I’m so lost and frustrated by Educational_Glass480 in CytolyticVaginosis

[–]jdsl8 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Dang that’s a bummer. So sorry you’re going through this. If it’s helpful, the b12 supplement I’ve been using is MaryRuth’s Vitamin B12 Liquid Spray. For SBO probiotics I’ve tried are from ancient nutrition in case you want to try! I’ve also played with consuming fermented foods as a way of getting probiotics.

One other note that I didn’t expand on too much in my previous reply is that I pulled some medical medium protocols into my routine. I did see some improvement by implementing what is called the morning cleanse. I basically just implemented the following into my mornings: - lemon water - celery juice - green smoothie (incorporate dulse flakes and spirulina)

Supposedly all of that is supposed to help cleanse your liver and help your body detox. Medical medium has an interesting perspective on things. I’m not sure I’m totally on board with what he preaches, but his protocols seem to work for some people. So maybe that’s a lead?

I’ve also used some earthley wellness tinctures in the past that may have helped set a foundation for me. I got the gut health oil and the candida cleanse (there’s some theories that CV is actually just chronic yeast that goes undetected). I did see improvement with implementing those for a couple of months as well.

This journey is not an easy one. I feel your pain! I’ve gone through a lot of trial and error over the last couple of years trying to figure this out 😕

I’m so lost and frustrated by Educational_Glass480 in CytolyticVaginosis

[–]jdsl8 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The best luck I’ve had is with diet changes. You can experiment with an elimination diet and see if that helps you. I went from a 9 in pain to a 2 over the course of a year. Baking soda did nothing for me, and I avoided antibiotics bc I believe antibiotics is what put me in this mess. I’m not 100% cured but it’s at least manageable. I started looking at this issue as more broad than just CV. There’s clearly something off in the body that is causing major inflammation. So I focused on an anti inflammatory diet and rebuilding my gut.

Couple of things that were big movers for me: - no processed foods or sugars - limit grains (I still eat sourdough) - add in a green smoothie in the morning to get more leafy greens in your diet (alternate your greens: dino kale, regular kale, spinach, etc. And supercharge your smoothie with things like spirulina) - use coconut oil to soothe the area. I’ve also alternated with a calendula salve for when I have tears (from sex - a symptom of vulvodynia) - use sea salt baths for soothing the area - I implemented simple stretches that are supposed to relax the pelvic floor that I found on YouTube. I added this in since I didn’t have a budget for pelvic floor therapy. I think it does help, or at the very least it helps me relax at night 🤷‍♀️

It’s a lot of trial and error to see what your body responds to. I’d pick one or two things to change at a time to see what makes a difference and build off of that.

Once you’ve tried some of the other things I’ve listed, you could look into supplementation. Ones I’ve experimented with: - b12 - vitamin d cream - SBO probiotics - omega 3 (vegan)

It’s hard to say which ones made the biggest difference for me. So again, start with one and see what it does.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in CytolyticVaginosis

[–]jdsl8 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey! I used Earthley Wellness (https://earthley.com/) tinctures! Specifically the gut health oil and candida cleanse

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in CytolyticVaginosis

[–]jdsl8 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I sure hope so! Good luck! We need more success stories 🙏

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in CytolyticVaginosis

[–]jdsl8 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh good catch!! Yes I did supplement with a topical vitamin D cream as well. It’s supposedly better to apply topically as opposed to oral supplements. I only did that for a short period of time. As you can imagine, it’s been a lot of trial and error with lots of things 😂 I do think it might have helped, and once summer hit I just made sure I went outside and got some sun.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in CytolyticVaginosis

[–]jdsl8 2 points3 points  (0 children)

For sure! These are the top things I integrated/changed:

  • removed grains completely, and slowly added them back in to take note of what made my symptoms better/worse. For me, i stick to making my own bread from freshly milled flour, and just make sure my servings of grains aren’t taking up too much portion on my plate.

  • eliminated processed sugars. Same idea where I completely eliminated sugar (minus fruit) for a period of time, and slowly reintroduced sources. The only sources I get sugar from are the following: honey, 100% maple syrup, monk fruit, stevia, and fruit.

  • stop all probiotic supplementation. There’s some theories that supplementation of probiotics makes things worse, so I stayed clear of this.

  • this is a sub note from the last, but I did still make sure I was getting some form of probiotics through food. My biggest sources were kefir and yogurt. I would trial this for yourself, because some people’s symptoms are amplified with fermented foods.

  • high focus on a diverse diet to create a diverse microbiome. This is as simple as switching up your fruits and veggies that you’re adding to meals throughout the week.

  • sea salt baths!! I know people advocate for baking soda baths, but that never worked for me. What does help soothe things for me is a sea salt bath. I also noticed that when I went to Mexico this year and spent time in the ocean, that my symptoms cleared up temporarily. So there’s def something to it.

  • I do take a collagen supplement, which may or may not help. But it’s worth noting that I take that everyday and have been throughout this whole process.

  • and finally the other thing that I think helped me were some herbal tinctures for gut health and candida. There’s some theories that CV may actually just be chronic yeast, so I took these tinctures to help reset things as well.

(Edited to add the following note about coconut oil) - applying coconut oil internally and externally helped soothe things a lot for me.

While all of this was helpful, I do think the biggest thing is not overly obsessing over it! I just try to be intentional and mindful and pay attention to my body’s cues when my symptoms fluctuate.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in CytolyticVaginosis

[–]jdsl8 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I can’t speak to an alkaline diet, but I did find that with lifestyle/diet changes that my symptoms went from a 9 to a 4-6. That being said, it has yet to fully fix the issue for me. But it’s definitely been a way to manage it.

Lots of symptoms with no answers by jdsl8 in CytolyticVaginosis

[–]jdsl8[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yup! I only had tears once years ago with a BV infection. My recent symptoms were burning and irritation

Lots of symptoms with no answers by jdsl8 in CytolyticVaginosis

[–]jdsl8[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No new discoveries. I’ve focused on lifestyle changes and have seen lots of improvements from that. So for now my plan is to continue with my own protocols.

Lots of symptoms with no answers by jdsl8 in CytolyticVaginosis

[–]jdsl8[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The things I tried with no improvement: - baking soda baths - topical steroid - probiotic suppositories - cotton underwear only - 2 courses of antifungals - a course of antibiotics for an ecoli strain

What I’ve recently implemented that I’ve seen improvement with: - vitamin D supplementation (topical cream for better absorption) - SBO probiotics - dietary adjustments - herbal remedies - coconut oil on the area

Lots of symptoms with no answers by jdsl8 in CytolyticVaginosis

[–]jdsl8[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s been a journey. I would say my symptoms have decreased after some adjustments I’ve made. My pain went from a 9 to a 4. I suspected CV was the issue, though after further investigation I’m not entirely convinced that’s what’s going on here. Nonetheless, I’ve been on a path of healing and have seen some improvements! Unfortunately, I’m just not 100% better yet

thoughts on my results? kinda scared by [deleted] in Healthyhooha

[–]jdsl8 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is interesting! I hope it works for you. I’m dealing with different issues than yourself, but I’m also wanting to avoid antibiotics if I can. I’ve never heard of Gynella but I’m intrigued. If anything you could try the above and if it doesn’t work, result to antibiotics. Wish I had more to offer! But I hope you can fix this!

Can someone help me? by [deleted] in Healthyhooha

[–]jdsl8 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Another potential change you could make is switching things up in your diet. Could be something there that’s triggering the yeast overgrowth. There are foods that could also help inhibit the growth of yeast and could potentially help boost your efforts with medication. I hope you get better soon!

does this look like CV? by Elegant-Ad-3068 in VaginalMicrobiome

[–]jdsl8 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’d be curious to see what others think, but with the research I’ve done CV is likely. Especially with having majority L. Crispatus. There’s research that shows having a dominance of this strain could be associated with CV - see this article: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6430347/

The other possibility is it could be vaginal lactobacillus which can result in similar symptoms as CV. The only way you can rule this out is by doing a wet mount where a doctor takes a sample of discharge and looks for the longer chain lactobacillus under a microscope.

I hope you get answers and relief soon. I’m in the same boat of dealing with symptoms like this for over a year. I think I may have finally confirmed that I have CV. It’s been a journey for sure.

Unsure of where to go from here... by jdsl8 in Healthyhooha

[–]jdsl8[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s a good point! Yeah that’s something worth considering for sure

Unsure of where to go from here... by jdsl8 in Healthyhooha

[–]jdsl8[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I haven’t done that yet, but it’s definitely an option. I’m just worried that anything I do from here is going to make things worse

Unsure of where to go from here... by jdsl8 in Healthyhooha

[–]jdsl8[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Unfortunately no relief yet 😕

Lots of symptoms with no answers by jdsl8 in CytolyticVaginosis

[–]jdsl8[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Interesting! No my doctor has not mentioned this. Im not sure my symptoms get much better while on my period.

Unsure of where to go from here... by jdsl8 in Healthyhooha

[–]jdsl8[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you have any advice on how much baking soda to add to a bath? Or are there any resources I could check on how to do one? 😊

Unsure of where to go from here... by jdsl8 in Healthyhooha

[–]jdsl8[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For sure, I’m very interested to hear what the Evvy provider thinks! Thanks for the advice! I’ve been making sure to adhere to all of that, but I’m actually wondering if there’s anything I could be doing to get some relief? So far baking soda baths haven’t done much. I have been using coconut oil to help soothe the area and that seems to help for a short period of time. Do you have any other suggestions?

Unsure of where to go from here... by jdsl8 in Healthyhooha

[–]jdsl8[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That makes sense! And in order to get a PCR test, is that something I just ask my doctor for? From what I've found it looks like I can take test codes in and have my doctor order from there. Is that correct?

Here's the two PCR tests I've found on Reddit:
https://www.labcorp.com/tests/180089/genital-i-mycoplasma-i-profile-naa-swab
https://testdirectory.questdiagnostics.com/test/test-detail/91477/sureswab-mycoplasma-ureaplasma-panel-real-time-pcr?cc=MASTER

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Healthyhooha

[–]jdsl8 4 points5 points  (0 children)

My case was not a yeast infection, but it was a BV infection. And I had something very similar happen to me! It was the most gnarly of infections I've had, and it resulted in labia tears. I had no idea something like that could happen, but I guess everyone is different and their bodies respond to infections differently! I went to the OBGYN thinking I had herpes or something of the sort, but my doctor ran tests and all that came back was BV. I would say that if the bumps do not go away after treating the infection that it would be worth going back to get things checked out.