If you are one of the thousands of lucky women to experience the roller-coaster of bacterial vaginosis you are not alone! If you are like me you have been to plenty of doctors who happily tell you "it's normal" hand you an RX for flagyl aka metronidazole and send you on your merry way. At first your hopeful and after the first few days of taking a nasty medication that leaves an even nastier taste in your mouth that you can try to rinse away with mouthwash so long as it doesn't contain so much as a drop of alcohol, you begin to notice those nasty uncomfortable feelings and that ungodly oder seems to be going away until.. Lord have mercy it's gone! You have been cured! You want to tell yourself it was like a bad dream. You feel like it is all behind you. Like your the smiling girl in those yeast infection commercials. Amen! Then a couple of months later EVEN a couple of weeks later your holding on tightly while you prepare for this physical and emotional roller-coaster all over again.
We're women were suppose to be resilient but what do we have if we have the shame of this recurring disorder? I have been on this roller-coaster for over eight years. I have spent more money on doctors, specialist, nutritionist, personal trainers, cotton panties, probiotics etc! I have had to give up body wash bubble baths and so many of those girly things that seem so normal to the average women. I have a self proclaimed PHD from Google on this nasty subject. I have a husband, bless his heart who has also been treated with the antibiotics. He is the only other person who can confirm my worst fear...."your infection is back." If your like me you know that even if you really know your body your not 100% positive your infection is back until you are in the most intimate and vulnerable state, SEX. Yes SEX. Come on!
I am so tired of the endless home remedies and opinions of those women who are lucky enough to suffer from this a time or two and feel they have it all figured out. Oh not to mention if you search enough there is a woman out there, a doctor no less who has the CURE! She has it and she is even willing to share this priceless secret of how to cure this nasty debilitating infection for only $59.95 ! Maybe she thinks this is a bargain? I think it's a slap in the face to prey on the vulnerability of women who are suffering, whose relationships and self esteems may be suffering. If you are the writer of that book please call me i have a few choice words for you.
My story gets worse because I was pregnant from August to October and had a miscarriage. Not only did I have BV twice during that time I was convinced it had something to do with the loss of our baby. But thats a whole other blog for another day.
If there is anyway I can help anyone out there then this all hasn't been for nothing. I am here to share my experiences and give any advice I can. After 8 years and countless doctors I feel Optimistic maybe it's the calm before the storm.
They say BV is the most common vaginal infection of women in their reproductive ages but I am the only women I know personally who has gone through this. I know that the drug stores have always been packed with an array of choices to help rid your yeast infection and only in the last couple of years have I seen the rephresh and the other OTC BV remedy that name escapes me at the moment. SO if this is SO common why the hell am I still suffering!!!
Today is February 5th. I had an appointment with a new doctor who is on my side ready to go into battle with me. She prescribed Tindamax for both myself and my husband. Yes I know what your thinking "does her husband have a vagina?" No. As far as I know he does not but this doctor isn't the first doctor to suggest he get treated as well. At this point if she suggested my dog take it I would say why the hell not!
I'm on a mission ladies. I am going to post my progress and answer any questions you may have. If this medication doesn't work I wont stop until...well you get the idea. If your reading this and are shaking your head in agreement to any of it you know this is bullshit! Stay tuned & tell me your story! Respond to this blog or shoot me an email.
Toodles,
Kimberly
Hi I found your blog while googling "bv cure". My bv nightmare started in dec 12 with a burning soreness down below and a thin watery clear discharge. Antibiotics have not worked. It's getting me down, his did you get on with the meds prescribed by your dr. Please keep the blog updated and we can swap cures!! Ps I totally agree with your comment about "that book" bv is not something I would be proud to have made a profit from. Take care, Karen xx
ReplyDeleteHi Karen,
DeleteI wanted You to know I posted an update but I did not hit reply. Bare with my I'm new at this.
Hi Karen,
ReplyDeleteSorry I have been absent for so long. Well 3 days after my husband and I were done with our round of tindamax it came back. I am going to post an updated blog with all of the fun details of that story but more to the point for you...I have been referred to an infectious disease specialist. I am still awaiting their approval should be a day or so and I will have my first appointment with them to see what they can tell me. As for you and your symptoms that sounds all too familiar. What medications have you tried?
Hello! I came across your blog a couple of weeks ago and I can definitely feel your frustration. This is the most frustrating sickness I've ever had. It goes away for a few months for me after antibiotics then comes back. It's also super embarrassing because even though it is the "most common" infection...no one I know has had this. I could go on and on w/ my complaints....I, too, have a Phd in Google research!:) I have my own theories on why this is happening. What other treatments have you tried besides antibiotics? I'm terribly sorry for your miscarriage, especially if you feel BV was the cause. Also, they have referred me to an inf specialist before, but I have not gone. Keep me updated and let me know if they do anything differently then the gyno.
ReplyDeleteKaren, what antibiotics did you try?
Hi Steffy
DeleteFirst as happy as I am to share my experiences with someone it's a bummer to find out that so many women are going through what I'm going through. But this happens to be a club no one wants to be a member of but I'm no holds barred at this point hoping to help and get some insight from from others.
When I say I have tried everything I mean everything but that's not too much help so I am going to post an updated comment on here right now and I will answer that question. Stay tuned...
@ Steffy,
DeleteGo on with your complaints & theories' girl! Tell us your story.
Hi ladies here is an update from my blog..........
ReplyDeleteWell if your reading this you know where I left off a month ago. Optimistic with BV but a new medication I had never heard of Tindomax for my husband and I to take. After 3 days the bitch was back. I had a mini melt down when I called my doctors office and they had me come in to run some more tests. I believe I have finally gotten their attention. I went in there last month with a 3 ring binder a BV journal I had made. Each sheet of paper was a calendar that I keep notes on each night. Each month resembles the last. "just finished BV meds" one week "Day 1 of 7 on BV meds" or " Noticed BV symptoms" "BV is back" I have kept this journal from July of 2012 and I will say it has come in handy. I am now waiting to get into see the infectious disease specialist I have now been referred to. I will make an appointment by next week and keep you ladies posted on how that goes. Oh FYI my gyno sent me for blood work looking for diabetes, lupus etc. I have not received a phone call so I believe all is normal but will call Monday morning to make sure. As for the medications & home remedies I have tried they are on my second blog. Tootles-!!
Hello! I'm back! I read through your new comments and blog. I'm surprised Tindamax did not work for you because the statistics online say it is better than metronidazole in resistant cases...but who knows! I took a page out of your book and made a detailed sheet to see the doc when I went this week. She has decided to put me on suppressive therapy for the next 6 weeks (ouch) because she says I should not keep getting this every few months. I agree, however, I fear that I may be stuck with this for life as some women are.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I am treating it initially with metrogel and then use metrogel twice a week for the next 6 weeks after. I hope it works. I'm cautious but hopeful. Have you tried this? I also bought a prebiotic gel like rephresh but all natural for when I finish treatment. It has cranberry extract for antibac, something for yeast, lactic acid to balance PH and a prebiotic to feed the good bacteria. I'm interested to try this and see how it goes. I may even try a prebiotic soap I came across online. I'm trying to take preventative steps...
Anyway I SCOUR Pubmed and read through the studies and whatever other academic sites I get my hands on when I have time. And what I'm thinking is why it is so recurring: 1. The med is not killing all the bacteria in BV cases (for instance atopobium) even though the post medication culture will come out neg for bacteria, so the bacteria has time to re-grow, and if it's lurking down there anything extra that will set the PH off will also create BV again. OR 2. The main system that inhibited the good bacteria in the first place is still in effect, thus not treating the root cause. For instance, I just watched national geographic "Stress: The Silent Killer" and supposedly when one is in a chronic state of stress it shuts down the immune system. For years doctors thought stress caused stomach ulcers (which it kinda does) but what was really happening was that the stress shut down the immune system for however long and the good bacteria in the stomach stopped being produced letting H. Pylori take over. I don't know if this happens to women, but it certainly is something to think about. I could see how this theory might be applied but it wouldn't explain why some women get BV but not stomach ulcers and vice versa. I really don't know.
All I know is that this is so frustrating! I am a healthy person, and I have never had issues like this before in my life. It's really depressing.