What is happening to my vag

[LivingMyBestAnxietyLife]

I dont know what's happend to my vagina, around a month ago I used a sex toy i stupidly didn't clean it before use (sorry tmi) then had sex with my husband the next day I wee after sex always and clean myself. The following days I started getting symptoms of thrush so brought a canesten pessary and cream it didn't work so I went to the doctors and they gave me the pill it didn't go then I went back to the doctors and they did sti swabs and thrush swab with haemolyic strep and group B strep she prescribed me another pessary and more canesten cream, she said it wasn't BV all swabs came back negative but the horrible itching just hasn't gone its so weird as it will be painfully itchy for 10 mins and then it just stops for hours also when I wee if I really push the wee out and it comes out quickly it itches my vagina something horrible, I've been up since 5am with an itchy vag it did settle but im embarrassed to say that its now making me very anxious 😔 it's driving me mental and out of sheer desperation I used another pessary last night but it's done nothing. I've had sex over the Christmas period but always cleaned and wee'd after I'm not washing with soap but I don't have a bath only a shower so maybe it's dripping on to it idk
Please help me im at my wits end.

Edit to say I have a episiotomy scar from child birth and gets so inflamed and itchy also

I really recommend optibac. Quite expensive I found but amazing probiotic. Used it in pregnancies as it was the only thing that actually helped.

I have also previously spoken with a private GP who said that for a bad case of thrush you need a higher dose of the anti fungal (clomatrezole cannot spell it!) and she prescribed me a pessary double dose of what you get in canesten - might be that what you've been taking just isn't clearing it enough so symptoms get milder and then the yeast grows and it comes back with a vengeance

@LivingMyBestAnxietyLife could it be diabetes related (have heard it can be a pre-diabetes thing)?

Definitely do whatever you need to avoid it coming into contact with soaps etc. It was a game changer for me with my vulval dermatitis that developed after a medical trauma to my vulva.
You can also try Emollin spray on the area whenever you go to the toilet. It acts as a gentle barrier to prevent irritation from
your urine/other.

Take an Ovex tablet for threadworms and see if that improves it.

@LivingMyBestAnxietyLife
While I cannot provide a medical diagnosis, I can offer some potential considerations and advice based on your symptoms. Persistent vaginal itching and discomfort could be caused by several factors, including infections, skin conditions, or sensitivities. Here's an analytical breakdown of your situation:
Key Considerations:

Thrush/Candida Overgrowth:
You've treated for thrush, but symptoms persist. This could be due to:
Incomplete treatment: Candida infections sometimes require prolonged or repeated antifungal therapy.

Resistant strains: Some Candida strains may not respond to standard treatments.

Underlying factors: High sugar intake, antibiotics, or a weakened immune system could exacerbate symptoms.

Bacterial Issues:
Swabs came back negative for BV and other infections, but irritation may still stem from minor imbalances in your vaginal microbiome.

Irritation or Contact Dermatitis:
The use of unclean sex toys, certain hygiene products, or even friction during intercourse might have triggered a reaction.

Residues from soaps or detergents on towels, or even semen, could be irritating your skin.

Episiotomy Scar:
Scars can sometimes develop sensitivity, itching, or inflammation due to hormonal changes, friction, or infection.

Vulvar Skin Conditions:
Conditions like lichen sclerosus or eczema might cause itching and irritation. These require specialist attention and specific treatments.

Pelvic Floor or Urethral Involvement:
The itch triggered by urination may suggest irritation in the urethral area, possibly linked to inflammation or pelvic floor tension.

It could possibly be a UTI?

Go to a gum clinic not gp

I would push GP for a gynecology referral. Have you tried applying natural yoghurt to the area to ease the itching? I've done that with thrush and it does work!

I have similar issues with persistent thrush.
I've just thrown out all my synthetic underwear and replaced with cotton
That plus taking a break from the gym/exercise over Christmas seems to have settled things down a bit for now

I developed vulval eczema after I had my first child, with the symptoms sounding similar to yours. I got referred to a dermatologist, who recommended using hydromol to wash my vulva (she said using just water was too drying), then to use Oilatum cream each time I go to the loo, and she prescribed Lotriderm cream (steroid + antifungal combined) to treat flare ups. Using these things together has really helped. Really hope you get some relief soon - it's awful!

I had very similar once, I could barely leave the house as I was so itchy. The GP prescribed me a cream . Sorry I can't remember then name except it began with "O" Olevear maybe? Anyway , it worked in 2 days,after weeks of cannestan and the thrush tablet. It needed a script but if you can get to a GP it really worked for me. Hope it does for you too!

LIVE yoghurt, dip unbleached tampax in until soaked then shove it up, cooling and calming, go commando if possible, cut out sugar, alcohol, good luck OP sometimes thrush can take a while to depart

I cannot recommend optibac enough! This time last year, I had persistent itching and soreness for months and months. Nothing OTC or prescribed worked. I started taking optibac at the end of January 24 and haven't had whatever it was since!

Any cream with lidocaine eh vagisil in will help with the itching, but it won’t treat the problem if there’s anything underlying. Worth getting though.

OP, use the balance active pessary at night before you go to sleep. Hopefully it will work.

Hi everyone thank you so much for your comments and recommendations, yesterday I woke in the morning itchy I found some aloe vera gel and put it on it instantly went away and hasn't returned as of yet so fingers cross the pessary worked and this horrible itching and soreness is gone forever still going to wash my hair over the sink and not DTD for a while, I'm so anxious for it to return though. What a horrible month.

Anybody with vulva itch please please see your GP. I had persistent itching for a couple of years and tried every self care method going, eventually saw the GP and was referred on a two week wait pathway for suspected cancer, biopsy showed VIN3 which is pre cancerous and last week I has surgery to remove my inner labia and a large section of the outer labia I'm 38.
Please please don't ignore anything that doesn't settle or doesn't feel right, I'm a nurse and still naively thought it wouldn't be anything serious, be aware of your genitals ladies.

Could be the start of lichen sclerosis I got this after an episiotomy, or vaginal atrophy, sometimes the lack of estrogen can start showing down there first.

I have LS but strangely got alot better on vaginal estrogen some years later 🙄 also started young think around 32, didnt start hrt til 38 but miraculously much better down there since!

Same, I developed vulvar eczema after a bout of thrush - the thrush cleared quickly but the eczema took a long time to go, partly due to repeated misdiagnosis by GPs. Sounds like you got referred quicker than me!! It was so itchy but as OP describes it would come and go.

I also developed little invisible cuts almost like paper cuts inside my labia (so sex and weeing could be sore) and also little bits of my inner labial skin would come off and roll up - looked like the little bits of eraser you get when you rub out pencil iykwim.

I can’t remember exactly how I got rid of it, I did have a steroid cream and a gentle wash to use.

Threadworms

Hi all so the itching hasn't returned i use dermal 3000 (i think it's called) in the shower. Nothings came back.

I haven't had any itchy since my last post, so definitely isn't that

*itching

I was diagnosed with vulval eczema,by a gynae consultant, she prescribed dermal wash. It burnt, I used to sit in a bath with sea salt crying my eyes out,in the middle of the night. After a year....I couldn't sit down,wear underwear, even walk. It didn't itch,it was painful sore,red. I went private saw a dermatologist,who said dermal wash was antibacterial and way too strong.i now wash with epaderm. No more baths, only showers. Yes, scented toilet paper made me sore.

Ah Epaderm is what the dermatologist recommended for my vulvar eczema too. Couldn’t remember the name! And a steroid cream but only for “as needed” use - Locoid I think.