CANDIDA

I have Candida vaginal infection. The doctor prescribed me with anti fungal medications (vistied doctor 3 times already) but it didn't help. The doctor said if it doesnt bother me, just leave it as it is. How to??? I read online and follow the candida diet, less sugar etc but it didn't help too. I m now taking garlic pills, evening primrose and also cranberry pills but all these do not help as well..

Anyone who has experience and has overcome it. can you help me?

hi, i had the same recurring problem for over 2 years. each time after medication, the infection was gone for awhile then it resurfaced again. i had been experimenting with diff ways to find out what had i not done right that resulted in the re-infection. hygiene, diet, etc. honestly, it is damn frustrating.

after my last medication in feb, i tried having only protected sex with my hubby and that seems to fix the problem. i have been infection free for the past 3 months, the longest thus far since the first infection. i'm not sure if candida can infect men as i have never ask a doctor this before. articles online seem to suggest that this is possible. i could have pass on the infection to him when i first got it and then having him re-infecting me back all these while. anyway he's too shy to consult a gp and we are good with protected sex for now.

hi, unsure if Im too late for helping.

I had the same issue 2 years back. I have been to at least 6 GPs and Gynae.

Because this is quite a sensitive issue and Im not comfy to see guy doctors, I started to go female GP for checks. However, many of them jus "took at look" and prescribe those inserts (either tablet texture or waxy texture) for 1 to 2 days.. or some cream to apply on the surface.. obviously, it didnt cure me. It was so bad and I have no choice but to go to a Gynae as I read on the web that persistant infection might lead to more serious infection to kidney etc.

The Gynae made me eat anti biotics for months.. and in total, i think the Gynae costed me nearly 1.5k for 3 visits.. and she said that she cant understand why this is so difficult to go away. She wanted me to take 2 jabs as her last resort and I never go back to her again. She says if the jab doesnt cure me, she doesnt know what can heal me. And I dont want to be "untreated" in the way.. what happens if i really cant heal after her 2 jabs? she is already the gynae!.. hence I never go back.

My company was under the Aviva medical and out of no choice, I went to visit this guy doc that is jus beside my company, covered under Aviva. He is my fav doc for normal sickness but I thought I just wanted him to know my full health condition and thought just wanted to share with him to see if he can cure me. Anyway its free!!

The doctor is Ong Clinic @ Burlington Sq. Beside Sim Lim Square. Tel: 6337 1814.

He checked on me and took a sample of my yeast and sent for lab test. Also, he advised me to keep my Vaginia dry and clean.

which includes (1)keeping the pubic hair around the area short (because of sweat, it will make that whole area v moist. And Moisture is helping the yeast to grow). Though you might not see it, but it is causing that area to be moist. (2) If using panty liner/pads, ensure panty liner is changed every 3 hrs (at least for a start, is possible). (3) try to sit on breathable chairs. Try to avoid chairs that are polyester made or full leather that doesnt allow air to ventilate. (4) during washing of vagina, DO NOT SPRAY water into the vaginal. do not press on the hose and create pressure, jus normal washing with tap water is good enough. key is DO NOT SPRAY as this will cause the good bacteria to die and hence, allowing the bad bacteria to grow.

Diet is one thing too. Im someone who likes to take vinegar and bubble tea. I believe these 2 will trigger as vinegar can change the PH of my discharge system and bubble tea contains artificial sugar. Hence, I try to lower my intake for them too.

After I gotten the lab test result, he concluded that I actually have 2 different virus/bacteria which are cross infecting each other. And hence, it seems that nothing can cure as the 2 virus are jus complicating each other.. but in the first place no doctor actually care to take my yeast for a lab test! Anyway.. he prescribed to me waxy inserts for 7 days (day and nite) and also some medication to cure the 2 different virus. Also, potassium permanganate for washing.

And here I am, cured fully until now. still following his instructions earlier to keep it clean and dry.

Im very confident you can recover! However as Doc Ong is located in the Town, he might be slightly more exp. You may try to go to other GP and ask them to help u determine the nature of the yeast? Hope it helps! Get well soon!

Hi Ah O and Jane

Thanks for replying, (",)

Ah O: what medications did your Dr gave u that cure your yeast infection? guessed I m immune to itraconzole (the first time I took it, super effective then after 2nd and third times, candida just comes back on and off).

Jane: yea treating yeast can be Frustrating and expensive. I spent lesser than you but then again mine not cure yet. What test did u ask the Dr to do for you? I did pap smear and candida was found. Are you on candida diet or something that time? then how long do you have to wait in order to eat like last time before yeast infection? How do you know if you have recovered from candida?

Hi Sweety,

oh, I didnt request the doc to do any test. I jus told him i had this for almost 6 months, on and off.. and then he just proceed to do a more precise check on the kind of bacteria that is in my yeast. it is a more in depth check. I think Candida is jus a common name for vaginal infection, if im not wrong.. and there might be different classes of Candida and might need different medication to help..

If u can try to go down and seek Doc's Ong advise.. he is really a nice and detailed doctor..

Im not actually on any candida diet.. for me.. i jus drink more plain water, some say drink Yakult will help, eat less vinegar/sugar drinks..

But basically.. i think the most impt ones is the determine the exact name of the virus (since it didnt go away after so long) - eat the medicine & also to follow the steps that I wrote earlier... The steps are more of a "maintenance" for future..

I didnt really time the duration... but i think the itch and discharge went away after 1 week when i eat the medicine...

How do i know i recovered? - itch no longer there, u wun feel the swollen feeling & no discharge. back to normal..

If you have an active sex life, you might need to be careful as your partner might be the one infecting you. I think guy's organ is not so sensitive to ours and they might not feel the itch as much as we do. but u need to also monitor how it was triggered/what u eat/ur hygiene/activities - sports (sweat) etc?

hi jane, thanks for the info, can add to my doc's advise. As I also just had the same issue less than 2 months ago, and currently cleared of infection (even did a pap smear to doubly confirm)..

hi sweety:

here is what the doctor told me:
- avoid sugar items, no desserts, etc..
- take more yogurt, apprently its kills the bacteria and she recommended a yogurt spray to use when i go out, and sebamed's feminine wash, which i did buy both (was at desperate & paranoid stage, and the items did ease the discomfort)
- heat & friction: abstain from sex, as it will lead to increased bacteria growth & aggravate the condition
- sanitory pads (traps heat) & even menses will also increase the bacteria growth hence try not to use pantyliners if not neccessary. and if haveing menses, change every 2-3 hours..
- always Sun your washed panties to kill the bacteria

She also shared that this condition can't be cured totally, as it's a recurring condition.
only can take care of diet and keep note of the body symptons to prevent it from worsening.. cuz if it worsens each time, the recurrence interval will be shorter and more frequent.

and if i ever see abnormal discharge in the future, immediately go to her to buy "Pessary" tablets (to insert into the vaginal), now i got 2 spare tablets. just in case..

Hi xiaobawang,

i see, think I need to see the GP for the test. Why didnt my doctor suggest that in the first place. omg. Yes I drink lots of water everyday now. When I first had it was NoV, took the medicine, it works for me . in jan this year i had it again because of UTI then after it never go away. By the way my discharge not itchy anymore, i think recovering stage. I don dare to eat junk food now. wanna be on candida diet for 2 mths. yes i know about hygiene, instead of using panty liner, I brought few panties to work in case i need to change it. I use 100% cotton.


Hi Whitetea,

My doctor ever prescribed me with the tablet to insert into vagina but it didnt cure my candida at all. So can I say if i do a pap smear test and it shows nothing mean I m clear of candida or do I need other tests to confirm?

Hi Sweety, candida is like flu. To most doctor, they jus give u off the shelve medication. Unless it is really there for long time, then they would have to choice but to take a step further. my 6GP + 1 gynae didnt do any lab test too. Its the last GP who sent my specimen for lab test.

Hygiene, keeping the hair short and how u wash (dun overwash) are all very very impt.. and if doc give u potassium permanganate for washing, do use it.. i think it works for me greatly....

if it doesnt itch, i think u r recovering already.. the main problem is itch and the feeling of swell.. its normal for us to have some discharge on and off.. but it shouldnt be a thick layer of clot which is cloudy or milky kind...

How can I forget about the potassium permanganate wash? I went back to the doc to ask for more when it was not cleared. Think used about 3 bottles..

My doc also gave me oral medication cuz my swab test result show heavy growth of candida. With the oral medication, pessary, the washes, and new habits, it was cleared after 2 months.. Doc said that usually wun give oral medication unless necessary cuz I actually dragged too long before seeing her..

I thought I was not cleared but my pap smear results showed no candida existence.

Now I just keep to new routine: the wash, spray, no daily pantyliners, less sugar diet... etc

Oh ya, forgot again..
Doc also said that try not take antibiotics when ill cuz possible to trigger growth..

i was given the insert tablet..

i cant diffrentiate whether its milky or cloudy. I m not seeing any doctor currently cos I m on supplements. No itch, no smell. BUt the discharge still a little thick. U think should I buy the potassium permanganate wash from the doctor? Or should I just wait for anothe mth and go for pap smear test? I thought ppl say not to wash that area cos it will affect the vaginal PH?

how many times a day you had discharged when u had Yeast Infection? And when you recovered, normal discharge is how many times a day on normal days not talking about near to PMS.

Do you know how many times you bleed during your menses? If not, how would you know how many times you produce discharge in a day?

u can jus look at your panty if u have any white patch on it. It should be relatively thicker than normal discharge. If its not itchy or swell, dun think u need to get potassium permanaganate from the doctor. For me if i feel a bit itchy or swell, the potassium permanagnate wash will help to ease the irritation.

I dun think u need to keep on going pap smear test. as long as its not itchy and doesnt swell, i dun think u shd worry too much. It is already sign of well again. Its right not to keep washing the vaginal as it will affect the PH. But if its itchy n swelling, the potassium wash will be quite a relief.

Dont think can count the number of times of discharge, usually you can just look at the discharge on the panty. Normal discharge should be transparent and normal looking. But yeast infection discharge can look like bean curd form.. its jus look thicker from the normal discharge.

Hi Sweety, have u recovered already?

I am glad to read that I am not alone. It bugs me that I have been diagnosed with candidiasis and garnerella which come back almost once a month since October 2012. The gynae told me the same thing - it will come back and when we treat one, the other will complicate. It annoys and worries me. He tried to mediate my frequency in taking or needing to take the antibiotics. I am currently on Augmentin to take care of the garnerella but this morning (my 4th out of the five-day of Augmentin treatment), I saw curdy discharge thanks to candida. Gynae told me to observe a few days and if it is too bothersome, I should take pessary (to insert). Ladies, do you have any advice? What have you done which was successful to you?

anyone have antifungal meds
i don't knowcomefrom a well off family anyone
have fluconazole diflucan etc
grisefulvin
what do you require? how can i get it from you

Hi there, pls pardon my lengthy post ,just wanted to share my complete experience so that women experiencing vaginal infection might stumble upon this and find the solution they've desperately been seeking for. I'm an ex-sufferer of an intensely,extremely,unbearably itchy vagina. It was pure torture for me, I had no choice but to scratch down there in public places. At night, I would just sit up in bed and scratch really hard down there and cry in frustration. I would wake up in the middle of the night with a persisting itch and I would just hit my genitals and curse...yeah it WAS THAT BAD.

I swore that when I did find the solution to this, I would create several accounts online just to help people going through the same hell as I did. And here I am. Like many women here,I went to different gynaes, changed the material of my panties to more breathable ones,took lots of antibiotics and creams,probiotics and yoghurts. I tried natural remedies such as aloe vera gel and tea tree oil(helps for a few hours at least). I avoided certain things in my diet such as soy products.All these only stopped the itch from getting worst but the itch was still as intense and never went away.

I was desperate and tried to research on my own. I suspected pubic lice,some type of genetic or dermatological condition and almost anything else I could relate to. It wasn't STDs as I hadn't any type of sexual intercourse as well which the gynae kept probing on. I literally had to beg her to believe me that there wasn't anything that I was embarrassed about to hide from her. Because honestly, I wouldn't care ,I just wanted a peaceful vagina. She did swabs and results said that I had 3 types of infections at the same time, gardnerella ,yeast and streptococcus and along those lines. It was infected, yes I knew but I needed to know the reason why,which is something that the gynae could not pinpoint to. I just kept coming back for more appointments and it's super expensive. I was desperate for a relief.Something, anything!
And then one day,I had a gut feeling about something and researched it. I found out the reason. DUSTMITES. I had 3 OLD,VELVET sofas lying in my house, they've been there only a few years but we always knew it was a dust collector but I never put two and two together. Then, I read a research paper on a few cases including a Korean girl, who had a persisting itch, because she used to sit on a velvet sofa and slept on an uncovered mattress. Yes guys, uncovered mattresses might be a trigger too. Anyways, we threw out the sofas and I never sat on them again obviously and I don't have to take any antibiotics,probiotics or anything else. I am a normal person with barely any itch there, YAY!

Is there anything in your house which collects dusts that you sit on ? Something as simple as this might be causing you that extreeeeme itch. Please do not lose hope and don't trust doctors too much, they are only human and very busy humans too who cannot be researching specifics of your environment and life. They are also prone to flaws in making judgements. Take it upon yourselves to introspect your lives, from diet to environment and then maybe you can work with your gynae. Of course, alot of us here might not be trained doctors but tbh, if you're desperate and nothing else is helping you ,doing your own research might just possibly help you.