Itching Down Below (title edited by MNHQ at request of the OP)

[Attendreetesperer]

In my vaginal area - I’ve just been for a wee and I could have cried. I have been struggling now for months, I treated it once for thrush but have just since hoped symptoms would go away. But I had a bath and used a tampon whilst in. Normally only use pads. The burning as I got out was really really bad. Then stinging burning as I wee. Odd sporadic itch near my bum since this started. Maybe once a day.

I don’t know whether I have bad thrush. Cystitis or threadworms. I don’t have children and obsessionally wash my hands, but there’s something going on!! My vaginal area itches alllllllllllll the time without burning. What’s going on?

I can’t afford to be billed by the vet for not turning up. They have to arrive at a certain time for their surgery slot. Plus he’s in pain, my dog, waiting for this appointment and they have expanded and can now never get in.

Yes I’m on my period. That’s why I don’t know what’s going off.

Google lichen sclerosis
I suffered with an itch for years , finally find the courage to go to the sti clinic, they diagnosed straight away. Sent me to GP who referred me to dermatology, literally changed my life.

Thank you but this is discomfort inside. Not on the out. Itchy on the out. But the burning and real discomfort is on the inside

Fair enough.
My thoughts were that you might not be able to get to the vet and that you'll be no use to dog if in hospital. I'm not trying to sound mean.

I think I've just quoted myself. D'oh.

Have you got any plain yoghurt?

It could be thrush and cystitis.

But it could also be a UTI.

Earlier this year I similar symptoms and I had no idea what it was. It got so bad I sprayed my entire vagene with an antiseptic + anaesthetic. I thought it could possibly be a bacterial infection it was so severe. It absolutely stung when I first sprayed it (the antiseptic made it burn) but after an hour it calmed down so I could get to sleep.

I did that for two days and after it dried completely I used an anti fungal cream.

This particular time the symptoms were so severe I knew I must have a UTI (I started getting back pain which told me the infection was in my kidneys). My usual thrush protocol didn’t work and I managed to find a pharmacist to prescribe antibiotics. In my country a pharmacist can prescribe antibiotics for UTI’s but in some cases they refuse because the are strict with the government rules (they basically fill out a tick-a-box form).

Usually as soon as I get any symptoms of thrush I treat straight away with diflucan (it’s an over the counter anti-fungal and is only one pill). It takes days to work so I also use a clotrimizole cream specifically for that area. Once it’s as bad as burning it already means one layer of skin is damaged and it will take about a week to get better.

You do need to check if you have a UTI.

Something I have found when I have thrush is I crave carbs. It makes it worse. Stay away from carbs completely and take Urals so that your urine doesn’t burn as much,

Thankfully everything you use to treat thrush can be purchased over the counter in my country.

I don’t have any plain. But normally do! Go figure. I know it will be a struggle with the vets but it’s honestly as bad as getting in at the gp’s now. He’s 13 and he’s in pain with his tooth.

To pp, is cystitis and a uti separate then. I’m uk

Do you have anxiety around doctors or another reason preventing you from going?

Anytime I’ve been it’s always been something bad. A tumour. Spinal surgery. Heart condition. Then they put me on strong antidepressants which I started a thread about but didn’t get much feedback as I’m having a dreadful time withdrawing from them.

I think you may have 2 things going on at once OP. The stinging on having a pee sounds like a potential UTI which needs seeing to or it can develop into a serious kidney infection. I have seen a pharmacist for this in the past and got antibiotics but am in Scotland where the rules could be different.
The long term itching sounds like thrush. Over the counter pessary could help. I had chronic thrush infections for years that weren't really responding to Canestan type pessaries etc and discovered something called Multi Gyn acti gel. It treats thrush and bv. It stings horribly when you put it in at first but then the relief is amazing. I bought it based on Amazon reviews and after 40 years suffering from thrush it was amazingly effective for me. Good luck!

@Naepalz thank you. That’s really helpful

OP, I would second Naepalz about kidney infection. My MIL had some sort of UTI that she did nothing about, and it led to really serious kidney disease. She also had to have a catheter, so please, do go and see your GP and don’t just ignore it. Quite apart from the discomfort and disturbed sleep, it really can lead to serious complications that you really don’t want. I do hope you manage to get it sorted.

Definitely get seen asap tomorrow. Insist on an emergency appointment. I once left a uti for about a week when I was younger and didn’t know any better and it developed into an infection quickly. It wasn’t until I was feverish and freezing, shivering like crazy in 40 degrees heat in Australia that I saw a doctor. It was cleared quickly with antibiotics but they said if I’d left it even another day it would have been extremely serious.

It’s possible you have Lichen Sclerosis. I have this (20 years) and is often mistaken for thrush before diagnosis. Feel free to DM me

Sorry meant to add a link www.nhs.uk/conditions/lichen-sclerosus/

I think the tampon has irritated your vagina - you've put something dry and abrasive (I realise it doesn't feel like that to your fingers but it is abrasive to your mucus membranes!) into somewhere that should be lubricated and wet, but isn't because you've either got thrush or an infection and the skin is already irritated and possibly thinner and more fragile as a result.
So on removing the tampon you've now got a load of microtears that are REALLY pissed off and thats why everything itches/burns like fuck.

TSS is highly unlikely from wearing a tampon for an hour.

Shower, don't bathe, lots of things that go in our bathwater are likely to upset the natural PH and infuriate the vulva/vagina.

Avoid tampons.

See a Dr. OR a pharmacist. Use some canesten cream in the meantime to lubricate as well as treat.

Horrible thread title, I genuinely thought something had happened.

Don't go to a pharmacist
You'll need to provide a pee sample to determine if you have a utility. They may need to swab you to see what else it might be
Go to the doctor

absolutely not true- pharmacist will ask questions and prescribe 3 days worth in antibiotics - it would take more than a week to see a GO hence the reason people are telling OP to seek the quickest route to assistance:

Dont delay, pharmacists can treat a lot of general illnesses to take the pressure off GOs - if they think you need a GO appointment they can recommend it, and usually this gives the doctors receptionist a heads up that you have spoken to someone who’s told you to book an appointment.

So no one thinks it could be threadworms? That’s the only other thing I could think would cause this

You'd be nightmare itchy but it wouldn't be as painful as you describe to pee.

Are you Dr Googling?

GP.

I agree with finally ready79.had sepsis horrendous. I was lucky and made a full recovery. We phone our gp on the day .tell them how urgent this is ..my gp saw me same day for unexplained bleeding. On a side note avoid using tampons if possible

I don’t understand why you’ve been torturing yourself for months instead of booking with your GP?

Recently I had mild(ish) symptoms of a UTI but it had started to bother me too much to be able to work and I got called and given antibiotics the very same day.

As others have said, it doesn't sound like typical uti/cystitis, or you have that on top.of something else.

I've only skimmed through OPs posts so apologies if already suggested but when you pee, use a bottle of lukewarm water to dilute the urine and it should sting less. Use a 500ml sport cap bottle so you can get the angle right.

This definitely sounds like a GP job tbh, they will likely want to examine you rather than just throw some antibiotics in your direction. Not something to be left if you're feeling unwell but if no luck via phone this morning you may be able to get an urgent appt via 111

I once had this, ended up at the sexual health clinic. I was so sore that the doctor wouldn't do an internal, she said it was the worst case of thrush she had ever seen, my urine also tested positive for infection & blood. I had to have 7 days of the oral thrush treatment plus cream & pessaries & 7 days antibiotics. I couldn't bear to wear trousers or anything other than the baggiest cotton pants, luckily I still had some maternity ones left from when I had ds. Definitely go to the sexual health clinic, they are so much better than a GP in sorting things like this, my GP wouldn't have treated it so aggressively, I would have had to keep on going back after each course of treatment. Also buy some aqueous cream, it's gentle & moisturising, you can use it as a wash down there. Salt baths help, don't use soap or wash your hair while in the bath, you can add either tea tree oil or Lavender, both really help soothe the itching & soreness.

You will see threadworm in your poo sometimes or at night touch your anus and they will be on your finger. I assume you had a plain bath with no products - it sounds rough for you - have you a temperature at all - has pain relief worked - you need a face to face appointment ASAP.