[lafemelle]

r3dh3ad, I'm so sorry to hear that. Don't feel foolish, we ALL get hopeful whenever we try something that seems promising. It's part of coping and I think it's good that we still have the ability to believe something will fix us, even if it doesn't end up helping. When we run out of that hope that there's a solution, that's when we're in trouble. How much longer do you have with the treatment?

I saw a new doctor yesterday, and things went about as expected--she told me, "I'm not going to lie, most of the things I'd typically try, your past doctors have already done." But she was thorough while going through my records, and after she looked at a wet mount she came back and said it's definitely not BV and not yeast, but I do have tons and tons of white blood cells (they have been present off and on in my past wet mounts). She said if I were to come back on a really bad day (yesterday was a "good" day in terms of my symptoms), she'd bet there would be even more WBC's. She then told me that she used to be skeptical about DIV (apparently it's controversial in the medical world), but she's had a number of patients with symptoms identical to mine (and to DIV), and they all seemed to respond to a prolonged treatment of topical clindamycin, a prolonged treatment of hydrocortisone suppositories, or a prolonged treatment of intravaginal steroid cream. So, she's treating me for DIV, only this time the way it's supposed to be treated. Apparently, duricef would not treat DIV because it doesn't have the anti-inflammatory properties of clindamycin, so that's why it may not have worked for me. She's given me clindamycin cream for a month because she's pretty darn convinced I have DIV. She also sent of an HPV test so that we know for sure, since my past doctors felt like telling me I have it when they never even tested me for it.

I have mixed feelings. I don't want to be optimistic and jinx myself, but I want to believe we're finally on the right track...

[amelillo13]

*sigh* I just had one of those moments as well where I thought maybe I was getting better and was trying to stay optimistic, but ended up being let down. I've been sick as a dog for a week with the flu/sinus+ear infections and usually anytime I am sick my discharge is worse. Well, I was eating a lot of ice cream to help my sore throat and usually after dairy and sugar my discharge is also worse, but I was completely fine. I actually didn't have any discharge for an entire week, which for me feels like a life time since it has been several months since that has happened. Sadly, it's back with a vengeance today =( darn it!

Hopefully the long term clindamycin works for you, Lafemelle. I'm about done with my 6 months on it and although I took about 3-4 weeks off during it, I still don't feel like it has helped. I don't see my doctor until mid-January though. Kind of curious about what he'll tell me to do next since every long term thing, steroid cream, flagyl cream, and clindamycin cream have all failed.

I wish the medical community would hurry up and figure out how to cure this. I am soooo sick of having this problem control my life. I actually think I might order some things from the UK off of the internet. There is some sort of cream, Sarah mentioned it in a previous post some where that has acidophilis in it or something and another thing that is just supposed to help vaginal health, but it's not offered in the states. Desperation is pretty much setting in at this point.

[lafemelle]

Desperation is pretty much setting in at this point.

I hear ya. Two more months of this, and I'll officially be at the 3-year mark. Sighhhhhh.

[r3dh3ad]

I have another week with these pills and then I'm done for a bit. I still have very little discharge but the weird thing is i noticed it stings a whole lot more than it used too. My doctor mentioned doing a laparascopy last time I was in which would certainly show a lot more than a sonogram but I just don'y have the money right now. The two sonograms I've had in the past each cost me a little over three hundres dollars and that was with insurance! Well Lafamelle I hope the clindamycin works for you- I'll keep my fingers crossed. From what I've seen on the internet most ladies have had to have two or more treatments for the DIV before it corrected things. Did you ask your doc about the sonogram?
I guess we all know about disappoinment, huh? I'm in a much better mood then I have been the last couple days. Oh I have a stupid question. Does anyone know if Gardnerella and BV are the same thing? A couple searches I've done for gardnerella brings up BV, so I was just wondering.

[amelillo13]

Does anyone know if Gardnerella and BV are the same thing? A couple searches I've done for gardnerella brings up BV, so I was just wondering.

I think they are used interchangeably a lot because gardnerella is usually the type of bacteria that causes BV in most women, although several other types of bacteria can cause it too. At least that was my understanding of it; could be wrong.

[Sarah001]

Seems to be a recurring theme with us doesn't it? We think we're improving then we're not. You should never feel foolish for being hopeful though. I used the Estriol cream for about 2 weeks on a daily basis and it seemed to be helping then I stupidly tried to drop down to 3 times a week and lost the improvement, it could have been coincidence and not the cream that helped but I'm giving it another go on a daily basis for longer this time so I could be about to get disappointed again myself!

Is it Cervagyn that I mentioned previously Amelillo? If it is it has rose oil and garlic in it as well as the good bacteria. It smells like roses when it's in the tube but the garlic scent does appear once it gets warm. It isn't strong though so not really smelly. It's also more like an ointment than a cream so I don't know why they don't call it that instead! I use a bit of it sometimes on my inflamed skin and it's quite nice. Anything's worth a try isn't it?

I hope your new plan helps you lafemelle, we all just seem to keep going round in circles.

[amelillo13]

I have a random question: I'm not sure if all of you ladies going through this have insurance or not, but would "chronic BV" been considered a 'pre-existing condition'? My health insurance is about to run out and I met with an adviser today to fill out some forms with a new company. The questions started asking if I have been diagnosed with anything within the last few years and he told me to put ANYTHING down that it didn't list. Most of the things listed were like: cold, flu, sinus infections, things like that. I put in BV and then it proceeded to ask me about 40 questions about it. How long I've had it, all the meds, all the appointments, all the abnormal findings or procedures done, if I have any follow ups, etc. I was honest about it, but now I'm nervous that they will reject me. I mean, it's not like this is life threatening (so I've been told), it's more just a nuisance that I'm trying to rid of and if the insurance company sees me going to the doctor 20 times a year I want them to know why and not charge me up the butt like the current one is; although they might anyway.

I didn't tell the current company I have about the BV, so I get a ton of bills because I get notices saying that I exceeded the amount allowed for the visits and lab work and what not, and then they make me pay the difference. The company I had prior to the one now actually called me up one time thinking that I was committing fraud because I went to the doctor so often. I told the woman that some freak infection came up suddenly (a semi-lie since it had been about 6 months since it started) and I couldn't rid of it, and they left me alone.

My adviser was a friend's brother and I just told him I had an "internal bacterial infection' that no one can figure out instead of being more specific because it is embarrassing to tell people about this and I'm not sure if I HAVE to disclose that I have this infection or not.

Anyone have any idea? >.<

[lafemelle]

Amelillo, I'm not sure about the technicality of BV being a "pre-existing condition." But is there going to be a gap between the time your old/current insurance ends and your new insurance policy begins? Because from my understanding, if there is no gap they can't deny you insurance based on a pre-existing condition. I switched insurance about 6 months into my "problem" and I was fine; a lady from my current insurance company (the new one at the time) called me and asked me questions about it as well, but it didn't affect my coverage at all. Not sure if things have changed since then, but that's how I thought it worked.

[amelillo13]

Welp, turns out that having "chronic BV" is in fact enough reason to deny health insurance; just a heads up for anyone else out there with this problem. Complete BS if you ask me, but whatever. I'll just lie on the next application with a different company and continue to pay a ton out of pocket -_-

[lafemelle]

Welp, turns out that having "chronic BV" is in fact enough reason to deny health insurance; just a heads up for anyone else out there with this problem. Complete BS if you ask me, but whatever. I'll just lie on the next application with a different company and continue to pay a ton out of pocket -_-

You've got to be kidding me.