LADIES - Vaginal Yeast Infections

[isiscrystal]

I have horrible problems with vaginal yeast infections. It was really bad right after I was diagnosed (that was seven years ago), then it lightened up for a few years, and now, I can't keep them away.

I've never had any success with over the counter treatments. So, I was treating the infections with Diflucan, which eventually it quit working. Then my gynecologist prescribed me some suppositories you use three nights in a row. After a while that quit working too. I went to a different gyno, who prescribed me suppositories that had boric acid in them...she said it's good for keeping yeast away long term. The crummy part was that I had to put one in every day for two weeks. It got rid of the yeast, but it gave me some kind of other bacterial infection. I tried it again, though, and it wasn't successful. I just got another yeast infection AGAIN, about 3 weeks after using the boric acid things.

Now, I know you're probably all thinking, "how bad is her blood sugar?" But...heres the stumper. I don't manage my diabetes perfectly, but in the mean time while all this was happening, I asked my endo if she had any advice on the matter. She told me she doesn't think my sugars are bad enough to be causing me this much havoc.

I'm really, really, really frustrated. It's irritating, and it's driving my boyfriend and I crazy, because obviously it's not very comfortable to have intercourse when I'm having symptoms. Has anyone else had this problem, and do you have any advice for me? Anything would be appreciated. Please help!

[SueM]

Dumb question, but is your boy friend reinfecting you?
Also have you had any swabs taken to make sure it is thrush and not anything else?

I have also just seen your A1c that is very high and would also acount for a lot of your problems no matter what your endo says.

[soso]

Persistent and violent yeast infections were something that kept me at the Dr's week in week out for 6 mnths before my dx... My A1c at dx was 5.4 (though I had been low carbing for about a month before I was officially dx)
I have not had a yeast infection since.. so IMHO I would say high bgs can cause this .. I was like you, nothing kept them away, we were practically using DDT on them in the end and they still came back 3 days later.

[notme]

isis, go to the pharmacy and buy BD Lactinex. It is behind the counter because it needs to be refrigerated. It is a lactobaillus that will give you the healthy bacteria you need to keep these infections away. It is like eating yogurt or milk with lactobacillus, but it is much much more potent. It is a chewable tablet and non prescription.

My sister used these as she was on lifelong antibiotics and she constantly had the issue of yeast infections.

[SuzySushi]

Dr. prescribed a Fluconazole 150 mg. tablet for my daughter (T1, age 12) when she had a horrible yeast infection last year. ONE dose cleared it up, and it hasn't come back since, knock on wood.

Eat yogurt with live cultures. Wear cotton panties (or go without panties whenever you can at home). No tight jeans. No bubble baths.

[Tiger Lily]

i have to agree with 'is your boyfriend reinfecting you' as men can have yeast with no symptoms of it

he needs to go to his Dr and be treated at the same time YOU are being treated

[Kanga]

I agree with the others I think your bf is reinfecting you if he hasnt been treated. When one gets treated the other needs to too. Also Thrush is also a symptom of high Bg and as mine has come down close to normal range the thrush is almost gone. I suffered for 5yrs with this until finally dxed with Diabetes.

I found having a bath and adding salt it has to be as salty as the ocean really, really helped soothe the area.

[sable_032592]

back when i was first dx, it was a severe yeast infection that caused me to go to the er, the insides of my legs are still burned damaged (brown colored, i'm white)... i had acetone in my urine which was causing the irritation and the imbalance in my bs levels causing an imbalance in my ph leves...

whenever my bs levels are off for more than a few days, it starts up again, i find that once i get my levels back to normal again, it clears itself up, but i do use some over the counter creams to help with the itch...

[squidsdc]

I hear your frustration. I had many years with infection after infection. It wasn't the blood sugars, and my husband was not reinfecting me. There were many reasons that could have been causing them, but none of them made sense or were true. I had to change gynos because the one I had tried to blame it on the diabetes, instead of trying to find the cause. A friend mentioned many people are allergic to yeast, and that can cause infections. Not so in my case. I tried the Diflucan and the suppositories, the OTC meds and the RX, but they would just keep coming back.

What finally worked for me was twofold. First, I started to drink DanActiv on a daily basis, to boost my resistance (probiotics). I would also eat lots of yogurt, but the DanActiv is what really did the trick. I find now that if I start to feel one coming on, I'll drink two a day instead of one, and it will go away. Secondly, and this is the other reason I started to drink the DanActiv, is that I was diagnosed with many food allergies, just six years ago. Once I began clearing the allergens from my diet, the yeast infections abated. I went from having constant infections, to none, in the past 5+ years. Oh, and if you are not already doing so, stay ultra-hydrated while trying to get rid of the infection. (I was probably drinking 80-90 oz of water a day)

T1 is autoimmune; allergies are autoimmune; endometriosis is autoimmue; I have all three. I can't help but think there is some kind of correlation here, and think that there must be other T1's out there suffering from some food allergies that just haven't realized it yet.

[sable_032592]

actually, i have food allergies too and when they are in control, i get either less infections or none at all... mine are milk/lactose, wheat/gluten, and from time to time, an intolerance to vinegar, bananas and raspberries... i have tried the danactive yet though... do you drink it everyday forever or just the two weeks like the commercials say?


I hear your frustration. I had many years with infection after infection. It wasn't the blood sugars, and my husband was not reinfecting me. There were many reasons that could have been causing them, but none of them made sense or were true. I had to change gynos because the one I had tried to blame it on the diabetes, instead of trying to find the cause. A friend mentioned many people are allergic to yeast, and that can cause infections. Not so in my case. I tried the Diflucan and the suppositories, the OTC meds and the RX, but they would just keep coming back.

What finally worked for me was twofold. First, I started to drink DanActiv on a daily basis, to boost my resistance (probiotics). I would also eat lots of yogurt, but the DanActiv is what really did the trick. I find now that if I start to feel one coming on, I'll drink two a day instead of one, and it will go away. Secondly, and this is the other reason I started to drink the DanActiv, is that I was diagnosed with many food allergies, just six years ago. Once I began clearing the allergens from my diet, the yeast infections abated. I went from having constant infections, to none, in the past 5+ years. Oh, and if you are not already doing so, stay ultra-hydrated while trying to get rid of the infection. (I was probably drinking 80-90 oz of water a day)

T1 is autoimmune; allergies are autoimmune; endometriosis is autoimmue; I have all three. I can't help but think there is some kind of correlation here, and think that there must be other T1's out there suffering from some food allergies that just haven't realized it yet.

[squidsdc]

actually, i have food allergies too and when they are in control, i get either less infections or none at all... mine are milk/lactose, wheat/gluten, and from time to time, an intolerance to vinegar, bananas and raspberries... i have tried the danactive yet though... do you drink it everyday forever or just the two weeks like the commercials say?

I think the two weeks is a "test" period. I drink one every day, and even make sure I take them with me when I travel. I don't want to go back to those days of never ending infections ever again! I first tried to buy probiotic pills at the local Natural Foods store, but kept forgetting to take them. So when DanActive came out, I was thrilled. Even when I traveled to London, I went to the local store to purchase it there, although the name overseas is Actimel. My allergies are so prevalent in so many foods, with the most difficult to avoid being Soy. I want to make sure my immune system is at its strongest, so my diet does not have to be so restrictive. I'm allergic to The Lily family, Legumes, Stone Fruit, Gourds, and some berries. I finally went to the doctor to be tested when I had severe uticaria all over my body, and double doses of Benadryl did nothing for me. Silly me, I knew I must be allergic to something so I limited what I was eating. I was at the beach at the time, and I snacked on pluot after pluot (plum/apricot combo fruit.) Needless to say, as soon as I arrived home I went straight to the doctor. My first words were "Garlic? you mean people are actually allergic to garlic? Just don't let it be that, it's my favorite food!" And of course, that was the biggest reaction on my arm! :eek:

If you don't want to try the DanActive and you are good about taking pills, I would definitely recommend researching Probiotics. I never have time for breakfast, I'm not hungry and don't want to eat a lot, and everything else I've tried has too many carbs. I've searched for years for a solution for breakfast, from Carnation Instant Breakfast to yogurt to Slimfast bars, and the DanActive is just perfect for me. YMMV.

PS...not sure how long it's been since your allergies were diagnosed, but if it's been a while I would recommend being retested. There's a possibility there may be another allergen you are not yet aware of. Good luck, I truly hope this is the answer and works for you.

[sable_032592]

there was no danactive at my store, they were sold out, but since i don't have an infection right now, i'm not stressed out over it... since i take almost 20 some odd pills a day, adding one more is either good or bad... good as in one more isn't going to make me say no way to it, but perhaps adding one more is bad because it might be just one too many and cause more problems...

i'll look into both the pills and the drink, and i know i need to see the allergist again, it's been a while (more than 4 years) and some allergies go and some new ones come in... i need a referral to see one (my old one has retired) and i need to see my gp anyway, so he can give me a referral... the allergist is right next door to him anyway...

thanx for the info, i'll let you know how it goes...

[kgm0612]

An A1c of 8.6 means your blood sugar average is running around 229....... high enough to cause constant yeast infections.

I agree with the others.........I believe your boyfriend is reinfecting you. Ask your doctor to put both of you on Diflucan, and hopefully this will get rid of it.

Karen

[sable_032592]

it might not even be a simple case of reinfection, you might be allergic or have an intolerance to him... my sister has the same kind of reaction to her husband and even though she was tested for yeast infections, her doc says she never has one...

this is kinda personal, but if you're using protection (either he uses it or you use something internal), that could be causing the problems too...

[deb wardle]

Hi

I have suffered greatly from this, mainly due to the amount of antibiotics i have had to take for bladder, kidney and chest infections. my gp prescribed flucanazole 150mg tab, the infection did calm down after taking this but soon came back. Then she gave me a two week course of flucanazole 50mg tabs, one per day. I also take acidophilous bactiliious, to help promote the good bacteria,I also avoid fungal foods such as cheese and mushrooms. Hope this helps, it is a horrible thing to go through.

Deb

[Kambi]

I'm experiencing a painful fungal infection under my breasts. It started after I exercised,even tho I showered and changed bras. I look like I've been scalded. I can't wear a bra

This is why I'm here. This red flagged the doc to have my sugar checked. Will do it next week.

[Ailsa]

I only need to run a bit high for a couple of days for this to be a problem. Better control will definately help.
The best treatment I have discovered is natural yoghurt used internally. Believe me this works like a dream. Also you don't get resistance issues, don't need a script & it's cheap!
You can use the same applicator as for the prescription type creams. It's a bit tricky getting it in the applicator, but a half full one will do the trick.

[Lizzie G]

the main thing that allows the yeast infection to keep establishing itself is the nourishment that your blood is providing - with an A1C of 8.6 that is a very high average BG (somewhere around 11/200 depending whether you are in UK or US approx). the best thing you can do to get rid of it once and for all is to improve your glycaemic control.

[mmora]

Hi, I get them all the time also, and my hg a1c is 6.5. What is happening is that you are spreading it to your boyfriend so if he's not getting treated, you are getting them again and again. I gave it to my husband, he got treated and he's ok but he needs to go check himself because you can give it to men...I had no idea yeast infections were contagious but they are.

[princesslinda]

I'm experiencing a painful fungal infection under my breasts. It started after I exercised,even tho I showered and changed bras. I look like I've been scalded. I can't wear a bra

This is why I'm here. This red flagged the doc to have my sugar checked. Will do it next week.

This is called "intertrigo." There's a powder you can buy over the counter, ZeaSorb-AF, that really helps with this. The dermatologist I work for recommends it a lot for this area and in the inguinal/groin area...anywhere prone to friction and moisture. It comes in a powder and a quick drying gel.

[genie86333]

This is called "intertrigo." There's a powder you can buy over the counter, ZeaSorb-AF, that really helps with this.

Linda, thanks for the recommendation for the ZeaSorb - I get this also & what works for me (yeah, sounds strange but it really works well) is diaper rash ointment (Desitin or any zinc-oxide type.)

[tilly-roo]

How long should it be taking once good control after bad control has been restablished for vaginal infections to be going away?

[genie86333]

Sorry, can't help on that one - I didn't have one for several months before I was dx'd.

However...have you been treated for it? It may not just "go away" when you get your sugars under control (although it will really help.)

[sridder]

I had a yeast infection when I was diagnosed - along with a fungal rash under my right arm. Dr. gave me a prescription and the yeast infection went away in about a week. It took almost 2 weeks for the underarm rash. Thankfully my BG levels have come way down in the last 5 weeks since diagnosis and I haven't seen rash or infection return.

[KCP]

I dont know if this would help anyone but as we all know: We cant use cranberry juice! I use apple cider vinegar.. A tablespoon of that and drinking heaps of water.. It tends to work as long as Im careful as I find that my husband does tend to reinfect me so we use *ahem* precautions to ensure we dont come into contact..