Female issue - mom advice needed

[Spryte]

Please don’t quote.

Tween has been on abx for 12 days or so, taking probiotics at different times of day.  She’s got a case of the itchies, and if I had to guess I’d guess yeast.  I’d know what to do for an older teen, but not her age.  She’s 88 lbs.  any mom advice?  She’s pretty uncomfortable.

[fraidycat]

Would she be comfortable inserting cream or capsules? If so, I would go that route for the fastest fix. If not, then there is external cream for the itchies, but I'm not sure if it would cure or just prolong the issue.

[Spryte]

19 minutes ago, fraidycat said:

Would she be comfortable inserting cream or capsules? If so, I would go that route for the fastest fix. If not, then there is external cream for the itchies, but I'm not sure if it would cure or just prolong the issue.

I don’t know.  I have a three day treatment on hand, but wasn’t sure about using that at her age/weight.  

I feel so bad for her.  We did some external cream, and an ice pack.  I wrote to the doc but won’t hear anything till tomorrow.  

[hippymamato3]

I would go ahead and use the 3 day treatment. YI are miserable 😞

[whitestavern]

Has she used a tampon? It's kind of messy and gross, but yogurt on a tampon works. 

[PeterPan]

Florastor

[ktgrok]

The 3 day treatment should be fine - any excess will just..come out..you know? Help her with a pantyliner, I can't stand to use the treatments without one. 

[Spryte]

29 minutes ago, PeterPan said:

Florastor

Big Florastor fan here, but she’s anaphylactic to dairy and it apparently has dairy.  Grrrr.  

[Spryte]

30 minutes ago, whitestavern said:

Has she used a tampon? It's kind of messy and gross, but yogurt on a tampon works. 

No, no periods yet.

[Spryte]

Ok, you all are convincing me to try the three day treatment.  I wish I could find some info re: dosing it by weight, but I think I used to use them when I was around 90 lbs, so she’s close.  (Oh, to be around 90 lbs again!  Ha!) Of course, I was an adult.  
 

She’s more comfy at the moment, so we will see how tomorrow goes and try the treatment if the doc doesn’t have a better option.

Poor kid.  Antibiotics are no joke.

Thanks!

Edited May 28, 2021 by Spryte

[katilac]

If she's willing to wear a nightgown with no underwear, that will also help. Or very loose bottoms with no underwear. 

[Terabith]

I'm having a hard time imagining a tween who can make a 3 day treatment work.  Although maybe we are challenged in that regard here...neither of my older teens can use tampons.  And the 3 day treatment stuff is, well, bigger than most tampons.  

I think it's awesome if she can; I just wouldn't be surprised if she can't.  I'd see about getting the pill tomorrow.  

[Elizabeth86]

Idk if this helps because I would have been uncomfortable inserting anything at that age. Try yogurt on a pad externally. This cures yi for me most of the time. They only ever seem to be external for me. You could try while you wait on dr. It wouldn’t hurt anything.

[Spryte]

8 hours ago, Terabith said:

I'm having a hard time imagining a tween who can make a 3 day treatment work.  Although maybe we are challenged in that regard here...neither of my older teens can use tampons.  And the 3 day treatment stuff is, well, bigger than most tampons.  

I think it's awesome if she can; I just wouldn't be surprised if she can't.  I'd see about getting the pill tomorrow.  

Yes, I’m really uncomfortable with it, too.

 

Hoping for news from the doc.

[Spryte]

29 minutes ago, Elizabeth86 said:

Idk if this helps because I would have been uncomfortable inserting anything at that age. Try yogurt on a pad externally. This cures yi for me most of the time. They only ever seem to be external for me. You could try while you wait on dr. It wouldn’t hurt anything.

My college roommate did that, too.  She is allergic to dairy but we could try coconut milk yogurt.

Waiting to see how she is when she wakes up.

[Hyacinth]

Would heavy duty probiotics help at this point?

 

[Splash1]

I have horrible reactions to the over the counter stuff.  Worst than the initial problem.  I call doctor for prescription every time.

 

[pinball]

As an adult, I tried the 3 day OTC yeast treatment. When I inserted the first dose, I was in so much pain with burning and itching within minutes. IIRC, it was a preloaded plunger with cream. There was nothing I could do except wait it out.

my midwife later told me that the treatments that are a limited number of days are sometimes much too strong for some users. We laughed (wryly) about how horrible it would have been if I had tried the one dose treatment.

All that to say: wait for a doctor and ask if smaller doses over more days would be better. 

I hope she is feeling OK this AM and nothing is needed

[Spryte]

6 minutes ago, pinball said:

As an adult, I tried the 3 day OTC yeast treatment. When I inserted the first dose, I was in so much pain with burning and itching within minutes. IIRC, it was a preloaded plunger with cream. There was nothing I could do except wait it out.

my midwife later told me that the treatments that are a limited number of days are sometimes much too strong for some users. We laughed (wryly) about how horrible it would have been if I had tried the one dose treatment.

All that to say: wait for a doctor and ask if smaller doses over more days would be better. 

I hope she is feeling OK this AM and nothing is needed

Oh!  Yes!  You too?  Ouch.  I thought the one day Monistat treatment was going to kill me. So painful!  I can handle clotrimazole but not the monistat med.  Yikes!

This is part of my hesitation with treating DD.

She is doing well this am, so maybe the external cream helped.

 

[Farrar]

I think it would be a true horror for most 12 yos. I even find it horrible. Last time I had a YI, the doc gave me an oral and it honestly worked better anyway.

At least you're taking it seriously. I had issues with this as a tween and no one would take me seriously. It got... let's just say it was really, really bad.

[Spryte]

2 minutes ago, Farrar said:

I think it would be a true horror for most 12 yos. I even find it horrible. Last time I had a YI, the doc gave me an oral and it honestly worked better anyway.

At least you're taking it seriously. I had issues with this as a tween and no one would take me seriously. It got... let's just say it was really, really bad.

Oh, to have it not taken seriously.  Ouch.  Maybe we all understand more about candida now than we did when you and I were kids. My parents wouldn’t have had a clue, either, I think.

We did an extra dose of probiotics last night, and will do more today.  And hopefully the doc will call something in.

She’s on a hefty dose of abx, so I’m sure that’s the cause.

Fortunately, she feels ok this morning, so it’s not such an emergency in the moment.

[Ditto]

In addition to treating the yeast, I would advise no underwear (at least at night).  Put on a long gown or super oversized tshirt and let the affected area "breathe".     Yeast infections are miserable.  I hope she feels better soon.

[Ditto]

53 minutes ago, Farrar said:

I think it would be a true horror for most 12 yos. I even find it horrible. Last time I had a YI, the doc gave me an oral and it honestly worked better anyway.

At least you're taking it seriously. I had issues with this as a tween and no one would take me seriously. It got... let's just say it was really, really bad.

Your mom not taking it seriously is horrifying!   I used to get them fairly often as a teen and my mom was always super responsive.  She certainly had her faults but was always great about this issue.  She is the one that taught me to go without underwear (at night) in addition to treating the yeast.   I am really sorry you had to needlessly suffer.

[Catwoman]

3 hours ago, Spryte said:

Yes, I’m really uncomfortable with it, too.

 

Hoping for news from the doc.

Can you call the doctor’s office and speak with a nurse? 

One suggestion — so you have any betadine? The generic is povidone iodine. You could dilute it down (maybe 10% betadine and 90% water) and wash the area with that. You can just pour it on while sitting on the toilet and leave it for 30 seconds or so — that’s long enough, and then rinse very well with plain water.  Make sure to dry the area thoroughly and have your dd let as much air at the area as she can. I remember that medicated douches used to contain that (maybe they still do,) and it worked great for yeast infections whenever I got them.

I had the same reaction to the Monistat that you and pinball had. And I got so nauseated from it, too! I never imagined that a cream could do that!!! 

[Farrar]

29 minutes ago, Ditto said:

Your mom not taking it seriously is horrifying!   I used to get them fairly often as a teen and my mom was always super responsive.  She certainly had her faults but was always great about this issue.  She is the one that taught me to go without underwear (at night) in addition to treating the yeast.   I am really sorry you had to needlessly suffer.

My mother was... really overwhelmed as a single mom when I was a teen so while I do look back on things that happened like this (don't even get me started on my orthodontics experience), I also don't blame her. We were struggling to stay in a home and eat enough food and had no real insurance. And the time she paid for me to see a doctor, the DOCTOR refused to take it seriously. After years of suffering, I did eventually get treatment on my own. So I guess all those ads were useful.

[fairfarmhand]

2 hours ago, Spryte said:

Oh!  Yes!  You too?  Ouch.  I thought the one day Monistat treatment was going to kill me. So painful!  I can handle clotrimazole but not the monistat med.  Yikes!

This is part of my hesitation with treating DD.

She is doing well this am, so maybe the external cream helped.

 

 

3 hours ago, Splash1 said:

I have horrible reactions to the over the counter stuff.  Worst than the initial problem.  I call doctor for prescription every time.

 

Wait....that’s not normal? It’s not supposed to burn and stuff? 
 

you guys, I thought it was just something you had to suck up and deal with. 

 

[Danae]

13 minutes ago, fairfarmhand said:

 

Wait....that’s not normal? It’s not supposed to burn and stuff? 
 

you guys, I thought it was just something you had to suck up and deal with. 

 

 It is not supposed to burn.  

[prairiewindmomma]

A few thoughts:

1. link to dairy free probiotics---we use the Renew Life one for our DF kids: https://www.vitaminshoppe.com/c/digestion/probiotics/specialty/dairy-free  They have a specific women's care version, fwiw, though we haven't used that one.

2. When we had the same issue pop up, external application only worked.  I do find it to be a helpful overall discussion on feminine health. One should know the names of all of the specific parts, and if you need an internal application, a fingertip is less awkward to navigate on oneself than an applicator. 

3. Definitely 100% cotton underwear only, and exposure to air at night.  

4. We only have yeast issues if something else is out of balance in the body. I'd look and re-examine--recent infection? over consumption of sugar? accidental allergy contamination? immediately impending puberty? Here you mention abx use---but I mention this outloud as a teaching tool to dd. If she is prone just from antibiotics, she is going to need to learn to have that mental checklist for herself.  If this happens again for her, she may want to prophylactically use probiotics each time.  We have a kid that sometimes needs that---we do it mid-cycle on the antibiotics (so if she's taking them at 9 and9, then we give on 3 and 3) and then we do a solid 6 weeks afterwards.  She can usually take one antibiotic hit to her system a year, but if she needs it more frequently than that, we have to prophylactically use them.

 

[ktgrok]

49 minutes ago, Danae said:

 It is not supposed to burn.  

definitely not - should be soothing, if anything. 

[Farrar]

I also had no idea it wasn't supposed to be uncomfortable. I mean, burn is slightly strong, but in the right ballpark.

[Faith-manor]

I highly recommend washing with Betadine. I was getting YI frequently after we Gor married, and a nurse told me to wash every day with that for two weeks while also making dh wash, uhm, you know what, with it daily as well. That ended it! That Gyn nurse was wonderful. But she also said that once you have a yi, it can live in underwear and isn't necessarily killed in the wash because the hot water and heat of the dryer are not hot enough. She told me I had to boil my underwear which was already cotton thank goodness.

So I recommend you do the boiling job for her. Poor kid! It is bad enough to have it as a grown woman, but 12 is just so young to have to deal.

[KSera]

15 hours ago, Spryte said:

Big Florastor fan here, but she’s anaphylactic to dairy and it apparently has dairy.  Grrrr.  

I don’t know if S. boulardii helps with this particular issue (have only used for gut), but the Jarrow brand of it is dairy free, fwiw. 

[Spryte]

11 minutes ago, KSera said:

I don’t know if S. boulardii helps with this particular issue (have only used for gut), but the Jarrow brand of it is dairy free, fwiw. 

Score!  Thanks.  I was sure there must be a dairy free option.

 

[Spryte]

No, treatment shouldn’t burn.  It, theoretically, provides relief.  If it burns or causes worsening of pain - try a different option.  Or diflucan.

She’s taking a dairy free probiotic by Pure Encapsulations, but I’ll look up the alternatives offered, and so happy to have a dairy free S. Boulardii option. Big fan of S. boulardii here.

I’ll pick up betadine, too.

She’s halfway through 30 days of abx.  We do probiotics at lunch, abx at breakfast and dinner (ish, since they should be 12 hours apart).

Doc recommended trying the external cream, and since that seems to be helping we will keep it up.  

Whew.  What a nightmare that was last night.  Thanks for all the help!

[fairfarmhand]

2 hours ago, Danae said:

 It is not supposed to burn.  

 

1 hour ago, ktgrok said:

definitely not - should be soothing, if anything. 

Wow. Not my experience at all. Dang. 

42 minutes ago, Farrar said:

I also had no idea it wasn't supposed to be uncomfortable. I mean, burn is slightly strong, but in the right ballpark.

Shoot. I'm so glad that I'm not the only one who didn't know this fact. 

I got to where I took Diflucan more than the Monistat treatments, because while the treatment would clear it up, I was miserable the whole stinking time. Wow. 

Thankfully, it's been years since I had a YI, but I'll remember that if me and my girls ever have problems in the future.

[barnwife]

OP, if she is still having external issues, and there is a place to make this happen, even better than just letting the area "breathe" at night would be exposing it to light. If there is a place she can lay with legs spread (even using her hands to expose as much of the external parts as possible) in the sun for just a few minutes (you definitely don't want to add sunburn to the issues), it will help more quickly. Again, if anyone tries this, even 2 minutes is good. 

Yes, it's awkward, but it definitely provides relief.

[Tap]

7 hours ago, Spryte said:

No, treatment shouldn’t burn.  It, theoretically, provides relief.  If it burns or causes worsening of pain - try a different option.  Or diflucan.

She’s taking a dairy free probiotic by Pure Encapsulations, but I’ll look up the alternatives offered, and so happy to have a dairy free S. Boulardii option. Big fan of S. boulardii here.

I’ll pick up betadine, too.

She’s halfway through 30 days of abx.  We do probiotics at lunch, abx at breakfast and dinner (ish, since they should be 12 hours apart).

Doc recommended trying the external cream, and since that seems to be helping we will keep it up.  

Whew.  What a nightmare that was last night.  Thanks for all the help!

Ask the doc to call in some Diflucan (fluconazole) tablets to the pharmacy with instructions to only fill them if you need them. You don't have to fill them ....but they are there if you change your mind. They work wonders! and are so much easier than the creams. 

[theelfqueen]

I was super allergic to pads (still am to a lot of them) and didn't know you weren't supposed to have horrible itching rashes with your period... nor was this a topic I could comfortably discuss with my mother. I actually got it sorted after my first son was born and I was having a reaction to the postpartum pads and a nurse helped me to know what was up. 

[popmom]

I no longer get Y I in that area, but I do on skin. I have one on my lower abdomen right now. I’m treating it with cider vinegar and sunlight.

Otherwise, there’s nothing better than diflucan. I swear the topical anti yeast/fungal treatments just cause it to spread and get worse. I think the yeast is resistant now. 😞 

Diflcan is so easy! 

[hippymamato3]

On 5/28/2021 at 1:34 PM, fairfarmhand said:

 

Wait....that’s not normal? It’s not supposed to burn and stuff? 
 

you guys, I thought it was just something you had to suck up and deal with. 

 

Um. Me too. 

[theelfqueen]

Well damn I am another one.who thought the meds just burned. 

I haven't had a YI in a long time but now i know I want oral meds! 

You guys are amazing. 

[Catwoman]

How is she doing now, Spryte? I hope she’s feeling much better!

[ktgrok]

23 hours ago, Tap said:

Ask the doc to call in some Diflucan (fluconazole) tablets to the pharmacy with instructions to only fill them if you need them. You don't have to fill them ....but they are there if you change your mind. They work wonders! and are so much easier than the creams. 

 

20 hours ago, popmom said:

I no longer get Y I in that area, but I do on skin. I have one on my lower abdomen right now. I’m treating it with cider vinegar and sunlight.

Otherwise, there’s nothing better than diflucan. I swear the topical anti yeast/fungal treatments just cause it to spread and get worse. I think the yeast is resistant now. 😞 

Diflcan is so easy! 

So, am I the only one that felt diflucan didn't help at all? But topical treatments work great?

I do get relief from a supplement that had both probiotics and caprylic acid in it. Not sure what brand. Had to be taken at first signs. 

[popmom]

1 hour ago, ktgrok said:

 

So, am I the only one that felt diflucan didn't help at all? But topical treatments work great?

I do get relief from a supplement that had both probiotics and caprylic acid in it. Not sure what brand. Had to be taken at first signs. 

It's great if topical works better for you! I really don't like having to take diflucan. 

I really think it depends on the strain of yeast. From Mayo..."Candida albicans is the most common type of fungus to cause yeast infections. Yeast infections caused by other types of candida fungus can be more difficult to treat, and generally need more-aggressive therapies."

I am clearly more prone to strains that require more aggressive therapies. There have been a couple of times when one dose of diflucan wasn't enough, and I had to take another after a certain amount of time. 

[ktgrok]

9 hours ago, popmom said:

It's great if topical works better for you! I really don't like having to take diflucan. 

I really think it depends on the strain of yeast. From Mayo..."Candida albicans is the most common type of fungus to cause yeast infections. Yeast infections caused by other types of candida fungus can be more difficult to treat, and generally need more-aggressive therapies."

I am clearly more prone to strains that require more aggressive therapies. There have been a couple of times when one dose of diflucan wasn't enough, and I had to take another after a certain amount of time. 

Interesting. Yeah, the times I had tried Diflucan it was one dose, and did NOTHING. But immediate relief with topical. Weird. 

Oh - I was told that my body seems to have basically an allergic reaction to the yeast infection - so more irritation than should be there - maybe that plays in to how the topical works better?