I’ve been dealing with chronic vaginal irritation for a year now. It started as an internal itchy sensation that would come and go. I thought it was yeast so I self-treated with yogurt and Diflucan. When that didnt work I saw a Dr who prescribed me antibiotics- BIG mistake because it caused me to burn so bad I felt my vagina was on fire!!
Again assuming the issue was yeast, I tried multiple simultaneous treatments of yogurt, Monistat, Diflucan, Boric Acid, STRONG probiotics, but nothing worked. The burning continued. Sex was painful, especially afterwards when it’d sting as if someone applied acid to my vagina.
I saw several Doctors. They were all baffled because I continually tested negative for yeast, bacterial vaginosis, all STDS.
An additional MAJOR symptom I’ve been having for 1 year now is chronic heavy vaginal discharge. Most of the time it is white, thick, creamy; other times it is clear and watery. It drips out in large amounts, causing me to switch through multiple pantiliners throughout the day. Also there is an odor to it, kind of like vinegar or french fries. (Weird, i know. But true.)
The Drs have all told me the discharge is normal, but i know my body and i know that something is not right. It was never like this before.
I saw a Pelvic Pain specialist and she told me I have Vestibulodynia. She prescribed me a compounded Lidocaine/Gabapentin topical cream which I applied every day to no avail.
It has been several months and by now the burning has calmed down a bit but I still notice it on a regular basis. I still have an internal “itch” sensation that comes and goes. And the most bothersome symptom is the heavy discharge.
If anyone reading this has a suggestion for what might be causing this and how I can treat it, I would really appreciate your input. Thanks so much!
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Hi Anonymous,
I happen to be very familiar with your situation. Approximately a year ago, I went through something very similiar and was constantly in my doctors office trying to explain to him that I had a "hot poker" in my vagina. Needless to say, I went to the doctor, was tested several times for STDs to no avail (I was also not having sex), went to a specialist (to no avail) and I thought I was crazy at one point. At the time of the occurance, I was losing my job, owned a house I had no idea what would happen to it and also suffered from anxiety that I wasn't sure what was going on at the time. In the eve of losing my job in 10 days, I was offered a position across the country, so I sold everything I owned, boarded a plane and left. I never had the feeling since. When I reached my new destination, I went to a new OBGYN which happens to be a research school also. I explained my issues that I had and the doctor explained to me that stress can cause so many different things and that the vaginal area is extremely sensitive with nerve endings and this could have been the cause. She explained to me that there are suppositories (anxiety meds) that can be inserted into the vagina to decrease the issue if it ever occurs again. Although, this is not a specific diagnosis, her explanation certainly made more sense than what I was told prior which was I had no infections, diseases etc.
I hope this helps.
Missie
November 10, 2012 - 5:27amThis Comment
Hi Missie, thanks so much for responding to my post. What you said about stress definitely makes sense. I wonder what the suppositories are called. I want to find something i can apply that will soothe the area. It's hard to tell whether it is nerves causing the burning, or if it is the skin that is irritated. Sometimes I think it's the skin- I'm going to try applying aloe vera or tea tree oil. Trial and error til I notice some improvement.
November 24, 2012 - 5:34pmThis Comment