us posted. Bye for now everyone I have to run a few errands. Later

[quietmadness]

.......Anyway that’s really interesting that the doctor would say a sea water smell is normal because before my sewage attack I had a very distinct salty sea watery smell and I was very pleased (for lack of a better word) that my BV didn’t smell like fish or poop (*snicker* One of these days I will grow up! ) but I had no idea that was the normal smell!! You know of a vagina. Before I got BV “she” didn’t actually smell like anything. Then of course you know if I got………..well I don’t want to get all graphic but when I got “excited” in bed………………….ok whatever I’m trying to be nice and all PG. Forget it. When I got wet it was like when you get out of the shower. Just like all fresh smelling and……..like out of the shower. So that wasn’t normal? Because that is soooooooooo what I am aiming for again..........

Hey Sprinkles!

No, your questions don't bother me AT all...we are all girls here (except for the jerking off tr~lls who love to read about our antics)! I think your "fresh smelling/showery" type of thing is what you should go for.

But if you think about it, you know that smell like when you're driving TO the beach? You know how you'll smell the ocean way before you actually SEE it? I always like to think that's what he meant. Just that clean, watery scent, I reckon. I would venture to say that they're all a bit different and have varying levels of whatever kind of musk, etc.

I would also venture to say that---if ANY smell is strong enough so that either you or anyone else smells it just being around you---then yeah...something's going on that needs to be checked. It might have something to do with anatomy, too, though. Like---with belly buttons? I'm an "innie." Well, same goes for "Ms. Petunia." She's an "innie" too, so odors might not be as pronounced as they would if she were an "outie."

Does all that make sense, even???

As for the TTO and boric, what I'm doing is putting a few drops of TTO into the douche water and using that every other day. Then the boric capsules on the opposite days. One day: boric---One day: TTO douche---Two days: Nothing, then start again. Works like a charm.

--Quiet--