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?

A lot of GP surgeries use an automated online system - Klinik for example - for appointment and triage now anyway: so you don't even need to talk to anyone: you fill out the form - provide lots of info about the symptoms and also provide information about your expectations from the GP. Remember: if you tell them it's not a problem, or you minimise your symptoms/don't tell them it's impacting your day to day life/can't pee/can't work etc etc then they won't know the severity of the problem: be honest. The GPs use these forms to determine who gets care more quickly. And clearly OP has no problem giving detailed information about this problem - after all she's done so on this forum!

That’s a really good point - and it will be much easier than phoning op.

ETA I’d add on the forms your very reasonable anxiety about an intimate examination op. It won’t be the first time they have heard that by a long shot.

I know someone who eventually had to have a gentle anaesthetic for speculum examination; I’m guessing it was local. But the point is more that gp’s understand these anxieties and it’s not news or weird from their perspective.

go to gp and for now
don’t use tampons
don’t put anything soapy in the bath - preferably have a shower and only wash with water
drink extra water
loose cotton pants and clothing
sleep naked
keep bedding really clean you already are careful with handwashing but obviously try not to itch

Might be tampon related too.

Is there any odour, OP?

Scented loo roll is rumoured to cause issues.

Thread worms can cause itching around the vagina, the same as round the anus. They may form in the intestine but they come out at night.

I'm sure it's not thread worms but that was in response to PP claiming it couldn't be.

So.. Where are you at OP, have you been to a pharmacy yet?

Did you have bubbles in the bath or use soap, that can cause cystitis

You need to see your GP, this could be any number of things but it's unlikely to be a UTI if vulval itching is your primary symptom, so antibiotics from the pharmacist might not help.

You have my sympathy, I had recurrent thrush for months and months, which led to horrific itching overnight and subsequent burning pain every time i had a wee. Turned out to be type 2 diabetes (which is in full remission now!)

Please see a GP, you can see by the variety of replies on here people haven't got a clue and medical advice without a medical qualification is dangerous. I had awful vaginal itch and pain, I tried all the otc medication and nothing helped, when I finally saw a GP I ended up being referred urgently to gynae as she was worried a had vulva cancer, the skin had become white and broken but I wouldn't of know without looking. I didn't have cancer thankfully but I did have sever pre cancerous cells that required extensive surgery to remove and remain under a gynae oncologist for regular reviews.
I'm only 38 and literally my only symptoms was itching and soreness.

You aren't qualified either to be fair.
You had a rare condition that may have been early or pre- LS.

If you read the OP's posts she is afraid of seeing a GP as she was sexually abused and doesn't want to be examined.

She's already had a diagnosis of thrush but probably not enough or the right treatment.

Sorry about the sa .

The thing is, we have econsults now, nurse practitioners, telephone consults. The first thing they would say is drop a pee sample off. Then prescribe antibiotics. If it is more than an uti or thrush then still all you'd have would be further tests like bloods, uss at the most.

I've had similar issues in the past and have never been examined physically. Good luck.

Respectfully I am qualified, I'm an advance nurse practitioner working in primary care so gynae related issues make a good proportion of my daily work load. I wrongly self diagnosed myself for over a year. I don't have LS I had vin stage 3. Anybody who isn't responding to treatment needs referal, chronic itch is red flag for vulva cancer.. its not rare its chronically undiagnosed as people are embarrassed to see their GP.

It IS a myth, if anything it will make things worse by irritating the urinary tract. Just wait for the D mannose and get a course of antibiotics for goodness sake. Or carry on with the mythical cranberry juice, up to you.

In this particular case I would recommend an urgent Doctor appointment.
for info though, if anyone thinks they have a UTI. A pharmacy can prescribe antibiotics. You fill in a short questionnaire and if eligible they issue a prescription for 3 days of antibiotics which is usually sufficient to treat most infections. They don’t even need a urine sample.