NSFW: Preventing infection from boil?

Yes, you can put bacitracin on it.

Did your doctor do a herpes culture when you last saw him? You have to do it right away when you first get an outbreak for it to be accurate. I am not saying it is herpes, I understand it is most likely something else.

I used to get pimples, basically white heads, when I was in full swing with the worst of my vulva problems. They were quite painful. a couple times doctors sliced them for me to bust them open, because I usually did not touch them when they occurred, and was in the throws of not knowing what the hell was going on with me.

I think the bacitracin will help protect the area a little, ointment will be like a barrier. Not sure if the antibiotics in bacitracin would fight the concerns of the vulva, but I don’t think it will do any harm for a few days. I guess at the worst, if it is a common people the ointment might clog the pores? If there are pores there? Do you feel dryer than usual, less vaginal wetness? Good kind of wet?

Honestly, if it is not herpes, you are probably on a journey of doctors guessing and thinking they know what is wrong, but over time you realizing they are clueless. I hope to God for you that is not the case.

@JLeslie Ok, thanks. They gave me a blood test to check for herpes and it was negative. I’m going to have him culture this bump just in case though. My sister has herpes and seems certain that’s not my issue but, to be honest, I’d be happy just to get an answer. This trial and error thing is getting old.

No, not dryer than usual. I’ve actually had more discharge that I usually do, but I think I’m ovulating. There’s nothing odd about the discharge itself.

I think I am on that journey, but it’s too soon for me to feel hopeless. I’m getting there though.

It was not an ingrown hair? I’ve had one of those down there and it was exactly how you described. Big red bump, painful, finally popped and pus and blood came out.

@deni No, it is where no hair grows.

If your blood test was negative for herpes, literally negative, you were never exposed, then it cannot be herpes unless they really screwed up the blood test. They would have had to have marked your blood as someone else’s or have hit the wrong key when recording your result. You cannot be negative for herpes in your blood and have it on your body. The problem with blood check is actually the opposite, you can be positive for exposure and not be having an outbreak.

Edit: I recommend you get a copy of your blood test results, so you can check for yourself.

@JLeslie Oh, ok. Good to know.

You’d think after antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals, and steroids, I’d be problem-free, considering I’m not doing anything I shouldn’t (like douching, etc). Not so much.

I had a similar experience some time back. It was either just regular acne or a regular (non-staph or STD) infection. Tests came back negative on it, and it went away after a month or so. For me it was agitated/started by me shaving the area (which I had/have done regularly for years, but that time for some reason it got infected).

@JLeslie When I got tested for herpes they told me that I could still have it even if the tests came back negative, if they tested it after the outbreak went away… Essentially saying I would only come back herpes positive if I was having an outbreak at the time and they tested that. I was unaware (or at least they didn’t tell me) that you could test for it via blood.

@tedd Most doctors don’t do the blood test, because it shows you were exposed, but would not prove you just had an outbreak. You could have been exposed 10 years before. The numbers do go up in your blood when you are in the throws of an outbreak, but the best way to know if a blister you are currently having is indeed herpes is to culture it directly. There are several herpes (HSV). On the lips is usually HSV1, on the genitals HSV2, and then there is varicella (Herpes zoster) which causes shingles, but pretty much the whole popuation is exposed to varicella, and those symptoms are quite specific. I think there are blood tests that can be ordered that are type specific to HSV1 and HSV2 and ones that are not, the type specific test would probably be most accurate.

Another thing I was just thinking is possibly after a first exposure it might take a couple of months for the blood tests to come back positive, similar to what you hear about HIV infection. I am not sure how that works honestly, just using some guessing based on little bit of knowledge regarding antibody testing.

I am not a doctor just as a reminder. I’ll try to search the net to see if I can provide an informative link, and we can double check my information.

The three links below are informative about herpes testing in my opinion for whoever is interested in reading more on the topic. They basically said what I have said, and indeed mention that it can take several weeks for the blood test to come back positive after the intitial exposure.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003352.htm

http://www.herpes-coldsores.com/herpes_tests.htm

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/STDs/interpreting-herpes-IgG/show/249261

Have you tried a diaper rash paste like “Triple Paste”? ?
It has Zinc oxide and other ingredients

@JLeslie I’ve only had one sex partner, my husband, who I’ve been with for 5 years, and we’re both faithful. That’s part of the reason I was dubious about herpes, but tested for it anyways to be sure. They’re no blisters though.

@Tropical_Willie Yes, I often use Desitin 40% when I have itching, but that isn’t helping this. I stopped using it to let the area breathe, but the bactitracin I bought contains zinc as well.

@livelaughlove21 Are the “boils” in the exact same place as last time? You are in America right?

How exactly does it look? Little bumps, maybe 1–3 millimeters in diameter? With redness around them? Or, totally different?

@JLeslie No. Last time, I got one, it popped, then went away. Then I got another one in a different spot, it would pop, then go away. Four in a row, but never more than one at the same time. This one is about midway down on the right labia minora. It’s not a Bartholin cyst because it’s not by the opening. The last ones looked and acted just like pimples or ingrown hairs. This one seemed bigger and harder and redder, which is why I think it may be a boil.

Yes, I’m in America.

Yeah, it certainly does not sound like herpes since it shows up and goes away one at a time in different areas. Sucks you are having to cope with this. I hope you get an easy answer. See a different doctor maybe?

If it continues and you are having little luck, I think I mentioned to you seeing a vulvodynia specialist? I don’t know what city you are in? Dr. Betty Bellman in Miami is very very good. She is a dermotologist who specializes in vulvar conditions. But, it would be best if you saw her when you have these active problems going on. There might be a specialist near you if you search Vulvodynia. I recommend a dermatologist who specializes over a GYN in your case I think? Not sure. Anyway, it is another specialty to consider. The average dermotologist and infectious disease doctor will not have experience examening female genitals, and very possibly will be uncomfortable doing, it which means he has very little experience doing it (not good for this sort of thing) or have not have seen any ther patients like you (also not good).

@JLeslie Are there specific vulvar conditions? Would you mind listing some or linking me? Would dermatitis be one for example? I have done so much searching and no results.

@Shippy http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletters/Harvard_Womens_Health_Watch/2008/November/Managing_common_vulvar_skin_conditions

@JLeslie I haven’t found any specialists in my area, but I’m not ready to go there yet. The symptoms don’t really fit and I’m not willing to give up looking for other options that are treatable. I have no pain inside and none during sex, so I don’t think that’s it.

Ok, another question – could I use oragel on my vuvla? I’d rather use lidocaine, but I can’t get that until Monday. I’m going to a fair tomorrow night and if the friction becomes painful, I’m wondering if that could be temporary relief. Would it hurt anything? I would only be putting it on the outside. I was also considering monistat anti-chafing powder or gel, but I don’t know if that would help. I’m sick of sitting at home in my PJs. I want my life back.

This is absolute amateur doctoring, please be advised of that. I could still be ingrown hairs. Humans have hair just about everywhere but a lot of them are “vellus” hairs, thin, fine, kind of translucent, to you don’t really see them so you think that part of your body is hairless. Personal, question, you don’t have to answer on the thread if you don’t want, but have you recently starting shaving around the area? That could help cause ingrown hairs.

I had something similar once, and after ruling out everything else, I was able to get rid of them, the two I first got, and the one that came back, by emptying the boil of pus, etc. by piercing it gently with a sterile, and I emphasize sterile, sewing needle and using a hot compress directly on the boil. As hot as you can stand, for a few seconds, repeatedly. Don’t use the hot compress on the whole area, just pinpoint the boil. Just dab the area with a point of the compress until it kind of hurts, then stop, and do it again. It worked for me.

I’m not a doctor and shouldn’t be giving any medical advice at all but it worked for me.

@lillycoyote No, I have been shaving for years. And even if there are tiny hairs there, I don’t shave over that area. The reason I don’t think it’s an ingrown hair is that this isn’t my only symptom.

@Shippy What do you mean? Vulvodynia means more or less chronic vulvar pain. University of Michigan is basically the place in America that does the most work in the field that is university based and research oriented. But, there are doctors around America who also specialize.

Back when I first became ill, about 20 years ago, they had moved away from the idea that it was caused by HPV (a popular held belief back then) and moved to it being a neuromuscular problem. They drugged up patients with antidedpessents and neuro meds. Meds like Elavil and Neurontin. Also did things like biofeedback to exercise the area. Now they probably do some other things. But, vulvodynia for neuromuscular causes would not have visible lesions, but those doctors have seen multiple ailments causing vulvar pain, and ruling out other medical conditions is part of their differential diagnosis. They would test for infections. Be much more observant of redness on the vulva. I felt like I had a pin inside of me for over three years, and Dr. Bellman finally really looked at my vulva, studied it, and pulled out an inch long ingrown hair tucked under my clitoral hood, straight like an arrow, and in an instant my pin was gone. Previously it had been dismissed by other doctors as some sort of neural pain I think.

One more link that might of interest.

@livelaughlove21 The negative about using antibiotic ointment is bacterial cutures will not grow. Although, the chance of them doing a bacterial culture on your vulva is about .0007% if you’re lucky (totally made up stat of course). The petroleum might inhibit a herpetic cuture also, I don’t know. But, it would probably be too late for that anyway, and your symptoms don’t seem to be herpes.

Did they culture it to see if its staph?

@Judi No, I’m hoping the bump sticks around until then do they can. Last time I saw him I had no bumps. But he did put me on antibiotics that didn’t help.

@livelaughlove21 If you want him to culture it you cannot put anything topical on it. Nothing. Not for days. Doctors almost never culture these things for bacteria. The average doctor also will not culture for aneorobes just aerobic infection. They will culture for viral infection directly on the “sore.”

@JLeslie Well I don’t even know what the point of going would be. All they’ve done so far is looked at it, did a swab on the inside to look at discharge, and test my blood for herpes. Is there anything I can ask him to do to rule things out?

@livelaughlove21 I can’t know for sure what he will do of course, I am only speaking from my personal experience. He can do a viral culture if he suspects herpes, but that is better done the first couple of days, so you are well past that time. You can get a repeat herpes blood test, because as my link showed above it can take 2–3 months for you to show positive after your initial exposure.

Honestly, I think you probably should go back to the doctor, and maybe the next couple of times this happens, and possibly try a second opinion. It might be for nothing, but you might get an answer. Right now it isn’t time to doctor yourself I don’t think, and definitely not time to make a decision based on internet answers, because we cannot see your vulva, and communication on internet has its problems of course. Don’t get me wrong, I am not one of those people who thinks people should not go to the internet for medical help, I am just the opposite.

In time either you will get a good diagnosis from a doctor and hopefully get all better, or you will go to 2 or 3 doctors and begin to decide for yourself when it is worth going to the doctor or not.

I can’t remember if you said what type of doctor it is you go to? Is it an Internist or GYN? I defnitely think you should be seeing a GYN at this point.

@JLeslie Yes I’m seeing a gynecologist. Thanks for the advice.

Let us know if you get some answers, even if you don’t want to share the diagnosis, I would love to know you found help if you do. I really hope you can put this all behind you quickly.

Well I just got out of the doctor’s office. He looked and took another swab inside. He says there are 2 pustules on the inner labia where they apparently never present. He said he’s not worried about the bump I mentioned, it’s nothing. On the swab, he said it was covered in pus cells. Sexy, I know.

He says he’s never seen anything quite like this (he’s been practicing for 30 years) and just called it infectious vaginitis. So, no definitive answer.

He gave me 3 days of Clindamycin 2% cream that goes inside at bedtime along with 7 days of Diflucan. If I’m still not well, I’m to take 10 days of Doxycycline with another round of Diflucan. And NO sex until it’s better. He said the Doxy would cover a lot of things, even the “weird stuff” so I hope it works.

@livelaughlove21 Don’t have sex for at least A werk after the treatment also. My opinion is you need to figure out if your husband and you are passing it back and forth. If the meds make you better, then it takes a good 3–7 days to see if you are staying better even well after finishing the meds. Then, eventually, if you have sex again and get sick 1–4 days later, he probably has it too. Most doctors will not buy into the idea he is infecting or reinfecting you if that is what seems to be happening.

They threw a lot of anti yeast stuff at me for years, but they did not see yeast under the microscope in the office and I did not culture positive for yeast. I realized doctors just wanted it to be yeast. Since augmentin is my magic drug, and it actually causes an overgrowth of yeast, I finally stopped going along with the yeast theory. I do get a yeast infection when I take massive, and I mean massive amounts of penicillin, don’t get me wrong, but yeast is simply not a “problem” of mine, it doesn’t sound like he found yeast for you either.

However, I do think it is a very good idea for you to take the antibiotics amd diflucan at the same time (I do that now) so you can really read how well you are feeling down there from the treatment.

Doxycycline is a good call, it will treat micoplasma and ureaplasma (which he probably did not bother to culture) and some other bad bacterias if they happen to be there. The Clinda is the treatment for BV, which in my opinion is a catch all for when doctors cannot figure out what the hell is going on. It also covers a lot of anerobes, so I think not a bad idea for extra measure.

I hope it works. If it doesn’t, my advice and selfish curiousity, is if you don’t want to keep taking antibiotics, which I understand, the next time you get some sort of sinus infection where meds are warranted try augmentin not zpack, see if it helps your GYN problems. Zithromax has zero effect for me, while augmentin is amazing, and both are very effective on a sinus infection. Take it with a diflucan every 3 days to keep yeast at bay. I hope ypu never even have to consider doing this experiment.

@livelaughlove21 You had me at infectious vagina… lol

@tedd Really? I thought it’d be the pus that won people over, but whatever gets you there. :)

did he do a culture?

@Judi He took a swab of the discharge but I’m not sure exactly what he did other than looking at it under a microscope. But no specific cultures that I’m aware of.

The problem with cultures is the average doctor sending to the average lab won’t be able to grow anaerobes well. Both Clinda and Doxi are to kill of anaerobes, and doxi also covers the micoplasmas and things like Chlamydia. Fertility doctors sometimes just give a patient doxi as a just in case, sometimes they give it during the first 14 days of the cycle while trying for a pregnancy (sometimes to both partners) it is kind of the drug to throw at women.

I have never had a doctor culture a “pimple.” At times I have wanted cultures done at the site of my problems, when it seemed like there was a specific spot that could be cultured, and they never do it. If he did a smear of your discharge and looked at it at the office, he can look for “clue” cells and yeast. I am guessing you showed up all normal, and that is why he said he doesn’t know what is going on.

I once had extensive cultures done in NY, the lab is at the same location as the doctors office, and he came up with some stuff. Hard to know if it is what causes my problem or not. A regular doctor’s office has never found those bacterias, and NY found it consistently 3 times.

The average lab is only going to report back “normal flora” it will not breakdown the flora it finda, unless it is a bacteria that is considered to be pathogenic, like one of the commonly known STD’s. In recent years they started testing women for strep before giving birth, when before it was not considered a problem. Chlamydia used to be considered normal flora, until they decided it wasn’t after realizing it was causing scarring and infertility (after a lot of women were already infertile and babies were born with chlymida infection in their eyes and other troubles). Science lags behind or sometimes doesn’t know, and doctors generally believe science has it right, some doctors have a better understanding of we might not know yet, there might be something there we have no discovered yet is pathogenic.

I was thinking if the doxi winds up helping your symptoms significantly, probably your husband should take it too for safe measure.

@JLeslie I just don’t get how we could be passing it back and forth if

1) It’s not an STD
2) He has no symptoms
3) We use condoms

It just doesn’t seem that likely. Plus, I was symptom free for almost 3 weeks after 6 weeks of celibacy and the symptoms didn’t start returning until now. Wouldn’t it have started sooner after having sex again if he was the culprit?

And the doctor didn’t find nothing on the slide…he found pus, which makes him believe it’s infectious, he just didn’t find specific cells that would alert him to do a culture. He says he could do a slew of tests and give me a name, but if doxy or the clinda fix it, it doesn’t really matter.

@livelaughlove21 If you use condoms, then I agree, very unlikely you are passing it back and forth, unless through oral sex somehow.

I also agree if you get fixed with the meds it doesn’t matter.

Are you familiar with Clindomycin? I used the first dose last night. I was reading that a lot of people have crazy side effects to Clindomycin in general, but I’m not sure if that applies to the vaginal cream as well. It stayed in all night, no issues, but now it’s really messy and coming out as I walk around. Shouldn’t it have been absorbed or something? I haven’t had any reaction, but I don’t want one either. Itching, swelling, pain, discharge? Those are my symptoms!

Also, if it does work, how long would it generally take for it to alleviate the symptoms? I’ve got 2 doses left to do.

@livelaughlove21 I am very very allergic, severly, to clinda, so I have never used the cream. I know about my allergy from taking it Intravenously. I know many many people who have taken clinda and used the cream and had no bad side effects. I think it is a very safe med as far as antibiotic safety goes. I have used metro gel, which is an alternative to the clinda that you are using. Both are used for BV and nonspecific vaginal type infections. If I were you I would not worry at all about trying the clindamyacin intrvaginally.

It might not get absorbed completely, I don’t think that is unusual. A lot of intravaginal creams have a sort of waxy components so it fills the vagina well, and usually some of it falls out. I am making an assumption Clinda has the same idea behind it.

I think if you were going to have a contact type of reaction you would know within minutes of putting the cream in. I am allergic to something in monostat, I can use the other antifungal creams with no problem, and I know immediately it is making me irritated.

I am not a doctor, but that is my experience.

@JLeslie Thanks for all of your help on this. Last night was my second dose and things seem to be just getting worse. Do you think there would be any harm in starting the doxy the day after my last dose of Clinda instead of waiting until Monday? I’m taking my diflucan like I should and will get a refill so I can take another 7 days while on doxy. I just don’t want to sit around and wait if clinda isn’t going to help. I’m going to an amusement park and walking around with this irritation is going to be awful. If I start taking the doxy on Thursday, maybe I’ll improve by Saturday night.

Wait, you are taking diflucan daily? You should not need to take so much. Clinda and doxi are not drugs that cause a lot of yeast overgrowth like penicillin drugs might. I usually take 1 a week when taking antibiotics, sometime use topical yeast infection stuff along with every other day if I am taking penicillin, which you aren’t. Although, I have taken diflucan daily for two weeks straight, but never while also taking antibiotics. Maybe your doctor just wants to sort of megadose everything to get rid of whatever it is once and for all?

I think it is fine to start the doxi, but you might want to check with your doctor. Remember I am not a doctor. If you do both at once you may not know which one worked if you need treatment again in the future. However, since you have amusement park coming up I understand why you want to go ahead and take it, I probably would. FYI, if I remember correctly some people get severly nauseaus on doxi, and if you do, taking it with food usually completely gets rid of that symptom. Some people have no trouble with it on an empty stomach, I just wanted to let you know, so if you feel nauseaus you don’t feel you have to give up on the drug instantly. Just double check me that it is ok to take with and without food, should say on your bottle. Also, I think doxi is a stay out of the sun type drug. That warning should be on the bottle too if it is.

@JLeslie Yes I’m taking one diflucan daily for 7–14 days. He told me doxi will give me a yeast infection. It may be because he knows that I get yeast a lot, even from birth control.

Oh, I didn’t realize you are prone to yeast. Then that makes perfect sense.

I do have a question about the yeast infections in your past though. Were they actually diagnosed under a microscope or with a culture?

@JLeslie Many of them were. A few times I’d go in for itching and he’d look inside and say, “wow, it’s yeasty in here” or “yeasty beasty” before looking under the microscope to be sure. Other times, I just treated myself with Desitin for the itching and some home remedies and it would go away. I have a suspicion that some of those times, it wasn’t yeast but something else. However, it’s been going on for years and this issue isn’t even close. I’d rather have intense itching that I can treat quickly than this. It now feels raw when I pee or move around. It’s completely fine if I’m sitting on my couch in loose clothes but, unfortunately, my schedule doesn’t allow for much of that.

@livelaughlove21 I just wanted to be sure you have had a positive ID of yeast at the cellular level, rather than a doctor just looking and assuming. Some GYN’s don’t even have a microscope in their office. Your doctor sounds pretty competent. The question is, will this all work. I have high hopes that the doxicycline will give you relief! I mean that. I hope if it does it sticks once you are done with the meds. The tricky part with you being yeasty is during the treatment it is hard to discern if it is working. For me, the antibiotic that works is magical, and even if yeast starts to grow, I am rarely very symptomatic from yeast. I need a doctor to tell me I have a yeast infection usually to know for sure. This is how I finally knew my problem was not yeast even if doctors wanted to hope for that. If my problem was yeast antibiotics should have made me miserable.

@JLeslie My doxy says to take on an empty stomach. My husband recently had to take doxy for an infection and it made him really nauseated. I looked it up and a few websites said to take it with food. Would that reduce the efficacy? I can take it on an empty stomach at night, but during the day is rather not feel crappy on top of the symptoms I already have.

The absorption rate is fine with food. I always take it with food. I checked an old bottle I had. Even just a few crackers completely keeps the nausea away for me.

Pretty much all drug inserts are online. You can always look drugs up when you have a question. The insert is the same as what is published in the PDR. Or, you can consult with a pharmacist. A pharmicist is more reliable than a doctor, although now that doctors are beginning to have electronic script apps they are more likely to check the information for you according to the drug recommendation.

@JLeslie Ok, great. Yeah, my doctor looks through meds on his iPhone after each exam when he talks to me about treatment. :)

Let us know how you are feeling. Have a good time this weekend at the park.

Are you feeling better?

Unfortunately, no. My last day of Doxy is tomorrow and my symptoms are still here, no worse and no better. I’ve already set up a new appointment with my doctor on Tuesday.

Fortunately it hasn’t gotten as bad as it was a couple months ago – I can wear jeans and have a social life, but it’s still a nuisance and sex would be very uncomfortable if I tried, which I haven’t.

Right now I’ve just got this pinching/stinging in my right labia only when pressure/friction is applied and I’ve been trying to keep any discharge off because the moisture makes the area feel raw until it’s wiped away. Still no visible symptoms though – no more bumps or anything odd down there.

I’m wondering if either 1) the doxy didn’t work because it wasn’t an infection, 2) the Doxy is working but it’ll take more than 10 days because the infection has been lurking for 3 months or is resistant, or 3) the Doxy worked but the infection was secondary to the issue causing the pain. All I can do now is see what he says on Tuesday.

I’m very sorry to hear it didn’t work. I think you would be feeling better by now if the doxi was having any positive affect, I doubt you need a longer course of it. Does it feel sometimes like you have acid running down your vulva, or like there is cut glass there? That is a common description I use to give and also hear from other women. However, I was in constant pain 24/7 back when I was at my worst regardless of pressure or no pressure on the area, so mine is different.

I don’t remember, is the area actually inflammed and red? If not it might be a nerve thing.

Have you tried keeping the area rinsed with water? I don’t think it is the moisture, I think it is your discharge aggravating the area if there is actual redness. Rinse whenever you urinate to make it easy using a water bottle that squirts a steady stream of water, then dry/wipe as usual after peeing. I know I have recommended this before, but I don’t get the impression you have given it a try, and I think it might help a lot. I won’t suggest it again, because I don’t want you to think I am just a broken record.

@JLeslie No, no glass or acid – thankfully it’s not that bad. There’s some redness, but no swelling that I can see. Pinching is probably the best description of my problem.

The thing is…if it’s a nerve thing or a dermatological thing, or something like vulvodynia, then why would there be so many puss cells in the swab he took? Pus, to me, says infection, but then the Doxy should have worked. I don’t know…

Trust me, rinsing is one of the many things I HAVE tried. If I leave water from a shower there for any length of time after I’m out of the shower, I get that raw feeling. But regardless, I’m more concerned with the pinching, which is not affected by discharge. I still rinse in the morning and at night, but not while I’m at school during the day. Last weekend I rinsed every time with no difference in symptoms.

It just seems that, if the Doxy did nothing, the issue would have worsened.

@livelaughlove21 Doxi only rules out the infections doxi treats. But, I am not saying it is defintilely infection. For me so many antibiotics did nothing, antibiotics so many doctors thought were likely to help if it is infectious. But, there are a couple that do work that I discovered by accident when treating other infections in my body over the years.

I wish I could help more, I don’t think I can. I really hope your doctor can come up with more answers or maybe a second opinion will help. Thanks for letting us know how it is going.