aaaargh B.V. I.U.D. doctors and frustration

So about a month ago I went for my annual pap. Dr said I had B.V. and gave me a weeks worth of pills to treat it. Funny she did that, because my internet research tells me they don't usually treat B.V. when theres no symtoms.

Then I did something bad. I stopped taking the scrip halfway, so I could drink. I know. Bad bad wrong bad.

So then I got B.V. again and this time it did have symptoms. Went to a clinic and was tested for all sorts of stuff, it was the B.V. Dr gave me same scrip, I took it properly and it went away. For a grande total of a week and a half.

Went back to the clinic today, got poked and prodded down there. The frickin Dr. asked me what I do for a living! Like that is somehow pertainant to my vaginal health, like he thought I'm a whore or something. I dunno thats the only reason I could think of for him to inquire as to what my proffession is.I won't know for two days if it is B.V. or not but the doc sure gave me the same prescription, yet again. I told him I had already taken this same scrip and it obviously didn't really work. He said it was still the best thing to treat B.V. with. I asked him if I should take my IUD out. I've had it for two years with no problems until now. He said no. Told him I'm going to Thailand in less than a month and I don't want to have deal with Vaginal issues in a foreign country.

There is a higher incidence of B.V. in women that have IUDs. Bacterial Vaginosis can lead to pelvic inflammitory disease-PID- which could make it so I can never have kids. I felt like crying when I left that clinic. I don't feel like I am being listened to.

The last thing I need is to take this scrip and get rid of the B.V. for another few weeks or a month only to have it come back while I'm backpacking southeast Asia.

 

Are there any other clinics in town? Maybe a Planned Parenthood?

 

I don't know. I'm flying to Vancouver tomorro, I guess I'll have to deal with it there.

 

Don't take this personally. There are a lot of reasons doctors and other HCPs ask people this question. Not just "assuming you are a whore." Sometimes they are just making conversation, but often, there are things in a person's lifestyle which can help a doctor diagnose conditions. One of those lifestyle variables is profession. I'm a Lactation Consultant and I almost ALWAYS ask my clients what they do for a living, if they stay home with their children or what.

Your health usually extends way beyond the part that is showing symptoms.

Best bet: Take the ENTIRE prescription as directed.

You circumvented the original treatment so you could drink and you have admitted that wasn't the best choice to make, especially since you know the condition could prove to be quite dangerous. Maybe that is why the doctor was asking more questions. Most doctors and HCPs are hard to disturb, they are used to treating people with all different lifestyles, so for the most part, most are NOT judging you by asking "personal" questions. most of the time, these questions may help them with your treatment and your eventual health.

Just one question, what did they give you? There are some meds you should NEVER drink while taking, medication,called Flagyl, for a small parasite called Trichamonis is one of them. This is NOT Bacterial Vaginosis, however. Trichamonis is an STD, which can cause permanent harm if not treated, and the entire prescription needs to be taken as directed. The parasite does not become immune to it, so if it didn't work the first time, you can take it again. And, if you are sexually active, your partner NEEDS to be treated as well. But, most regular antibiotics can be used while drinking lightly. A few will cause nausea while drinking, but most are not prevented from working if you drink while taking them. The reason you cannot drink while on Flagyl is that it is related to the drug Antabuse, which is used to prevent alcholics from drinking. These drugs can cause blood pressure drops, severe diarhea and nausea, even vomitting, severe headaches and general feeling of unwellness. It is in your best interest not to drink while on Flagyl, but you can with most regular antibiotics.

Whether it was BV or Trich, you could be passing it back and forth with your partner. Has he been tested and treated? Some doctors forget to ask, but most bacterial infections, ameboic parasites and yeasts can and are passed between partners. It's best to make sure he is treated, as most men do not have symptoms from anything from Trich to Chlamidia to BV.

 

AAAAh scary. The prob is the guy didn't listen to me. he asked what I do for a living and then sounded supprized when I was talking to him about my history and that I had this same problem in the past very recently. He DID give me flagyl but he didn't say anything about trich and if it is trich thats really bad because the whole way through they have been telling me its BV. and my partner and I have been swapping it back and forth or something. My swab results won't be back for a couple of days and you just scared me realy bad.

I've done a ton of reading about BV and guys dont get it. They don't treat the males. BV is caused by IUDs check, new sexual partners check, and they don't really know. BV is not an STD but an imbalance of vaginal floras.

This doc was out of the door before he had answered all my questions. His questions just seemed weird because no doctor had ever asked what I do for a living. vThank you for responding but now I'm worse off in the head. I just phoned the clinic and the nurse dodn't give me any info at all, not even if flagyl is used to treat both BV and trich or not.

If it is trich I can see why the doc was questioning my lifestyle, but if it is trich I need to be told about it so I can tell my partner to get treated. The original pap doc said it was BV, and the next doc ruled out everything but BV, but didn't do a swab to find out for sure.

 

Wowee hooboy you sure scared me. A quick web search tells me flagyl is used to treat BV as well as trich as well as a whole bunch of other stuff. Phew.

 

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, it just sounded like it might have been Trich. Make sure it isn't though. It does sound like the doctor wasn't the best.

Yes, Flagyl is used BV, but in my area, it's not the first drug of choice. But, it depends, if the doctor isn't really up to date on things, he may still be using it.

Just make sure. Bacterial infection can be spread sexually. It is really hard to culture a man for these, but, even it if was BV, talk to your bf about seeing a doctor, too. If you take the entire prescription and still have the condition, it's one of three things: Either you two are passing BV back and forth,
it was Trich,
the bacteria you are carrying isn't suseptible to Flagyl.

I hope it works this time, so you don't have to worry. I am sorry if I scared you.

 

S'OK I'm not so scared anymore, just for a sec cause with the form of contraceptionI use STDs can mess up my birthing parts permanently and render them useless even.
Apparently in these parts _Saskatchewan, Canada_ flagyl is the first choice drug for treating BV. I asked the doc for the cream and he said flagyl is the best thing to take. From what I understand it isn't something that is passed back and forth, it is actually the most common vaginal bacterial infection. Apparently far more common than yeast infections. From what I've read lots of women have it and don't know it. It causes a fishy odor-ew and painful intercourse. I didn't get the odor but it sure is itchy down there. Anywho, when I get to Vancouver theres a clinic there for women run by women and it'll be alot better.

BV is something that can recur and is most common in women between the ages of 20 and 40 who have IUDs and are sexually active. Funny though, they don't really know what causes it. They say not to use scented soaps or take bubble baths. Its not really found in womans who are not sexually active either.


My concern is that the IUD is causing the condition and the flagyl will cure it temporarily. Just long enough for me to get to Southeast Asia where the BV will come back and be alot harder to deal with there and give me PID and render me barren. I told the doc this and he was like,"don't remove the IUD that is your form of contraception." Really though if my contraception is whats causing the problem I would much rather use condoms or the pill or something.

Thanks much SugarMaggie for your concern and advice you seem really knowlegeable in the area of womens health. Also I've always thought your sig pic is reallly really cute.

I was just so angry yesterday I needed to rant a bit.

 

I hope you can get this worked out before you go to Asia.

Good luck and healing thoughts for you.