Re: vulvodynia & yeast

[Guest guest]

Kitty, you took the words right out of my mouth!!

I first noticed severe vulvar pain when around age 13 (or so) and

attempted to use tampons when I first began menstruating. I simply

couldn't tolerate the pain of insertion....despite all the various

tampons I tried. Incidentally, it was also extremely difficult for me

to tolerate a physician's pelvic exam the first time I went for one (at

age 19).

I never had a yeast infection until a serious sinus infection that

required multiple phases of antibiotic treatment. Since that infection,

I only develop them *very rarely* when I take antibiotics without using

acidophilus as well.

I don't believe that yeast is the cause of my vulvar vestibulitis, but I

am willing to experiment with long-term Nizoral (haven't started it yet)

out of desperation. If yeast is an issue for me, I truly believe that

it is simply exacerbating the condition and not causing it.

I recognize that many of you have been helped with yeast treatments. I

am sooo incredibly thrilled for you. Robin has been an inspiration and

a great resource to all of us, while carefully stating her opinions

about the yeast issue and recognizing that we are all different. I'm

not pointing my finger at anyone...I'm pointing it at all of us...we

really NEED to be very careful not to assume that because yeast is or

isn't involved it is or isn't the cause of all vulvodynia. Research

needs to be done on this issue. For those of you following Dr.

Crandall's, Dr. Crooks, or other yeast-guru's treatments....I want to

beg you to consider requesting that they put time and money where their

mouth is and get involved in scientific research that will back up their

theories. Word-of-mouth is not adequate, because for every person who

claims a certain treatment was the cure...there is another person who

claims otherwise. I truly hope that some of these yeast " experts " will

prove their expertise with laboratory work.

Sometimes I may seem like I'm stepping on people's toes or trying to

sound brilliant or whatever. The truth of the matter is that I am a

very opinionated - yet very open-minded - person. I NEVER mean to hurt

a single person on this list. Rather, I honestly try to help. I want

to share the facts that I've culminated over the years and hours upon

hours of research. If I feel someone is giving a wrong impression about

something - I feel a responsibility to correct that wrong impression.

I'm so sorry if this offends some of you because that is not my intent.

I think we have truly pounded this yeast discussion in to the ground. I

really wish we could let it rest and move on to other issues. Can we

talk about other possible causes of vulvodynia/vulvar vestibulitis?

Infidelity issues? How to find the right doctor? etc. etc.?

Maybe some of you who are really into the yeast issue could create a

subgroup of the VulvarDisorders List for discussion and exhange of

information regarding yeast? I'm not saying you aren't welcome to talk

about it here...but I really think it's time to move on with the

discussion.

Warmly,

Heidi

(List Manager)

> I wanted to add my .02 cents to this yeast/vulvodynia discussion. I

> discovered my vulvodynia (POC) when I married at age 22. I had my first

> ever yeast infection when I was 29. Obviously yeast did not cause my

> problem. In the course of trying to find something that would help I did

> the MEVY yeast elimination diet combined with oral Nystatin, citrus seed

> extract, and have taken Diflucan for 4 months. None helped. I wish

> everyone's vv was caused by the same thing--then we could all be cured.

> Please be careful and realize that many of us have different causes and

> won't all be cured by the same thing. We need the exchange of ideas so that

> we can maybe find something " new " we haven't tried, but we don't need the

> discouragement of someone inferring that there is only one cause and only

> one cure.

> Off the soapbox now, (it's been a depressing week)

> -Kitty