[klee]

Hi ladies!

There's a lot of changes around here...new format, new people, AND it seems like people are doing better than 6 months ago. Hurray change!!

I just wanted to check in and say that I'm basically all good. Right after my period ends, I do a hydrogen peroxide "soak." Use a funnel and just keep all the stuff in there by tilting my hips way up. I don't measure out how much I use, just pour it out of the bottle until the funnel runs over. I used to try to do this 3 days in a row for 3 minutes at a time but now I just do it once which seems to be enough. I don't have any problems through the month - and I've noticed my minimal discharge now has the typical consistency according to where I am in my cycle.

I cut down on smoking dramatically and I'm pretty close to cutting it off altogether. I will have a few cigarettes when I'm out on the weekends but this probably means I smoke about 5 in all a week. This has been about 5 weeks now...I honestly think it helps and I feel better in general.

Take care everyone!

[bvgirl]

Hello ladies. I just wanted to let you know how I was doing with the beginning stages of getting this bv under control. I went to a local health food store and talked with the owner and she told me that "yeast arrest" is a good product and that I should try it. She also told me that it was formulated by a woman(Dr. Tori Hudson)and she only creates products specifically for our needs and problems. So I purchased one container. The directions on the container says to insert one suppository a night and in the morning. One suppository contains 600 mg of Boric Acid. So you will have a total of 1200 mg of Boric Acid with each application of twice a day. It also contains Oregon grape root and Canlendula flowers.The information and directions inside gives you a list of how to treat when it is a chronic problem and also to use it as a preventative. So I used it and after one day I have NO SMELL AT ALL....
I was so amazed. Even though I may have to use it to prevent bv it still gives me the relief of not having to smell the bv. So I went back the next day and purchased two more(because one container has 14 suppositories and that is only a weeks supply). The cost was $11.00 a container. Kind of expensive but to me it is God sent because at least I can have some kind of relief. I also purchased Natures Way "Primadophilus Bifidus" enteric-coated. It was in the refrigerated section of the health food store. It must be kept refrigerated. It was $21.00. I will be checking into other supplements and anything else that will help me with this bv. This will be an ongoing project. Talk to you later

[jewelscando]

Jewels -- Has your BV/smell been completely gone since your first time inserting Flagyl vaginally?

I just inserted my first 500mg tablet.... we'll see!
I saw a nurse midwife today who was incredibly helpful -- she encouraged me to get to know myself and what I respond to; thus she condoned the vaginal insertion of Flagyl! Very exciting. She also recommended that I buy The V Book. Has anyone read it and/or ascertained interesting information from it?

No, if you read down, I mentioned last week, that I had sex, and I don't think my boyfriend showered, PLUS, and I was stupid and did oral on him before we had sex, which WAS DUMB AS HELL, I KNOW!! I haven't used any preventative. This time around, I'm using Achidophillus every day, and the smell is gone again.

IF ANYTHING, It was gone for 2 months. That's the longest I've gone in years. So, if I only have to do this every two or three months, I'm happy with that.

Also, I smoke, which I know I need to quit, and I'm thinking I will probably get more time out of it as well if I do quit.

I really need to try the Estroil, or whatever it is. I had a hysterectomy, (Partial) which means I only have my ovaries left, and my problem may be hormonal as well.

GOOD LUCK!! Please keep me posted, and remember, don't have sex for a few days. UNLESS YOU WANT A YEAST INFECTION FROM HELL!!

[deprime]

Jewels -- Has your BV/smell been completely gone since your first time inserting Flagyl vaginally?

I just inserted my first 500mg tablet.... we'll see!


I saw a nurse midwife today who was incredibly helpful -- she encouraged me to get to know myself and what I respond to; thus she condoned the vaginal insertion of Flagyl! Very exciting. She also recommended that I buy The V Book. Has anyone read it and/or ascertained interesting information from it?

[jewelscando]

ok so i inserted the flagyl 2 nights ago. i think i'm better but i'm not really sure. i'm still bleeding (not time for me to have my period of course), but now it seems more like just blood instead of blood and discharge.

whenever i had bv i never felt like i, myself smelled, it was the discharge that smelled. so, it's kind of gross, but i've been smelling my panty liners to see if the smell is gone. i think it's still there a little bit. so i am going to put another pill in tonight.

i don't think i have a yeast infection, i've been taking a lot of acidophilus so i think that is keeping that away. yesterday i did get the powdery discharge that other people talked about, but it only lasted for a day.

so what i think i'm going to do is put another one in tonight. and i'll probably still be bleeding when it's time for my normal period to come (which is next week) so then i will wait till after my period to see how i am. i feel a lot dryer than before. so i think it is working. i'll keep updating.

oh and again, what are your opinions on rephresh as a preventative? thanks

DON'T DO IT!!!! Just wait a couple of days, give it a chance to work. Like I said before, I didn't need 3, I was just impatient. I took 1 200mg then 1 500mg and mine is gone again. What strength are you using??? FLAGYL vaginal, is not like "Magic", you need to give it a few days to take it's course.

Thanks for the update!!!

[mfc10]

Thank you for replying. Can you please tell me where i can buy the boric acid, i looked on ebay, where i buy everything and didn't see anything about the capsules, just powder and i saw some acidophilis pills on there but wasn't sure which ones to get, the ones they on there say they are for your digestive system? THere are some that say Acidophilus Pearls Enzymatic and some that say Mega Probiotic Acidophilus 90 Capsules VItamins. Can you please tell me which one of those to buy and please tell me about the boric acid. Thanks

Hi--The easiest thing to do is to go to a local pharmacy, Walmart maybe, etc. and look for a jar of boric acid powder. (Or ask the pharmacist). Then go to a healthfood store or co-op & look for empty geletin capsules. Gently open the capsules and fill with the boric acid powder. (I use the capsule halves like a "scoop" in the powder to fill them.) Make up several capsules & keep in a baggie. WASH YOUR HANDS WHEN FINISHED & don't put your fingers in your mouth when they have been in contact with the boric acid--it is very poisonous. (Label the baggie containing your made-up capsules so you won't mistake them for an oral drug!!) I inserted one at bedtime. You can coat the capsule with a bit of water-soluble lubricant to ease insertion. Wear a pantyliner. I also smeared a little vaseline on the surrounding vulva skin so the discharge that comes out after the capsule melts wouldn't burn the area.) I did this every night for a week or so. (Some advocate using it for 2 weeks, but I didn't really need to.) IF YOU HAVE ANY OPEN CUTS/WOUNDS IN THE VAGINA, DON'T USE BORIC ACID.

Since boric acid kills off some of the good bacteria as well, you should replenish it. I personally like Garden of Life's Primal Defense. It IS expensive--like $24 for the smaller bottle, but I just take one per day, although the bottle says you can take 3 or so per day. Most any acidophilus-based probiotic (there are many different strains) that is advertised for digestive health would work well for vaginal concerns. (Did you ever see the depiction somewhere on a medical Web site showing how the good bacteria litterally treks from your anal area (where it has travelled through the digestive system & made its way out) into the vagina? Amazing!

If you have a compounding pharmacy in your area (different from a regular pharmacy), you could ask your doctor to give you a prescription for boric acid capsules and the compounding pharmacy will make them up. I was lucky enough to be able to go this route. The compounding pharmacist filled the capsules 3/4 with boric acid and 1/4 with acidophilus powder, to help increase the population of good bacteria in my vagina.
(I still took oral probiotics, as a precaution.) It's more expensive to do it via that route, though.

Anyway--got to go teach my chemistry class in a minute, so hope this helps!
Best wishes!
Maggie C.

[wonderdog]

Hello ladies! I'm back again and i'm still not any better! I ended up going to my clinic because i finished up my treatment with Flagyl and still didn't get better. Since I got so sick with the flagyl this time they gave me Cleocin to take for one week and doxycycline to take for two weeks. It's been a week with both and i am not feeling any better at all. Still having the vaginal pain and burning and my abdomen, pelvic area and lower back hurts really bad. Shouldn't I be feeling somewhat better by now? I'm calling my doctor's office tomorrow to get another appointment but what they can do for me, i have no idea. Anyone have any advice for me? I'm starting to feel really depressed about this whole thing. Has anyone heard of V-Gel and if it works?? I'm willing to try anything right now.
Thanks...

By saying V-Gel do you mean metro gel? If so stay away from it. It gave me the worst yeast infection of my life. I still have it 3 months later? And the BV never went away.

[minayun]

Thank you for replying. Can you please tell me where i can buy the boric acid, i looked on ebay, where i buy everything and didn't see anything about the capsules, just powder and i saw some acidophilis pills on there but wasn't sure which ones to get, the ones they on there say they are for your digestive system? THere are some that say Acidophilus Pearls Enzymatic and some that say Mega Probiotic Acidophilus 90 Capsules VItamins. Can you please tell me which one of those to buy and please tell me about the boric acid. Thanks

Awhile back, I wrote the following to another poster here who was diagnosed with BV, but was still having burning/pain vaginally. Perhaps due to the fact you have been on antibiotics quite a bit lately, you may have gotten a yeast infection as well. Just because an over-the-counter anti-yeast cream didn't work, doesn't mean you don't have one. Worth thinking about, since BV rarely causes burning/pain. My post was as follows:

My regular gyn was out of town & I had to go to an older female gyn who is supposed to be really good. Well, she did a vaginal swab, ran it under a microscope & said she saw NO INFECTION. I was in agony--awful burning--so I insisted on an appointment with my regular gyn as soon as he returned later that week. He was an EXPERT with the microscope (unfortunately, he died this past summer!!) and he said not only did I have a yeast infection, but BV as well. Some docs simply are very bad at interpreting what they see under the microscope. What helped get rid of both infections at once was using boric acid in geletin capsules vaginally. I hated the thought of putting something acidic in an already-inflamed vagina, but it really didn't make the burning worse. There is watery discharge when using boric acid, so wear a pantyliner. I just used one every night for 7 nights (some use for 14 nights). I took oral acidophilis, yogurt, kefir, etc. at the same time, since boric acid also kills the good bacteria in the vaginal lining. By the way---yeast infections are not caused by bacteria--they are caused by several possible species of Candida. Over-the-counter yeast treatments are effective only against the most-common species, i.e., Candida albicans. If your infection is caused by Candida glabrata, Candida tropicalis, etc. those creams won't work. Easily-obtainable treatments that WILL work against those are boric acid, tea tree oil (I like the vegetable oil-based suppositories that can be purchased online or at most healthfood stores), and, believe it or not, the old-fashioned prescription remedy, Nystatin (my gyn prescribed the vaginal Nystatin ovules for me one other time).

Hope this helps!
maggie c.

[anitsirhc]

ok so i inserted the flagyl 2 nights ago. i think i'm better but i'm not really sure. i'm still bleeding (not time for me to have my period of course), but now it seems more like just blood instead of blood and discharge.

whenever i had bv i never felt like i, myself smelled, it was the discharge that smelled. so, it's kind of gross, but i've been smelling my panty liners to see if the smell is gone. i think it's still there a little bit. so i am going to put another pill in tonight.

i don't think i have a yeast infection, i've been taking a lot of acidophilus so i think that is keeping that away. yesterday i did get the powdery discharge that other people talked about, but it only lasted for a day.

so what i think i'm going to do is put another one in tonight. and i'll probably still be bleeding when it's time for my normal period to come (which is next week) so then i will wait till after my period to see how i am. i feel a lot dryer than before. so i think it is working. i'll keep updating.

oh and again, what are your opinions on rephresh as a preventative? thanks

[mfc10]

It's been a week with both and i am not feeling any better at all. Still having the vaginal pain and burning and my abdomen, pelvic area and lower back hurts really bad. Shouldn't I be feeling somewhat better by now?
Thanks...

Awhile back, I wrote the following to another poster here who was diagnosed with BV, but was still having burning/pain vaginally. Perhaps due to the fact you have been on antibiotics quite a bit lately, you may have gotten a yeast infection as well. Just because an over-the-counter anti-yeast cream didn't work, doesn't mean you don't have one. Worth thinking about, since BV rarely causes burning/pain. My post was as follows:

My regular gyn was out of town & I had to go to an older female gyn who is supposed to be really good. Well, she did a vaginal swab, ran it under a microscope & said she saw NO INFECTION. I was in agony--awful burning--so I insisted on an appointment with my regular gyn as soon as he returned later that week. He was an EXPERT with the microscope (unfortunately, he died this past summer!!) and he said not only did I have a yeast infection, but BV as well. Some docs simply are very bad at interpreting what they see under the microscope. What helped get rid of both infections at once was using boric acid in geletin capsules vaginally. I hated the thought of putting something acidic in an already-inflamed vagina, but it really didn't make the burning worse. There is watery discharge when using boric acid, so wear a pantyliner. I just used one every night for 7 nights (some use for 14 nights). I took oral acidophilis, yogurt, kefir, etc. at the same time, since boric acid also kills the good bacteria in the vaginal lining. By the way---yeast infections are not caused by bacteria--they are caused by several possible species of Candida. Over-the-counter yeast treatments are effective only against the most-common species, i.e., Candida albicans. If your infection is caused by Candida glabrata, Candida tropicalis, etc. those creams won't work. Easily-obtainable treatments that WILL work against those are boric acid, tea tree oil (I like the vegetable oil-based suppositories that can be purchased online or at most healthfood stores), and, believe it or not, the old-fashioned prescription remedy, Nystatin (my gyn prescribed the vaginal Nystatin ovules for me one other time).

Hope this helps!
maggie c.

[minayun]

Hello, i was just told friday that I have BV. I ended up going to the emergency room because I was in a great deal of pain. My clinic had thought maybe i had a bladder infection and prescribed antibiotics for that, about three weeks ago, but the symptoms never went away. Earlier during the week i had tried an over the counter yeast infection treatment but didn't work either. So, now that I know what it is, they have put me on Flaygl for seven days. I was wondering, for those who have been on flagyl, how long it usually takes to start feeling better? The doctor had said about 48 hours but i'm not feeling any better yet. Just very, very nauseated from the pills. Also i read something about Tetrasil and just ordered a jar of it from ebay. Does anyone know if it can actually be put "inside" the vagina? I see alot of you have had long term battles with this, i just hope mine goes away. Anything you can tell me would be really helpful and hopeful. I've had the pain and burning for a couple of months. Now that i found out what i have and have medicine I am feeling a little anxious because I'm not feeling better yet
=(

Hello ladies! I'm back again and i'm still not any better! I ended up going to my clinic because i finished up my treatment with Flagyl and still didn't get better. Since I got so sick with the flagyl this time they gave me Cleocin to take for one week and doxycycline to take for two weeks. It's been a week with both and i am not feeling any better at all. Still having the vaginal pain and burning and my abdomen, pelvic area and lower back hurts really bad. Shouldn't I be feeling somewhat better by now? I'm calling my doctor's office tomorrow to get another appointment but what they can do for me, i have no idea. Anyone have any advice for me? I'm starting to feel really depressed about this whole thing. Has anyone heard of V-Gel and if it works?? I'm willing to try anything right now.
Thanks...

[jewelscando]

I never had problems until my Hysterectomy. HAHAHAHA, I guess you could call that Birth Controll!!!

[neverending]

I also never had problems until I was put on birth control. I got rid of the bv by using the estroil. I had bv for I think 5yrs.

[pianogirl]

Hey everyone..

I've had the "bad smell" for a while before I scrounged up enough courage to go to the doctor.. and I indeed have BV. I was given the one dose treatment of Clindesse.. used it Thursday and all is well.

Here is what I am concerned aboout.. I stilll have some residue from the cream inside me.. should I try to get it out or just let it come out on its own?

Also (this is kind of embarrassing ha) I have a few sex toys that I used when I had BV.. should I throw them away to prevent it from coming back? Or is there a certain way I should clean them to get rid of any bacteria? They were expensive.. I would hate to get rid of them..

Any help would be appreciated.

Welcome Newbies!

Most of the time the BV will come back after you use Clindesse, I dont suggest you try to clean out the residue from the medicine, let it come out naturally. I had toys too that I ended up throwing out and getting new ones needless to say this was a few months ago and the BV ended up coming back so I probably had some bacteria while using the new ones. Anyway I purchased a cleanser from the "toy store" and all is well. I havent had a bad smell in about 3 months and have used the same toys. I suggest you get a good cleaner and run them through hot water. I dont think you should throw them out but the BV will most likely return as it has for many of us who took clindesse. You should try the flagyll vaginally or the estroil, those seem to be the most promising treatment options.

[pianogirl]

pianogirl, yes i am on birth control. i was on yaz when it started but i switched after the 2nd month of bleeding in between, now i'm on ortho tri cyclen lo. it's my 2nd month on it so they keep telling me to wait at least 3 months cause my body is adjusting. and then if it doesn't stop she said she'll put me on something stronger. but i don't know if i want to... i feel like if my body is doing this it's telling me to stop what i'm doing and leave it alone. i wish our body parts could talk to us hahaha. did you switch birth controls or did you stop taking it all together? or how did you get it to stop...??

i went to the doctor today and she couldn't test me for the bv because of the bleeding but i told her i know what the discharge is like when i have the bv because i've been dealing with it for 9 months now (wow i just realized how long...) so she gave me flagyl (metronidazole however you spell it) and i'm going to insert the pill tonight! i'm kind of excited, i really hope this works. i'll update on here tomorrow or the day after. wish me luck!!!

Hey I actually stopped taking BC pills because of the nonstop bleeding. I had the smell problem for over a year and a half before I found relief from the estroil. I also didnt have a smell problem until I started BC pills. I personally dont think I will ever take them again.

[anitsirhc]

ok i just put the flagyl in! honestly, i'm kind of nervous. right before i went to put it in i thought, "oh my god i have to go read the board again and make sure this is what they did and that i'm not putting the wrong pill in." hahaha but then i calmed down and did it. so we'll see what happens. i also just took 3 acidophilus pills, a multivitamin, a garlic pill and vitamin c. i thought i would take every supplement i have in the house that is good for the girl parts to try and help the process and also keep the yeast away.

bvgirl... i just thought i'd let you know that i've heard/read in more than one place that the vaginal washes are actually bad to use, or at least the summer's eve ones, i don't know about the others. i was using the summer's eve one and my doctor told me to stop using it. i think it's the same thing with deodorant liners too (i used to use those too.) i could be wrong but i'm pretty sure you shouldn't use those especially if you have a problem with bv. not that anything changed after i stopped using them

the only thing i know about the boric acid (from reading other people's experiences on here) is that it's only temporary and that you have to keep using it to keep the bv away. i didn't use it myself though. i'm sure someone else on here who knows more will give you more info.

alright i'll write more tomorrow or the day after about my progress. goodnight!

[bvgirl]

Hello ladies. I am new to this board and I have spent about two hours reading your responses regarding this bothersome BV. I am 35 and I have been dealing with BV off and on since I was about 25 . I have been prescribed all the meds and the vaginal meds and they only work for months at a time or as soon as I finish them it is back . I am just so digusted. I must point out a few things before I continue. I changed my diet as far as drinking lots of water,no juices,no red meat,very little sugar and lots of protein. I have to say that even though I am still dealing with the smell of BV the smell is not as strong like it used to be when I did not drink enough water. Also, I stopped using sopa on my kitty and only use a vaginal wash(summers eve) but I was on this website that sells PH vaginal wash and other products http://www.sweetspotlabs.com/
and although it does not relieve us on this BV it claims to keep the vaginal PH level balanced when washing. I just thought I shjare it with you all if you have not been on the site before. Well, getting back to my story I have been using deodorant pads everyday for two years straight because the fishy smell was so bad that you could smell it thorugh my clothes and it was the only way to mask the smell. My boyfriend at the time was delaing with the awful smell too and was understanding about it but it makes you feel less than a woman. We all want to smell good for our man and especially during sex we dont want to offend. So it has taken a toll on my confidence. Now that I am in a new relationship *my boyfriend is overseas in Iraq and will not be home until October) I want to get this problem resolved meaning even if I have to use what needs to be used to get rid of the smell for the rest of my lilfe. I am sick of the smell. So I have been reading your responses and I have to say that you all represent beautiful women who have come together to try to solve or get some relief from this terrible BV. I have been reading the responses and answers from JEWELSCANDO and I must say that you are so so very kind and helpful. I have just finished the second prescription of that ever popular metor gel that my doctor just recently prescribed and of course it is back again. I also have been taking acidophilus and I just recently read that I should take the primadophilus because of the enteric coat and so I am doing all that I can to get this under control. I have a slight grayish brownish discharge from time to time but the smell just really I cannot take. I am going out tomorrow to purchase the primadophilus and I was curious to know about the Boric acid. I called wlagreens and two of the locations said that I needed a prescription from my doctor. They seemed baffled about what I asked for. I even called my doctor and left a message to call in or talk to me about Boric acid he knows very well that I have been dealing with this problem too long and I guess since he cannot make his pockets or the pharmacetical companies rich well why should he talk to me about Boric Acid. So I will keep on him on that but in the mean time I will go to Walmart and see what they have. I just wanted to get all the information I could regarding Boric Acid and how to use it safely. I also read somewhere on here about Yeast Arrest http://www.taoofherbs.com/products/308/Vit...YeastArrest.htm does anyone know if this is worth taking? It says that it has 600 mg of Boric Acid and so is it just as potent as Boric Acid? I still wanted to se what my doctor thinks about Boric Acid especially if it is working for so many of you. I am glad that I came across this site because I did not realize how many other women have the same problem month after month after month. It kind of makes me feel better but what would really make me feel beter is if I can get this under control, get on some type of maintainance program like with the primadophilus and the boric acid and or the yeast arrest. I am going to make the steps in order to have confidence in general and especially during sex. Also, I read that someonw was experiencing an ammonia type smell and I have to say that from time to time I have that smell but not like I use to since I have been drinking more water and watching my diet.
Here is the website where I plan to purchase the primadophilus http://www.homeherb.com/productdetail.asp?pid=21507.
Well, I would appreciate any and all kinds of feedback you would like to offer me concerning any and all aspects of BV and Boric Acid and or Yeast Arrest. I will pass on any information that I come across regarding BV. So that means I am going to make this my new home. I will be a regular. Thank you in advance for any and all information you provide and share.
Talk to you very soon.
BVGIRL

[BubbaLove]

Hey everyone..

I've had the "bad smell" for a while before I scrounged up enough courage to go to the doctor.. and I indeed have BV. I was given the one dose treatment of Clindesse.. used it Thursday and all is well.

Here is what I am concerned aboout.. I stilll have some residue from the cream inside me.. should I try to get it out or just let it come out on its own?

Also (this is kind of embarrassing ha) I have a few sex toys that I used when I had BV.. should I throw them away to prevent it from coming back? Or is there a certain way I should clean them to get rid of any bacteria? They were expensive.. I would hate to get rid of them..

Any help would be appreciated.

[anitsirhc]

oh by the way, i'm trying to think of what to use just as a preventative after i use the flagyl, i'm thinking of rephresh... is that something worth trying??

[anitsirhc]

pianogirl, yes i am on birth control. i was on yaz when it started but i switched after the 2nd month of bleeding in between, now i'm on ortho tri cyclen lo. it's my 2nd month on it so they keep telling me to wait at least 3 months cause my body is adjusting. and then if it doesn't stop she said she'll put me on something stronger. but i don't know if i want to... i feel like if my body is doing this it's telling me to stop what i'm doing and leave it alone. i wish our body parts could talk to us hahaha. did you switch birth controls or did you stop taking it all together? or how did you get it to stop...??

i went to the doctor today and she couldn't test me for the bv because of the bleeding but i told her i know what the discharge is like when i have the bv because i've been dealing with it for 9 months now (wow i just realized how long...) so she gave me flagyl (metronidazole however you spell it) and i'm going to insert the pill tonight! i'm kind of excited, i really hope this works. i'll update on here tomorrow or the day after. wish me luck!!!