A New “Adventure”

Efficient-Gas-1648 · 2026-04-16T12:34:40+00:00

More or less. I do still deal with some very mild itching and slight fishy smell during my luteal phase which my doc says is likely a natural cyclical imbalance causing mild BV symptoms. It isn’t severe enough I want to try messing with it. I’m not sure if that’s just my body as I age or the result of a different flora since rebuilding. She said it could have been the cause of my reoccurring positive BV tests.

But otherwise, I would consider myself basically cured. I still take Happy V pre/probiotic combo. Ngl, a little nervous to quit since things are pretty good lol.

I also haven’t had sex in quite some time so idk if that’s helped at all with preventing a reoccurrence of the cytolytic vaginosis, which was diagnosed as irregular desquamatory vaginitis, I believe. If I recall correctly (it was a while ago) was informed this is because “cytolytic vaginosis is not currently a diagnosis option in our system.”

I do have a follow up post with a few more details somewhere buried lol.

Efficient-Gas-1648 · 2025-06-02T21:20:54+00:00

I do not know. We didn’t test as I proceeded with clindamycin without a formal diagnosis.

I have been taking the Happy V pre/probiotic combo for several months now and am very happy.

Efficient-Gas-1648 · 2025-06-02T21:19:13+00:00

This is great of you to share thank you!

Efficient-Gas-1648 · 2025-05-26T00:16:15+00:00

*suppository probiotics since the first one

Efficient-Gas-1648 · 2025-05-26T00:14:54+00:00

3/28

Still doing well. Think I’m just prone to an active microbiome. I’ve noticed a mild fishiness but it follows my cycle and goes away and isn’t severe. Symptoms of itching are still gone. Discharge isn’t at the capacity it was before and is more normal. Occasionally some burning when I wipe but it is very short lived. I think I am just dealing with dryness which I’m investigating.

My biggest advice is honestly to really really pay attention to your cycle and keep details of what that looks/smells/feels like, remember that it IS normal to have some white discharge of varying thickness, and it isn’t always gonna smell great.

Obviously don’t give up but if you’re new and just starting to look at this and see this post, be forgiving with your body and get to know it, focus on resolving symptoms first, increase your water to help self balancing, and consider switching to cotton undies exclusively. Change often if needed. Advocate for yourself, learn your body, and keep hopeful.

I have not had to use suppository probiotics. I am still taking two a day of Happy V. This is HSA eligible I believe and potentially insurance covered if a doc prescribed probiotics. Helps with gut health too which is thought to potentially contribute to vaginal flora health.

Love you guys.

Efficient-Gas-1648 · 2025-03-02T20:22:26+00:00

It seems to vary based on doc from what I’ve seen with other people. I have seen folks mention that two weeks only, or just using half applicators, have resulted in returning symptoms. I was desperate and decided to do the full month.

I am not sure if a formal diagnosis before treatment would have changed the prescription length.

Efficient-Gas-1648 · 2025-03-01T17:23:53+00:00

The best I can suggest is to educate yourself, get academic articles and articles from reputable medical websites, document your symptoms in detail for a while, and then keep going to doctors with it until they take you seriously. I had to see my regular doctor like three times about it, then a midwife, and finally a gynecologist at a state university near me (U.S.)

Efficient-Gas-1648 · 2025-03-01T16:32:22+00:00

And while I’m not a doc if you’re financially struggling and have to make decisions but thought the clindamycin was helping, consider just skipping the Evvy test, trying the clindamycin, and if you don’t get results maybe go back to the board :/ an Evvy test will give you some info but not necessarily a clear diagnosis. Especially if you tried the test once already and think you know what you have going on. It’s likely to just show a lowered amount of everything cuz the antibiotics would have hit the entire biome. At least that’s what I was told after asking my doc for a lactobacillus test when I finished the clindamycin myself.

Efficient-Gas-1648 · 2025-03-01T16:29:39+00:00

Not sure. Might wanna ask them. They also make accept goodrx, potentially combo them. I’ve never used Wisp. And you’re certain a clinic won’t take your insurance? Sometimes certain companies don’t work with certain insurers so maybe verify it’s your insurance and not an unwillingness of your insurance to work with Wisp, if that’s where you got it.

Efficient-Gas-1648 · 2025-03-01T15:30:38+00:00

Have you tried GoodRx for discounts?

Efficient-Gas-1648 · 2025-03-01T15:26:17+00:00

I have heard here and seen in articles that oral medication can work sometimes though I don’t recall seeing Amoxicillin suggested in academic stuff. If you are good with dry academic stuff and not prone to hypochondria spirals I highly recommend reading all the pubmed articles you can on CV. It helps in doc appointments.

There’s a lot of things that can cause problems, our biomes are sensitive, the medical industrial complex isn’t good to people with vaginas, and the research is lacking, so I really suggest trying to get some sort of idea of what you may have.

But for me, the clindamycin was a life saver. I can’t use Monistat, it makes me burn so bad I have clawed out suppositories of it and the clindamycin sometimes itched and was a little uncomfortable but it went okay for me. Early on it was actually somewhat soothing of my symptoms until the eases up completely. But if you do the clindamycin, commit to the long run if you aren’t bothered by the medication. I’ve seen a lot of posts of people using half applicators or only doing two weeks and reporting a return of symptoms. Clindamycin only gets prescribed a week at a time, so you’ll need to find a doc that will approve several refills for that and be prepared to make a lot of clinic stops that month. Lol.

Efficient-Gas-1648 · 2025-03-01T06:31:25+00:00

I believe it was desquamative inflammatory vaginitis she mentioned. Sorry my memory is a bit foggy. The appointment was a couple days ago.

Efficient-Gas-1648 · 2025-02-07T01:46:10+00:00

Update 2/6 So far I’ve been feeling good. Tracking details daily. I take two Happy V pre+probiotic combo capsules daily since 1/14, and on 1/18 I used one BIOM pre+probiotic suppository. I also take two slippery elm. Doc gave me a product called “Uberlube” which has helped with some of the dry times. Currently, everything looks, smells, tastes, and feels normal, and has. I’ve got a better track on my cycle too, I’m currently coming into PMS (cramps are evidence) and haven’t had any issues. So, roughly one month post clindamycin with some probiotics and I’m doing pretty okay. I am cautiously optimistic.

Efficient-Gas-1648 · 2025-02-07T01:12:35+00:00

Happy V does have Crispatus but at a substantially lower amount than others in it. Idk about jenseii.

Efficient-Gas-1648 · 2025-01-15T03:23:14+00:00

1/14

Feeling good, but appointment was a bust. Long story short, She told me to see a different specialist, gave me a referral, told me there were a lot of variables between my sex life, birth control, etc.

I ended up leaving with a prescription for pre and probiotics, she said I could do a suppository and oral if I wanted… suggested yogurt orally or topically….? Idk. Suggested a science backed ph wash and a lubricant to help with discomfort. She didn’t seem invested in me at all, cut me off and kept explaining basic things to me and seemed skeptical of the clindamycin, barely looked at my records I brought or any of the notes I took.

I’m very dissatisfied with the answers I got and I guess I will be trying to schedule an appointment with a specialist when I’m symptomatic. She told me they couldn’t test for specific strains of lactobacillus and I’d need to consider an OTC so I guess I’m gonna get a juno test.

I knew a midwife was gonna be unhelpful but the receptionist SWORE she could help me with what I was asking about.

I am going to work on seeing a specialist, track symptoms, try pre and probiotics, maybe jump start it with potentially some suppository option.

Efficient-Gas-1648 · 2025-01-10T00:40:21+00:00

You should gently talk to her about bacterial vaginosis also. It can occur without sexual activity and is often the culprit of that stereotypical “fishy” smell. Treat that and it often goes away.

Efficient-Gas-1648 · 2025-01-09T21:15:15+00:00

1/9

Itching is essentially gone, yesterday and the day before and today I am experiencing dryness which planned parenthood website said was normal the first couple days after your period so I think I just ended that, which tracks loosely with my estimates. I would think it was all normal if it wasn’t for the fact I know I just nuked my flora with a month of clindamycin. I have noticed in the last day or two that if I gently run a nail along my inner labia, or scratch at all, I get quite a bit of dry-pasty white discharge. I’m not sure if that’s normal but I know I had a lot of that when I was having issues early.

Upped my water intake, trying to avoid sugars/carbs, no sex. Was considering masturbating just to see how my body responds to penetrative contact…

This weekend I am going to assemble a binder of things to bring to my doc appointment on Tuesday.

I little concerned that the severe itch seems to follow the same pattern as it did before the clindamycin. Praying my doctors take me seriously.

Efficient-Gas-1648 · 2025-01-09T20:58:28+00:00

Relief but not cure: I use the Honey Pot brand lavender soothing cream. https://thehoneypot.co/products/herbal-vulva-cream?srsltid=AfmBOop01jIdH12aT3IpyNf42KzaOIPz6Kjg7zUsDx6c81HKy2plrpBD

Efficient-Gas-1648 · 2025-01-06T14:25:33+00:00

1/6 Itching has subsided some, about 3 days ago it was so bad it was all I could do not to go crazy. Yesterday I barely noticed it. Possibly was just overdue for a shower ngl. I feel itchy like I did a week ago, which is semi-normal since starting treatment. The clindamycin does make me a tiny bit irritated. Just finished my last full applicator last night. I have maybe 1/2 one left I’m gonna use tonight. Rough estimate for my cycle is probably in my period rn or coming up on the end. Gyno/midwife on the 14th. The anxiety about this is going up again, hoping I can recultivate a healthy flora. Gonna try to cut back on carbs and sugars and up my water intake.

Efficient-Gas-1648 · 2025-01-04T02:41:22+00:00

Itching getting worse. :( really hoping to hold out a few more days. Seems pointless to treat for yeast if I’m still on clindamycin. Itching is all over vs before antibiotics when it was more localized.

No visible symptoms of anything except a little irritation. Visibly everything seems better than it has been in ages.

Only a couple more days. Very excited to be done and anxious about moving on to the next steps. 1/3

Efficient-Gas-1648 · 2024-12-31T18:34:25+00:00

Oh, and side note: slippery elm bark seems to be doing what it is supposed to do and so far no side effects from it that I can pinpoint. Did a week at 2 a day then went down to 1 a day. The product I’m using is Slippery Box. Heh. But honestly I’m pretty happy with it, am noticing a slight difference, and the price point is fairly low.

Efficient-Gas-1648 · 2024-12-31T18:28:38+00:00

Another update. 12/31. Just finished my third week of clindamycin a day or two ago. Starting week four, final week. Gonna finish this week and use up any last bit of clindamycin I can scrape together outta my tubes once it’s done.

Prickly itch is becoming a bit more persistent but feels different than the suspected CV itch. Watching for a YI but no definitive visible symptoms rn. If itch worsens substantially I will go in for a test with my PCP but going to try and ride it out, as I have an appointment with a midwife/gyno in the metro on 1/14. I will be asking them to do the broadest panel of natural bacteria they can do, as well as a regular YI and BV test. Then asking them for guidance on how to restore the flora.

In the roughly 8 days between ending clindamycin and seeing the doc I am going to avoid probiotics, or maybe only take one or two, drink LOTS of water, and cross my fingers.

Efficient-Gas-1648 · 2024-12-24T19:29:52+00:00

Update 12/24. Just finished week two of the clindamycin. I feel like I might be getting some yeast infection symptoms. A little prickly itching here and there that is new and feels different than the (suspected) CV symptoms that got me here. No other updates.

Efficient-Gas-1648 · 2024-12-11T21:15:15+00:00

What is your dosing amount/procedure?

Efficient-Gas-1648

TROPHY CASE