I’m looking for some advice or shared experience. I’ve got a chronic condition which needs long term antibiotics as treatment, because of this I was on antibiotics for quite a few months in 2019, I had had thrush a few times every year since 2016 up to this point but it would only be for a couple of weeks and treatment would always help but in 2019 I had it for 2 months and thrush treatment didn’t really help but thankfully after I stopped the antibiotics and used the thrush treatment it did but then at the start of 2020 I started experiencing thrush like symptoms but with some extra symptoms thrown in like smell and different discharges, I was lucky enough to be able to be seen by my doctors before the lockdown and then Inbetween them but none of the treatments have helped, I have had a few swabs taken over the last year and 2 months but they all come back as clear, no thrush, bv or sti and I’m still here feeling the same but over the last few days I am now having burning feeling all over my vagina and my vagina in swollen and really red and sore as well as the normal thrush symptoms of intense irritation and discharge so I’m not really sure what to do from now, a gynaecology referral has only now been made after my gp surgery were supposed to make one 10 months ago so I’m going to be waiting months and months for my appointment as we all know what stress the nhs is under so long wait times are sadly a thing and I’m now getting to the point I can’t deal with this at all, I also struggle with my mental health and I have bpd so managing my emotions are difficult anyway but this is now taking me over the edge every single day so I’m looking for any advice anyone can offer.
Thank you.
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Hidden1312
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I would suggest that with having a smell and extra discharge that it sounds a little more like BV than thrush, but it could also be both at the same time. If I was experiencing all of this I would probably go to a gum/ sexual health clinic, purely because you'll be able to see somebody pretty quickly, and they're specialist in everything 'down there', whereas your gp is not. You can also buy really simple swab tests for bv either online or at a chemist.It may also be worth considering allergies... possibly to washing powder or softener that you use to wash your underwear? Or maybe even a reaction to tampons or sanitary towels?
I don't know if you use any kind of soap to wash with, but you should only use water to wash your lady bits cause it's so easy to throw off the natural PH balance of your vagina or to 'clean' away too much of the good bacteria so the bad bacteria take over. Try not to have hot baths with products like bubble bath or bath salts in, again, these products aren't good for vaginal health. And lastly, never douche. Your vagina is designed to clean itself perfectly, douching can also do the same as above with PH & bacteria levels.
You can get probiotics that are designed to support vaginal health, maybe look into that.
Good luck, I hope you manage to get it all sorted soon, I know how frustrating, upsetting and worrying it can all be. I'm sure once you've seen a specialist/gum clinic it will be sorted pretty quickly.
I’ve taken health down there pretty seriously over the last 3 years so thankfully I don’t use anything to wash down there apart from water and I don’t use perfumes or wipes or anything. I think it may be a mix of bv and thrush as well but every swab I have comes back as negative so I’m just really confused as to what is going on but thank you for your advice, I shall look into my local sexual health clinic.
Do ask for more investigation and consideration of lichen sclerosis. Mine was assumed to be thrush for several years and I went undiagnosed with poor results. Ask to see a dermatology consultant perhaps.
Thank you I appreciate that, I have looked into that and lichen planus but I don’t that’s what I have as I don’t have patches of white skin on my lady area but more of the discomfort with irritation and the discharge/smell. I hope you don’t mind me asking but what caused you to be misdiagnosed for so long? I’m just wondering if you had the classic symptoms of of lichen sclerosis like the white patches of skin because if not then maybe it could be that with me as well.
You should attend a sexual health clinic for tests and assessment .
It is not clear if you were attending a sexual health service (GUM) service for your diagnosis and treatment of thrust initially. If not, then try to attend a local service, preferably one which offers microscopy - so they can look at a swab sample whilst you are in clinic for diagnosis/treatment. They would also be able to send off a swab for further analysis to determine bacterial growth. They would check for TV as well as BV/thrush. If the Thrush is down to the long-term medication, you could also be referred to a specialist GUM clinic for long-term treatment of your thrush, in order to get the support you may need for this - they will link with your GP if you permit of course. Sexual health clinics are now opened back, some offering walk-in as well as appointment based systems - do a search via search engine or your local council website.
No I haven’t attended a gym clinic yet, Just my gp so I shall be enquiring to my nearest gum clinic for help. thank you for your advice, I appreciate it a lot.
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