Is my dr making sense here - possible yeast infection?

[Anonymous]

I went to my drs two weeks ago because I had been having pain and itchiness down there. I also have vaginal swelling inside. I had started a 7 day cream from the drugstore, and I think I was on about day 5 or 6 when I went to see him. Every night I would be swollen and itchy with no real discharge, then during the day it seemed somewhat better and not swollen. But anyway, since it wasn't really clearing up, I went to see the dr. He tested me for every std under the sun even though I thought it was yeast. He finally called me in the middle of the following week saying it was not an std. So anyway, since it is still not better, I went to see him today and said does he think it could be a yeast infection. He said he didn't know so took another culture, and I won't find out the results until Thursday or Friday. In the meanwhile, he prescribed me a steroid cream that can only be used externally for itching. My itching is bothersome, but my greatest concern and problem is the swelling of my vagina internally which does seem to respond to the anti-yeast treatment. I have been using clotrimazole 7 day treatment. My dr said that he thinks I should not use the yeast treatment, but instead stick with this steroid cream he is prescribing and wait until Thursday for the results of the test. I don't get it! Why didn't he test me for yeast the first time. I told him then what I told him today that it seems to me that it's a yeast infection that I am having trouble clearing up because I am on steroid medicine for asthma which is flovent.

Anyway, would you follow your drs advice in this situation? I told him that every night my vagina is swollen, but that when I use the antifungal cream, it is usually not swollen much or at all during the day, but by nighttime it swells up again. This is frustrating.

[Anonymous]

You don't say what type of doctor you are seeing but your doctor should be able to look at a few cells under a microscpe and tell whether you have a yeast infection. It takes five minutes. If your doctor can't or won't do this something is wrong. And a competent gynecologist should be able to recognize an STD by sight, not by putting you through that many tests.

Something is wrong here. Just wrong. The steroid cream, the intense testing for STDs unless there is something you haven't said about exposure, the lack of checking for yeast cells. Find another doctor.

[Anonymous]

This is the OP. I have been seeing my gynceologist. Well that's interesting that he should be able to diagnose yeast infection more easily than having to wait until Thursday. I told him that not only haven't I had sex with any one other than my dh for that last 25 years, but that we haven't even been having sex much anyway because of my vaginal problems. I know, I don't understand what he is doing. I think I will try to see another dr. I wonder if I can get in to one this week.

[Anonymous]

Research Threelac. It is a probiotic supplement that is specially formulated to "eat yeast". It is very strong and effective.

Know that you're yeast infection is most likely systemic, not localized, especially if you've ever been on antibiotics. There is a fine balance between our gut flora and yeast. When the gut flora is disrupted by antibiotics, yeast grows out of control and reeks havoc on the body.

It took me several months on the product to get my yeast under control. You wont find this product at any HFS. May have to order it on Amazon or just google it.

To this day, I haven't found a better product for yeast control.

Hope this helps.

[Anonymous]

Have you gone to any pools or hot tubs lately?

Trichomoniasis is listed as a STD (but apparently can be transmitted via the above methods as well) and can present very similarly to a yeast infection.

Though a quick look under the microscope should have given the Dr. this info.

[Anonymous]

The over-the-counter drugstore creams irritate my skin and make me itch worse, especially at night right after application. I would wait and see what the culture says and stop taking the over-the-counter stuff, since it really hasn't helped alleviate your symptoms.

[Anonymous]

Wait, WHAT? A steroid cream is a very bad idea if you have yeast. It can reduce inflammation at the start but then will result in far worse yeast. Prescribing a steroid without a diagnosis is dangerous, trust me, been there done that.

Yes, it is very possible that you have yeast. I've had years of vulvar pain and after seeing a specialist it turns out that what I have is a very deep persistent yeast.

Yeast can also be under the skin -- if he thinks it is yeast I'm surprised he didn't move on to diflucan -- ideally multiple doses if it is a deeper infection.