[Gigle]

t

[Gigle]

Thanks for the replies Melis- It's good to have a support with all this, even when it's just online but it's a such a big help...

Do you have the V book from Dr Stewart? she explained everything there about the use of cortisone and about skin problems, it's really good. She recommend there that you should soak in the tub for some minutes before applying cortisone in order your skin reacts better to the medication.

About my dermatitis, it was all over the vulval area, the vestibule got swollen. I think because of this, that area became hypersensitive, I still have a little pain there...

I'm already taking fem-d, here it's sold under the name "pro-uro". I'm taking 2 pills daily and i'm not sure whether is coincidence or not but, when I started to take just one all this imbalance came back again...It's really hard to find those probiotics here and they are super expensive! I've been using for 2 months 1/2, I hope it works for me, have somebody else had success using them??

Sometimes it's better off not to read too much information on the internet. I started to search about strep b I got really stressed with all I read. Anyway, I hope I can get rid of that as you did Melis!

Just let us know how you're doing with cortisone, give it a chance! You will see more improvement after you finish the treatment.

[melis19750]

you know ampicillin and kephlex dont seem to be as strong as others- those worked for me..... if anything you can try using fem d for a while and see if that works

personally, i think candida is worse than gbs- i was able to control gbs after fem d

Mine came after all crappy treatments I had for BV/Strep b (i'm not sure yet what I really had..my doctors were all awful..and they dont use microscope or anything, just send vaginal swap to lab and then give you just antibiotics and creams etc....)
They prescribed me harsh feminine wash/antiseptics, antifungus creams, metrogel etc etc I got a massive skin reaction from all this and my skin became hypersensitive, inflamed....So I used hydorcortsione 2.5 % for about 2 weeks (First my GYN gave me clobetasol but this dried and irritated my skin so i switched for hydrocort and it was fine. But unfortunately when my skin was healing good the strep/candida infection appeared maybe it was that i had sex again with my fiance and my vaginal flora is reacting bad to semen... i dont know...

Anyway, Dont worry to much about the skin dermatitis, I know it feels horrible but I'm sure you will be feeling fine after the cortisone. For me it was just after I stopped the cream when my skin started to feel more normal....

Good luck with that! I'm sure too you will be fine again! Let's see what happen with me on monday, I hope that stupid strep b is gone and I dont need to take antibiotics, I dont want to seem hypochondriac but it scared me to take strong antibiotics like amoxilin. After all, all this problem started because of them....

[Gigle]

thanks for that

how did you get contact derm??? what area did you get it at?

I think mine came on after boric acid suppositories and than of course my dance rehearsals/sweat..clothing rubbing in that area

Mine came after all crappy treatments I had for BV/Strep b (i'm not sure yet what I really had..my doctors were all awful..and they dont use microscope or anything, just send vaginal swap to lab and then give you just antibiotics and creams etc....)
They prescribed me harsh feminine wash/antiseptics, antifungus creams, metrogel etc etc I got a massive skin reaction from all this and my skin became hypersensitive, inflamed....So I used hydorcortsione 2.5 % for about 2 weeks (First my GYN gave me clobetasol but this dried and irritated my skin so i switched for hydrocort and it was fine. But unfortunately when my skin was healing good the strep/candida infection appeared maybe it was that i had sex again with my fiance and my vaginal flora is reacting bad to semen... i dont know...

Anyway, Dont worry to much about the skin dermatitis, I know it feels horrible but I'm sure you will be feeling fine after the cortisone. For me it was just after I stopped the cream when my skin started to feel more normal....

Good luck with that! I'm sure too you will be fine again! Let's see what happen with me on monday, I hope that stupid strep b is gone and I dont need to take antibiotics, I dont want to seem hypochondriac but it scared me to take strong antibiotics like amoxilin. After all, all this problem started because of them....

[melis19750]

Oh Melis! I forgot to tell you that keep using the cortisone, it'll take sometime before you start to feel better. I had the contact dermatitis/allergy too and it took my two weeks to feel much better. Try to clean gently, with just water, the area, pat dry then apply the cream. And dont worry about skin thinning, you'll be using this cream for too short. After I finished the cortisone it took some more days for my skin to feel better, it's like the skin keep healing a bit after the cortisone or something.

thanks for that

how did you get contact derm??? what area did you get it at?

I think mine came on after boric acid suppositories and than of course my dance rehearsals/sweat..clothing rubbing in that area

[Gigle]

Oh Melis! I forgot to tell you that keep using the cortisone, it'll take sometime before you start to feel better. I had the contact dermatitis/allergy too and it took my two weeks to feel much better. Try to clean gently, with just water, the area, pat dry then apply the cream. And dont worry about skin thinning, you'll be using this cream for too short. After I finished the cortisone it took some more days for my skin to feel better, it's like the skin keep healing a bit after the cortisone or something.

[melis19750]

well i was treated off and on for strep b from 2002-2004 with ampicillin, kephlex, and clindamycin vaginal cream for 7 days- the other antibiotics were 10 days
nothing worked to clear it up until i started using fem-d

thank god GBS is a thing of the past for me... i know it will be for you too

now i just have to battle some sort of dermatitis... uggg
so frustrating when i have been free of "genital" issues for years.... until now
=(
im in the same boat
quite sad over this situation

Melis, Thank you very much for your help! I'm sorry to hear you passed for the same situation, it has been really depressing for me all this issues, i've been feeling uncomfortable for 5 months non-stop. GYN here have helped very little to be honest. At least know I dont feel that alone, i thought I have something horrible that anybody has never had!

Well, I'll discuss with my GYN on monday about what we'll do with this situation. She believes that this infections must be leave alone for a while to see what happen. I dont like to take antibiotics either (in fact, all this situation started after a pack of zythromax, I'm so regret I took them...) Before that, I never had any vaginal issues with infections or imbalance.

About the vulvodynia, in my case maybe the strep infection and all i've had it these last month have contributed to that pain. What I really have is a hypersensitivity in vulva area, specially in the vestibule. In my case it was mostly from an allergic reaction to all the feminine washes, antibiotics, anti fungus creams, etc etc that previous lousy doctors gave me. So, now I'm bit better with that but now I have the irritation from this new infection....

My new GYN is very nice but she thinks I'm bit paranoiac with all this so she prescribed me an antidepressant for the pain and the anxiety. I think I,m not crazy! who wouldn't been stressed and anxious with all this situation?! Also, I live with my fiance and this situation affects our relationship.

Oh girls, sorry for using this as winding room! But I feeling miserable lately, because I dont understand what's happening with my body now, I just want to know whether my body will recalibrate again someday.

Melis what antibiotics did you take for strep b? for how long? Did you treat it many times or just one?
I'm taking fem-d too, they were helping me, I'm not sure whether is coincidence or not but when I started to take just one this happen again, anyway i'm taking two again i'll keep taking two indefinitely

Thanks girls! This forum has been a really good support, specially when you feel all alone with something like this

[Gigle]

Melis, Thank you very much for your help! I'm sorry to hear you passed for the same situation, it has been really depressing for me all this issues, i've been feeling uncomfortable for 5 months non-stop. GYN here have helped very little to be honest. At least know I dont feel that alone, i thought I have something horrible that anybody has never had!

Well, I'll discuss with my GYN on monday about what we'll do with this situation. She believes that this infections must be leave alone for a while to see what happen. I dont like to take antibiotics either (in fact, all this situation started after a pack of zythromax, I'm so regret I took them...) Before that, I never had any vaginal issues with infections or imbalance.

About the vulvodynia, in my case maybe the strep infection and all i've had it these last month have contributed to that pain. What I really have is a hypersensitivity in vulva area, specially in the vestibule. In my case it was mostly from an allergic reaction to all the feminine washes, antibiotics, anti fungus creams, etc etc that previous lousy doctors gave me. So, now I'm bit better with that but now I have the irritation from this new infection....

My new GYN is very nice but she thinks I'm bit paranoiac with all this so she prescribed me an antidepressant for the pain and the anxiety. I think I,m not crazy! who wouldn't been stressed and anxious with all this situation?! Also, I live with my fiance and this situation affects our relationship.

Oh girls, sorry for using this as winding room! But I feeling miserable lately, because I dont understand what's happening with my body now, I just want to know whether my body will recalibrate again someday.

Melis what antibiotics did you take for strep b? for how long? Did you treat it many times or just one?
I'm taking fem-d too, they were helping me, I'm not sure whether is coincidence or not but when I started to take just one this happen again, anyway i'm taking two again i'll keep taking two indefinitely

Thanks girls! This forum has been a really good support, specially when you feel all alone with something like this

[melis19750]

SWEET-
so i wanted to ask, after you were done with your boric acid- you stated you had inflammation
where exactly was your inflammation and how long did you use hydrocortisone?

So here is what is going on with me....

as we know my yeast cultures all come back negative

IN fact
my Doc decided to re-do the "GEN PAP" on me as well as a DNA YEAST culture
and all came back normal

so Im now having this inflammation on my perineum area -it was slightly externally vaginally too but seems to be clearing- thank god!
although sometimes itchy inside the vagina
but everything as far as Microorganisms show :"normal growth of vaginal bacteria"- honestly i have fem dophilus to thank for that!!! A lot of prayer as well =)
I even have a copy of my most recent labs- all the candida strains (there are many) came back negative

and ive been tested for candida now- GOSH so many times

anyhow so now im seeing a dermatologist that specializes in skin of the genitals
they think right now its just a contact dermatitis or possibly an allergy
maybe even from using the boric acid, and or coconut oil to protect my skin from the boric acid while i was using it.

I am NO LONGER on boric acid, as all my labs are negative
in fact we repeated the genital cultures about 3 weeks after finishing the boric acid treatment.

I was on BA for gawsh i wanna say for about 32 days.

the dermatologist has me now using desonide 0.05% (cortisone topical) ointment externally two times a day on my perineum ... seems to be helping but its only been 7 days since being on it- out of 14 days total
I did try hydrocortisone 1% cream at first- but it dried me out and irritated me.

and before doing this- my vulvar specialist had me try estrace cream topically and emu oil- both of which made the situation worse. as I only tried them about 3 days..... before saying "forget this"
the desonide seems to be the only thing helping- im just worried about thinning the skin around the perineum... the doctor assured me this is a very MILD cortisone and should work

did you develope dermatitis after the boric acid at all? or was your inflammation internally?

internally i feel GREAT
its more external i seem to have this issue
mainly perineum area

thanks again for all your help

Mel!!!

You would have to call the clinic, and the receptionist will probably guide you through the process of scheduling the appointment. You may also have to talk to your primary care physician about this too just in case.

It takes a while to get an appointment with her since she has other jobs, aside from her job at her practice. The back of her book mentions that she works at a university, and a hospital in conjunction with her job at the clinic. And, that doubled with the fact that you have to come in during a time that's most convenient for you, increases the chances of you getting an appointment many months from now. And you don't want to schedule the appointment when your menstruating.

My experience with her was positive And she taught me a lot during my visits. She really took into consideration what I had to say, asked me a lot of questions, and she answered the questions that I asked. I literally wrote a list of things that I wanted to mention at the appointment (which is something that I suggest everyone start doing, since it allows you to get the most out of your appointment).

P.S. Make sure you've been keeping track of your cycle. That's one of the first thing I get asked at every appointment. And if you haven't read her book yet, I highly suggest it. It really is a wealth of information about the female reproductive tract.

Good luck Gigle!

[melis19750]

Hi Gigle,

I dealt with strep B for YEARS
what helped me was really this: antibiotic treatment (oral) while on antibiotic/ taking FEM-DOPHILUS
than after anti biotic treatment -FEMDOPHILUS has kept it in check ever since.


Hope that helps you. i thought at that time maybe i had vulvadynia
but it wasn't. it honestly was the strep B
my symptoms of strep b were mainly pain on/in the vagina
and usually no discharge
and no smell
although my GYN told me that inside she could see an odd discharge at times
and if they viewed it under the microscope "white blood cells were apparent"
and my vaginal cultures always showed high overgrowth of GBS
this happened from 2002-2004

What set it off- or started it was this
antibiotics off and on for UTI
than being on METROGEL for what they thought at that time was BV (without even testing me)
and than giving me terconazole vaginal yeast cream right after to ward off yeast
this left my vagina imbalanced- and than group B strep just completely overgrew

I had read that sometimes METROGEL (vaginal) can cause GBS to overgrow
normally GBS can be present with NO SYMPTOMS

so at this point if I ever develope BV (I pray i dont) I will opt for Clindamycin vaginal cream

BTW- i also used clindamycin vaginal cream for GBS- I begged my OBGYN at that time to let me try it as i didnt want to be on oral antibiotics
it really helped!

For yeast infections -Im now using "aquaflora- candida high potency 9"
which is a homeopathic
and was highly recommended to me by a few ladies who struggled with yeast infections and no matter what kind of treatment they did- they could never stop battling it.

so you might wanna try that

strep B- when it presents symptoms is really horrible
at least for me it was

when i finally overcame it with fem-dophilus
i thanked GOD everyday

however now im dealing with skin issue after boric acid usage
its not vulvodynia though
i suppose more of an external dermatitis on the perineum
its very annoying, but im sure ill get it under control soon!!

I pray you find an answer and some resolution

BTW- did they say what kind of yeast you had? thats important to know when treating it!!!



I never experienced candida until this past September
and still my strep B is GONE- I take fem-d every day 2 times per day

Thanks Swt!! I'll try to make the appointment with Dr. Stewart, but I have to know exactly when i'll be in the States.

Unfortunately I'm having so many vaginal issues since the last five months with gardnerella and strep b. I started to have an irritation last week so i went to my general practicioner and the cultures showed overgrowth of strep b and candida....I'm waiting for my appointment with my GYN on monday. I dont have too much discharge the last days but it looks unusual, a bit clumpy and yellowish with and pus-like odor, sorry for the details! :S

I'm feeling so bad these days...this problems keep coming back and I dont know why and what to do? Anybody has dealt with strep b? Is that dangerous? My GYN told me that strep b doesnt need treatment. Maybe she meant in the case when it doesnt make trouble...and to be honest i dont want to take more antibiotics..Also, not sure whether cultures will always show up bacteria, but this specify "heavy overgrowth of strep b"....

Thanks girls!
Gigle

[Gigle]

Thanks Swt!! I'll try to make the appointment with Dr. Stewart, but I have to know exactly when i'll be in the States.

Unfortunately I'm having so many vaginal issues since the last five months with gardnerella and strep b. I started to have an irritation last week so i went to my general practicioner and the cultures showed overgrowth of strep b and candida....I'm waiting for my appointment with my GYN on monday. I dont have too much discharge the last days but it looks unusual, a bit clumpy and yellowish with and pus-like odor, sorry for the details! :S

I'm feeling so bad these days...this problems keep coming back and I dont know why and what to do? Anybody has dealt with strep b? Is that dangerous? My GYN told me that strep b doesnt need treatment. Maybe she meant in the case when it doesnt make trouble...and to be honest i dont want to take more antibiotics..Also, not sure whether cultures will always show up bacteria, but this specify "heavy overgrowth of strep b"....

Thanks girls!
Gigle

[swt simplicity]

Hi Girls!

I'm thinking to visit Dr. Stewart in Boston, anyone knows how can i make a appointment with her? how long aprox does it take to have one?
I live outside the states but planning a trip to there and I really want to see her since I've been having many vaginal problems (mainly vulvodynia that develop from chronic dermatitis i think....). Here where I'm living there no vulvovaginal specialists, it's a pitty!

I would like, also, someone shares her experience with dr stewart...

Thanks!!

You would have to call the clinic, and the receptionist will probably guide you through the process of scheduling the appointment. You may also have to talk to your primary care physician about this too just in case.

It takes a while to get an appointment with her since she has other jobs, aside from her job at her practice. The back of her book mentions that she works at a university, and a hospital in conjunction with her job at the clinic. And, that doubled with the fact that you have to come in during a time that's most convenient for you, increases the chances of you getting an appointment many months from now. And you don't want to schedule the appointment when your menstruating.

My experience with her was positive And she taught me a lot during my visits. She really took into consideration what I had to say, asked me a lot of questions, and she answered the questions that I asked. I literally wrote a list of things that I wanted to mention at the appointment (which is something that I suggest everyone start doing, since it allows you to get the most out of your appointment).

P.S. Make sure you've been keeping track of your cycle. That's one of the first thing I get asked at every appointment. And if you haven't read her book yet, I highly suggest it. It really is a wealth of information about the female reproductive tract.

Good luck Gigle!

[Gigle]

Hi Girls!

I'm thinking about seeing Dr. Stewart in Boston, anyone knows how can i make a appointment with her? how long aprox does it take to have one? Can't find contact details on the web...
I'm living outside the states but planning a trip to there and I really want to see her since I've been having many vaginal problems (mainly vulvodynia that developed from chronic dermatitis). Here where I'm living there no vulvovaginal specialists, it's a pitty!

I would like, also, someone shares her experience with dr stewart...

Thanks!!

[Gigle]

Hi Girls!

I'm thinking to visit Dr. Stewart in Boston, anyone knows how can i make a appointment with her? how long aprox does it take to have one?
I live outside the states but planning a trip to there and I really want to see her since I've been having many vaginal problems (mainly vulvodynia that develop from chronic dermatitis i think....). Here where I'm living there no vulvovaginal specialists, it's a pitty!

I would like, also, someone shares her experience with dr stewart...

Thanks!!

[swt simplicity]

Hi sweet

thanks for the reply! your def a big help. You should consider being a GYN/Vulvar specialist- you would be GREAT

=)

Well here is some more news and also what you asked- answered

when I went in for the check up 2 weeks ago- I was off boric acid for 3 days. So my doc thinks thats why my pH was off-

I actually went back in today because I had the WORST pelvic pain last night- it was unbearable.
I thought maybe I had a UTI-
Here is what happened-
NO UTI- but I have some ovarian cysts- quite a few but they are small.... so she said not worrisome
THANK GOD!!!
but while I was there she decided to recheck my vaginal area since Im still having irritation

guess what pH is back to NORMAL and all my vaginal flora looks good
being I have not used anything in 2 weeks...she suggested re culturing to see if anything grows
but she doubts it

here is what she thinks- i have some sort of dermatitis or allergy in my vulva / perineum area
could be caused by an allergy to something- even food
or possibly dermatitis from the BA and also dancing/sweat from my rehearsals (although I always change clothing and panties right after rehearsal, go home, shower and change into clean dry clothing)

She suggested a few things- allergy testing/ food allergy testing (which i have tests being ordered and will do)
than a saliva hormone panel- will be doing that soon

also- avoid sugar (not only does it feed yeast- it aggravates cysts) and avoid too much caffeine... a little is ok
use unscented everything- from body lotions to detergent (already do this)
microwave panties for 35 seconds to kill yeast spores

-and whatever allergies I have- avoid it

so hopefully we get to the root of the problem

she also did the GEN PAP on me- which came back negative
this pap picks up all kinds of bacteria that a reg culture cant
as well as all the non albican yeast you can think of
and STD's

so now that I think about it- being the irritation is more external
i think shes prob right
its prob an allergy or dermatitis
sweet- you have been such a BIG help
thanks soo much for being here for us- really it means a LOT
you have educated me more than you know- I even shared your knowledge with my GYN
and she appreciated it too- I gave her the copy of my V-Book
because i had 2 of them

=)

<3
Mel

I've actually gone back and forth about becoming a gynecologist. I want to gain some experience in the medical field before I really come to a decision. I'm glad I helped you It's definitely my mission to share accurate information about the gynecology, specifically the critical information that goes over looked. I'm so happy to hear that you gave her a copy of the V Book, because it's really a shame a lot of OB/GYN's are sort of not updated with the latest research.

[melis19750]

Hi sweet

thanks for the reply! your def a big help. You should consider being a GYN/Vulvar specialist- you would be GREAT

=)

Well here is some more news and also what you asked- answered

when I went in for the check up 2 weeks ago- I was off boric acid for 3 days. So my doc thinks thats why my pH was off-

I actually went back in today because I had the WORST pelvic pain last night- it was unbearable.
I thought maybe I had a UTI-
Here is what happened-
NO UTI- but I have some ovarian cysts- quite a few but they are small.... so she said not worrisome
THANK GOD!!!
but while I was there she decided to recheck my vaginal area since Im still having irritation

guess what pH is back to NORMAL and all my vaginal flora looks good
being I have not used anything in 2 weeks...she suggested re culturing to see if anything grows
but she doubts it

here is what she thinks- i have some sort of dermatitis or allergy in my vulva / perineum area
could be caused by an allergy to something- even food
or possibly dermatitis from the BA and also dancing/sweat from my rehearsals (although I always change clothing and panties right after rehearsal, go home, shower and change into clean dry clothing)

She suggested a few things- allergy testing/ food allergy testing (which i have tests being ordered and will do)
than a saliva hormone panel- will be doing that soon

also- avoid sugar (not only does it feed yeast- it aggravates cysts) and avoid too much caffeine... a little is ok
use unscented everything- from body lotions to detergent (already do this)
microwave panties for 35 seconds to kill yeast spores

-and whatever allergies I have- avoid it

so hopefully we get to the root of the problem

she also did the GEN PAP on me- which came back negative
this pap picks up all kinds of bacteria that a reg culture cant
as well as all the non albican yeast you can think of
and STD's

so now that I think about it- being the irritation is more external
i think shes prob right
its prob an allergy or dermatitis


sweet- you have been such a BIG help
thanks soo much for being here for us- really it means a LOT
you have educated me more than you know- I even shared your knowledge with my GYN
and she appreciated it too- I gave her the copy of my V-Book
because i had 2 of them

=)

<3
Mel

[swt simplicity]

so im puzzled yet again
my OBGYN saw me a week ago
she stated she saw "clue cells" and a higher pH

got my test results in- everything is NORMAL
yet again

how is it possible?
could the boric acid raise my pH and cause clue cells without BV or anything there?

I am a little sore in my perineum area
so she referred me to a GYN vulvar specialist (which I thought she did that before- but i guess not... this time its someone else)

Im glad everything is "normal" but I still don't feel normal down there

I would only go in for a follow-up appointment after my treatment was over. If there was anything present in the cultures, that is when I would go through another course of boric acid. I don't know how your treatment plan is set up, but that is what happened in my experience.

If your actively taking boric acid, then it will affect your vaginal flora which is often why you get examined after your treatment is over. It's also suggested to not have sex, douche, and the like 48 hours prior to an appointment since those things affect the vaginal flora as well.

So have you been getting cultured during your treatment course with the boric acid? If yes, then it will definently affect your test results. I've mentioned before how I did so many boric acid suppositories that it basically killed everything in my vaginal flora and my vulvovaginal specialist didn't see any lactobacilli under the microscope. Once I stopped the boric acid, they repopulated again

[melis19750]

so im puzzled yet again
my OBGYN saw me a week ago
she stated she saw "clue cells" and a higher pH

got my test results in- everything is NORMAL
yet again

how is it possible?
could the boric acid raise my pH and cause clue cells without BV or anything there?

I am a little sore in my perineum area
so she referred me to a GYN vulvar specialist (which I thought she did that before- but i guess not... this time its someone else)

Im glad everything is "normal" but I still don't feel normal down there

[melis19750]

i know right
the funny thing is... so many companies are now selling pro biotics geared to vaginal health, i even googled and found vaginal pro biotics that you insert into the vagina from various different companies in Canada, UK, and Europe.

but they dont list the strains in their probiotic... so who knows how effective they are

i def think fem d is what had gotten me back on track in the past- so im using it again
=)

I also think Fem-Dophilus is more affordable and generally a better deal. But RepHresh Pro-B has the weighty advantage of more publicity, accessibility, and being freeze dried. Whoever discovered those particular strains made a pretty good business move partnering with RepHresh, because Fem-Dophilus isn't so widely known.

[swt simplicity]

gotcha thanks!!! I still believe Fem d is a better deal- its less expensive and you get more

I also think Fem-Dophilus is more affordable and generally a better deal. But RepHresh Pro-B has the weighty advantage of more publicity, accessibility, and being freeze dried. Whoever discovered those particular strains made a pretty good business move partnering with RepHresh, because Fem-Dophilus isn't so widely known.