wisdomeagle | Saturday morning and TMI

Hot. Itchy. Uninspired. Hot. ITCHY. Uninspired. "Evolution" part 1 was on this morning, and I recorded the last three-quarters of it. (Though wasn't really inspired to watch that much, though did catch Jack's "live long and prosper," which, squee. Though felt, more than I usually do, that RDA was not having the time of his life but was mostly bored.)

Drank coffee this morning to avoid usual weekend headache. And woke up at 9:30 or so. See how good I'm being about this new "never staying up late again" regime? Though mostly it was because I was too itchy to sleep any longer.

There were at least two posts on the flist this morning that made me wonder about celibacy and wait-till-marriage. It always makes my head spin just a little and given how much I like to have a reason for everything? Makes me kind of, er, frustrated? And confused.

hermionesviolin's post, and

scrollgirl's post. (Which is actually fandom!kerfluffle related, but did make me think, so there ya go.)

Dad and I had an interesting conversation last night in which I pretty much repeated the discussion

sk8eeyore and her flist were having about choosing a church home. I *heart* my dad.

SO! Went to Walmart on Thursday afternoon and went to feminine care section and stared for a good ten minutes at all the douches and vaginal itch creams and saw nothing that said "THIS WILL CURE A YEAST INFECTION" and pretty much got totally lost and confused, and bought one itch cream not designed specifically for yeast infections and some yogurt. Used yogurt in predictable but kind of icky way on Thursday night and applied another dosage on Friday morning, and amazingly, it seemed to like, work and make the itchy less unbearable.

On Friday morning my mom called about five minutes before we had to leave for work and for the first time all summer, I actually DID want to talk to her, as there are some things for which a girl needs her mommy. Mom wasn't especially useful except to suggest yogurt (already there, Mom) and lots of water. Okay, this is what I don't understand. The 70searthmother cure for a yeast infection is:
-drink lots of water and
-put disgusting gloppy stuff where, like, pee comes out.

I'm JUST SAYIN'.

Anyhow, Mom also told Dad I needed to go back to the drugstore, which was generous of her, though I really should be at the age where I can say, "Lookit, I need to get drugs BECAUSE I ITCH, OKAY?" by myself. Anyhow. So on Friday after work we went to a different drug store, the CVS, where they had a huge display of yeast infection drugs. WalMart LOSES AT LIFE for failing to have such a display.

Anyhow, stared for awhile but finally, being my father's daughter and my Nana(God rest her soul)'s granddaughter, I chose pretty much the cheapest kind, though I did go for the three-day cream rather than the seven-day cream because if you think I can follow any health regimen for a week, dude, you are so mistaken. So anyhow, the yeast infection creams scare me, because they say in big caps lock letters "IF YOU HAVE NOT PREVIOUSLY BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH A YEAST INFECTION, GET THEE TO A DOCTOR." Why is this? Does anyone know? I mean, is it so you don't incorrectly diagnose yourself? It's not like "smells like yeast, looks like cottage cheese, itches like hell" is a particularly difficult concept to grasp, you know?

Anyhow, I did have a yeast infection before, a long long time ago, when I was about 12, and my mommy bought me the OTC treatment thing, but that didn't work out too well since I'd never used a tampon at that point so the applicator thing went something like "itch itch itch OMG MOM THAT HURTS! FUCK!" I think I ended up just using the itch-relief cream thingie and it cleared up okay on its own.

But now what I am a big girl, I managed to apply the applicator full of cream no problem, and then went to bed.

The cream that comes with the treatment? DOES NOT WORK. BURNS. So during the day, we're back to ye-olde-earth-mother treatment, which burns less and relieves itchiness.

Don't get yeast infections. So not teh_fun.

So when I'm not self-medicating or bathing, which I'm doing a lot of, I'm angsting over the three ficathon stories I have due on Monday. *angsts*

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

The warnings on the package are because some of the symptoms of yeast infections are the same as some STDs and the drug company is covering it's bottom by recommending professional diagnosis.

Going off the cream definitely sounds like the right idea. Meds shouldn't burn. A yeast infection is all about the unfriendly yeast getting the upper hand on the friendly bacteria. That's why yogurt works so well -- it contains the firendly stuff and by applying it like you have been, it puts it back where you need it. Eating it wouldn't hurt either.

Stay away from douches and the like - they might make things worse by disrupting the natural bacteria balance more. Beyond the water, you might want to try and cut back on eating sugar. While not being applied directly, the excess sugar can continue to feed the yeast and slow the healing process. Women with chronic yeast infections have to go no sugar for a period of time to really eliminate the problem.

And god, do I sympathize with your tampon story. I could *not* figure out why women thought they were a good idea the first time I tried one.

:) Thanks!

Chances of me having STD=pretty slim, really, giving long period of enforced celibacy.

And yep, have been eating yogurt. Yogurt = MIRACLE. *shakes head in amazement*

Douches=bad, sugar=not so good, burning = very bad.

I was terrified to use tampons for about a year after I got my period, but eventually my desire to go swimming triumphed, and now I'm okay with them.

Thanks again for the advice!

You poor baby.

Yeast infections are the worst. The worst, I tell you.

I'm not at all a fan of the yeast infection medication; I sort of suspect that it's The Pharmaceutical Man trying to make lots of money off of women in a vulnerable position, but mostly it makes me upset because I used it once and I thought I was going to die. Things you put up your delicate and precious flower should not bubble and burn and make you want to cry.

Also, I sort of worry that what the inserts do is kill of EVERYTHING in your vagina, which left me getting another infection because I didn't have any bacteria left to defend my cooter. Er. (These things are so difficult to talk about without getting silly!)

Yogurt is the ticket, so you're halfway there. Some tips I have gleaned from my lady friends:

If you freeze some yogurt in something like the finger of a glove or in a tampon-insert-tube-thing, it makes it easier to put in *and* the coolness eases the BURNS LIKE FIRE.

Drug stores or health stores will probably sell acidophilus (sp?) pills, which, as I understand it, are the same things that are in yogurt, only more concentrated, so you could try inserting those.

And you can use some regular anti-itch for the exterior itchiness. Between that and the yogurt, you'll be right as rain in no time, but you have my sympathies. There's just something very *wrong* about feeling horrible in your personal area. Sigh.

Somewhat dissenting opinion: DO use the medicated goop. It burns only because the yeast infection has gotten bad enough to get the tissues seriously irritated, which means that you need treatment. The seven-day goop may be less irritating than the three-day, but the three-day stuff is strong and fast and it may be worth toughing it out.

When it's gotten really bad before I've had a chance to start treatment, I've been known to shower and get really cleaned up right before bed, squirt in the goop, and stuff a tampon in after it. This is NOT a good practice, generally speaking, but made it tolerable to use the goop the first night without intolerable burning, which let it work well enough to start clearing up the problem, so that after that I could skip the plug.

Just my advice, FWIW.

I should clarify here that there are two kinds of goop -- the kind in the applicator that I did put in last night and that didn't burn particularly and did relieve itching enough so that I was actually capable of sleeping, which, of the good. Then there's also a cream you're supposed to apply externally twice daily to relieve itching -- that's the one that burned and that I've replaced with yogurt as a daytime treatment.

Thanks for advice, in any event!

*hugs* Thank you for both advice and sympathy.

These things are so difficult to talk about without getting silly!

Totally. :p

Things you put up your delicate and precious flower should not bubble and burn and make you want to cry.

Eewwwwww! So, so true. Though the only badness I've had has been the burning kind, for which I am QUITE GRATEFUL.

Ah, okay then. Just so you're getting the bit in the applicator, because that's what's actually going to cure it.

Hope you feel better quickly.

Yep, that's what I thought.

Thank you! (I hope so too!)

Duder, I feel your pain. I got the mother of ALL yeast infections when I had a car wreck and had to have surgery. 'cause the antibiotics they give you post-op kill EVERYTHING and wreck the natural balance down there.

The itching was un-freakin'-real.

If you're on certain medications or antibiotics, they can definitely do this to you.

Can't really dispense advice 'cause I stay YI-free because I don't use anything perfumed down there (not even scented toilet paper) and unlike other women I have come to terms with the fact that it is not going to smell like apple pie or roses.

BTW, where in MA do you live? I'm going to be in Salem either tomorrow or Monday...

- Meg

Thing is, I don't even know how I got it! I mean, the first time I did, it was because I spent the entire summer in a bathing suit (I was at camp), but this summer, like, I've spent in an air conditioned office building! And you *know* I am not making myself all pretty-scented or anything. Just, ARGH.

Yeah, I saw in the bf's blog that you would be in Salem and was like, "DUDE." I live in a town called Plympton, near Plymouth, which is about an hour (according to MapQuest) south of Salem. I guess it is probably further down the Cape than you'd be if you're coming from CT, but, well -- we'll see.

-Ari

If you freeze some yogurt in something like the finger of a glove or in a tampon-insert-tube-thing, it makes it easier to put in *and* the coolness eases the BURNS LIKE FIRE.

But at the same time (speaking as someone who's made homemade yoghurt ever since she was old enough to hold a spoon and not drop it's contents) that kills the bacteria (the good stuff that fights the yeasties). L. acidophilus is actually happiest at about 117 degrees Fahrenheit.

Saturday morning and TMI

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject