Recipe for a Perfect Start to Summer

I wrote a very encouraging post on Monday about our progress and how well it's going.  Monday night my vagina started burning.  I went to bed hoping that it was just a burning vagina that would go away over night, but no.  I hardly slept it burned so bad and in the morning I had to face the reality that I most likely had a bladder infection.  I went to the emergency room and I did indeed have a bladder infection.  With the last two bladder infections I've had (the previous one a year and half ago and the most pain I've ever felt in my life), I haven't had the typical symptom of abdominal pain.  My pain is mostly intense vaginal burning.  Now it's probably really my bladder that is burning but to me it feels like my vagina is burning.  So I felt that way again, although this time my pain was around a 9 instead of the 10 that it was last time.

I actually had to miss the last day of school for the students because I was in so much pain I just couldn't imagine going to work.

So I took the antibiotic that the doctor prescribed and then guess what happened?  I bet you've already guessed.  Yes, I felt a yeast infection coming on.  My vagina started to itch yesterday and I knew.  Usually when prescribed an antibiotic I will ask for Diflucan, but I just wasn't thinking.  So I went to the gynecologist today and I do have a mild yeast infection.  Oh, and I also have a little blood in my urine, which they didn't mention at the hospital.

So to sum up, my first week of summer break has been met with a burning and itching vagina and orange pee that burns when it comes out.  I hope to be past all this soon so we can get back to our activities without losing too much progress.

BLAH!!

How to Prevent a Yeast Infection

Being someone who has had to deal with numerous yeast infections over the years, I have a lot of good advice on things you can do to prevent them.

-I use a PH balanced body wash called Very Private to clean "down there". You can order this body wash online. Before I learned of Very Private, I used Dove sensitive skin unscented soap. The key is to use something very gentle and with no fragrance.

-I try to avoid using tampons unless I'm in a swimsuit and I always use fragrance free tampons on those rare occasions. I know some women think that pads (again, fragrance free, of course) are gross, and I agree, it does put all your business right there for you to see, but tampons have been known to increase your chance of getting yeast infections. Plus, when your vagina is as sensitive as mine, it's really quite uncomfortable to have something even as small as a tampon in there.

-I blow dry my whole crotch area on the cool setting of the hair dryer when I get out of the shower. Yeast thrive in a moist environment, so it's important to keep the area as dry as you can.

-I take Probiotic Acidophilus in a pill form every day (you can buy it online or in health food stores) - it is the live bacteria found in yogurt that can fight yeast.

-I also eat yogurt frequently for the live bacteria.

-I take a garlic supplement every day (I recommend a small dosage so you don't end up burping up garlic all day - I take 100mg)

-I only wear 100% cotton underwear.

-No tight pants. Let the girl breathe.

-I drink lots of water. I find that on days when I get a bit dehydrated, that's when my vagina starts to burn more.

-When I do my dilator exercises, I use lubrication that is glycerin free. One of my physical therapists is actually studying the affects of yeast infections on vaginal pain and she says that you absolutely must use a glycerin free lube. Apparently, glycerin can really irritate a sensitive vagina. I use either KY Sensitive Jelly or Slippery Stuff Gel Lubricant.

-I use fragrance free detergent and dryer sheets.

-I have read and heard of several studies that show that oral birth control can be a contributor to both vaginal problems and reduced libido, therefore, I have stopped taking it. I mean, I can't have sex anyway, so what's the point?

All of these things are so second nature to me now that I don't even really think about having to do them anymore. It sounds like a lot, but once you get used to it, it's just normal life. If I think of any more I'll add them in.

I still get yeast infections. I don't know why, the doctors don't know why. But these things above do help, so try them out. If you have any additional suggestions, please leave them as a comment on this post.

The burning problem

Literally. I have a burning problem. My vagina burns for hours, sometimes days, with really no explanation. I noticed it most when I was out of town for Christmas and spent many hours sitting in cars, sitting in restaurants, sitting in movie theaters. Whenever I sit for long periods of time, especially on hard seats or in seats where I can't move around very much, my vagina starts to burn. Even though I say that it happens mostly when I sit for a long period of time, it also happens at completely random moments (or so far as I can tell) when I haven't been sitting. And there's really no explanation for it. Naturally, I'm paranoid about getting yeast infections, so sometimes I think I have a yeast infection. I'm starting to be able to tell the difference though. I can't explain it, but the burning problem is not the same as a yeast infection.
I told my physical therapist about the burning problem and she has made two suggestions:
1) Put an icepack right on the area kind of like you're icing a pulled muscle, and 2) put lidocaine in my vagina twice a day. Lidocaine is a gel that is supposed to numb the area. At first she wanted me to try soaking a cotton ball in lidocaine and putting that in my vagina. That just did not work for me. It felt like my vagina was being plugged up and I could not stand it. So now I just put it in with my finger. The downside to this is that I have to wear a pantyliner or I'll get gel all over my underwear. The intent of using lidocaine twice a day is more of a long-term goal. It's supposed to make me less sensitive over time, so it's not necessarily supposed to work right when I put it in.

Do these methods work? I don't know. The icepack feels good at the time, but when I take it away, the burning is still there. I haven't been doing the lidocaine for very long, so maybe it's affects have not shown yet, however, it's supposed to be numbing right? Well when it's in there, I don't feel numb at all. Is that normal?

Anyone else have this unexplainable, indescribable burning vagina problem?

It started with a yeast infection.

Well, actually, it would be inaccurate to say a yeast infection. It was more like a hundred yeast infections or one giant unending yeast infection that lasted for over two years. I'm still not sure which.

When I was in college I decided to start having sex with my boyfriend of three years. At first, it was good, and then I got a yeast infection. How was I to know that that yeast infection would still be hurting me 8 years later? We went to different colleges in different states, so I guess I partly didn't realize how serious it was because we hardly ever saw each other anyway. But if I'm being honest, when we were together, I didn't want to hurt his feelings or make him feel rejected, so I continued to have sex with him even though it was very uncomfortable and sometimes painful. We had a long distance relationship for 5 years so I guess I thought I could deal with the discomfort since it happened so infrequently. Little did I know that I was setting myself up for years of pain and sadness later.

After I finished college, I moved in with my boyfriend. And then it became a game of what kind of excuses can I come up with to avoid having sex? It was awful. He felt rejected and confused and I felt like I was broken. At this point it was not just about sex being painful and uncomfortable, now I honestly did not want it at all. I was repulsed by it and had absolutely no sexual desire.

And then we got married. I should point out that my now husband is the most wonderful and supportive person I could ever hope for. Through all of this he has never let me down and has never purposely made me feel guilty for not being able to give him what a wife should be able to give her husband. I don't need him to make me feel guilty, I feel guilty enough on my own. I've been married for two years, I'm in my twenties, and I have absolutely no desire to have sex with my wonderful, handsome husband.

I hope that this blog will help other women out there know that they are not alone. This isn't something that people talk about much and sometimes we even feel like we have to hide it. My husband gets very frustrated with the shame of it all. He says that there's nothing to be ashamed of and it's just like having any other physical problem. Intellectually I agree, but it's still hard to talk about. I am completely heartbroken and I break down crying every time I have to talk about it.

Currently I am seeing a vaginal physical therapist (who knew they existed?), a gynecologist, and a psychologist. I'm also planning on going to see a vaginal pain specialist soon, so I'll let you know what I learn when the time comes. My husband and I go together to the psychologist because she thinks that my non-existent sex drive is an us problem, not a me problem. I'm not sure if I believe that, but I hope it's true. It would be nice for this problem to not be completely about me. My next posts will update you on what I do at the physical therapist and at the psychologist. Hopefully you'll get some helpful information, or at the very least, a virtual shoulder to cry on.