Re: BACTERIAL VAGINOSIS??? TO: LEAH
From: PAMELA (anonymous@obgyn.net)
Tue Aug 22 19:25:48 2006
Leah,
I keep getting BV & it never seems to go away even after every time I
get treated. The symptoms that I have: Some itching around my vaginal
area, feeling of unwellness (I can usually tell when an infection is
brewing), sometimes discharge (sometimes I do not have a discharge),
having to get up & pee in the middle of the night & a feeling like there
is some pressure of some sort on my bladder (different feeling than what
you have with a Urinary tract infection but it is very similar & that is
why I think they sometimes misdiagnose for a UTI when it is actually
BV). My main symptom that I have is a weird smell that I get (It is
hard to describe but very distinct & I always get it when I have BV). Of
course, today I went to my OB/GYN & he told me I had a Yeast infection
(I know I have BV but I did not speak up & probably should have). He
did not even test me. He just looked at me & diagnosed me by looking
only. I was so aggravated when I got home. I know it is BV again
because I have that weird smell that I get (And it is a different smell
than when you have a yeast infection). I tried asking my doctor last
time about putting me on something like Doxycycline or another
antibiotic, but of course doctors know best. He put me on a gel & a
cream that I had to insert inside me. He also put me on some cream (a
steroid) because I was inflammed from all this mess. Then he put me on
antiobiotics (because I supposedly had a UTI even though my cultures
came back negative) which I have been taking 1 a day every day for a
month like he told me to. Well, that was approx. 2 weeks ago & of
course I have another infection again. I have at least 1 UTI every
month & I get BV 1-2 times almost every month. And, of course when they
misdiagnose the BV I have a Yeast Infection about 1 time every 2-3
months. It gets really aggravating. Maybe someone here can shed some
light on how they go about explaining to their doctor that they
definitely have BV & for them to test you for it & to go about getting
medicine for your husband too. Last time I asked my OB/GYN about giving
me antiobiotics for my husband he said that he is very unlikely for a
guy to transfer it back & forth (& I am almost positive he is giving it
to me over & over again---I wish these doctors would listen) so he did
not give me any medicine for my husband. Hope this helps.
--
Pamela
At Wed, 16 Aug 2006, Leah wrote:
>
>This has been very interesting for me because I have had BV on again off
>again since I was a young teenager and didnt know it till about 2 months
>ago (I am now 22) I was not Sexualy active until I got married 2 years
>ago. And nothing so far has made it go away. I just last week got a
>gel called metrogel-vaginal and it seemed to have worked. It will only
>last probably temporaryaliy though as for some reason this stuff always
>comes back. Interesting that my husband could have it. I never knew he
>needed to be treated as well. If it comes back when I talk to my doctor
>I will ask for him to be treated. To make sure I wasnt miss dignoised.
>Since I have been told before that it was nothing. What are the syptoms
>you have had with BV?
>
>Thanks,
>Leah
>At Mon, 31 Jul 2006, Lea wrote:
>>
>>It sounds like you may be being treated with the wrong medication for
>>your BV. Flagyl is used for anaerobic bacteria infections only whereas
>>doxycycline is the usual antibiotic used for BV. Doxycycline is a
>>broad-spectrum antibiotic and is usually far more effective.
>>
>>Women with frequent UTI symptoms should be cultured for BV as that is
>>often the only symptom. Women in monogamous relationships should not be
>>made to feel suspicious about their husbands during recurrent infections
>>- that is just bad bedside manners and should be reported to the
>>hospital administration.
>>
>>The 100% sure way for you and your husband to be sure you are both being
>>treated properly and completely is for both of you to go to the doctor,
>>both of you be cultured and both of you be treated and then both of you
>>be re-tested.
>>
>>Seek a referral to a high-risk OB/Gyn if your current ob/gyn is not
>>willing to consider these options. You can search OBGYN.net for
>>articles and easily find plenty of printable material to take to you
>>doctor if you need help convincing him/her to consider the recurrent BV
>>infections as a cause for your miscarriages and to obtain proper
>>treatment.
>>
>>Good luck to you!!
>>At Sat, 29 Jul 2006, PAMELA wrote:
>>>
>>>Lea,
>>>
>>>Only one time I got treated for BV where they had my husband take Flagyl
>>>too. All the other times (mostly in the ER) they tell me it is not
>>>tranferrable to my husband so they never treat him. I have been getting
>>>BV since I was 18 or 19 years old (I was sexually active then, but
>>>always used condoms) & I have been getting it ever since. I do know the
>>>more sex that I have the more I get it for some reason & the worse it
>>>gets. Another thing, I have never had an STD in my life & get tested
>>>every time I go into the ER & they find out that I might have BV. I get
>>>tested probably 2X every month for every STD. It is really getting old.
>>>The last few times I was tested for BV I was asked if I had several sex
>>>partners & when I told them no they said that my husband must have some
>>>(which I know my husband & he is honest as they come). I knew it was
>>>not from him because I have been having it for so long. It is
>>>aggravating how doctors can be sometimes. It seems like they do not
>>>listen. I have done alot of research & I was suspecting that BV could
>>>be causing my miscarriages & my repeated Urinary Tract Infections. But,
>>>I was not sure on that. Thanks again for the information. Because of
>>>that I will go to my OB/GYN & get tested to make sure the Flagyl got rid
>>>of the BV completely. I really do not know now though what to do about
>>>my husband for him to be treated to. He will not go to the doctor. The
>>>last time the clinic gave enough antibiotics for him to take too. Do
>>>you think I should call the ER that I went to that prescribed the
>>>antibiotics & ask them for some for my husband? I am not sure if they
>>>will do that or not.
>>>
>>>Thanks,
>>>Pamela
>>>
>>>At Thu, 27 Jul 2006, Lea wrote:
>>>>
>>>>This is a question that shows up in my inbox a lot!
>>>>
>>>>First: Bacterial Vaginosis - despite what the CDC says - is NOT an STD.
>>>>
>>>>Second: Bacterial Vaginosis - despite what the CDC says and many doctors
>>>>believe - requires treatment of the woman AND her partner for complete
>>>>elimination. Men usually do not have symptoms and can easily re-infect
>>>>the woman.
>>>>
>>>>Third: Bacterial Vaginosis IS a cause behind many repeated miscarriages.
>>>>
>>>>There are no home remedies as it is a true bacterial infection requiring
>>>>antibiotics. Sometimes it takes 2 full courses to bring it to
>>>>resolution.
>>>>
>>>>If you have had BV and have suffered a miscarriage then you and your
>>>>partner should both be treated through a full course of antibiotics and
>>>>retested. You should not attempt conception until BOTH of you test
>>>>negative.
>>>>
>>>>Hope this helps clear some of the myths and confusion that surround BV.
>>>>
>>>>Lea
>>>>
>>>>At Wed, 26 Jul 2006, PAMELA wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>Have any of you have reoccuring Bacterial Vaginosis?
>>>>>
>>>>>If so, how many times do you get it?
>>>>>
>>>>>What do you usually take to get rid of it (Antibiotics, etc.)?
>>>>>
>>>>>Does it go away?
>>>>>
>>>>>If, so how quickly does it go away?
>>>>>
>>>>>If not, what do you do to get rid of it if the antibiotics that they
>>>>>give you does not work?
>>>>>
>>>>>Do you have any at home remedies?
>>>>>
>>>>>If you have any at home remedies what are they?
>>>>>
>>>>>How well do the at home remedies work verses the treatment from a doctor
>>>>>(antibiotics, etc.)?
>>>>>
>>>>>Thanks,
>>>>>Pamela
>>>>
>>>>--
>>>>Lea Harth
>>>>Operations Manager
>>>>MediSpecialty, Inc.
>>>>http://www.obgyn.net
>>>>http://www.endometriosiszone.org
>>>>
>>--
>>Lea Harth
>>Operations Manager
>>MediSpecialty, Inc.
>>http://www.obgyn.net
>>http://www.endometriosiszone.org
>>
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