MY VISIT TO THE EXPERT, Vaginal Itching and Burning Adventure Options

[lgoldie]

Thought I'd share what the expert at the Mayo Clinic did and said to me day before yesterday.
I've been having recurrent yeast infections with irritation and burning in between..pretty much hell on earth. Tried everything and after my local Nurse Practitioner and Gyn kept saying" Here's the Diflucan and I wonder if you have a blood sugar problem? BUT never checking it, decided to go the the Vulvo-Vaginal Expert and get an opinion. (By the way my blood sugar is fine).
The doctor at the Mayo in Phoenix (Fowler) is obviously a genuis. Took a big history, did a big exam and most importantly took a swab for a culture and to go look at under his microscope. Basically, he said that as we enter perimenopause the PH in the vagina changes making it more susceptible to yeast etc. Now I know we knew that, but, what to do about it. Here we go:

Terazole Suppositories, Annusol HC (Hydrocortisone) Suppositores, Vagifem Estrogen Suppositories..all of these almost every night to begin with and then tapering to 3 times a week.

Here's the interesting part: Northern Non Scented Toilet Paper, Oilatum Unscented Soap, Cheer Free washed towels, all cotton underwear, sheets. AstroGlide lubricant, All cotton tampons and pads, do not wash hair in shower as chemicals run down on vaginal area, if not having sex 3 times a week (are you KIDDING me?) use of lucite dilator to keep vagina stretched out, ETC.

Doing all this starting yesterday. We talked about Bio Identical Hormones (his other specialty!) and it is not time yet. He said the reason the 5 different kinds of HRT I have tried made me sick and have migraines was because IT WAS TOO SOON AND I HAD ESTROGEN APLENTY. He seemed to think that as soon as vasomotor symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats started, we would talk BHRT.

The only thing I disagreed with him on was the memory loss/brain fog thing which he attributes to aging or lack of REM sleep. Hmmmm Questions, class?

[Iradan]

Thought I'd share what the expert at the Mayo Clinic did and said to me day before yesterday.
I've been having recurrent yeast infections with irritation and burning in between..pretty much hell on earth. Tried everything and after my local Nurse Practitioner and Gyn kept saying" Here's the Diflucan and I wonder if you have a blood sugar problem? BUT never checking it, decided to go the the Vulvo-Vaginal Expert and get an opinion. (By the way my blood sugar is fine).
The doctor at the Mayo in Phoenix (Fowler) is obviously a genuis. Took a big history, did a big exam and most importantly took a swab for a culture and to go look at under his microscope. Basically, he said that as we enter perimenopause the PH in the vagina changes making it more susceptible to yeast etc. Now I know we knew that, but, what to do about it. Here we go:

Terazole Suppositories, Annusol HC (Hydrocortisone) Suppositores, Vagifem Estrogen Suppositories..all of these almost every night to begin with and then tapering to 3 times a week.

Here's the interesting part: Northern Non Scented Toilet Paper, Oilatum Unscented Soap, Cheer Free washed towels, all cotton underwear, sheets. AstroGlide lubricant, All cotton tampons and pads, do not wash hair in shower as chemicals run down on vaginal area, if not having sex 3 times a week (are you KIDDING me?) use of lucite dilator to keep vagina stretched out, ETC.

Doing all this starting yesterday. We talked about Bio Identical Hormones (his other specialty!) and it is not time yet. He said the reason the 5 different kinds of HRT I have tried made me sick and have migraines was because IT WAS TOO SOON AND I HAD ESTROGEN APLENTY. He seemed to think that as soon as vasomotor symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats started, we would talk BHRT.

The only thing I disagreed with him on was the memory loss/brain fog thing which he attributes to aging or lack of REM sleep. Hmmmm Questions, class?

Lgolie,
I agree with everything.

I had bad itching/burning few years back, at first estrogen drop and then when started on progesterone cream, the yeast infections drove me nuts. Consider I do have blood sugar issues, it was progesterone that caused the problems. Once I stopped, I have no issues with yeast, itching and burning whatsoever.
besides vaginal pH (yeats infection can be triggers by hormonal swings too, I had it also when I was pregnant), there are also yeast in our anus, so they can easily "migrate".

Advised by my gyno, I've just used topical cortisol OTC 1% cream for raw and burning skin, and it helped. I think my body was in the process of adjusting from estradiol to estrone, so for now, it is all good. Stopping any kind of progesterone supplementation, also stopped yeast infections.

I agree that while you still have periods, it is hard to find correct dose of BHRT, it means you have plenty of estrogen, so your dr. is right on money.

I switched to cotton panties (not the granny type, cute bikini), use only Eco unscented detergent, plain Castile soap, and "cotton" everything else, but I do wash hair in shower, I have longer hair that is hard to wash under the sink. I just bend over when I wash my hair, so the shampoo/conditioner when it runs down does not get onto my private parts, LOL. This also is less damaging for the hair line, as I apply the product starting from the back of my head, where hair much stronger, and not the front hair line.

Re-sex, can't agree more, same old "use it or lose it" applies. I have notice I am getting "smaller" in that department too, so you have to keep it in "working" condition and stretch it, so the tissues stay elastic, even if are too tired to have sex with your husband.

I think sex is a good old remedy for everything, and also gives us exogenous testosterone in the most natural form.

It stimulates not only local tissue, but works as a vasodilator, keeping heart and brain in top condition, it calms nerves, it is energy producing, and helps with REM sleep too.

I also think there are lots of natural remedies to help with vaginal issues, one to keep yeast at bay, is to eat lots of plain, no sugar added yogurt with live cultures, use natural vitamin E as suppository to keep tissues moist and supple, just use tampon as it can get messy with vit. E, and eat soem flax seeds daily, fresh ground and sprinkled on plain yougurt, makes great breakfast item.

Re brain fog and memory lapses: lack of sleep can make one nuts in no time, this is what I figured in my late 20s, when my DD was a very fussy baby and did not sleep through the night, so after few months I was a walking zombi, falling asleep at any second, forgetting words and subjects, lost lots of weight, had HOT AND COLD FLASHES non-stop, and my cognitive function started to decline too. I was exhausted and barely functioned, all because of poor REM sleep, as I had to get up 7-8 times a night. I am not kidding you!

As soon as I was able to sleep through the night, it all returned back to normal. Since then, quality and quantity of sleep +right diet are the most important things when it comes to feeling good, at least, for me.

There a well know torture, when one is completely sleep deprived around the clock for over a week, death will follow!
Best wishes in 2009!
I.