Thrush or atrophy ?? What the hell is wrong with my fanny

[Missistoger]

Hi . 40 years old my nightmare began ! Please help any suggestions very welcome .

Nightmare started with the coil being fitted in August constant bleeding and itching had removed in Nov and found to be infected so given many antibiotics to clear resulting in thrush taken fluconazole (canestan ) both single dose and the 1 every 3 days followed with 1 a week started getting hives and itching on body feeling really sick stopped taking fluconazole and hives went
... reaction to fluconazole ??
however still had burning vagina and labia constant never goes away always the same since the coil being put in , took further thrush meds ( itraconazole , clotrimazole , econazole pessaries ) as swabs showed some candida growth .

Further swabs showed neg thrush but symptoms of persistent burning carried on no itching never itching always the same constant burning and chaffed feeling .

Given steroid ointment burned like a bitch didn't work .

More swabs showed thrush scant growth of candisis parapolopsis apparently not normal thrush ( normal.thrush is candida albicans ) so Nystatin pessaries given but still the burning persists :( hurts to walk :(

So is this even thrush ?? Surely it would be dead I've had every thrush treatment going for months on end .

Bloods show not menopausal levels however periods have gone very irratic sometimes come every 2 weeks ! Bleed for a couple of days then stop or last for over a week .

Vulva biopsy done on random brown patches of skin on labia thankfully neg for cancer but no other info given .

What the hell is this hellish constant burning feels like perminant chaffing pants hurt walking hurts , no discharge , and no visable rash swabs show no BV , no strep , normal flora , I am getting more and more miserable by the day :(

Sympathies op, I think most women reading your post will be crossing their legs in commiseration!

I don't have answers for you, I'm afraid, but thrush can be resistant to treatment and take months to clear up. Regular pessary can be very effective in managing it until it passes. It sounds like a cop out but are you going through a stressful time (gynae issues aside!)? I do think thrush can be stress related. More importantly however, recurrent thrush can be indicative of diabetes so if you haven't been screened for this yet, I suggest you arrange to be.

In your shoes i think I'd consider having the coil removed tbh. Could it be an allergy perhaps?

You don't say if you have already, but if not I would request a gynae referral.

Daily probiotics can also be helpful in treating thrush, 'the gynae geek' (uk gynaecologist) reccomends in her book ones which contain Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Lactobacillus reuteri.

Natural live yoghurt applied topically can be helpful and if you can't tolerate creams might be worth a try?

Hope you find some relief soon!

Have you tried a no/low sugar diet? Cutting out sugar, alcohol and caffeine can help.
Worth a try surely.

I was going to say diet too.

Thank you for your replies . I am having blood tests tomorrow to check for all kinds of things to see if there is anything else going on .

I'm not sure it is even thrush anymore some swabs show it some don't .

Does candida in small amounts live in there anyway ? Last swab showed only slight scant growth so would this even be the cause of the burning chaffed feeling .

Pessaries used so far burn and hurt and all the thrush treatment I've tried I don't even get slight relief the symptoms it stays the same or get worse 😳😳 oral tablets make me feel so sick and again so far havnt offered any relief .

I had the coil removed in November the bleeding stopped but the burning and pain remains the same 😳😳 .

I will try the diet and I've got some Probiotics . I have been stressed I'm trying to not be but this problem is making me more stressed it's a big vicious circle .

I thought the Nystatin pessaries would be the answer as its a non albican species of thrush that they found but they didn't provide any relief :( .

The other thing that can make your vulva itchy is lichen sclerosus. Has this been looked into?

You can get psoriasis in that area, which is apparently often mistaken for thrush. The treatment would be steroid cream though, and you said that burnt, although I suppose there will be different types. Hope you find the answer, sounds miserable!

See a gynaecologist. You might need oestrogen cream - helped me (also 40). (my symptoms were slightly different though)

If this does not improve, I would ask for a referral to Gynaecologist. Itching can occur with Thrush, Vaginal Atrophy and Lichen Sclerosis so it really needs an expert. I take it a urinary infection was ruled out?

I had an IUD and I had every single symptom you describe. My fanjo was on fire. It looked like it was on fire. I thought thrush, herpes (and believe me I would have been grateful for a herpes diagnosis at that stage) it wasn't herpes and swabs picked up nothing other than GBS off the scale which I hadn't had before. I was diagnosed with vulval dermatitis and it got better to a degree with aqueous cream. I had to use lidocaine ointment which stung like a bitch when applied but did bring relief.
I had the IUD removed but it took a while to go but it did go. I've just had a check in with doctor Google and it brings up that GBS can cause vulval fissures. Have you had your levels checked?

Thank you . I will ask them about GBS . Sorry to ask but did you have visable signs of dermatitis ?

I can't see any rash just stings really bad I will try acqeous and see if improves X X

I will ask for gyne referal .

I assumed that when I had a biopsy on the brown patche they would have noticed if I had any skin problems but maybe they just looked at the brown irregular patch of skin they just came back with melonisis as diagnosis 🥺 . The doctor I am seeing at the moment has advised that melonesis can be indication of inflammation so could he a skin desease they are checking inflammation and infection levels in bloods tomorrow also thyroid .

What steroid ointment did you get? I got Betnovate ointment and it stopped mine completely. For years I was told, thrush, thrush, thrush and it wasn't that. They found thrush because there's always a bit up there anyway.
Mine was finally diagnosed as localised eczema after I went to women's clinic instead of my GP. It seemed to be influenced by hormones as now that I've passed menopause it's completely gone. Soap, shampoo and bath products, alcohol etc all made it flare up too and it was worse just after a period.

Thank you @sadie9 I was given emovate to try and dakort /hydrocortisone to try separately .
I am starting to think it may be a dermatitis issue I cannot imagine it is thrush it makes no sense it would surely respond even partially it just doesn't respond at all . I think I .going to ask for that cream and give it a try . It's so frustrating appointments are so hard to get and in the mean time you are just left to suffer . I really appreciate all your replies thank you X

@sadie9 did the cream sting and burn when you applied it ?

Hi OP I was very inflamed. Difficult to say really. Good luck. Its so horrible I hope they find answers.

OP you say your periods are irregular, if there's a chance you are entering peri menopause it could be atrophy due to lack of oestrogen. The symptoms for this can mimic thrush and affects the Vagina and the Urethra. Ask your G.P for Ovestin, to be used internally and topically. If atrophy is the cause you will get relief pretty quickly.

Thank you 😊 I have had bloods today to check for all kinds of things and an appointment booked to discuss .

I am going to ask to try some of the suggestions on here . At least if I can try some things I may have a hope of fixing this while I wait for referal as wait times are really long at the moment . I am not convinced it's thrush I've tried so many thrush treatments and I do not respond to them at all the symptoms of burning uncomfortable to walk remain the same . I do think that something hormonal is playing a part on what ever it is too . Thanks you for taking the time to offer suggestions everyone I really appreciate it .

I had recurring thrush for about 3 years, didn’t often get any discharge- mainly sore, dry and inflamed vulva/labia Like you describe- always worse week before my period.

The only thing that helped and eventually resolved it was this
www.chemistdirect.co.uk/multi-gyn-actigel/prd-h6k

It just keeps the vagina at a certain PH that thrush and other nasties such as BV cannot survive in. But encourages healthy bacteria to grow. Ingredients are natural based

Takes a while to work and if the area is inflamed/thrush active it can really sting but usually it shouldn’t. You can also use it alongside any other prescribed treatments (at different times of day)

I apply about 2.5mls with medicine syringe twice a day for about a week, then once daily, then every other day, then twice week, once week, monthly. Also apply after swimming, baths, And after sex, and as soon as I feel any dryness or soreness. I buy in bulk on amazonL

it’s really been a lifesaver.

Op, I had this. 43 when it started. Exactly as you describe, really painful to walk. Sore, burning, itching irritation, but looked fine. Please don't go by bloods for peri menopausal. They fluctuate so much every day, so cannot be relied on.

You say your periods are erratic, you have atrophy. Like another poster said you need ovestin cream and possibly vagifem. It has taken me nearly a year to get mine under control.

My advice until you get treatment which needs to be as soon as possible, no tight clothing, no underwear as much as possible, stop treating with all other chemicals creams.

Absolutely agree with Tootsey. G.Ps often miss hormonal causes and many are woefully ignorant about the Menopause and conditions associated with it. l got wrongly diagnosed by two doctors, I was given 2 lots of antibiotics for 'cystitis' which made no difference at all. I actually diagnosed myself after reading some threads on the Menopause Matters Website and I asked my doctor to prescribe Ovestin (although you may find Vagifem as good. ) Almost immediately my symptoms started to ease though it took a while to become completely comfortable.

@tootsey11 and @seaoftroubles
Thank you for your replies I have thought that this may be the issue I have had those blood tests to check and like you said I can't see how they are reliable I had a period pains and symptoms but only bled for 2days then 2weeks later had another period lasted for 8 days that was 4weeks ago and I havnt had a period yet (no chance of being pregnant ) yet the did bloods and said all fine but didn't even check where I would be in the cycle ?
I am going to speak to them about ovestin cream thank you for your replies X

Good luck O. P, when you speak to your doctor make sure that you ask for Ovestin cream or Vagifem (which is a tiny pessary that you insert) and not the Estriol cream which is 10 times weaker and so you need to use loads to get the desired effect! I do hope this helps you, please update and let us know how you get on.

@Seaoftroubles thank you for your advice X

I will update . 😊

If you live near a big teaching hospital there will probably be a weekly vulval dermatology clinic. Could be better than a gynae for this sort of thing. Commiserations, it sounds horrid.

I was on a thread about this sort of thing a few years ago and someone mentioned mentioned methylisothiazolinone allergy. When I cut out all products with this in it really helped! Linking here in case it’s useful to you or someone else. It’s in loads of products, high street and high end.

methylisothiazolinone

I could of wrote this! I have Mirena coil in. Erratic periods, thrush well they say thrush they haven't actually tested.
Bleeding even after sex. Had a scan showed nothing so being referred again under the 2 week thing.
I actually know now when I'm going to ovulate I am in so much pain.
Blood tests showed nothing, never asked where I was in my manic cycle so was told it might not be a true result.
I only feel normal 2 weeks of the month at the minute

Blood tests are unreliable in peri, GPs are meant to go by symptoms not blood tests.
I had VA from the age of 47 and it took two years to get treatment as kept getting told it was thrush because i was still having periods. Apparantly you can't get VA in peri according to female GP i saw, which is absolute nonsense.
Ask for Vagifem and Ovestin cream, the combo which got my severe VA under control.