Still not back to normal...

Ive finally had enough so thought i would get over my shyness and see if anyone else has been or is in the same boat as me ...

Be warned its a TMI topic

Ever since i gave birth nearly a year ago i have not gone back to normal down there. I have had this weird smell down there that is soo noticable that i can smell it within hours of having a shower, have been very itchy in one perticular spot and have had lots of UTIs and BV. Ive seen a couple DRs and had heaps of diff tests and they have no idea what it could be or what could be causing it. I have also pretty much been on ABs since giving birth for all these things... a couple months ago i found a lump under the skin so when i had my next DR appointment told her and she thinks it could be from a stuff up when i got stitched up after birth even though i have only noticed it recently and have kept a good eye on the area due to the other problems. Although out of all these problems the thing that is getting me down the most is the smell. I get sooo paranoid about it! I havent been "with" a guy since and am waaaaay to scared to be in a situation where something could happen.

Anyway can someone pleeease tell me they have been through something similar and that at some point everything went back to normal??


Edited by Mum2R

Thanks for the reply...

I was seeing FP first then was transferred to a specialist who i last saw last month and she hasnt made any more appts to see me and basically said just go see my GP and get referred to a gynae as she doesnt know whats the matter. She was going to do a biopsy when i saw her to find out what the itch was being caused by but i told her i could have days of relief from the itch and that its the smell im more worried about and she didnt seem to care about that so didnt do a biopsy in the end.

Unfortunately though i can barely afford to see my normal GP never mind a gynae . Anyone know how much a gynae would cost? Im scared to find out but may be something i will need to save up for as i cant handle this for too much longer.

You can get a referral through the public system, although you would be waiting a while but it would be free. I think my appointment took about 4 months to come through (in AKL). Your GP visit should be cheaper as it's a follow-up, although that normally has to happen within a certain time (about 2 weeks).

All the best, it sounds miserable.

Im not too sure... i was seeing a nurse at FP for awhile who then referred me to a DR in FP so i suppose she wasnt a speciallist just a DR who worked in that area IYKWIM. The nurse said she was a speciallist but in my last appt with her she told me to go see a gynae so i assume she isnt one herself.

Oh that is a good idea... I might hunt out her number tomorrow... Thanks so much for the tips!!

The other thing i seem to be suffering from is on-going baby brain haha i never would have thought to ring the MW

This might add to the TMI side, but what is the smell like? Really fishy? Have they checked you for Bacterial Vaginosis? That wouldnt explain the lump but could explain the other stuff? A google search will give you the wiki link and some others so you can check your symptoms next to it and ask the doc?

Are FP giving u the same AB each time?? Maybe whatever it is has become resistant to them??

Nope was given a low dose to begin with then the second time was given it stronger and third time stronger again then forth time new drugs and so on. I have also been given steriod cream. All of which just isnt working. I cant remember the names of the drugs but one of them you take commonly for infections and your not allowed to drink on them.

Oh Kathamill, what ABs are those?? If you can remember the name of them that is haha

mum2r - ive had an awful smell down there when i was pregnant with my second and third. I sounded like you and that within an hour of having a shower it seemed to be back, so i would have regular washes throughout the day but nothing worked. I too was very selfconcious.

My second pregnancy i just had no choice but to put up with it, but this last one a friend suggested Poise liners and i thought Hey anything is worth a go and what would you know i never smelt for the rest of my pregnancy. And i actually felt like i enjoyed being pregnant etc. Obviously lucky for me this is only through pregnancy

I have no idea what causes it, but im thinking that it could be hormonal and the discharge is the culprit and the poise absorbed the smell. If not anything, while your trying to get to the bottom of it all, why not buy some poise liners........i think they are the ones with one tear drops worth of absorbency, so they have a bigger thickness than actual panty liners.

Let me know how you go. If it is hormonal im wondering if a change in contraception might help (or could it be already the culprit?)

Bizzy the DRs told me to have a shower before my appts so i had one just before i left the house. Although i could start to smell it not long into the appt i dont think the DR was trying to smell anything. She was more concerned with taking heaps of swabs for the itchyness . She didnt actually seem to care about the smell at all. So didnt try to find out what it was about.

Chickilou i have started using panty liners and recently threw out all my old underwear and got brand new ones. I also try to stay very clean down there. But i dont use soaps or anything. Maybe i should get the poise ones though as i just have regular libra panty liners. Its funny i never had anything like this when i was pregnant. It all started just after giving birth.

Im pretty sure it is all hormonal as I have had other stuff going on with me that points to hormones as the fault. But i wouldnt have a clue how to fix that.

Im not on any contraception. I got pregnant on the pill so dont want to do that again and my memory is too bad for the mini-pill and i was told a IUD would be a bad idea until down there had settled back to normal.

Oh i havent taken those Kathamill. Maybe when i see the DR i should ask about them. All the ones i have tried dont work or only work for a short time. What is a Bartholin cyst??

A bartholin cyst is when one of the ducts that create, um, the "lubrication for fun times" becomes blocked. It feels just like a lump, usually to the left or right of your vagina entrance, but down a bit (towards your anus). By the time I had that dealt with, all manner of people had seen my vajayjay. (including a bunch of student doctors, one of whom I later sat opposite at a wedding reception). hrm, sorry if that TMI. lol

ETA totally agree with the cranberry juice call, was fantastic. if only to make me pee heaps and water down the stinging.

Edited by kathamill