Replens on period
r/Period
2010.08.12 01:01 davis_je r/Period
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2017.09.26 17:48 Dagonz14 Guys Being Dudes
Just guys being dudes. All things of guys being dudes, Such As : Guys doing dumb things, Guys having a brodown, Guys partying and doing more dumbthings
2020.03.09 03:00 Veilwinter ššš ā¤ļøš µšš ²š ŗš “š ³ā¤ļø šøššššššš¶šš¾ššš š
It's more than a complex! Conservatives need everyone to know that they're bottoms, SCREECHING to be persecuted. So much for the tolerant left! Help them satisfy their fetish by persecuting them here!
2024.03.31 23:03 mod6161 Century Ride Update Post
Posted Friday night for some tips ahead of an untrained century ride on a rental bikeā¦
I did it! 104.2mi over 9:16:07 total, no speed record but thanks to everybody who gave advice on my previous post. I left stats and a summary below, much longer than Iād expect anybody to read but I had fun recapping it. Let me know what you think!
Ride route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/39789862
Stats: Note: the Garmin activity saved and closed at 21 miles so I had to start a new activity. Even worse, the first .FIT file corrupted so I canāt sync it to the Connect app. Spliced the data together as best I could but thereās some irregularities in the corrupt file data. If anybody could help me repair the file that would be great!
Distance: 104.2mi Time: 9:16:07 (Moving time: 8:08:19) Avg. Speed: 12.8mph Max Speed: 30.1mph (nice) Avg. HR: 146bpm Max HR: 183bpm Elevation Gain: 3,199ft Min Elevation: 5,100ft Max Elevation: 6,189ft
HR Zones: (Activity 1 missing about an hour of data it seems. Combined activities below)
Zone 1 (<114bpm) - 13min (2.7%) Zone 2 (115-133) - 1h24m (16.7%) Zone 3 (134-152) - 3h23m (40.4%) Zone 4 (153-171) - 3h5m (36.7%) Zone 5 (>173) - 18m (3.6%)
Ride Recap:
Mile 0-15: trying not to psyche myself out, fought the urge to ride fast and kept it between 12-15mph. Was hyper aware of the slightest discomfort and wondering what that might evolve into by mile 60+. Kept a consistent drinking/eating schedule and stopped at a shack mile 13 to stretch, drink, eat. While the first hour was fine, I thought Iād have felt better.
Mile 16-27: started to settle in now and feel good. Wide open views riding through Chatfield state park. Some knee pain starting so I took 1 advil to get ahead of it.
Had 20oz of water left so kept an eye out for stops. Found a gas station at mile 21, got two Gatorlytes and a water bottle. Realizing I forgot my PB&Js at home (the main course of my riding meals!!!), I went back in to get a very gross package of Oscar Meyer turkey, cheese, and almonds. Ate those and a gel. Still feeling good.
Spent a bit dialing in bike fit, bringing the saddle forward as it felt like I was reaching on my pedal stroke. Before starting again, I ended the Garmin activity with a single accidental button press and was crushed that Iād never see the glorious ā100miā on the screen. Started a new activity and off I went, destined for 7 hours of mental math ahead.
Mile 28-42: There was only one stretch where I had serious doubts if Iād finish and surprisingly it was the 27-42mi mark. This stretch had unrelenting climbs and brutal wind which slowed me to 5mph. I got a late start (10:45am, rental shop didnāt open until 10) so I knew I had no shot of finishing in daylight. āIf it gets too dark/cold, you can cut the route shortā was going through my head constantly.
The hardest part was keeping my heart rate in check. It seemed any time I went over a regular cadence Iād be at 170bpm+ in seconds. Was trying to balance HR with pushing through this long climb so I had a chance at finishing near sunset.
Gas station Gatorade replen at mile 42 before GPS led me up a well-disguised highway on-ramp and I had to jump a guard rail back onto the trail.
Mile 43-60: First sign of the dreaded Ass Pain at mile 44. Was a rapid onset so gave it a double buttering and continued on. The route then led down through Golden at Mile 45 where the combination of warm sun, no wind, crowded streets, and a flat trail ahead gave me all the mental boost I needed to know I was finishing no matter what. The Coors plant at Mile 50 was tempting but I was racing daylight. Cruised around 16-22mph through Mile 60 thanks to slight downhill and felt great.
My set schedule of eating and drinking was out the window by this point and was replaced by ājust do a lot of bothā. Bought a bag of sliced pickles back at Mile 21 gas station (primarily for the juice) which I found had dumped in my fanny pack. No juice for me, eat the pickles and move on.
Mile 61-80: was pain free thanks to one more Advil in Golden, starting to go a little loopy so began singing to myself while trying to do as much upright riding as possible on the long flats. Munching whatever constantly: almonds beef jerky gels stroopwaffels.
Much of this stretch followed a river and now that it was about 4-5pm, every bug in Colorado made its sole life mission to end up in my mouth. Iād hit a swarm every few seconds where theyād stick to my sunscreen covered arms legs and face. This went on for an hour plus and sucked.
The first 60 miles had great scenery, trails, and people. Iāve now circled to theā¦less desirable parts of the city where I was the only rider on the trail and was dodging groups of seedy individuals at every overpass who (1) didnāt like me and (2) liked my bike. Head down and keep moving.
Around mile 70 I entered Hell, or Sand Creek Park. The creator of this route decided a 3-mile stretch of rough loose dirt and sand would be a good test of willpower on hour 6. It was a battle of absorbing the bumps using my wrists standing up or my butt sitting down. Wrists took the brunt.
Hydration and food plan just totally gone now. Had half a water bottle left and didnāt feel like stopping so tried to conserve. Had a caffeine gel for a boost. Still no real pain other than nagging wrists. Uneventful miles 70-80.
Mile 82: MAN DOWN! Garmin isnāt great at directing you when multiple options are available. I had taken so many wrong turns by now so when I came up to a 3-way intersection I was creeping, trying to tell which way. At the last second the arrow changed so I tried to correct and instead rode off the trail and jackknifed still clipped in. All good, only had to hide my embarrassment from one onlooker.
Mile 83-104: saved the DUMBEST for last! The route decided to cross as many major intersections in Aurora as possible, at times I waited 5 minutes to cross only to end up at another intersection a minute later. Trail quality deteriorated and I was doing more standing to avoid the constant ruts. Itās dusk now, patience is thin and Iām swearing to myself constantly.
By mile 90 I was within an hour from home, itās now completely dark and I used my watch light to be seen, handy! Dodging bunnies (happy Easter) and prairie dogs at every turn, six deer blocked the path and let me get within 20 feet before taking off.
Aside from the dark and temps dropping to about 50Ā°, I felt really good physically and mentally. No agonizing pain (all the āRIP your assā commenters!), just a matter of closing it out. My mom texted to ask how I was doing so I threw in the pods and talked to her for the last 40 minutes home.
Really let the food/water plan fall apart at the end which was essentially zero intake for the last 90 min, just wanted to get home. Ordered UberEats with 5 miles left so that it was there when I got home. Final mile was a straight uphill to my house but I felt strong! Anticlimactic ending but felt great after completing it. Might even do it again someday.
Today just some general soreness but not half of what I expected to be. I donāt wear a chamois for MTB which might have conditioned the cheeks for something like this. Shoutout to Chamois Butt'r.
Grand Finale: Upon walking into my house after this glorious ride, I discovered that I left the bathroom sink on full blast for over 10 hours. There goes my bet winnings.
Most Valuable Tips (MVT):
Drink and eat more than you think you'd ever need - I would have vastly under fueled on both water and food if you all didn't stress the importance so much. Never had a proper meal but was constantly munching something for the first 85 miles which allowed me to coast home. I actually never bonked on this but do on 2 hour mtb rides occasionally.
Take it slow early - I've never done a long endurance ride so am not used to keeping gas in the tank. Riding at 60% effort in the first 30 miles made the last 30 miles much better!
Pay close attention to HR - while I failed miserably at staying in Zone 2, knowing I "should" be there kept me out of Zone 4/5 for extended periods of time.
I have plenty of pics and the Strava but you canāt post attachments here, happy to link if people do that here.
P.s. please help me uncorrupt the activity file!
submitted by mod6161 to cycling [link] [comments]
I did it! 104.2mi over 9:16:07 total, no speed record but thanks to everybody who gave advice on my previous post. I left stats and a summary below, much longer than Iād expect anybody to read but I had fun recapping it. Let me know what you think!
Ride route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/39789862
Stats: Note: the Garmin activity saved and closed at 21 miles so I had to start a new activity. Even worse, the first .FIT file corrupted so I canāt sync it to the Connect app. Spliced the data together as best I could but thereās some irregularities in the corrupt file data. If anybody could help me repair the file that would be great!
Distance: 104.2mi Time: 9:16:07 (Moving time: 8:08:19) Avg. Speed: 12.8mph Max Speed: 30.1mph (nice) Avg. HR: 146bpm Max HR: 183bpm Elevation Gain: 3,199ft Min Elevation: 5,100ft Max Elevation: 6,189ft
HR Zones: (Activity 1 missing about an hour of data it seems. Combined activities below)
Zone 1 (<114bpm) - 13min (2.7%) Zone 2 (115-133) - 1h24m (16.7%) Zone 3 (134-152) - 3h23m (40.4%) Zone 4 (153-171) - 3h5m (36.7%) Zone 5 (>173) - 18m (3.6%)
Ride Recap:
Mile 0-15: trying not to psyche myself out, fought the urge to ride fast and kept it between 12-15mph. Was hyper aware of the slightest discomfort and wondering what that might evolve into by mile 60+. Kept a consistent drinking/eating schedule and stopped at a shack mile 13 to stretch, drink, eat. While the first hour was fine, I thought Iād have felt better.
Mile 16-27: started to settle in now and feel good. Wide open views riding through Chatfield state park. Some knee pain starting so I took 1 advil to get ahead of it.
Had 20oz of water left so kept an eye out for stops. Found a gas station at mile 21, got two Gatorlytes and a water bottle. Realizing I forgot my PB&Js at home (the main course of my riding meals!!!), I went back in to get a very gross package of Oscar Meyer turkey, cheese, and almonds. Ate those and a gel. Still feeling good.
Spent a bit dialing in bike fit, bringing the saddle forward as it felt like I was reaching on my pedal stroke. Before starting again, I ended the Garmin activity with a single accidental button press and was crushed that Iād never see the glorious ā100miā on the screen. Started a new activity and off I went, destined for 7 hours of mental math ahead.
Mile 28-42: There was only one stretch where I had serious doubts if Iād finish and surprisingly it was the 27-42mi mark. This stretch had unrelenting climbs and brutal wind which slowed me to 5mph. I got a late start (10:45am, rental shop didnāt open until 10) so I knew I had no shot of finishing in daylight. āIf it gets too dark/cold, you can cut the route shortā was going through my head constantly.
The hardest part was keeping my heart rate in check. It seemed any time I went over a regular cadence Iād be at 170bpm+ in seconds. Was trying to balance HR with pushing through this long climb so I had a chance at finishing near sunset.
Gas station Gatorade replen at mile 42 before GPS led me up a well-disguised highway on-ramp and I had to jump a guard rail back onto the trail.
Mile 43-60: First sign of the dreaded Ass Pain at mile 44. Was a rapid onset so gave it a double buttering and continued on. The route then led down through Golden at Mile 45 where the combination of warm sun, no wind, crowded streets, and a flat trail ahead gave me all the mental boost I needed to know I was finishing no matter what. The Coors plant at Mile 50 was tempting but I was racing daylight. Cruised around 16-22mph through Mile 60 thanks to slight downhill and felt great.
My set schedule of eating and drinking was out the window by this point and was replaced by ājust do a lot of bothā. Bought a bag of sliced pickles back at Mile 21 gas station (primarily for the juice) which I found had dumped in my fanny pack. No juice for me, eat the pickles and move on.
Mile 61-80: was pain free thanks to one more Advil in Golden, starting to go a little loopy so began singing to myself while trying to do as much upright riding as possible on the long flats. Munching whatever constantly: almonds beef jerky gels stroopwaffels.
Much of this stretch followed a river and now that it was about 4-5pm, every bug in Colorado made its sole life mission to end up in my mouth. Iād hit a swarm every few seconds where theyād stick to my sunscreen covered arms legs and face. This went on for an hour plus and sucked.
The first 60 miles had great scenery, trails, and people. Iāve now circled to theā¦less desirable parts of the city where I was the only rider on the trail and was dodging groups of seedy individuals at every overpass who (1) didnāt like me and (2) liked my bike. Head down and keep moving.
Around mile 70 I entered Hell, or Sand Creek Park. The creator of this route decided a 3-mile stretch of rough loose dirt and sand would be a good test of willpower on hour 6. It was a battle of absorbing the bumps using my wrists standing up or my butt sitting down. Wrists took the brunt.
Hydration and food plan just totally gone now. Had half a water bottle left and didnāt feel like stopping so tried to conserve. Had a caffeine gel for a boost. Still no real pain other than nagging wrists. Uneventful miles 70-80.
Mile 82: MAN DOWN! Garmin isnāt great at directing you when multiple options are available. I had taken so many wrong turns by now so when I came up to a 3-way intersection I was creeping, trying to tell which way. At the last second the arrow changed so I tried to correct and instead rode off the trail and jackknifed still clipped in. All good, only had to hide my embarrassment from one onlooker.
Mile 83-104: saved the DUMBEST for last! The route decided to cross as many major intersections in Aurora as possible, at times I waited 5 minutes to cross only to end up at another intersection a minute later. Trail quality deteriorated and I was doing more standing to avoid the constant ruts. Itās dusk now, patience is thin and Iām swearing to myself constantly.
By mile 90 I was within an hour from home, itās now completely dark and I used my watch light to be seen, handy! Dodging bunnies (happy Easter) and prairie dogs at every turn, six deer blocked the path and let me get within 20 feet before taking off.
Aside from the dark and temps dropping to about 50Ā°, I felt really good physically and mentally. No agonizing pain (all the āRIP your assā commenters!), just a matter of closing it out. My mom texted to ask how I was doing so I threw in the pods and talked to her for the last 40 minutes home.
Really let the food/water plan fall apart at the end which was essentially zero intake for the last 90 min, just wanted to get home. Ordered UberEats with 5 miles left so that it was there when I got home. Final mile was a straight uphill to my house but I felt strong! Anticlimactic ending but felt great after completing it. Might even do it again someday.
Today just some general soreness but not half of what I expected to be. I donāt wear a chamois for MTB which might have conditioned the cheeks for something like this. Shoutout to Chamois Butt'r.
Grand Finale: Upon walking into my house after this glorious ride, I discovered that I left the bathroom sink on full blast for over 10 hours. There goes my bet winnings.
Most Valuable Tips (MVT):
Drink and eat more than you think you'd ever need - I would have vastly under fueled on both water and food if you all didn't stress the importance so much. Never had a proper meal but was constantly munching something for the first 85 miles which allowed me to coast home. I actually never bonked on this but do on 2 hour mtb rides occasionally.
Take it slow early - I've never done a long endurance ride so am not used to keeping gas in the tank. Riding at 60% effort in the first 30 miles made the last 30 miles much better!
Pay close attention to HR - while I failed miserably at staying in Zone 2, knowing I "should" be there kept me out of Zone 4/5 for extended periods of time.
I have plenty of pics and the Strava but you canāt post attachments here, happy to link if people do that here.
P.s. please help me uncorrupt the activity file!
2024.01.25 13:53 LBarg98 Pain in vagina
For the past 7 months I have been experiencing sharp and dull throbbing pains in my vagina. I also have a mild burning pain at the start of urinating throughout the day. Usually most mornings I am woken up by a mild to moderate burning pain of needing to urinate. Some times after urinating it can still sting and be sore upto 20mins after (this is any time of the day). The sharp shooting pains in my vagina used to only hurt when sitting in my office chair at work. But about 3 months ago they started to get more intense and can hurt anytime of the day even standing and in the last month when I'm lying in bed, that bad that the pains wake me up at night and I have to take pain killers. I am also experiencing lower back sharp pains which also ache around my ovaries and womb and can go down the front of my upper thighs, especially at night time in bed. I have had the implant for 10 years but last year I switched to a progestogen only pill which I was on 6months before these pains started. Havnt had a period in almost 12 months. Anyone experience anything similar? I've had swabs, physical exam, 3 urine tests at docs and sent 2 to the hospital for further examination, had antibiotics for a UTI and used Replens MD moisturiser and non of it has worked. I dont know what the vagina swabs were testing for because the doctor just said they came back normal, but that was all done in the first month of having the problems. The doctors just seem to keep focusing on doing urine tests. After using the Replens vagina moisturiser, when i pulled it out of my vagina i noticed it did smell a bit, not awful, but i didnt expect any smell to come from it and it was quite far away from my face. Im Currently on a 3 month waiting list to see a gynecologist.
submitted by LBarg98 to VaginalMicrobiome [link] [comments]
2024.01.25 12:44 LBarg98 Sharp stabbing/throbbing pain in vagina, Dull ache in ovaries/womb
For the past 7 months I have been experiencing sharp and dull throbbing pains in my vagina. I also have a mild burning pain at the start of urinating throughout the day. Usually most mornings I am woken up by a mild to moderate burning pain of needing to urinate. Some times after urinating it can still sting and be sore upto 20mins after (this is any time of the day). The sharp shooting pains in my vagina used to only hurt when sitting in my office chair at work. But about 3 months ago they started to get more intense and can hurt anytime of the day even standing and in the last month when I'm lying in bed, that bad that the pains wake me up at night and I have to take pain killers. I am also experiencing lower back sharp pains which also ache around my ovaries and womb and can go down the front of my upper thighs, especially at night time in bed. I have had the implant for 10 years but last year I switched to a progestogen only pill which I was on 6months before these pains started. Havnt had a period in almost 12 months. Anyone experience anything similar? I've had swabs, physical exam, 3 urine tests at docs and sent 2 to the hospital for further examination, had antibiotics for a UTI and used Replens MD moisturiser and non of it has worked. Currently on a 3 month waiting list to see a gynecologist.
submitted by LBarg98 to WomensHealth [link] [comments]
2024.01.18 05:06 Global_Mushroom1725 Postmenopause
Hi I'm new here 52yo female, haven't had my period in over 2 years. But recently over the last few months I've had such bad brain fog I was starting to think I had early dementia. But after an MRI ruled that out with other symptoms like moodiness, vaginal dryness, painful sex, and low sex drive, I decided to ask for HRT. My gyn flat out refused. I looked at my hormone levels from 2019 and I had low cortisol, low testosterone, low estrogen, and low progesterone. Why on earth wasn't I offered this 4 years ago? So I decided to find someone who would help me. I joined Evernow and had a consultation. The doctor prescribed me estrogen 0.05 mg patch 2x a week and Progesterone 100 mg nightly. I am on day 2. So far I've slept deep and much better. I was curious to know others experiences with HRT. How long does it takes to see changes with the dryness and sex drive? I also just bought Replens (don't really like it) and CVS moisturizing suppositories. Shoiuld I ask for vaginal estrogen? Any advice is appreciated!
submitted by Global_Mushroom1725 to Menopause [link] [comments]
2023.06.09 16:38 raspberrysugarscrub Itchy vulva/ stabbing pain in vaginal entrance, feeling raw
Hello all,
So I think this irritation started around January? I originally wrote off the discomfort as a yeast infection and treated as such. I got a bit of relief but still felt off.
For context, my ex boyfriend gave me chlamydia and I showed no symptoms until I got tested months after we broke up last year. Iām unsure if I possibly have long term damage or pid. I also have had dryness issues when it comes to sex (unsure if itās in general too though) due to sexual trauma. Iāve also experienced what I thought were yeast infections over the last few years that very well may have not been that as I just experienced itchiness.
Iāve had 3 sexual partners since my last testing and all swore they had been tested recently (people lie tho :/ ) but none have since reported any issues with themselves nor did I see anything on them (even though I know condoms are not always effective and not every disease will show)
The weird feelings have only persisted and have changed in little ways over the months. Itās gone from mild discomfort/itchy to stabbing pains that come and go inside the vaginal entrance and stabbing pain that comes and goes to my clitoris.
I tried a few more times with yeast infection products testing inside and outside with the provided creams. Iāve also made sure to wipe properly, change my underwear, and I went from using my scent less soap to using just water on that region.
Around March/April was when it was at the peak of discomfort. I finally did apple cider vinegar and then a baking soda sitz and felt a lot of relief from doing so . Although the issues still persisted.
I finally bit the bullet and went to get std swabbed tested and they only tested for yeast, Bv, chlamydia, trich, and gonorrhea. From what Iāve seen from looking inside and around my bits, thereās no bumps, bites, etc or at least from what I can see. I tested negative for all I was tested for and was advised to just use external yeast infection cream to help.
Iāve used also used replens to help with moisture (helped a lot and felt relief but it stopped working after a bit of use), Iāve done oatmeal baths with also provided temporary relief, Iāve used ice packs , apple cider vinegar baths, using only water, I drink a lot of water everyday, and Iāve been sleeping with no underwear. Weirdly around my recent period, I felt none of the issues I had been dealing with and am unsure if it was from the oatmeal baths or just a weird stop.
Right now itās just itchiness around the vulva /possibly anus area too and feeling raw/uncomfortable.
Nothing in the products Iāve used has changed. The only major thing I can think of is me moving back to my parents house from college.
Iām trying to get an appointment with my doctor but Iām I just started a new job and the doctors hours are during my work and Iām in the process of getting new insurance.
Any possible ideas or solutions? Thank you in advance
submitted by raspberrysugarscrub to Healthyhooha [link] [comments]
So I think this irritation started around January? I originally wrote off the discomfort as a yeast infection and treated as such. I got a bit of relief but still felt off.
For context, my ex boyfriend gave me chlamydia and I showed no symptoms until I got tested months after we broke up last year. Iām unsure if I possibly have long term damage or pid. I also have had dryness issues when it comes to sex (unsure if itās in general too though) due to sexual trauma. Iāve also experienced what I thought were yeast infections over the last few years that very well may have not been that as I just experienced itchiness.
Iāve had 3 sexual partners since my last testing and all swore they had been tested recently (people lie tho :/ ) but none have since reported any issues with themselves nor did I see anything on them (even though I know condoms are not always effective and not every disease will show)
The weird feelings have only persisted and have changed in little ways over the months. Itās gone from mild discomfort/itchy to stabbing pains that come and go inside the vaginal entrance and stabbing pain that comes and goes to my clitoris.
I tried a few more times with yeast infection products testing inside and outside with the provided creams. Iāve also made sure to wipe properly, change my underwear, and I went from using my scent less soap to using just water on that region.
Around March/April was when it was at the peak of discomfort. I finally did apple cider vinegar and then a baking soda sitz and felt a lot of relief from doing so . Although the issues still persisted.
I finally bit the bullet and went to get std swabbed tested and they only tested for yeast, Bv, chlamydia, trich, and gonorrhea. From what Iāve seen from looking inside and around my bits, thereās no bumps, bites, etc or at least from what I can see. I tested negative for all I was tested for and was advised to just use external yeast infection cream to help.
Iāve used also used replens to help with moisture (helped a lot and felt relief but it stopped working after a bit of use), Iāve done oatmeal baths with also provided temporary relief, Iāve used ice packs , apple cider vinegar baths, using only water, I drink a lot of water everyday, and Iāve been sleeping with no underwear. Weirdly around my recent period, I felt none of the issues I had been dealing with and am unsure if it was from the oatmeal baths or just a weird stop.
Right now itās just itchiness around the vulva /possibly anus area too and feeling raw/uncomfortable.
Nothing in the products Iāve used has changed. The only major thing I can think of is me moving back to my parents house from college.
Iām trying to get an appointment with my doctor but Iām I just started a new job and the doctors hours are during my work and Iām in the process of getting new insurance.
Any possible ideas or solutions? Thank you in advance
2023.04.19 00:13 aciddmc2 What is going on here?
Hi, I am a current pt team member at Michaels. I started a few months ago (don't want to be too specific least someone find out who I actually am, I'd prefer to remain anonymous please).
Anyhow, I started off doing replen, unloading the trucks early morning. It didn't work well for me, as I enjoying staying out and drinking late at bars. I had a few issues where I didn't show up on time or at all. That being said, I resolved the issue, stopped drinking and going to the bar, and became more reliable (this was all before the new point system for absences and what not).
However our 'Replen Manager' (warehouse manager? forget the exact title) had her own personal rules for when we were to show up. I don't really believe the manager has the right to tell people they need to be at work "17 minutes" before the shift starts "or else". However, one morning, in winter, I went to drive to work but found that the windows were all snow covered, so I had to brush them and scrape off the ice. I hadn't accounted for that or expected to have to do that, so I was there only 15 minutes early (outside the store). The rest of the employees had went in already and the doors were locked. Okay, so I rang the bell, twice. Stood there, waited. Nothing. Meanwhile I'd flown out the door without a coat, so I was cold, as I'd expected to just go right into the warm store. So I see the replen manager walk up, she clearly looks at me outside standing there, then goes about her business and doesn't let me in. She was, in my view, clearly being very petty about me not being there 2 minutes earlier (a stupid demand in the first place, they are women and concerned about safety in the morning, but I don't see how or why that's my problem at all, buy pepper spray or something, handle that on your own, that's their problem, but I digress). Anyway, I felt extremely personally disrespected, and I don't accept being bullied like that for 15$ an hour so I just walked away and drove home instead. The replen manager later on played dumb and said she "hadn't seen me" - interesting that you can make direct eye contact (eyes are pretty small and specific points to look at) with someone and "not see them", odd how that works.
After that, she was covertly hostile to me. I was recommended, for instance, by the SM themselves, for a sort of "advancement" even if all it was was just training the new person. She immediately sidelined the SM's idea by saying I'm too incompetent to handle training someone (because I can't handle stress, in her eyes, I can handle it fine and I told her that in the moment but she overrode me and the SM themselves who just was kind of slightly shocked or taken a back by having her recommendation be randomly rejected but ultimately agreed with her).
Gradually, my SM told me that the trucks were getting lighter, as the seasonal period was winding down. So she said she would transition me to floor shifts instead. Okay, fair enough. However, it was clearly a lie, and I was transferred simply because of the personal animosity which the replen manager has toward me, because they afterward hired someone else to work my position.
The conflict is continuing as well, even though I never see anyone from replen because they purposefully schedule me to always miss them, as I imagine the whole team now has a dislike for me, perpetuated by the replen manager and that particular group's strongly clicky nature. The issue is, we are told, even directly in our training to cooperate across roles where it is easy and useful. For instance, I should, when working floor, if I find a product which is stocked over and above the pog max, while facing, I should take the product, and since I have worked replen and understand the workings, I am to overstock it in the appropriate location nearby. However, when I do this type of thing, anything that relates to cross role adaptiveness involving anything replen, then I get pissy pushback from whoever is hearing back from replen manager (who I never see).
So here is where the ridiculousness is starting to come to a head for me. I had my floor manager direct me to do inventory management - i.e. consolidating the overstock product boxes down, putting like product with like, etc. Basically I was directed to sort out the inventory so it's properly arranged, as it is often in multiple boxes, scattered, too distant from the actual product location etc. So anyway, I went to work, doing a great job at it. Basically decluttering what amounts to years of mismanagement in that everything was horribly scattered, poorly located, etc. Part of the issue perhaps, is that, while I was told by the floor manager that day, when I'd asked, to "not downstock". However when I was consolidating I realized it made no sense to be handling this product which, in many cases, again, due to mismanagement, was not being properly downstocked, so I did so regardless. There were products, in the Cricut aisle which were not even on the shelf at all, zero out yet some were just unlocated in the boxes above, so naturally I downstocked. It would be actively stupid and bad to not do so in that case regardless of whatever my floor manager says. However, this is actually all within a broader context. A few weeks prior my actual SM had told me specifically that the Cricut aisle was to be downstocked properly because it's one of the aisles where we make decent money. So, I made the seemingly reasonable position of taking the time to not only properly sort the stock, but to downstock on occasion as well when obvious and appropriate. As I said, many things weren't even located. There were things located that weren't in the boxes at all, etc. It was basically all nonsense needing ironing out. So, big surprise it took me quite awhile to properly sort.
I was also told by my floor manager that day, specifically, to, when consolidating, if I happen to empty out a box (a sub goal in itself related to the condensing) I was to throw it out into the cardboard compactor ofc. So I did this. However, when I resumed my work consolidating, the next day after being given the order, it was clear that the reality of my "meddling" in their business had got back to replen and their manager. The floor manager took the boxes I'd set aside to throw out, as I was told to do, and put them behind the till to be kept, instead (I'm assuming as per orders from replen manager, which actually directly contradicts what I was told to do).
Everyone's mood toward me (management wise, excluding the SM and the floor manager who'd told me to do the consolidation) was very sour. The floor manager that day (different person from prior) kept purposefully pulling me off of consolidating the inventory to go on cash, even though there was really no need. The fellow cashier even said to me "I don't know why she called you, I had this covered obviously?" It was obviously just a strategy to get me to "stop meddling" (aka doing my damn job). The next day I came in, almost finished with the cricut aisle, finally, as it was totally disorganized, and I get told very condescendingly by my mod that day that I am "not ever to again touch anything related to stock at all" I didn't even ask why, I know why, it's the petty vindictive nonsense seemingly coming from replen.
I am tired of being belittled at work by people who do a much worse job than me, period. I feel like the replen manager really has it out for me, personally, for some reason, perhaps because I'm male or something (it really stinks of that kind of silly discrimination frankly). I tried speaking to her one day, while we were both in the break room, and she said she didn't even want to exchange a single word with me, quite rudely, claiming she had a social anxiety disorder or something akin to that. However I see her exchange plenty of small talk and jokes with other staff, so she was obviously lying and just very much hates me for whatever trite and silly reason. It also feels like there's a bit of the "never outshine the master" stuff going on. I work hard, I care, and I do a good job that nears perfection. I think she very well may be upset at how well I can manage inventory, make it look good, etc., and might not like me "showing her up" by finally actually correcting things they're responsible for, such as overstock boxes, which, yes, as I mentioned, HAVE been absolutely horribly managed, period. That's not really up for debate here.
I am honestly fed up, and am ready to take some kind of action. From what I understand HR in Canada is useless. Do I talk to my store manager? I know one of the main roles of managers in regards to their 'leadership' is to mediate interpersonal conflicts in the organization. There really is a feeling, as well, of almost like a "deep state" that "actually" runs the store, based around the replen manager. So next time a floor manager, or the SM themselves tells me to do anything relating to inventory management I'm just going to straight up just say "no, I won't do that. Talk to 'replen manager about it' if you have a problem with that. She's the one who really runs this place, let's be real." I don't want to reach that point, or take it personally and just insult her and quit. I'd prefer that this could be handled properly and professionally, and that I could just get back to doing my job properly and have people stop thinking I'm a useless idiot who needs to endlessly be condescended too when in reality I'm doing a better job than they've ever done (obviously, given the disorganized state of overstock).
Please advise.
TL;DR: How do I deal with a replen manager who has a group around her which seems to actually have more influence and power over the way things work than the SM themselves, and who seems to have decided to personally target me because I do too good of a job and rub her the wrong way. She is trying to drive me out, it feels like. What recourse do I have?
submitted by aciddmc2 to MichaelsEmployees [link] [comments]
Anyhow, I started off doing replen, unloading the trucks early morning. It didn't work well for me, as I enjoying staying out and drinking late at bars. I had a few issues where I didn't show up on time or at all. That being said, I resolved the issue, stopped drinking and going to the bar, and became more reliable (this was all before the new point system for absences and what not).
However our 'Replen Manager' (warehouse manager? forget the exact title) had her own personal rules for when we were to show up. I don't really believe the manager has the right to tell people they need to be at work "17 minutes" before the shift starts "or else". However, one morning, in winter, I went to drive to work but found that the windows were all snow covered, so I had to brush them and scrape off the ice. I hadn't accounted for that or expected to have to do that, so I was there only 15 minutes early (outside the store). The rest of the employees had went in already and the doors were locked. Okay, so I rang the bell, twice. Stood there, waited. Nothing. Meanwhile I'd flown out the door without a coat, so I was cold, as I'd expected to just go right into the warm store. So I see the replen manager walk up, she clearly looks at me outside standing there, then goes about her business and doesn't let me in. She was, in my view, clearly being very petty about me not being there 2 minutes earlier (a stupid demand in the first place, they are women and concerned about safety in the morning, but I don't see how or why that's my problem at all, buy pepper spray or something, handle that on your own, that's their problem, but I digress). Anyway, I felt extremely personally disrespected, and I don't accept being bullied like that for 15$ an hour so I just walked away and drove home instead. The replen manager later on played dumb and said she "hadn't seen me" - interesting that you can make direct eye contact (eyes are pretty small and specific points to look at) with someone and "not see them", odd how that works.
After that, she was covertly hostile to me. I was recommended, for instance, by the SM themselves, for a sort of "advancement" even if all it was was just training the new person. She immediately sidelined the SM's idea by saying I'm too incompetent to handle training someone (because I can't handle stress, in her eyes, I can handle it fine and I told her that in the moment but she overrode me and the SM themselves who just was kind of slightly shocked or taken a back by having her recommendation be randomly rejected but ultimately agreed with her).
Gradually, my SM told me that the trucks were getting lighter, as the seasonal period was winding down. So she said she would transition me to floor shifts instead. Okay, fair enough. However, it was clearly a lie, and I was transferred simply because of the personal animosity which the replen manager has toward me, because they afterward hired someone else to work my position.
The conflict is continuing as well, even though I never see anyone from replen because they purposefully schedule me to always miss them, as I imagine the whole team now has a dislike for me, perpetuated by the replen manager and that particular group's strongly clicky nature. The issue is, we are told, even directly in our training to cooperate across roles where it is easy and useful. For instance, I should, when working floor, if I find a product which is stocked over and above the pog max, while facing, I should take the product, and since I have worked replen and understand the workings, I am to overstock it in the appropriate location nearby. However, when I do this type of thing, anything that relates to cross role adaptiveness involving anything replen, then I get pissy pushback from whoever is hearing back from replen manager (who I never see).
So here is where the ridiculousness is starting to come to a head for me. I had my floor manager direct me to do inventory management - i.e. consolidating the overstock product boxes down, putting like product with like, etc. Basically I was directed to sort out the inventory so it's properly arranged, as it is often in multiple boxes, scattered, too distant from the actual product location etc. So anyway, I went to work, doing a great job at it. Basically decluttering what amounts to years of mismanagement in that everything was horribly scattered, poorly located, etc. Part of the issue perhaps, is that, while I was told by the floor manager that day, when I'd asked, to "not downstock". However when I was consolidating I realized it made no sense to be handling this product which, in many cases, again, due to mismanagement, was not being properly downstocked, so I did so regardless. There were products, in the Cricut aisle which were not even on the shelf at all, zero out yet some were just unlocated in the boxes above, so naturally I downstocked. It would be actively stupid and bad to not do so in that case regardless of whatever my floor manager says. However, this is actually all within a broader context. A few weeks prior my actual SM had told me specifically that the Cricut aisle was to be downstocked properly because it's one of the aisles where we make decent money. So, I made the seemingly reasonable position of taking the time to not only properly sort the stock, but to downstock on occasion as well when obvious and appropriate. As I said, many things weren't even located. There were things located that weren't in the boxes at all, etc. It was basically all nonsense needing ironing out. So, big surprise it took me quite awhile to properly sort.
I was also told by my floor manager that day, specifically, to, when consolidating, if I happen to empty out a box (a sub goal in itself related to the condensing) I was to throw it out into the cardboard compactor ofc. So I did this. However, when I resumed my work consolidating, the next day after being given the order, it was clear that the reality of my "meddling" in their business had got back to replen and their manager. The floor manager took the boxes I'd set aside to throw out, as I was told to do, and put them behind the till to be kept, instead (I'm assuming as per orders from replen manager, which actually directly contradicts what I was told to do).
Everyone's mood toward me (management wise, excluding the SM and the floor manager who'd told me to do the consolidation) was very sour. The floor manager that day (different person from prior) kept purposefully pulling me off of consolidating the inventory to go on cash, even though there was really no need. The fellow cashier even said to me "I don't know why she called you, I had this covered obviously?" It was obviously just a strategy to get me to "stop meddling" (aka doing my damn job). The next day I came in, almost finished with the cricut aisle, finally, as it was totally disorganized, and I get told very condescendingly by my mod that day that I am "not ever to again touch anything related to stock at all" I didn't even ask why, I know why, it's the petty vindictive nonsense seemingly coming from replen.
I am tired of being belittled at work by people who do a much worse job than me, period. I feel like the replen manager really has it out for me, personally, for some reason, perhaps because I'm male or something (it really stinks of that kind of silly discrimination frankly). I tried speaking to her one day, while we were both in the break room, and she said she didn't even want to exchange a single word with me, quite rudely, claiming she had a social anxiety disorder or something akin to that. However I see her exchange plenty of small talk and jokes with other staff, so she was obviously lying and just very much hates me for whatever trite and silly reason. It also feels like there's a bit of the "never outshine the master" stuff going on. I work hard, I care, and I do a good job that nears perfection. I think she very well may be upset at how well I can manage inventory, make it look good, etc., and might not like me "showing her up" by finally actually correcting things they're responsible for, such as overstock boxes, which, yes, as I mentioned, HAVE been absolutely horribly managed, period. That's not really up for debate here.
I am honestly fed up, and am ready to take some kind of action. From what I understand HR in Canada is useless. Do I talk to my store manager? I know one of the main roles of managers in regards to their 'leadership' is to mediate interpersonal conflicts in the organization. There really is a feeling, as well, of almost like a "deep state" that "actually" runs the store, based around the replen manager. So next time a floor manager, or the SM themselves tells me to do anything relating to inventory management I'm just going to straight up just say "no, I won't do that. Talk to 'replen manager about it' if you have a problem with that. She's the one who really runs this place, let's be real." I don't want to reach that point, or take it personally and just insult her and quit. I'd prefer that this could be handled properly and professionally, and that I could just get back to doing my job properly and have people stop thinking I'm a useless idiot who needs to endlessly be condescended too when in reality I'm doing a better job than they've ever done (obviously, given the disorganized state of overstock).
Please advise.
TL;DR: How do I deal with a replen manager who has a group around her which seems to actually have more influence and power over the way things work than the SM themselves, and who seems to have decided to personally target me because I do too good of a job and rub her the wrong way. She is trying to drive me out, it feels like. What recourse do I have?
2023.03.17 18:40 codud2112 Needing advice and encouragement regarding vaginal atrophy
So the background is that in 2021 I was diagnosed with breast cancer, it took a year to treat, and now I'm cancer free š„³ I just turned 35 in February, which was also the anniversary of my last period and me becoming menopausal.
So here's where the TMI comes in.
Near the end of last year, I realized I had vaginal atrophy and started to take replens daily (as advised by an occupational therapist). She said after a month I could switch to doing one day replens, day two nothing, day three coconut oil, day four nothing, and then repeat. But all that did was dry out my vagina again. So I started to just repeat replens with coconut oil, and not to have a rest day.
Now replens isn't exactly cheap, and the discharge is horrible. After 2 months on it, I was really hoping that it was going to go away, but nope, still having discharge. From people who have used this product, does it go away? I'm so discouraged. Also is the discharge dead skin cells schluffing off? Their's just so much of it I don't know what to make of it.
Recently I had a GP appointment, and he gave me a sample of RepaGYN which I've been using for three days now. With RepaGYN I'm not having discharge, so I'm going to try to switch to that.
So my question is, for those who have dealt with vaginal atrophy, does it get better? Did it eventually go away, or do you need to continually throw moisturizers or oil up your hooha? I've been treating this since mid December and I'm becoming so discouraged.
submitted by codud2112 to breastcancer [link] [comments]
So here's where the TMI comes in.
Near the end of last year, I realized I had vaginal atrophy and started to take replens daily (as advised by an occupational therapist). She said after a month I could switch to doing one day replens, day two nothing, day three coconut oil, day four nothing, and then repeat. But all that did was dry out my vagina again. So I started to just repeat replens with coconut oil, and not to have a rest day.
Now replens isn't exactly cheap, and the discharge is horrible. After 2 months on it, I was really hoping that it was going to go away, but nope, still having discharge. From people who have used this product, does it go away? I'm so discouraged. Also is the discharge dead skin cells schluffing off? Their's just so much of it I don't know what to make of it.
Recently I had a GP appointment, and he gave me a sample of RepaGYN which I've been using for three days now. With RepaGYN I'm not having discharge, so I'm going to try to switch to that.
So my question is, for those who have dealt with vaginal atrophy, does it get better? Did it eventually go away, or do you need to continually throw moisturizers or oil up your hooha? I've been treating this since mid December and I'm becoming so discouraged.
2023.02.05 01:53 Throwaway_00411 My mother's experience with Ovarian Cancer
Hi all, if this isn't the right subreddit for this, if you could please send me suggestions for where to post it that would be awesome!
Posting using a throwaway as this is entirely for my mother who's about to turn 75 this year after surviving ovarian cancer. She's written a long form article on her experience and wants to share it with as many women out there as possible to increase awareness of Ovarian Cancer. I am not a woman, but immediately thought of this subreddit. Without further ado
------------------------------------------- Miracles Happen by Throwaway_00411's Mother -------------------------------------------
I wrote a portion of my life to help all the women in the world. Please read it. I worked very hard to write it because I wanted to warn women about the deadliest gynecological disease they may get. What I wrote may save your life, a relative, or a friendās life if you or they get sick like me. It all started at the beginning of March 2021, when I thought I had a urinary infection of some sort because of a slight vaginal discharge, pelvic pressure (gas or boating), and very light cramps. I felt more tired too, but I thought the tiredness was caused from being old. I was 73. So, I decided to go to my gynecologist. However, she was not available. Her young substitute gave me a 10 day supply of antibiotics without a urine or blood test. While taking the antibiotics, I started spotting blood. I knew my period days were over, so I asked a nurse what I should do. She told me it was probably caused by an irritation and suggested I take Replens. The Replens did nothing to stop the spotting, and the cure for my condition was not antibiotics. Therefore, I decided to see my family physician. I needed to find out what was wrong with me.
My family doctor signed me up for a slew of blood tests. On March 22, I had a CT A/P with contrast (Computed Tomography) at the hospital which showed that I had peritoneal carcinomatosis. However, I didnāt know exactly what that meant although it sounded ominous. My right lymph node near my heart showed suspicious pathological involvement and an indeterminate hypodense lesion on my liver. That sounded bad too. I started to worry. March 23rd, I took a cancer blood test at the hospital laboratory for Cancer Antigen 19-9 and Cancer Antigen 125. Although my Cancer Antigen 19-9 was normal, my Cancer Antigen 125 range was at 410 even though the range of normal only went to 35. On March 30th, I had a surgical pathology exam which said I had malignant cells present with features consistent with high grade serious carcinoma of the Mullerian origin. I had trouble sleeping because it sounded like I was going to die. What the hell was a Mullerian origin? I had no idea. On April 1, 2020, my doctor said I had Ovarian Cancer. Oh, no! Lots of sleep eluded me because I was worried sick wondering who was going to care for my husband and dog. In fact, it felt like I was having a nightmare, but I was not waking up! Red lights kept blinking in my brain. Fear was all I saw.
Then, my doctor got me an appointment with a chemo doctor. Wow! I figured that I was near death even though my symptoms seemed to me to be extremely mild, barely noticeable, in fact. Was someone playing a joke on me? No! I thought that some of the tests might be wrong until I took a surgical pathology exam and CT guided biopsy which found malignant cells present with features consistent with high grade serious adenocarcinoma of the Mullerian Origin in my omentum ( fatty tissue below my belly button) and abdomen. Malignant was not a good thing. That much I knew even though I didnāt know much else. I figured that that must really be something very bad. No! No! No, my brain kept telling me. It was not true. A woman needed to feel very sick to have cancer, didnāt she? Apparently- not! I felt almost normal.
The next thing I knew, on April 12th, I had a Pet /CT scan that showed positive pericardiophrenic nodes in addition to extensive intraperitoneal disease and small indeterminate left pleural effusion. I did not understand any of these tests or what they meant besides the fact I was probably going to die because of what they said. Soon after that test, I was put to sleep by a doctor I did not know while the doctor installed a small port in my chest so black and blue marks did not decorate my arms from all the blood tests I needed to take. Everyone wore a mask because of Covid 19. Covid was very bad back then and spreading rapidly everywhere. Then April 14th, when I met with the chemo doctor, she examined me and told me what chemicals she was going to use on me and that I needed to see her every three weeks. The chemicals were (Avastin) Op Gyn Bevacizumab, Paclitaxel, and Carboplatin. Taking all these chemicals scared me. I had so much trouble falling asleep and staying asleep. Everything seemed scary. I also had to take a blood test and urine test every three weeks. She said I had Ovarian Cancer but refused to tell me the stage, so I knew it had to be bad. My life was truly in her hands. Then, I went into the lobby to wait to be called for my first chemo treatment. I was scared. I was so scared. I hated these stupid masks I had to wear. I wanted to rip it off my face. I always had trouble breathing because it felt as though not enough air was getting into my lungs. Tears filled my eyes, but I refused to cry. I started reading the book I brought with me instead. That helped a little. Because the hospital felt chilly, I waited in the lobby with my jacket on until a nurse called my name and let me in the crowded cold chemo room. She took me to a chair with a pillow on the back of it in front of a window. Then, the nurse asked me if I wanted some crackers, water, or a blanket as she pulled a lever on the chair and extended the seat so that my legs were not on the floor and said she needed to get the chemo chemicals for my infusion. She pulled the curtain around the small space for my privacy. Then, she left and returned in her mask covered with a plastic gown, rubber gloves, and the chemo drugs. She looked dressed for Halloween. I tried not to laugh. I knew it was not funny. Then, I felt the poison enter my body.
Was this really happening to me I said to myself while reading my book? I had trouble concentrating on the book. How did I get cancer I wondered? I thought I ate healthy enough meals, I exercised. I walked my dog Sammy twice a day for at least 20 minutes most days. Of course, no one answered me. I stayed in that chemo room for hours and hours while the poison entered my body. I brought my own bag filled with three 16.9 oz bottles of water, cheese crackers, cookies, pretzels, and fruit. I was glad I brought a book to read so my mind did not remain on the poison entering my body. I never wore my mask for very long even though the nurses did because I ate and drank all that I brought with me and even asked for more water and apple juice. Also, my stomach felt fine and never made me throw up while I ate and drank something during chemo.
After my first chemo treatment, my long hair started to fall out in small clumps. The next day, I went to Super Cuts and got all of it taken off. While I was there, a cute young man sat on the bench and watched the hairdresser shave off my hair until I looked totally bald. I saw him through the mirror. Then, the young man begged me to let him pay for my haircut. I did. I knew he thought I was going to die very soon, too. I became depressed. I came home and did not have the energy to play with my dog who looked at me with those cute brown eyes, holding a ball in his mouth and wondering why I did not want to play. I grabbed him and cried while holding him in my arms. He licked my face everywhere, trying to make me feel better; and he did. The next day, I bought a cotton hat to wear at night to keep my head warm, and I bought a wig and a hat to wear when I went outside. I also hired a dog walker to walk my dog twice a day. I knew I was not going to have the energy to do it. I made one of my friends promise to adopt my dog if I died.
My second treatment was delayed a week because the hospital got hacked and lots of information was not available, getting me more depressed. I even called their sister hospital in Texas and asked them if I could get a treatment there instead of California. I told them I would pay for my flight and hotel room. I told them about the hack. They said they were not able to help me. Sure, no one was ever available when you needed them. Finally, the hack was repaired. After my second treatment, I lost the hair on my eyebrows, my arms, my legs and private partsāeverywhere I had no more hair. I felt tired a lot from having trouble sleeping and started losing more weight no matter what I ate. I ate hamburgers, all forms of ice cream, French fries, onion rings, pizza and other fattening foods. Foods I rarely ate before or I would have looked like a fat cow in no time. I lost between 25 to 30 pounds. The cancer or chemo or both caused me to blow my nose a lot. I never knew where I got all that mucus. I also still had bloating (gas pains), nausea sometimes, light cramps, spotting, tingling in my feet called neuropathy, and a loss of appetite. I also got sores in my mouth. I was not able to use mouthwash with alcohol in it. It hurt too much. A good bit of the time, I forced myself to eat.
On April 30th, on the recommendation from my chemo doctor, I saw a gynecologist/oncologist because my chemo doctor believed that I needed a hysterectomy halfway through my chemo treatments to get rid of some of the cancer. Of course, the gynecologist/oncologist agreed; and she told me I needed to get a huge cut to reach the cancer because of where it was. The chemo I received during my first and second treatment caused the spotting to finally stop. On June 4th, I got a Pet/Ct scan that showed improvement in my condition from the chemo I received so far; and on June 7th, I saw the gynecologist/oncologistās progress notes which stated that I had Stage IV B high grade serious TOC whatever that meant. My pre-op visit was on June 25th. On June 30th, I had the hysterectomy. The doctor told me she found some cancer on top of my liver that she removed while doing the hysterectomy. I was grateful and thanked her. Because of Covid 19, very few nurses were on duty at the hospital.
After my hysterectomy, I woke up and found a weird type of girdle wrapped around my body at the huge incision sight and my legs were strapped into a small, weird type of machine that vibrates which helped to stop me from getting blood clots. However, the nurses had trouble getting to me when I needed to use the restroom. Therefore, I had to bend down with the cut on my stomach and unstrap my legs all by myself to get to the restroom and strap my legs when I returned to bed. It took forever to get the straps loose, and it was extremely difficult in my condition since I felt exhausted from losing so much blood during the hysterectomy. The gynecologist/ oncologist gave me two pints of blood during the surgery. However, the pain pills did their job. I felt no pain at all. Also, I had to call down to place a food order if I wanted to eat when I just wanted to go home and sleep. I got little sleep with people talking over the speakers in the hospital because of Covid 19 and other illnesses. However, I stopped noticing my side effects from cancer. I just wanted to go home very badly because I knew I would get better care at home. A nurse came in to take my temperature and pulse in the morning and at night. The nurse also checked my incision and rewrapped the girdle sometimes. The doctor wanted me to stay in the hospital until July 5th ; however, I wanted to go home earlier than that. The nurse said I needed to have one bowel movement to go home. So, I started eating prunes and kept eating them until I was able to go home. I went home July 4th. Yeah! I went home with my husband and son. It felt wonderful to be home again. Hospitals and I never got along.
The first couple of days they had to help me to the bathroom and up the stairs to the bedroom. I felt too weak to stand alone, let alone walk up the stairs by myself. Taking a shower was another challenge because the neuropathy on my feet from chemo made the tile on my shower floor feel like I was stepping on shards of glass. It felt so strange. My husband had to buy me a special mat for my feet and special pads for my shoes. I also needed to buy dresses because the pants bothered my incision. I had to get my pants altered because my pants started to fall from the weight I lost, and I needed to get more holes put into my belts. My bra size went down from a 40 D to a 38 C, too. It took a few weeks to get all this done; but after I did it all, I started to feel more normal again. I also tried acupuncture for the neuropathy on my feet and ankles for a few months, but it didnāt help much. The acupuncturist told me that the nerve damage may never repair itself.
Friends and relatives prayed for me and sent me get well cards, flowers, nightgowns, soups, cookies, pies, and books to read. I had enough food in the refrigerator to last a couple of weeks and enough books for months. My son even made a filet mignon dinner one night to celebrate my being home, and I actually ate it. Everyone wanted me to get well. I felt overwhelmed with gratitude and never felt so loved. My feet and some fingers continued to tingle from the neuropathy. In no time my huge scar started to heal, and it eventually turned a light pink. I had a post-op meeting on July 16th when my incision was partially healed, and the doctor said I was doing well. I started to believe her. My feet felt very cold most nights, so I had to buy and wear heavy socks to bed. My platelets were low, so I was not able to get my cataracts removed from my eyes. In fact, the doctor told me that I was not able to get any type of surgery for a while. My legs still felt weak climbing up the stairs, but maybe it was because I started to feel old. I saw the chemo doctor, and she started me back on chemo on July 21st. My nose started to run after eating, and it started to bleed again, and I got diarrhea and constipation from the chemo. My feet still tingled, and three of my fingers on each hand started to tingle, too. Furthermore, I had to force myself to eat again; and my nightmares reappeared. August 17th, I barely slept that night because my head kept getting soaked with sweat; and my pillow felt wet and cold on both sides. One week I had diarrhea; the next week I became constipated. That started to drive me crazy. I hated the side effects. I even got a red-light ticket for not stopping when I had to rush home from Solana beach to run to the bathroom. I did look both ways before I went through the light, and no one was near me; but I still had to pay $500 for the ticket. It was a camera photo finish ticket, so I never saw a police officer.
My chemo ended the middle of September, and I started taking a Parp Inhibitor drug called Lynparza. I needed to take this cancer drug for two years. The first month the co-pay cost was $3000.00 with insurance. Then, I had to pay a monthly fee of $ 750 which went up to $765 with insurance. I had to take the drug every twelve hours (2 pills- 300 mg. in the morning and 2pills-300mg. in the pm). The chemo doctor told me I needed to keep the port inside my chest a while longer when I asked her if I needed to get it out. I believed that surgery and the chance the cancer may return caused her to say that. Also, I had to see her every three months instead of every three weeks; and I still needed my port flushed once a month and still needed to get Avastin in the hospital every three weeks. After what I went through, I sure hoped I survived this cancer for many years to come.
White straight hair started to grow from my bald head by October. When my hair reached a quarter inch, it suddenly became super curly; and I wondered where the wavy hair went that I had had all my life. Then, the white hair stayed in the front of my head, but my hair turned brown in the back of my head. So, I dyed my hair brown to cover my whole head. I looked so different in the mirror, thinner, more tired looking, like I was someone else; and I guessed that I was. I prayed whoever I was now stayed alive, and I was not religious at all. Because of the Lynparza cancer pills, fatigue found me every afternoon. I even caught myself taking a nap which I never took before I was diagnosed with cancer. Besides fatigue, I still felt nauseous sometimes, constipated, and had diarrhea, nose bleeds, a runny nose, and gas pains. Also, my feet still tingled from the nerve damage caused from chemo; and I still needed to get my port flushed every month at the hospital. However, I felt the worst was over. I hoped it was.
To get back into shape, I started taking my twenty -minute walks again mostly twice a day with my dog and a friend when she was able to come with me. Also, I still drank three 16.9 oz. bottles of water a day besides other drinks; and I tried to eat healthy. At some point after starting chemo, my blood pressure became normal; and I no longer had prediabetes. However, the Lynparza cancer drug gave me some side effects, such as terrible indigestion, worse than I originally had, diarrhea, constipation, fatigue, loss of appetite, and weakness in my legs when climbing the stairs, and tingling in my feet and some tingling in my fingers continued. But--- there was no grave with my name on the headstone yet; and the doctors all told me that I made a miracle happen by staying alive with the disease that I had had at my age. In July of 2022, the CT Scan I took said I was still cancer free at age 74. After being on the Lynparza drug for one year in September of 2022, I stopped taking the Avastin drug at the hospital and my runny nose lessened while my nose bleeds stopped. The side effects from the Lynparza lessened also. Additionally, I needed to see the gynecologist/oncologist February of 2023 and not before that. Yeah! I was still cancer free as of December 2022āfree of the deadliest of all gynecological cancers. So, I want to warn all the women in the world about this disease and ask them to force their doctors to test them for it if they get the symptoms no matter how slight the symptoms seem before it becomes too late. Please! I also want to make sure doctors test women for this disease instead of taking the easy way out and giving them drugs that cannot cure it. My hope is that this information helps save at least one womanās life and one womanās nightmares!
submitted by Throwaway_00411 to TwoXChromosomes [link] [comments]
Posting using a throwaway as this is entirely for my mother who's about to turn 75 this year after surviving ovarian cancer. She's written a long form article on her experience and wants to share it with as many women out there as possible to increase awareness of Ovarian Cancer. I am not a woman, but immediately thought of this subreddit. Without further ado
------------------------------------------- Miracles Happen by Throwaway_00411's Mother -------------------------------------------
I wrote a portion of my life to help all the women in the world. Please read it. I worked very hard to write it because I wanted to warn women about the deadliest gynecological disease they may get. What I wrote may save your life, a relative, or a friendās life if you or they get sick like me. It all started at the beginning of March 2021, when I thought I had a urinary infection of some sort because of a slight vaginal discharge, pelvic pressure (gas or boating), and very light cramps. I felt more tired too, but I thought the tiredness was caused from being old. I was 73. So, I decided to go to my gynecologist. However, she was not available. Her young substitute gave me a 10 day supply of antibiotics without a urine or blood test. While taking the antibiotics, I started spotting blood. I knew my period days were over, so I asked a nurse what I should do. She told me it was probably caused by an irritation and suggested I take Replens. The Replens did nothing to stop the spotting, and the cure for my condition was not antibiotics. Therefore, I decided to see my family physician. I needed to find out what was wrong with me.
My family doctor signed me up for a slew of blood tests. On March 22, I had a CT A/P with contrast (Computed Tomography) at the hospital which showed that I had peritoneal carcinomatosis. However, I didnāt know exactly what that meant although it sounded ominous. My right lymph node near my heart showed suspicious pathological involvement and an indeterminate hypodense lesion on my liver. That sounded bad too. I started to worry. March 23rd, I took a cancer blood test at the hospital laboratory for Cancer Antigen 19-9 and Cancer Antigen 125. Although my Cancer Antigen 19-9 was normal, my Cancer Antigen 125 range was at 410 even though the range of normal only went to 35. On March 30th, I had a surgical pathology exam which said I had malignant cells present with features consistent with high grade serious carcinoma of the Mullerian origin. I had trouble sleeping because it sounded like I was going to die. What the hell was a Mullerian origin? I had no idea. On April 1, 2020, my doctor said I had Ovarian Cancer. Oh, no! Lots of sleep eluded me because I was worried sick wondering who was going to care for my husband and dog. In fact, it felt like I was having a nightmare, but I was not waking up! Red lights kept blinking in my brain. Fear was all I saw.
Then, my doctor got me an appointment with a chemo doctor. Wow! I figured that I was near death even though my symptoms seemed to me to be extremely mild, barely noticeable, in fact. Was someone playing a joke on me? No! I thought that some of the tests might be wrong until I took a surgical pathology exam and CT guided biopsy which found malignant cells present with features consistent with high grade serious adenocarcinoma of the Mullerian Origin in my omentum ( fatty tissue below my belly button) and abdomen. Malignant was not a good thing. That much I knew even though I didnāt know much else. I figured that that must really be something very bad. No! No! No, my brain kept telling me. It was not true. A woman needed to feel very sick to have cancer, didnāt she? Apparently- not! I felt almost normal.
The next thing I knew, on April 12th, I had a Pet /CT scan that showed positive pericardiophrenic nodes in addition to extensive intraperitoneal disease and small indeterminate left pleural effusion. I did not understand any of these tests or what they meant besides the fact I was probably going to die because of what they said. Soon after that test, I was put to sleep by a doctor I did not know while the doctor installed a small port in my chest so black and blue marks did not decorate my arms from all the blood tests I needed to take. Everyone wore a mask because of Covid 19. Covid was very bad back then and spreading rapidly everywhere. Then April 14th, when I met with the chemo doctor, she examined me and told me what chemicals she was going to use on me and that I needed to see her every three weeks. The chemicals were (Avastin) Op Gyn Bevacizumab, Paclitaxel, and Carboplatin. Taking all these chemicals scared me. I had so much trouble falling asleep and staying asleep. Everything seemed scary. I also had to take a blood test and urine test every three weeks. She said I had Ovarian Cancer but refused to tell me the stage, so I knew it had to be bad. My life was truly in her hands. Then, I went into the lobby to wait to be called for my first chemo treatment. I was scared. I was so scared. I hated these stupid masks I had to wear. I wanted to rip it off my face. I always had trouble breathing because it felt as though not enough air was getting into my lungs. Tears filled my eyes, but I refused to cry. I started reading the book I brought with me instead. That helped a little. Because the hospital felt chilly, I waited in the lobby with my jacket on until a nurse called my name and let me in the crowded cold chemo room. She took me to a chair with a pillow on the back of it in front of a window. Then, the nurse asked me if I wanted some crackers, water, or a blanket as she pulled a lever on the chair and extended the seat so that my legs were not on the floor and said she needed to get the chemo chemicals for my infusion. She pulled the curtain around the small space for my privacy. Then, she left and returned in her mask covered with a plastic gown, rubber gloves, and the chemo drugs. She looked dressed for Halloween. I tried not to laugh. I knew it was not funny. Then, I felt the poison enter my body.
Was this really happening to me I said to myself while reading my book? I had trouble concentrating on the book. How did I get cancer I wondered? I thought I ate healthy enough meals, I exercised. I walked my dog Sammy twice a day for at least 20 minutes most days. Of course, no one answered me. I stayed in that chemo room for hours and hours while the poison entered my body. I brought my own bag filled with three 16.9 oz bottles of water, cheese crackers, cookies, pretzels, and fruit. I was glad I brought a book to read so my mind did not remain on the poison entering my body. I never wore my mask for very long even though the nurses did because I ate and drank all that I brought with me and even asked for more water and apple juice. Also, my stomach felt fine and never made me throw up while I ate and drank something during chemo.
After my first chemo treatment, my long hair started to fall out in small clumps. The next day, I went to Super Cuts and got all of it taken off. While I was there, a cute young man sat on the bench and watched the hairdresser shave off my hair until I looked totally bald. I saw him through the mirror. Then, the young man begged me to let him pay for my haircut. I did. I knew he thought I was going to die very soon, too. I became depressed. I came home and did not have the energy to play with my dog who looked at me with those cute brown eyes, holding a ball in his mouth and wondering why I did not want to play. I grabbed him and cried while holding him in my arms. He licked my face everywhere, trying to make me feel better; and he did. The next day, I bought a cotton hat to wear at night to keep my head warm, and I bought a wig and a hat to wear when I went outside. I also hired a dog walker to walk my dog twice a day. I knew I was not going to have the energy to do it. I made one of my friends promise to adopt my dog if I died.
My second treatment was delayed a week because the hospital got hacked and lots of information was not available, getting me more depressed. I even called their sister hospital in Texas and asked them if I could get a treatment there instead of California. I told them I would pay for my flight and hotel room. I told them about the hack. They said they were not able to help me. Sure, no one was ever available when you needed them. Finally, the hack was repaired. After my second treatment, I lost the hair on my eyebrows, my arms, my legs and private partsāeverywhere I had no more hair. I felt tired a lot from having trouble sleeping and started losing more weight no matter what I ate. I ate hamburgers, all forms of ice cream, French fries, onion rings, pizza and other fattening foods. Foods I rarely ate before or I would have looked like a fat cow in no time. I lost between 25 to 30 pounds. The cancer or chemo or both caused me to blow my nose a lot. I never knew where I got all that mucus. I also still had bloating (gas pains), nausea sometimes, light cramps, spotting, tingling in my feet called neuropathy, and a loss of appetite. I also got sores in my mouth. I was not able to use mouthwash with alcohol in it. It hurt too much. A good bit of the time, I forced myself to eat.
On April 30th, on the recommendation from my chemo doctor, I saw a gynecologist/oncologist because my chemo doctor believed that I needed a hysterectomy halfway through my chemo treatments to get rid of some of the cancer. Of course, the gynecologist/oncologist agreed; and she told me I needed to get a huge cut to reach the cancer because of where it was. The chemo I received during my first and second treatment caused the spotting to finally stop. On June 4th, I got a Pet/Ct scan that showed improvement in my condition from the chemo I received so far; and on June 7th, I saw the gynecologist/oncologistās progress notes which stated that I had Stage IV B high grade serious TOC whatever that meant. My pre-op visit was on June 25th. On June 30th, I had the hysterectomy. The doctor told me she found some cancer on top of my liver that she removed while doing the hysterectomy. I was grateful and thanked her. Because of Covid 19, very few nurses were on duty at the hospital.
After my hysterectomy, I woke up and found a weird type of girdle wrapped around my body at the huge incision sight and my legs were strapped into a small, weird type of machine that vibrates which helped to stop me from getting blood clots. However, the nurses had trouble getting to me when I needed to use the restroom. Therefore, I had to bend down with the cut on my stomach and unstrap my legs all by myself to get to the restroom and strap my legs when I returned to bed. It took forever to get the straps loose, and it was extremely difficult in my condition since I felt exhausted from losing so much blood during the hysterectomy. The gynecologist/ oncologist gave me two pints of blood during the surgery. However, the pain pills did their job. I felt no pain at all. Also, I had to call down to place a food order if I wanted to eat when I just wanted to go home and sleep. I got little sleep with people talking over the speakers in the hospital because of Covid 19 and other illnesses. However, I stopped noticing my side effects from cancer. I just wanted to go home very badly because I knew I would get better care at home. A nurse came in to take my temperature and pulse in the morning and at night. The nurse also checked my incision and rewrapped the girdle sometimes. The doctor wanted me to stay in the hospital until July 5th ; however, I wanted to go home earlier than that. The nurse said I needed to have one bowel movement to go home. So, I started eating prunes and kept eating them until I was able to go home. I went home July 4th. Yeah! I went home with my husband and son. It felt wonderful to be home again. Hospitals and I never got along.
The first couple of days they had to help me to the bathroom and up the stairs to the bedroom. I felt too weak to stand alone, let alone walk up the stairs by myself. Taking a shower was another challenge because the neuropathy on my feet from chemo made the tile on my shower floor feel like I was stepping on shards of glass. It felt so strange. My husband had to buy me a special mat for my feet and special pads for my shoes. I also needed to buy dresses because the pants bothered my incision. I had to get my pants altered because my pants started to fall from the weight I lost, and I needed to get more holes put into my belts. My bra size went down from a 40 D to a 38 C, too. It took a few weeks to get all this done; but after I did it all, I started to feel more normal again. I also tried acupuncture for the neuropathy on my feet and ankles for a few months, but it didnāt help much. The acupuncturist told me that the nerve damage may never repair itself.
Friends and relatives prayed for me and sent me get well cards, flowers, nightgowns, soups, cookies, pies, and books to read. I had enough food in the refrigerator to last a couple of weeks and enough books for months. My son even made a filet mignon dinner one night to celebrate my being home, and I actually ate it. Everyone wanted me to get well. I felt overwhelmed with gratitude and never felt so loved. My feet and some fingers continued to tingle from the neuropathy. In no time my huge scar started to heal, and it eventually turned a light pink. I had a post-op meeting on July 16th when my incision was partially healed, and the doctor said I was doing well. I started to believe her. My feet felt very cold most nights, so I had to buy and wear heavy socks to bed. My platelets were low, so I was not able to get my cataracts removed from my eyes. In fact, the doctor told me that I was not able to get any type of surgery for a while. My legs still felt weak climbing up the stairs, but maybe it was because I started to feel old. I saw the chemo doctor, and she started me back on chemo on July 21st. My nose started to run after eating, and it started to bleed again, and I got diarrhea and constipation from the chemo. My feet still tingled, and three of my fingers on each hand started to tingle, too. Furthermore, I had to force myself to eat again; and my nightmares reappeared. August 17th, I barely slept that night because my head kept getting soaked with sweat; and my pillow felt wet and cold on both sides. One week I had diarrhea; the next week I became constipated. That started to drive me crazy. I hated the side effects. I even got a red-light ticket for not stopping when I had to rush home from Solana beach to run to the bathroom. I did look both ways before I went through the light, and no one was near me; but I still had to pay $500 for the ticket. It was a camera photo finish ticket, so I never saw a police officer.
My chemo ended the middle of September, and I started taking a Parp Inhibitor drug called Lynparza. I needed to take this cancer drug for two years. The first month the co-pay cost was $3000.00 with insurance. Then, I had to pay a monthly fee of $ 750 which went up to $765 with insurance. I had to take the drug every twelve hours (2 pills- 300 mg. in the morning and 2pills-300mg. in the pm). The chemo doctor told me I needed to keep the port inside my chest a while longer when I asked her if I needed to get it out. I believed that surgery and the chance the cancer may return caused her to say that. Also, I had to see her every three months instead of every three weeks; and I still needed my port flushed once a month and still needed to get Avastin in the hospital every three weeks. After what I went through, I sure hoped I survived this cancer for many years to come.
White straight hair started to grow from my bald head by October. When my hair reached a quarter inch, it suddenly became super curly; and I wondered where the wavy hair went that I had had all my life. Then, the white hair stayed in the front of my head, but my hair turned brown in the back of my head. So, I dyed my hair brown to cover my whole head. I looked so different in the mirror, thinner, more tired looking, like I was someone else; and I guessed that I was. I prayed whoever I was now stayed alive, and I was not religious at all. Because of the Lynparza cancer pills, fatigue found me every afternoon. I even caught myself taking a nap which I never took before I was diagnosed with cancer. Besides fatigue, I still felt nauseous sometimes, constipated, and had diarrhea, nose bleeds, a runny nose, and gas pains. Also, my feet still tingled from the nerve damage caused from chemo; and I still needed to get my port flushed every month at the hospital. However, I felt the worst was over. I hoped it was.
To get back into shape, I started taking my twenty -minute walks again mostly twice a day with my dog and a friend when she was able to come with me. Also, I still drank three 16.9 oz. bottles of water a day besides other drinks; and I tried to eat healthy. At some point after starting chemo, my blood pressure became normal; and I no longer had prediabetes. However, the Lynparza cancer drug gave me some side effects, such as terrible indigestion, worse than I originally had, diarrhea, constipation, fatigue, loss of appetite, and weakness in my legs when climbing the stairs, and tingling in my feet and some tingling in my fingers continued. But--- there was no grave with my name on the headstone yet; and the doctors all told me that I made a miracle happen by staying alive with the disease that I had had at my age. In July of 2022, the CT Scan I took said I was still cancer free at age 74. After being on the Lynparza drug for one year in September of 2022, I stopped taking the Avastin drug at the hospital and my runny nose lessened while my nose bleeds stopped. The side effects from the Lynparza lessened also. Additionally, I needed to see the gynecologist/oncologist February of 2023 and not before that. Yeah! I was still cancer free as of December 2022āfree of the deadliest of all gynecological cancers. So, I want to warn all the women in the world about this disease and ask them to force their doctors to test them for it if they get the symptoms no matter how slight the symptoms seem before it becomes too late. Please! I also want to make sure doctors test women for this disease instead of taking the easy way out and giving them drugs that cannot cure it. My hope is that this information helps save at least one womanās life and one womanās nightmares!
2023.01.28 07:53 bbygirl888 Vaginal Rash.. should I make an appointment?
Hello! Iāve have a rash from the top of my ālipsā down to the top of my asshole on both sides.. it stings, burns, dry, raw feeling BUT does not itch!! It started about 5 days ago, I got my period on the 20th and still very much on it still today (28th). Some history, Iāve been on the arm implant (nexplanon) and birth control pills for 5 years. About 1 1/2 months ago I stopped taking my birth control pill. I still have the arm implant. I got my period right away after stopping the pill and had my period for 12 days. I was off my period for 2 weeks and now Iām on it again since the 20th. About 3 days into the period, I developed dryness around my vagina (Iāve always been dry down there but now itās making my skin burn). While examining with a hand mirror, I can see dry cracking skin wanting to flake off. Worse of all, after I use the toilet and have to wipe, the hand motion of whipping and contact is VERY PAINFUL. Today was my third day but putting āCortizoneā on the area, given to me by my mom but it has not helped. She has given me some coconut oil and āReplens Vaginal Moisturizerā. So far I havenāt tried the replens but I did put coconut oil on. I donāt know how long I should try this at home treatment before contacting my doctor. I also do not use tampons, I hate them. I only use pads and changed them multiple times a day but after doing some googling, it says I should wear loose clothes. Which is hard to do when I wear pads so half way through today, I took my pad off and donāt care about my underwear or pants anymore. I just want this to be over with.
submitted by bbygirl888 to WomensHealth [link] [comments]
2022.11.13 21:46 OrchidObjective11 Extreme Vaginal Dryness Causing Infections-HELP
I just joined because I desperately need help. I'm 53 and had my last period in August. I have had vaginal strep for over two years due to lack of moisture (according to my gyno), and it's making me miserable. I feel like I wasted my last years of sexual prime dealing with this BS. I'd love to take HRT but I cannot as I have a brain tumor. Yay me! Any suggestions to help with dryness? I tried Replens and it chunks out like cottage cheese. Hard pass. In addition, my doctor recommended I try Osphena. I did a search and see nothing on this drug. When I google it, I see a lot of negative reviews. Has anyone in here tried it?
submitted by OrchidObjective11 to Menopause [link] [comments]
2022.03.28 23:52 anonyadayada One reason to keep your period underwear / reusable pads!
At 6 months out, I have a bit of advice that may come in handy. Don't get rid of your period underwear or reusable pads just yet! I almost did.
However, now I need KY Liquibeads or the Replens suppositories about 2x / week in order for my sex life to be decent. (They last 3-4 days.) It solves my new problem, so it's fine. But, the substance leaks like hell on day 1 and is gross...also stains cotton. Blech. Anyway, I'm so glad I held onto my Thinx because I am wearing them 2x / week.
I hope everyone is doing well!
submitted by anonyadayada to hysterectomy [link] [comments]
However, now I need KY Liquibeads or the Replens suppositories about 2x / week in order for my sex life to be decent. (They last 3-4 days.) It solves my new problem, so it's fine. But, the substance leaks like hell on day 1 and is gross...also stains cotton. Blech. Anyway, I'm so glad I held onto my Thinx because I am wearing them 2x / week.
I hope everyone is doing well!
2022.01.31 18:21 karexoxo Unexplained vaginal irritation, itching, burning for 2 months - help!
Hi All. I've been in a months-long (7) vaginal health crisis. I'm 29F.
TL;DR - after having ureaplasma and recurrent yeast infections and being cured of those, tests show up negative (comprehensive panels) and I'm continuing to have irritation (burning/itching, warm feeling) and discharge which has been dubbed as "normal" by doctors. Help! What do I do? Any ideas what it might be?
ETA: all symptoms are internal. Nothing external. They just happen randomly and pressure from sitting (I have a desk job) makes it more irritated.
Here's a chronological list of my problems (note that I have not been sexually active since July, before they started):
Mid-July - BV suspected and confirmed, given flagyl orally to treat. Continued to have an odor and took a total of 3 weeks of flagyl and then it seemed to get worse (note: the odor was actually a body odor which I have no idea what to do about and has stayed with me since then. they chose not to treat me with diflucan at the same time as antibiotics so I developed a bad yeast infection).
Mid-August - Went back and was told "you don't have BV, it's a yeast infection" and told to take Monistat 1 (horrible advice) and experienced excruciating pain AND symptoms did not go away
End of August - Given 2 doses of diflucan, also did not work. Went back and was told to take Boric Acid for 21 days. Side note - at this time I switched from the pill to the mini-pill because it caused me high blood pressure. The mini pill made me bleed for 2 weeks straight.
First week of September - They tested me for ureaplasma the last time I went in and confirmed it. Told me to stop with boric acid and to take Azithromycin. 500mg/day for 6 days.
Second week of September - my vagina was BURNING all the time, they told me to take doxycycline since my symptoms should have been going away, and I took doxy twice a day for 7 days and my symptoms got worse.
Third week of September - went back and told them I was in a lot of pain. Ran as many tests as possible and they all came back neg, said it was inflammation that would go away.
Fourth week of September - came back to doctor with a yeast infection. (Itching, burning, irritation) Treated with diflucan
Second week of October - Came back with symptoms, it was a yeast infection, treated again with diflucan. Also re-tested for Ureaplasma (I had Ureaplasma Urealyticum) and it came back negative.
(note, in between these visits I would call and they'd tell me I was fine because I took the prescription).
Third week of October - Cambe back with same symptoms, this time it was a cream, Terconazole. Provided some relief but symptoms again came back.
Second week of November - went to new gynecologist. Yeast infection occurred very very bad yeast infection with a lot of discharge. Prescribed me Brexafemme. Symptoms calmed down a little but persisted.
First week of December - Came back with mild yet still irritating symptoms. Full panel taken and came back NEGATIVE for everything. Told me to take 'Replens' if the mini-pill was causing vaginal dryness
Had to go out of town last 2 weeks of the year for holidays. Still burning/itching and discharge. Treated myself with 2 weeks of boric acid (which actually did help a little). Still experiencing irritation/mild burning.
First week of Jan - went back with same symptoms - full panel for everything came back NEG again. Was told it's not yeast even though there is visible discharge, discharge "looks normal."
Stopped taking the mini-pill. Was told we can't treat it if nothing is wrong but to try an OTC product - Revaree for vaginal dryness. Had to order online and haven't received it. I do not believe I have vaginal dryness. Symptoms have continued to get worse.
Now, currently on my period nearly 4 weeks after stopping the mini-pill. Symptoms still persist. Not sure what to do. The doctors do not want me to do the microgendx test because it will be expensive (and my insurance is terrible), it may be the only option I have left and I've already spent probably nearly $2,000 on treatment this far anyway.
Anyone have any advice on what to do next? What it might be?
submitted by karexoxo to Healthyhooha [link] [comments]
TL;DR - after having ureaplasma and recurrent yeast infections and being cured of those, tests show up negative (comprehensive panels) and I'm continuing to have irritation (burning/itching, warm feeling) and discharge which has been dubbed as "normal" by doctors. Help! What do I do? Any ideas what it might be?
ETA: all symptoms are internal. Nothing external. They just happen randomly and pressure from sitting (I have a desk job) makes it more irritated.
Here's a chronological list of my problems (note that I have not been sexually active since July, before they started):
Mid-July - BV suspected and confirmed, given flagyl orally to treat. Continued to have an odor and took a total of 3 weeks of flagyl and then it seemed to get worse (note: the odor was actually a body odor which I have no idea what to do about and has stayed with me since then. they chose not to treat me with diflucan at the same time as antibiotics so I developed a bad yeast infection).
Mid-August - Went back and was told "you don't have BV, it's a yeast infection" and told to take Monistat 1 (horrible advice) and experienced excruciating pain AND symptoms did not go away
End of August - Given 2 doses of diflucan, also did not work. Went back and was told to take Boric Acid for 21 days. Side note - at this time I switched from the pill to the mini-pill because it caused me high blood pressure. The mini pill made me bleed for 2 weeks straight.
First week of September - They tested me for ureaplasma the last time I went in and confirmed it. Told me to stop with boric acid and to take Azithromycin. 500mg/day for 6 days.
Second week of September - my vagina was BURNING all the time, they told me to take doxycycline since my symptoms should have been going away, and I took doxy twice a day for 7 days and my symptoms got worse.
Third week of September - went back and told them I was in a lot of pain. Ran as many tests as possible and they all came back neg, said it was inflammation that would go away.
Fourth week of September - came back to doctor with a yeast infection. (Itching, burning, irritation) Treated with diflucan
Second week of October - Came back with symptoms, it was a yeast infection, treated again with diflucan. Also re-tested for Ureaplasma (I had Ureaplasma Urealyticum) and it came back negative.
(note, in between these visits I would call and they'd tell me I was fine because I took the prescription).
Third week of October - Cambe back with same symptoms, this time it was a cream, Terconazole. Provided some relief but symptoms again came back.
Second week of November - went to new gynecologist. Yeast infection occurred very very bad yeast infection with a lot of discharge. Prescribed me Brexafemme. Symptoms calmed down a little but persisted.
First week of December - Came back with mild yet still irritating symptoms. Full panel taken and came back NEGATIVE for everything. Told me to take 'Replens' if the mini-pill was causing vaginal dryness
Had to go out of town last 2 weeks of the year for holidays. Still burning/itching and discharge. Treated myself with 2 weeks of boric acid (which actually did help a little). Still experiencing irritation/mild burning.
First week of Jan - went back with same symptoms - full panel for everything came back NEG again. Was told it's not yeast even though there is visible discharge, discharge "looks normal."
Stopped taking the mini-pill. Was told we can't treat it if nothing is wrong but to try an OTC product - Revaree for vaginal dryness. Had to order online and haven't received it. I do not believe I have vaginal dryness. Symptoms have continued to get worse.
Now, currently on my period nearly 4 weeks after stopping the mini-pill. Symptoms still persist. Not sure what to do. The doctors do not want me to do the microgendx test because it will be expensive (and my insurance is terrible), it may be the only option I have left and I've already spent probably nearly $2,000 on treatment this far anyway.
Anyone have any advice on what to do next? What it might be?
2022.01.19 22:05 chrislamtheories 4 weeks of itchy vagina Hell, need to vent
I am a 34 F with a history of chemo, and am currently on Tamoxifen.
I am at the end of my rope here. Lately Iāve been crying a lot, and very depressed because of this issue.
My misery began around 12/6/21.
Me and my new partner got a whole panel of STI tests before we had sex. We were both clean according to the tests. I have never had sex without a condom before, but he had a vasectomy, so I was excited to try. Days after having sex, my vagina started getting itchy and red. I wrote to my GP. He said it sounded like a yeast infection and prescribed me Fluconazole after I took a Monistat that didnāt help.
I went to an OBGYN. She tested me for yeast, BV, UTI. I came up negative for all those things. The 1 STI I had was antibodies for a past exposure to Herpes 1, but not from a recent infection. The OBGYN gave me antibiotics.
I started to feel better. For 2 weeks I was great, then the itchiness came back. I took a powerful probiotic. I got diarrhea and ended up irritating my rectum. I went back to an OBGYN. She tested me for everything and I was negative. She recommended coconut oil. This did nothing. I saw another GP. She gave me a topical steroid for my vagina and rectum. This was holy hell on my rectum. It burned for 9 straight hours. I couldnāt sleep for 2 days.
I went to urgent care. The doc tested me for everything again and also did a micoplasma test. I came up negative for everything again. The doc said my vagina looked red, dry and irritated, and my anus just looked irritated too, but nothing serious. He recommended I moisturize.
Using Replens and Vitamin E have reduced the intensity of the itching, but itās still there. My anus continued to burn and itch, but I started doing 3 daily sitz baths and that seems to help.
Also I found itās better not to use any soap and not to dry too vigorously because that just irritates things too much.
The good news is I finally got off pain pills. I had been on them for the last 18 days. But my hell continues. Iāve been crying with shame and frustration because I just want this to go away so I can have my normal life back.
The OBGYN said one final thing they can do is a vaginal biopsy, so I guess I can try scheduling that.
Thereās also the fact that Tamoxifen may have dried me out, but I have been on it for 3.5 years. Why have side effects right after I have sex with a new partner?
Ice packs sometimes help. Daytime antihistamines donāt really help, but Benadryl does. I am also eating yogurt taking a lower level of probiotics that wonāt give me diarrhea. And yes, I wear loose cotton underwear and sleep with no underwear. I have been testing my vaginal PH, it is in the normal range.
I am currently on my period. I thought that would make things better, but instead my over sensitive vagina is feeling worse.
Anyone in my crappy boat? Anyone find a way out of this crap boat?
Thanks.
submitted by chrislamtheories to Healthyhooha [link] [comments]
I am at the end of my rope here. Lately Iāve been crying a lot, and very depressed because of this issue.
My misery began around 12/6/21.
Me and my new partner got a whole panel of STI tests before we had sex. We were both clean according to the tests. I have never had sex without a condom before, but he had a vasectomy, so I was excited to try. Days after having sex, my vagina started getting itchy and red. I wrote to my GP. He said it sounded like a yeast infection and prescribed me Fluconazole after I took a Monistat that didnāt help.
I went to an OBGYN. She tested me for yeast, BV, UTI. I came up negative for all those things. The 1 STI I had was antibodies for a past exposure to Herpes 1, but not from a recent infection. The OBGYN gave me antibiotics.
I started to feel better. For 2 weeks I was great, then the itchiness came back. I took a powerful probiotic. I got diarrhea and ended up irritating my rectum. I went back to an OBGYN. She tested me for everything and I was negative. She recommended coconut oil. This did nothing. I saw another GP. She gave me a topical steroid for my vagina and rectum. This was holy hell on my rectum. It burned for 9 straight hours. I couldnāt sleep for 2 days.
I went to urgent care. The doc tested me for everything again and also did a micoplasma test. I came up negative for everything again. The doc said my vagina looked red, dry and irritated, and my anus just looked irritated too, but nothing serious. He recommended I moisturize.
Using Replens and Vitamin E have reduced the intensity of the itching, but itās still there. My anus continued to burn and itch, but I started doing 3 daily sitz baths and that seems to help.
Also I found itās better not to use any soap and not to dry too vigorously because that just irritates things too much.
The good news is I finally got off pain pills. I had been on them for the last 18 days. But my hell continues. Iāve been crying with shame and frustration because I just want this to go away so I can have my normal life back.
The OBGYN said one final thing they can do is a vaginal biopsy, so I guess I can try scheduling that.
Thereās also the fact that Tamoxifen may have dried me out, but I have been on it for 3.5 years. Why have side effects right after I have sex with a new partner?
Ice packs sometimes help. Daytime antihistamines donāt really help, but Benadryl does. I am also eating yogurt taking a lower level of probiotics that wonāt give me diarrhea. And yes, I wear loose cotton underwear and sleep with no underwear. I have been testing my vaginal PH, it is in the normal range.
I am currently on my period. I thought that would make things better, but instead my over sensitive vagina is feeling worse.
Anyone in my crappy boat? Anyone find a way out of this crap boat?
Thanks.
2021.12.04 17:25 LoveThieves Introduction to Dark Souls 1 PVP
An introduction to Dark Souls 1 PVP
This is an introductory guide to dark souls PVP explaining the basic concepts that make up player vs player combat and what makes it different from PVEPVE to PVPImportant things to know moving from player vs enemy to player vs player in dark souls
Dark souls is two completely different games in one and the use of the same mechanics differ and entirely new ones are born in moving between the two
Dark souls as PVP is a fighting game where you must think about your opponent's position and strategy in order to succeed . Not only that but it's also both a 2d fighting game and a 3d fighting game . While locked on it takes the form of a 2d game such as street fighter and while in 3d takes on the form of an omni directional game like Dragon Ball Zenoverse or Naruto Shippuden ultimate ninja Storm
Player vs enemy teaches you the core mechanics of the dark souls world by putting the focus on the player; however, PVP puts the focus instead on the people youāre playing with .
You have to know your enemy to win as well as the function of the world . Unfortunately most peopleās time with player vs enemy will teach them bad habits , biases , and misconceptions of the world's function . Thatās ok though ! Itās best to start fresh and pretend itās your first time playing dark souls all over again , because it is . Each of these core functions will be used a little differently during your time in PVP.
ControlsThe controls of dark souls can be almost completely rebound and while standard controls work perfectly for PVP it can help to experiment and find a layout that works for you .
CameraThe camera in dark souls is your greatest tool . Itās the tactical camera of fire emblem or dragon age , or the aim in gears of war or call of duty
Always have it trained well on your opponent but also the space around you knowing . Your weapon ranges through experience will do you as much as good as memorizing the stats .
In PVE play the AI enemies behaviors are built around the lock-on / crosshairs functions . Youāll find using no camera largely breaks the difficulty of the vanilla game
In your matches with other players the same is true of turning it off . Once you wean off of your lock-on dark souls becomes a 3D fighting game with limitless possibility of choice and combination
BackstabThe number one rule of pvp is to protect your back . Pointless attacks and haphazard rolls end the same way every time you know because youāve done it .
Always consider where your back is and assume thatās where your opponent is . Give your opponent the good faith that theyāre exactly where they should be and react accordingly . Always defend your back in tandem with maneuvering to your enemy's back . Becoming overconfident and overextending is a sure way to die
OptimizationThe use of equipment in pvp is very different to pve . Thanks to the hard work of dozens of brilliant minds we have a large selection of builds perfectly suited for this aspect of the game . Lists of which can be easily requested !
LatencyDark souls connectivity relies on what is known as a peer to peer connection . This means that there is no central server so certain actions are resolved from either the defenderās perspective or the attackerās .
EX : Attack ranges are calculated on the attackerās connection where as invincibility frames are calculated on the defenderās side
Victors ScreenThe victor's screen is one such occurrence . What the victor often sees is a flawless chain of events resulting in the death of their opponent , but for the loser itās often misleading whatās displayed once you start to lose the momentum in battle . A catastrophic chain can be the result of a misunderstanding of things such as suck in backstabs roll catches and backstab chains
GlitchesIn PVP, glitches are commonly used to skip the vanilla game progression , quickly duplicate items , and otherwise speed up the lengthy process of preparing your character for PVP.
Mechanics
LatencyLatency is the delay between opponents and the time it takes to update an enemy or damage hitboxās position . In dark souls switch damage is decided on the attackerās screen . However, i-frames are resolved on the defenderās side and can result in a connected attack being negated or having reduced damage .
PoisePoise is a static resource decided by your equipped armor . When hit by attacks damage is taken to poise as well as health . when poise is reduced to 0 your character is staggered . Different weapons cause different types of stagger . Getting hit even during i-frames still causes poise damage
Invincibility frames & blockingRolling and standing still after a backstab give you invincibility frames that negate damage , Blocking an attack and lowering your shield within the first frame of an attack landing will allow you to block the attack without being staggered from blocking .
Backstab immunityCharacters have backstab immunity upon wakeup from a backstab . Standing perfectly still will lengthen the immunity . Taking any action while rising will drop the immunity and open you up to being chain backstabbed , kicked , or attacked on wakeup .
Fundamentals
SpacingSpacing is crucial to every part of PVP. The time it takes for an animation to finish and the distance you move during it decides what actions your enemy can take in response . Excellent spacing allows you to trade damage with enough time to roll , block , or otherwise reposition for the next action
Unlocked playThe camera lock-on function serves many useful purposes , but advanced dark souls pvp relies on the ability to pick and choose when to fight locked on and when to fight free aim . Pivoting is a technique that relies on toggling the lock-on to quickly maneuver around your opponents. Some players choose to use no camera whatsoever
TimingThe amount of frames or time that any action takes is important to know . A heavy Greatsword swing is easy to toggle or roll backstab because of the lengthy animations .
However something like a katana is incredibly quick and it's best to not chance being caught in its combo as the timing for toggling and punishing such a quick adaptable weapon is a very small window .
NeutralNeutral is when neither player has a clear advantage or is engaged in combat , or backstab chain/wake up game . The neutral game of dark souls is centered around securing a backstab or weapon/magic combos by staggering your opponent
Backstab chain and WakeupOnce a player has been backstabbed, players leave the neutral game and enter the wake up game . There are a variety of options once engaged in the wakeup animation
Attacker
- Kick
- Basic Attack
- Parry buffer backstab
- Immunity break via quick attack (i.e. dagger R1)
- AOE ( area of affect ) attack ala fire tempest/storm/WOG ( wrath of the gods )
Defender
- Standstill
- Walk away
- Regular Roll
- Barrel/Reverse Roll
- Block
- Basic Attack
- Kick
Techniques
Ghost hitsGhost hits occur when an attack land but the defenderās client registers the attack occurring during an i-frame . Poise damage and occasional shave damage is still applied
special rolls
Barrel rollBarrel rolls are achieved by turning off lock-on at the same time as rolling left or right . The resulting roll will have your back facing sideways instead of behind you
- Forward
- Backward
Reverse RollReverse rolls is a forward roll with the back facing the opposite of the direction you started . This can lead to an easy roll backstab or help escape a backstab chain
Both types of special rolls can easily be punished by strafe backstabs and often are only helpful for mixing up wake up options , escaping damage and roll backstabbing with proper spacing
spell desyncLatency can cause spells to desync from the defenderās side and do sudden damage or become invisible due to the finicky range that triggers homing spells . Magic is triggered attacker side and as a result can be difficult to dodge .
item desyncWhen picking up a dropped item the animation can be used to hide other animations . One potential use is picking up an item and using a spell such as tempest or dark bead to have an instant invisible cast of the selected spell .
Parry buffer BsBackstabs are a priority animation , in other words even if you take other actions such as a kick or a parry while also pressing r1 to backstab , the backstab animation will override the kick or parry . When you miss this buffer the kick or parry animation will play normally
StylesThese are patterns of play and habits developed over the course of the 11 year dark souls meta . A good player masters one of these styles , an excellent player masters one and uses multiple . the best players seamlessly swap between every style and utilize every tool at their disposal
Neutral game / Pattern PlayerThe pattern player uses large amounts of basic attacks aka neutrals to score glancing blows and either zone their opponent , kill them by neutral , or push them off balance / break poise
High Poise (Balance)The poise or balance player can use their large defensive ability to backstab after running through or around neutrals . in addition they have the ability to spam attacks without fear of an interrupt
DefensiveThe defensive player uses a strong shield and outwaits as well as outwits their opponent . Patience is valued above all else with this style . This style is also centered around punishing your enemies failures
Attack and RetreatThis version uses lots of neutrals much like a pattern player but always retreats away after an engagement with their shield up
TurtleTurtling uses a weapon that can attack while still blocking with a shield and goads their opponent into attempting to break their defense while inflicting small amounts of dmg in the process
Pivot /Camera TogglePivoting involves fighting with crosshairs on then toggling the camera off and back on to flip around their opponent and right to their back . Not only does this allow for easy backstabs it also protects itself from backstabs through unpredictable movements
No Crosshair / Free aimFree aim players play without the use of crosshailockon usage whatsoever , this style is both rare and very difficult to learn starting out
Roll ReverseRoll reverse or barrel roll players use inverted rolls that protect your back from rollcatch in order to dodge enemy attacks adn execute roll backstabs
Items PlayerItems players use a large variety of items such as poison knives , firebombs , or pine resins on backstab to enhance their damage or secure kills
Magic PlayerMagic players use magic as their main means of damage as opposed to a supplemental part of a build or secondary damage source
*The RandoThat player you saw that made you wonder , Why would you do that ? This is them . Invaders who enjoy pvp but have never felt the need to play optimally
Build MakingGeneral goals for build making in order to perform consistently in formal play
HealthThe standard for health is 1800 - 2100 through use of mask of the mother and ring of favor and protection
PoisePoise is determined by your armor . It is a resource that is drained when you are hit by an attack . Different attacks do different amounts of damage to your poise . Toggling relies on knowing when your poise will break from an attack
StaminaWhile most pvp will involve using green blossoms for stamina regen it's important to have enough stamina so you don't run out at a crucial time
Weight/Equip LoadWeight and equipment load should be precise and fit only exactly what you need for a given build. Weapon swaps should be tailored to the limits of your build .
RingsThere are a handful of especially useful rings
- Bellowing Dragoncrest Ring - Increases magic damage
- Dark Wood Grain Ring - Necessary for Flip builds
- Hornets ring - increases backstab damage
- Havel's Ring - Increases equip load
- Ring of Favor and Protection - standard on all builds due to its amazing stat increase.
SwapsSwaps are reserve weapons and armor for swapping in and out of your currently equipped items during a fight . You should try to pick out a handful of things that are easy to organize , useful to your build and play style , as well as fitting the mathematical limits of your build . With the right build you could access any style of play mid match at any time .
Some popular ones are listed below
- Queelagās Fury Sword - A good choice for an offensive swap when your opponent is on low health
- Demon Spear is a weapon that functions as a defensive turtle weapon , a chip damage weapon , and roll catch / finisher. Versatile and powerful
- Shotel is in some ways a weak dagger however uniquely its strong attacks do physical damage damage even through shields
- Estoc is the weapon of choice for turtle players as well as a good backup for any build especially when combined with red tear stone ring*(Banned item)
AttunementAttunement is best used reservedly as you can only go through so many spells in a single duel
PlaystyleUltimately your build should be centered around complimenting your personal style of play . Think about what you need to perform your best
WeaponsYour weapon is the core of your character's moveset as a fighting game character . Clever pairing of weapons can cover for the weaknesses of each individual weapon
- Curved Sword ( CS ) - quick short range attacks , weak in long and medium range
- Halberd ( HA ) - quick medium and long range attacks , weak in short range
- Great Sword,Axe,Hammer ( GS , GA , GH ) - high damage backstabs and large poise damage , susceptible to roll backstabs
- Straight Sword ( SS ) - quick and adaptable in short and medium range , lacks poise damage and health damage
- Axe ( A ) - quick and adaptable in short range with better stagger chance than SS , long strong attack animations leave user open to punish
- Hammer ( H ) - armor penetration and best stagger for quick 1 handed weapons , poor range and long animations leave user vulnerable to punish
- Piercing Sword ( PS ) - High backstab damage and defensive shield pokes , limited range damage and poise breakage give it a weak neutral game
- Whip ( WH ) - whips are largely unused in pve due to their lack of damage or ability to backstab
- Fist ( FI ) - fist weapons lack enough damage , variety , and neutral potential to also go largely unused
- Ultra GreatSword , Axe , Hammer ( UGS , UGA , UGH ) - high damage backstabs and large poise damage , susceptible to roll backstabs
- Katana ( KA ) - Incredibly quick , high damage , excellent moveset , and capable of inflicting bleed . Katanas have little weaknesses beyond their poise damage and range with exception of their running attack
- Spear ( SP ) - Quick long range attacks and access to turtle pokes , vulnerable to being roll backstabbed when turtle poking or poise backstabbed on strong attacks.
ShieldsShields alongside weapon choice affect your moveset and access to different tech .
- Parry Shield ( PA ) ( BuckleTarget) - parry shields enhance the parry and riposte animations as well as being lightweight and capable of parry buffering backstabs
- Light Shield ( LS )(Small Leather shield) - light shields that serve the bare minimum ability to block and parry buffer but lacking in the unique parry shield animations and stability .
- Medium Shield ( MS )( Crest Shield / Black Knight) Higher weight shields but with better ability to block and still capable of parry buffering
- Tower Shield ( TS ) - high stability shields largely unused in pvp due to the inability to parry normally , or parry buffer backstabs
RollYour characters weight limit is the core of your character's build and restricts your choice of equipment as well as the speed you can roll with chosen armor setups .
- Quick Roll
- Mid Roll
- Heavy ( Fat ) Roll
Competitive Formats
Rules and formats for different forms of formal competitive playFormal DuelOfficial duels are commonly held in the square arena just below the undead burg bonfire accessible by the ladder near the sunlight altar .
General Duel Rules
No free buffs (except grass)No healing
No hacking/lag switching
No TWoP/Stone GS 2hr2
No tumblebuffing
No leaving the arena for extended periods of time
No prebuffing/precasting
Excessive lag is dq
Don't block the way into the arena
Use a character with a similar SL as your opponent (common are SL125 or 135)
No interfering in a duel in any way. This includes standing in lock-on range for the combatants.
Rules can be adjusted if agreed upon by all parties involved.
TournamentTournaments are First to 3 wins then first to 5 wins for semi finals and finals in the majority of tournament formats
Standard Tournament RulesSwitch, Burg, 125/135, no heals except Replen, no free buffs, Sorc is allowed but no homing crystal soulmass and/or pursuers because desync exists, RTSR and Stone Skin is banned, no leaving arena to escape AoEs.
Extended Ruleset:FT3, FT5 in Finals and Semi-Finals
All players are required to follow the rules
Punishment will be judged purely by the host, in case of uncertainty a public poll may decide.
Expect loss of rounds, not redo, if arena is purposefully left, on DCs or incase of obviously excessive lag (Switch standards)
Fight starts once Lloyd's Talisman hits the ground - Buffing, starting up a projectile or casting a spell can only be done after the fight starts
A bow may be drawn and aimed, but not shot before the game starts
In case of a draw, no win is counted for either side, this includes dying of poison after the end of a match
After both players are summoned, both players toggle their weapons to prevent the longsword glitch
No healing miracles, except Replen
No RTSR
Only one build swap per set. Swapping equipment between and during matches is okay.
No purposefully leaving the arena - Not for avoiding any kind of attack either; Combatants in the arena may try to hit opponents entering the arena, but not start Fire Tempest, GLGS Dance etc.
Immediately re-enter the arena by walking, running and/or rolling back towards it - No buffing outside, no waiting outside
The Arena does not include either of the stairs, or the house (opening the entrance to which is prohibited as well); Jank corner is in the arena
No Stone Greatsword 2hR2
Tumblebuffing is fine if you can actually pull it off during a match; Spellswapping is fine too except for surge swaps
Players start in opposite corners
No Estus, Humanity, Twin Humanity, Divine Blessing or Mushrooms
No excessive lag or lag switching
No intervention or getting into lock-on range by spectators
2v2
Goodbyes and Loserās Brackets
Dueling Sports ( Liz )
All gameplay modes require Meta Soul Level 125 - 135Official arenas are located at :
Painted world Bonfire
Darkmoon Bonfire
Undead Burg Bonfire
Undead Parish Bonfire
Senās Fortress Bridge above Bonfire
All matches begin with a starting signal from a third party or after a set amount of paces
Fencing
- Fencing requires a thrusting sword / parry shield
- Rings allowed are Fap and Havel
- Illegal actions include
- Backstab
- Turning off Lock-on mid match
- Casting any magic
- Using any item
- Any backstab related tech
- Offhand daggethrusting sword in place of parry shield is allowed
- Armor cannot be swapped mid fight but sword and offhand weapon can be swapped mid match
Swordplay
- Sword Fights require a straight sword / medium shield or ( Ultra ) Greatsword /no shield
- Rings allowed are Fap and Havel
- Illegal actions include
- Backstab
- Turning off Lock-on mid match
- Casting any magic
- Using any item
- Any backstab related tech
- Offhand straight sword or dagger allowed with mainhand straight sword
- Greatsword or Ultra Greatsword is barred from any offhand equipment
Pistol Draw
- Pistol draw requires any crossbow or bow with the exception of avelyn
- Rings allowed are fap havel and hawk ring
- No melee weapons are allowed
- Bow users are not allowed to lock on , all shots must be free aimed , crossbow users may lock on or free aim
- No magic , no items except ammunitions
- Weapons can be swapped anytime as well as ammunitions
Free Match
- In free match players can choose any of the 3 above playstyles but must adhere to the rules of their chosen playstyle
Dueling Sports (Jac)
Universal rules- Both combatants are to use equal sets of gear and upgrade tiers.
- Both combatants must (obviously) meet the stat requirements of the gear being used.
- Backstabs = DQ
- Performance-enhancing rings, items, buffs, armor, and spells are prohibited.
Points- Ripostes = 3 points
- Direct strikes = 2 points
- Blocked strikes = 1 point
- Minimum 10 points to win
- New match begins when a point is earned, and both combatants return to starting positions
- No SL requirement necessary
Deathmatch- Magic and ranged weapons are forbidden.
- SL and equipment upgrade level of both combatants must be identical to one another.
- Estus is prohibited unless a victor has been decided.
- Combatants may choose from the following sets of equipment
Light equipment
- Chainmail armor
- Rapier / buckler
- Scimitar / buckler
Mid equipment
- Knight armor
- Estoc / target shield
- Falchion / target shield
- Long sword / heater shield
Heavy equipment
- Cleric armor
- Broadsword / tower kite shield
- Bastard sword / tower kite shield
- Zweihander / no shield
Pistol DuelingUniversal rules
- Both combatants must use the same crossbow.
- Chosen arena must have flat terrain and no obstacles obstructing the combatants.
- Use of Avelyn or the Sniper Crossbow is prohibited.
- Headshot = 3 points
- Body shot = 2 points
- Limb shot = 1 point
- Minimum 10 points to win
Paces
- Both combatants start with their backs to each other.
- Weapon swings are used to mark the amount of paces taken apart from both combatants.
- Both combatants must use the same weapon to count paces with.
- After destinations are reached, combatants are to be signaled by a third party to turn and fire.
- Minimum amount of paces is 5, maximum amount of paces is 15
- New match begins when a point is earned, and both combatants return to starting positions.
Quick draw
- Both combatants begin outside of each otherās lock-on range and with their crossbows in their pockets.
- Both combatants are to be signaled by a third party to draw and fire.
- Drawing and firing before a signal is given = DQ
Arena typesRing
- Shields are permitted.
- Weapons that can be used while a shield is raised are permitted.
- Weapons with radial moves, such as long swords and scimitars are permitted.
Bridge
- Shields are permitted ONLY in point-based duels.
- Off-hand weapons are permitted.
- Weapons with radial moves are prohibited.
Fight ClubFight clubs use the same rules as official duels but with the understanding that the rules can be subject to personal preference .
Standard etiquette is to leave the host alone , or in the case where you fight the host you don't finish them off / take the final blow to win .
Instead quickly raise and lower shield a few times or heal to indicate the fight is over
GravelordThe same rules that apply to fight clubs apply to gravelording . The most popular location is the Oolacile township bonfire .
EventThere are a large variety of event formats hosted by the official Dark Souls Switch server ( DSS ) and its sibling servers and subreddit
Banned Items and SpellsItems considered too broken or unsporting for use
- Red tear stone ring
- Tranquil walk of peace
- Stone Greatsword 2 handed r2 attack ( twop )
- Stone Skin
- Thorns
- Desync Magic ( pursuers )
Player Contributors
u/LizLezmonGammamiel
Leftfoot
Benjy
Thick Mint
Seapie
Herm
Femoose
Dormamu
Zokye
Doom
Dorian
Grape
u/Abysswalker1791
u/AbysswalkerSilent
u/Final_Starman__
u/Big-Bad-Bug
u/0dachi
u/AlonziKroe
u/Shassinflassin
Make Sure to Check Out
DarkSoulsSwitch/2021.11.23 04:27 tulipomania Everything? about Sephora at Kohls you might have wanted to know
Update/edit over a year later: I'm glad this post is still reaching people, however I do not work for Sephora/Kohls anymore and I do not often respond to comments on old posts. If you have questions I am happy to respond to private messages however please keep in mind that I left the company so my knowledge is limited to what I learned while I was there. I also encourage you to reach out on either this subreddit or the /sephoraworkers subreddit if you have a question that wasn't answered in an old post.
Hi everyone. I thought I would make a post talking about all things S@K so people could get an idea of how everything works if you are curious. Sorry for the long post and possible rambling but I tried to organize it. I am the lead beauty advisor of sales at my location and we opened in August. I have only worked specialty retail in the past. Feel free to hit control-F and search for a term if you want specific info on something like audits or gratis or whatever.
General info:
We are ALL Kohls employees, not Sephora employees. We donāt get a discount at other Sephoras. It is not clear whether Sephora supplements our pay or not, everything I have heard is speculation. Not everyone makes a high amount, it depends on what is negotiated at hiring. We are not contractually aloud to do anything that is not involved with Sephora and Kohls can get in trouble for making us do other stuff. It was the same way at JC Penney. Sephora is its own department but is more like itās own store in the way that it is supposed to function.
At my store personally, we offer to do BOPIS picks if they are Sephora items but our SM said we are not aloud to pack them. That is really the only thing though. If someone were to ask me or my part time BAās to back up a Kohlās register, I would respectfully say no. Unless of course it was to help a POS associate with something Sephora related. I also will do my best to help customers if they ask me a question when I am walking around Kohlās but if it is complicated or time intensive I am going to pass it off to a Kohls associate and my BAās are expected to do the same.
What positions there are:
beauty team leader (BTL): can do overrides and stuff on registers, access most computer applications that Kohls supervisors can. My BTL also writes our schedule because it is easier for everyone. While there are a lot of differences, I would say that the BTL is more like a mini store manager, not really like an assistant or other exec/H2.
sales lead and ops lead (lead beauty advisors of sales or operations): no overrides on the registers but can make testers on the zebra. Have email and need to access computers but can not access other management apps like esupport or kdash. ops lead is literally in charge of all ops and sales lead is a sales metrics cheerleader. We supervise the part time beauty advisors as well. At my store we all feel like the sales lead and ops lead SHOULD at LEAST have access to kdash and be able to override on registers because we do function as MOD not only when the BTL is gone but when theyāre there most of the time too. Our SM even agreed with this.
part time beauty advisors: (we have 10). Regular employee access and no supervisor capability. Can make testers on zebras but are not supposed to.
Replenishment and audits:
Our replenishment queue was not working correctly until about two weeks ago. Not all items sold were dropping in, now they are. So there will be a LOT more than previously. Like 2000 more, at least for my store. Also, me and my BTL had previous beauty experience, which we feel lucky for- but never did replenishment or MLS like Kohls does so I can imagine how for other stores it might be hard for them to adjust and get used to how it works before they have a good flow down. Especially if their operations arenāt 100% in ALL other areas. There is also two different sections- SU and SB. (Understock, which is the drawers IN Sephora and backstock, which is the beauty stockroom.) An item that drops into the queue will go into both of those so it gets filled one way or another. Our audits also often take a lot of time because there are literally hundreds of different SKUS between colors, shades, sizes etc so it takes a lot of time and effort to organize them in the first place.
Iāve posted before about how our store opening went so I am not going to go into a lot of detail but I think it is important to note again how long it took us to get everything properly backstocked and MLSāed. It took our ops lead almost two months - 40 hours a week solely scanning MLS- and then we had to go back and reorganize everything after that again. The stockroom was a disaster until that got done because of the sheer amount of product. She still spends a majority of her time doing that with the volume of shipment we get regularly. The audits she does usually have about 300 items a waco.
Other operations:
I think I have got most of the important stuff covered but there are lots of other things that need to get done. Regular price changes which are very different than how Kohls does thereās, animations (planograms), and we have to spend a lot of time doing manual replenishment in order to move our inventory. The visual is a lot to keep up with, the best way to describe it is that everything needs to be done METICULOUSLY. So there is ALWAYS something for somebody to be doing. We also recently finished item findability, which is already incorrect because we constantly get new stuff etc and thereās no process for updating it. (Yet). They also made us rescan almost every single tester in the store because of what I assume was an inventory issue. The inventory is also already really off for many Sephora items.
Sephora at Kohls employees get a selection of training product every month for free. (That is what gratis means and you will probably hear beauty industry people calling it gratis and not training product). Each employee has to order it during the specific time period or they will not get it. If they quit or can not collect it, they do not have a right to it and will probably be given to a S@K employee who couldnāt order or something. Also, only permanent employees get it. They are not aloud to sell it or use it as incentives. The idea is to supplement training with product so advisors are actually using and trying what they are supposed to be selling. This models how freestanding Sephoras and Ulta does gratis. They can give it away, it just can not be in store. Make friends with a beauty advisor and maybe theyād give you some.
Beauty insider and register info:
Beauty Insider is Sephoras rewards program. Customers get points for their purchases. It can be redeemed for samples or $10 off (once they get 500 points.) there are 3 tiers. It is free and all you need is your name, email and birthday. You get a free bday gift. You can connect your beauty insider to your Kohls account using the Kohls app. If this is done then only the Kohls rewards has to be pulled up and it will automatically add the Sephora rewards. Sephora freestanding and JCPenney stores pull up BI by phone number. We ONLY can do email. the customer types it on the pin pad. We can only do sign ups using the zebras, which is why Sephora NEEDS zebras every day. A MINIMUM of 3.
We also ask for Kohls rewards because your Sephora purchases get you points too. The rewards cash you get on the first of the month can be used on Kohls eligible items and not Sephora. Think of Sephora items like Nike. So no regular Kohls cash. No other coupons UNLESS they are Sephora at Kohls coupons. (We just had the VIB sale and will have more coupons in December that align with Sephora freestanding sales.) no discount for signing up for a Kohls card but we are supposed to ask anyway. We ONLY take Kohls gift cards and sell Kohls gift cards. (They say Sephora at Kohls on them.) We do not take Sephora gift cards or the Sephora private line credit card. They CAN use their Kohls card in Sephora.
We use Kohls registers (obviously) so if you think of the items like Nike and remember we can only take Kohls gift cards that logic can be applied to the rest of the stipulations.
Along the same lines:
Returns are 60 days only and MUST have a receipt. No matter what. It allows card look up but technically we are not supposed to do it. It also says we can do rewards look up but it only works if the Kohls rewards and Sephora BI are connected using the app and that they were connected when the purchase was made. (My tip, if you have a customer checking out with beauty insider and Yes2 rewards, tell them to connect it.)
Along the same line: if you are customer service or register and itās a Sephora purchase/return, you can kick them to us. We will be able to handle it better no matter what and we can help them with their Kohls purchase/return etc too. Our registers function like customer service registers. If they want to check out with you though, donāt refuse service. Just make sure their BI is connected! Our registers should be stocked with Kohls cash, merchandise cards, etc so if you are a Sephora employee make sure you do this! It also might be helpful to occasionally chat in register associates so they know our promotions, like 10% off for BI sign ups or whatever.
Other note on coupons: our sales and freestanding/JCPenney Sephora sales will not always line up. We can not take returns from other Sephoras, ONLY Sephora at Kohls. We can take returns for Kohls online orders as long as they have the order number.
We got two visits from a freestanding Sephora ops manager when we opened and she was supposed to audit our store but just helped with backstocking because it was that dire. We are supposed to get two visits a year from a Sephora district field trainer which is NOT enough. Both times ours came, he talked metrics with our BTL and then did a little sales floor training. But he did not want to see anyone ignoring a customer for any reason and cringed at hearing about other Kohlās stores having the Sephora workers work other departments.
Lots of people probably donāt know what they are doing or have the best practices yet. Hopefully they provide stores the support they need to get their Sephora running smoothly. This is really just a long winded explanation for constantly seeing people say that the Sephora employees do nothing. Which Iām sure is true in a lot of stores but it is not true in mine. Me and the ops lead (who was a Kohls internal hire) work our asses off all day every day. It hurts my feelings when associates at my store make comments that we donāt know what weāre doing because we (at least some of us!) are really trying. Stores that might not have the best balance between sales and ops might be prioritizing the sales metrics over anything else. As an example- nobody told our BTL that replen and audits are supposed to be done Saturday nights. We adjusted and have since fixed this but she still doesnāt want us to do them unless it is slow and there are people on the floor to help customers, especially not on a Saturday when our sales goal is $10k and we are supposed to have a minimum of a $63 average ticket value.
I really enjoy working with the majority of my Kohls associates and all you all do is work your ASSES OFF!!! It is crazy impressive considering the work flow and customer flow that my store has. Our H2ās basically never slack and even my store manager is constantly on the floor, I donāt even know how he gets any office work done. That is unknown to me from any other retail job Iāve worked. I will always try to be friendly and help out in the ways that I can and I hope that others would do the same.
Please feel free to comment and add in anything I have missed. I could add a lot more too. I can also try and answer any questions. PM me and depending on the situation I am more than happy to make contacts with other Sephora managers so we can communicate and figure things out together! My BTL wants us to have a weekly conference call or something so we can compare metrics and talk big events.
Lastly, there is a new subreddit called /sephoraworkers and it would be cool to make it more active! Letās all try and do our best together!
Edit: I took out a part about a coupon that doesnāt actually work for employees.
submitted by tulipomania to employedbykohls [link] [comments]
Hi everyone. I thought I would make a post talking about all things S@K so people could get an idea of how everything works if you are curious. Sorry for the long post and possible rambling but I tried to organize it. I am the lead beauty advisor of sales at my location and we opened in August. I have only worked specialty retail in the past. Feel free to hit control-F and search for a term if you want specific info on something like audits or gratis or whatever.
General info:
We are ALL Kohls employees, not Sephora employees. We donāt get a discount at other Sephoras. It is not clear whether Sephora supplements our pay or not, everything I have heard is speculation. Not everyone makes a high amount, it depends on what is negotiated at hiring. We are not contractually aloud to do anything that is not involved with Sephora and Kohls can get in trouble for making us do other stuff. It was the same way at JC Penney. Sephora is its own department but is more like itās own store in the way that it is supposed to function.
At my store personally, we offer to do BOPIS picks if they are Sephora items but our SM said we are not aloud to pack them. That is really the only thing though. If someone were to ask me or my part time BAās to back up a Kohlās register, I would respectfully say no. Unless of course it was to help a POS associate with something Sephora related. I also will do my best to help customers if they ask me a question when I am walking around Kohlās but if it is complicated or time intensive I am going to pass it off to a Kohls associate and my BAās are expected to do the same.
What positions there are:
beauty team leader (BTL): can do overrides and stuff on registers, access most computer applications that Kohls supervisors can. My BTL also writes our schedule because it is easier for everyone. While there are a lot of differences, I would say that the BTL is more like a mini store manager, not really like an assistant or other exec/H2.
sales lead and ops lead (lead beauty advisors of sales or operations): no overrides on the registers but can make testers on the zebra. Have email and need to access computers but can not access other management apps like esupport or kdash. ops lead is literally in charge of all ops and sales lead is a sales metrics cheerleader. We supervise the part time beauty advisors as well. At my store we all feel like the sales lead and ops lead SHOULD at LEAST have access to kdash and be able to override on registers because we do function as MOD not only when the BTL is gone but when theyāre there most of the time too. Our SM even agreed with this.
part time beauty advisors: (we have 10). Regular employee access and no supervisor capability. Can make testers on zebras but are not supposed to.
How our stores work:
Sales:
Sephora RUNS very differently than Kohls does. Our main job at all times is to SELL. So when you see beauty advisors āstanding aroundā it is because we are specifically staffed in order to be available to customers at any given time. We are hired as sales people. This means 5-10 minutes or more with a customer and we are attending to any need they have (foundation matching, finding the right red shade of lipstick. Going over their whole skincare routine. Etc. itās a lot of work). That being said, there are still LOTS of tasks and things that we can be doing at all times. Iāll get into that more later. Sephora has us do a week of extensive video training (and some of it is supposed to be quizzed with Sephora field trainers during live zoom sessions) plus about 20 extra hours worth of video training that has to be done within 90 days of employment. And then a couple short videos every week. Brand training, continuing education etc. all for selling. There is even a specific sales model they require us to use called āget, give, teach, sellā. They are serious about selling the product. I think this is an important distinction to make when comparing Kohls and Sephora, because there arenāt really āgeneral sales advisorsā who are going to give you a sales pitch for a Sonoma t-shirt.Operations:
Most of our operations processes are the same as Kohls. Let me start with what a beauty advisor can be doing when they are not actively with a customer. They are supposed to refill and clean the hygiene stations, all testers, cash wrap supplies, as well as work on replenishment queue. Also any other tasks that are assigned by a lead, but they are expected to do these things always.Replenishment and audits:
Our replenishment queue was not working correctly until about two weeks ago. Not all items sold were dropping in, now they are. So there will be a LOT more than previously. Like 2000 more, at least for my store. Also, me and my BTL had previous beauty experience, which we feel lucky for- but never did replenishment or MLS like Kohls does so I can imagine how for other stores it might be hard for them to adjust and get used to how it works before they have a good flow down. Especially if their operations arenāt 100% in ALL other areas. There is also two different sections- SU and SB. (Understock, which is the drawers IN Sephora and backstock, which is the beauty stockroom.) An item that drops into the queue will go into both of those so it gets filled one way or another. Our audits also often take a lot of time because there are literally hundreds of different SKUS between colors, shades, sizes etc so it takes a lot of time and effort to organize them in the first place.
Iāve posted before about how our store opening went so I am not going to go into a lot of detail but I think it is important to note again how long it took us to get everything properly backstocked and MLSāed. It took our ops lead almost two months - 40 hours a week solely scanning MLS- and then we had to go back and reorganize everything after that again. The stockroom was a disaster until that got done because of the sheer amount of product. She still spends a majority of her time doing that with the volume of shipment we get regularly. The audits she does usually have about 300 items a waco.
Other operations:
I think I have got most of the important stuff covered but there are lots of other things that need to get done. Regular price changes which are very different than how Kohls does thereās, animations (planograms), and we have to spend a lot of time doing manual replenishment in order to move our inventory. The visual is a lot to keep up with, the best way to describe it is that everything needs to be done METICULOUSLY. So there is ALWAYS something for somebody to be doing. We also recently finished item findability, which is already incorrect because we constantly get new stuff etc and thereās no process for updating it. (Yet). They also made us rescan almost every single tester in the store because of what I assume was an inventory issue. The inventory is also already really off for many Sephora items.
Just as an example, at my store this is our usual flow.
When the ops lead is working they are managing shipment and backstock or any tasks pertaining to the beauty stockroom as well as supervising our part time BA's. I'm the sales lead so eventually I will shift most of my responsibility to sales coaching but as of right now I will work on any task that needs to be done so that our visual is the best it can be whether it be filling, fixing animations, doing price tiles, cleaning, etc. Our BTL writes the schedule, which takes a decent amount of time, plus updates e support and etc. She does spend a lot of time in the office but she coordinates any touch bases/training that needs to be done and supervises our team. As well as hiring, etc. We will always have 1 person on the sales floor no matter what and if they are alone they do not task. Really though we don't want somebody alone for more than like, an hour. It is preferred that a lead is on the floor at all times but its not always possible. With multiple BAs: one will be selling and nothing else. They can clean testers/hygiene if not with a customer but otherwise nothing else. If it is super slow they can do replen/shipment but if they start to ignore customers they get that taken away from them. Then one other BA will do the 'tasking' like replen, shipment, etc. Sometimes they get sent to beauty stock to help there. We are supposed to zone for each section in our store but honestly it is only probably necessary when we get super busy.Other things?:
Gratis (known as training product):Sephora at Kohls employees get a selection of training product every month for free. (That is what gratis means and you will probably hear beauty industry people calling it gratis and not training product). Each employee has to order it during the specific time period or they will not get it. If they quit or can not collect it, they do not have a right to it and will probably be given to a S@K employee who couldnāt order or something. Also, only permanent employees get it. They are not aloud to sell it or use it as incentives. The idea is to supplement training with product so advisors are actually using and trying what they are supposed to be selling. This models how freestanding Sephoras and Ulta does gratis. They can give it away, it just can not be in store. Make friends with a beauty advisor and maybe theyād give you some.
Beauty insider and register info:
Beauty Insider is Sephoras rewards program. Customers get points for their purchases. It can be redeemed for samples or $10 off (once they get 500 points.) there are 3 tiers. It is free and all you need is your name, email and birthday. You get a free bday gift. You can connect your beauty insider to your Kohls account using the Kohls app. If this is done then only the Kohls rewards has to be pulled up and it will automatically add the Sephora rewards. Sephora freestanding and JCPenney stores pull up BI by phone number. We ONLY can do email. the customer types it on the pin pad. We can only do sign ups using the zebras, which is why Sephora NEEDS zebras every day. A MINIMUM of 3.
We also ask for Kohls rewards because your Sephora purchases get you points too. The rewards cash you get on the first of the month can be used on Kohls eligible items and not Sephora. Think of Sephora items like Nike. So no regular Kohls cash. No other coupons UNLESS they are Sephora at Kohls coupons. (We just had the VIB sale and will have more coupons in December that align with Sephora freestanding sales.) no discount for signing up for a Kohls card but we are supposed to ask anyway. We ONLY take Kohls gift cards and sell Kohls gift cards. (They say Sephora at Kohls on them.) We do not take Sephora gift cards or the Sephora private line credit card. They CAN use their Kohls card in Sephora.
We use Kohls registers (obviously) so if you think of the items like Nike and remember we can only take Kohls gift cards that logic can be applied to the rest of the stipulations.
Along the same lines:
Returns are 60 days only and MUST have a receipt. No matter what. It allows card look up but technically we are not supposed to do it. It also says we can do rewards look up but it only works if the Kohls rewards and Sephora BI are connected using the app and that they were connected when the purchase was made. (My tip, if you have a customer checking out with beauty insider and Yes2 rewards, tell them to connect it.)
Along the same line: if you are customer service or register and itās a Sephora purchase/return, you can kick them to us. We will be able to handle it better no matter what and we can help them with their Kohls purchase/return etc too. Our registers function like customer service registers. If they want to check out with you though, donāt refuse service. Just make sure their BI is connected! Our registers should be stocked with Kohls cash, merchandise cards, etc so if you are a Sephora employee make sure you do this! It also might be helpful to occasionally chat in register associates so they know our promotions, like 10% off for BI sign ups or whatever.
Other note on coupons: our sales and freestanding/JCPenney Sephora sales will not always line up. We can not take returns from other Sephoras, ONLY Sephora at Kohls. We can take returns for Kohls online orders as long as they have the order number.
Other random:
Yes you get 15% off on Sephora too, plus the coupons that we run, come sign up for a BI and we can probably get you a free gift you donāt have to buy anything.We got two visits from a freestanding Sephora ops manager when we opened and she was supposed to audit our store but just helped with backstocking because it was that dire. We are supposed to get two visits a year from a Sephora district field trainer which is NOT enough. Both times ours came, he talked metrics with our BTL and then did a little sales floor training. But he did not want to see anyone ignoring a customer for any reason and cringed at hearing about other Kohlās stores having the Sephora workers work other departments.
Conclusion:
The thing is, the whole partnership is brand new. Even though me and the other Sephora leads at my store feel like we have a good grasp on things, there are lots of things that we can improve on- and things that corporate needs to work on, in our opinion. We get no support from anybody and a corporate contact would be really nice quite frankly. Like a territory Sephora manager?Lots of people probably donāt know what they are doing or have the best practices yet. Hopefully they provide stores the support they need to get their Sephora running smoothly. This is really just a long winded explanation for constantly seeing people say that the Sephora employees do nothing. Which Iām sure is true in a lot of stores but it is not true in mine. Me and the ops lead (who was a Kohls internal hire) work our asses off all day every day. It hurts my feelings when associates at my store make comments that we donāt know what weāre doing because we (at least some of us!) are really trying. Stores that might not have the best balance between sales and ops might be prioritizing the sales metrics over anything else. As an example- nobody told our BTL that replen and audits are supposed to be done Saturday nights. We adjusted and have since fixed this but she still doesnāt want us to do them unless it is slow and there are people on the floor to help customers, especially not on a Saturday when our sales goal is $10k and we are supposed to have a minimum of a $63 average ticket value.
I really enjoy working with the majority of my Kohls associates and all you all do is work your ASSES OFF!!! It is crazy impressive considering the work flow and customer flow that my store has. Our H2ās basically never slack and even my store manager is constantly on the floor, I donāt even know how he gets any office work done. That is unknown to me from any other retail job Iāve worked. I will always try to be friendly and help out in the ways that I can and I hope that others would do the same.
Please feel free to comment and add in anything I have missed. I could add a lot more too. I can also try and answer any questions. PM me and depending on the situation I am more than happy to make contacts with other Sephora managers so we can communicate and figure things out together! My BTL wants us to have a weekly conference call or something so we can compare metrics and talk big events.
Lastly, there is a new subreddit called /sephoraworkers and it would be cool to make it more active! Letās all try and do our best together!
Edit: I took out a part about a coupon that doesnāt actually work for employees.
2020.12.11 00:15 helllpagirlout Atypical symptoms
Hello everyone,
I am looking for some insight as to whether or not anyone has had these symptoms before that resulted in herpes.
Over a year ago, I was misdiagnosed with an STD (HPV) that caused me to become very hyper vigilant with any problems involving my vulva area. Iāve never been diagnosed with an STD before so I found that situation incredibly distressing. I would also like to add that I havenāt had any form of sexual contact since (itās been over a year....poor me right)
About 6 months after I last had sex, I developed a painless fissure in the fold of my right side labia minora. I was feeling exhausted (tired, achy) when I noticed it but I had also been very jet lagged at the time. However, I attributed that fissure to accutane because my main side effect from that medication was vaginal dryness. I stopped the accutane, applied a moisturizer down there & the fissure disappeared within a few days. I didnāt think anything else about it until July when I felt run down (exhausted, body aches, stuffy nose) and noticed the fissure again in the same place. However, this time it hurt to touch and there were two fissures (not too badly though...I remember saying to the doctor I could run a 5K if I really wanted to). The fissures looked a lot worse on camera than in person. The ER doctor scolded me when I was crying to him about it and he said he was absolutely sure that it wasnāt herpes and I shouldnāt question his 30 year experience. However , I ended up going to a sexual health clinic that same day where I was told there was a 50/50 chance it could be and because I could not get swabbed due to covid, the only way to know if it is is if I took the valtrex and noticed an improvement. I told this doctor I wasnāt comfortable with that as the first time I had this fissure, it disappeared within a few days. She told me it didnāt matter, it could still be herpes. This painful fissure lasted a total of 4 days and did not scab or crust over (the pain only lasted 1 day and when I say pain, it was more of a burning sensation). On the final day of healing, the skin there was a white colour. The only thing I applied to these fissures were Replens moisturizers.
Now the third and last time this happened was in September. This fissure occurred on the complete opposite* side than the first two times but within a skin fold again. It was completely painless (just maybe uncomfortable but I sometimes wonder if thatās in my head as now Iām constantly paranoid about the situation.) I even ended up going for a 15km hike that day (thatās how much it doesnāt pain me) and managed to go to a walk in clinic the following day to get it swabbed (as swabs were now available- they werenāt before due to covid). The swab eventually came back negative for type 1 & 2. I couldnāt be swabbed for yeast as they werenāt allowing that yet due to covid rules.
Iām basically wondering if anyone else has had similar atypical symptoms of herpes that occurred months after last having sex (Iāve also never had a blister before) & what are the possibilities of having a false negative test? The doctor who swabbed me didnāt think there would be enough fluid to test for herpes (I even told her that these fissures start to heal almost immediately after occurring) but my family doctor thinks if I had it swabbed the day after it occured, that should be sufficient.
***I would also like to add that the second and third time these fissures happened, it was the day after my period ended. Could this possibly be a hormonal imbalance? Yeast? Excema?
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this post- Iāve been very upset about the whole situation as Iāve not had many romantic partners in the past and I always asked about their STI status.
submitted by helllpagirlout to Herpes [link] [comments]
I am looking for some insight as to whether or not anyone has had these symptoms before that resulted in herpes.
Over a year ago, I was misdiagnosed with an STD (HPV) that caused me to become very hyper vigilant with any problems involving my vulva area. Iāve never been diagnosed with an STD before so I found that situation incredibly distressing. I would also like to add that I havenāt had any form of sexual contact since (itās been over a year....poor me right)
About 6 months after I last had sex, I developed a painless fissure in the fold of my right side labia minora. I was feeling exhausted (tired, achy) when I noticed it but I had also been very jet lagged at the time. However, I attributed that fissure to accutane because my main side effect from that medication was vaginal dryness. I stopped the accutane, applied a moisturizer down there & the fissure disappeared within a few days. I didnāt think anything else about it until July when I felt run down (exhausted, body aches, stuffy nose) and noticed the fissure again in the same place. However, this time it hurt to touch and there were two fissures (not too badly though...I remember saying to the doctor I could run a 5K if I really wanted to). The fissures looked a lot worse on camera than in person. The ER doctor scolded me when I was crying to him about it and he said he was absolutely sure that it wasnāt herpes and I shouldnāt question his 30 year experience. However , I ended up going to a sexual health clinic that same day where I was told there was a 50/50 chance it could be and because I could not get swabbed due to covid, the only way to know if it is is if I took the valtrex and noticed an improvement. I told this doctor I wasnāt comfortable with that as the first time I had this fissure, it disappeared within a few days. She told me it didnāt matter, it could still be herpes. This painful fissure lasted a total of 4 days and did not scab or crust over (the pain only lasted 1 day and when I say pain, it was more of a burning sensation). On the final day of healing, the skin there was a white colour. The only thing I applied to these fissures were Replens moisturizers.
Now the third and last time this happened was in September. This fissure occurred on the complete opposite* side than the first two times but within a skin fold again. It was completely painless (just maybe uncomfortable but I sometimes wonder if thatās in my head as now Iām constantly paranoid about the situation.) I even ended up going for a 15km hike that day (thatās how much it doesnāt pain me) and managed to go to a walk in clinic the following day to get it swabbed (as swabs were now available- they werenāt before due to covid). The swab eventually came back negative for type 1 & 2. I couldnāt be swabbed for yeast as they werenāt allowing that yet due to covid rules.
Iām basically wondering if anyone else has had similar atypical symptoms of herpes that occurred months after last having sex (Iāve also never had a blister before) & what are the possibilities of having a false negative test? The doctor who swabbed me didnāt think there would be enough fluid to test for herpes (I even told her that these fissures start to heal almost immediately after occurring) but my family doctor thinks if I had it swabbed the day after it occured, that should be sufficient.
***I would also like to add that the second and third time these fissures happened, it was the day after my period ended. Could this possibly be a hormonal imbalance? Yeast? Excema?
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this post- Iāve been very upset about the whole situation as Iāve not had many romantic partners in the past and I always asked about their STI status.
2020.11.30 15:33 a_superstoned_sloth Vulvodynia - on the road to being cured
I am finally on my way to healing so I want to share my story and be a resource for others.
The symptoms I experienced: - vulvar and anal itching (constant, every day)
Everything else came in flares: - vulvar burning - dry and sticky vulvar skin - bladdeurethral pressure - urine frequency - sharp clit pain
Diagnoses and treatments I pursued: - gabapentin (no relief) - amitriptyline (no relief) - hydroxyzine (some relief) - clobetasol and betamethasone for possible Lichen Sclerosus (no relief) - switching all my detergents/soaps/toilet paper you name it (no relief) - doxycycline for ureaplasma parvum (no relief and tested negative couple months later)
What finally worked:
Stopping my OCPs. No more hormonal birth control and I have had far more good days than I have seen in a while. I get itchy and dry on my period so I may need topical estrogen until it balances out. I also found I have an overgrowth of lactobacillus (cytolytic vaginosis) through a microgendx test so I stopped probiotics and manage with baking soda baths and replens gel.
submitted by a_superstoned_sloth to vulvodynia [link] [comments]
The symptoms I experienced: - vulvar and anal itching (constant, every day)
Everything else came in flares: - vulvar burning - dry and sticky vulvar skin - bladdeurethral pressure - urine frequency - sharp clit pain
Diagnoses and treatments I pursued: - gabapentin (no relief) - amitriptyline (no relief) - hydroxyzine (some relief) - clobetasol and betamethasone for possible Lichen Sclerosus (no relief) - switching all my detergents/soaps/toilet paper you name it (no relief) - doxycycline for ureaplasma parvum (no relief and tested negative couple months later)
What finally worked:
Stopping my OCPs. No more hormonal birth control and I have had far more good days than I have seen in a while. I get itchy and dry on my period so I may need topical estrogen until it balances out. I also found I have an overgrowth of lactobacillus (cytolytic vaginosis) through a microgendx test so I stopped probiotics and manage with baking soda baths and replens gel.
2020.02.04 02:17 jilleib Constant thick white discharge
Hello,
I have delt with chronic BV and yeast infections like many of us here. I have finally got it under control with the use of lactic acid and sodium hyaluronate suppositories fora couple days after my period and probiotic suppositories after intercourse. I haven't had any burning, soreness, redness or itching symptoms in about a year. My gyno says I'm negative for all infections ( BV, yeast and sti) but I still have constant thick white cervical mucus. I can scoop out a couple tsp a day. No pain. After I take a suppository I'm clear for a day or two and then it builds up again. Before having sex I have to clean myself out and replace it with vaginal ph balanced loob ( replens is amazing) so I can have comfortable sex. ( I'm 33)
My doctor said my cervical mucus is just physiological and something I have to live with. I don't believe her.
I can manage this....but I'm spending about $60 a month on suppositories and loob. There has got to be a better way??
Please give me any advice or tips you have about CV and constant thick white discharge.( Think hair conditioner)
Also : ONLY cotton underwear. Don't use tampons Am on hormonal birth control Don't douche or use a vibrator My diet is not sugar free but I eat well and take probiotics.
Thank you!
submitted by jilleib to Healthyhooha [link] [comments]
I have delt with chronic BV and yeast infections like many of us here. I have finally got it under control with the use of lactic acid and sodium hyaluronate suppositories fora couple days after my period and probiotic suppositories after intercourse. I haven't had any burning, soreness, redness or itching symptoms in about a year. My gyno says I'm negative for all infections ( BV, yeast and sti) but I still have constant thick white cervical mucus. I can scoop out a couple tsp a day. No pain. After I take a suppository I'm clear for a day or two and then it builds up again. Before having sex I have to clean myself out and replace it with vaginal ph balanced loob ( replens is amazing) so I can have comfortable sex. ( I'm 33)
My doctor said my cervical mucus is just physiological and something I have to live with. I don't believe her.
I can manage this....but I'm spending about $60 a month on suppositories and loob. There has got to be a better way??
Please give me any advice or tips you have about CV and constant thick white discharge.( Think hair conditioner)
Also : ONLY cotton underwear. Don't use tampons Am on hormonal birth control Don't douche or use a vibrator My diet is not sugar free but I eat well and take probiotics.
Thank you!
2019.10.29 02:35 bulletbitten Unusual discharge?
18F, not sexually active and never have been. (Though I do use a dildo on myself from time to time.) I got my IUD replaced in late July and had my first period since -- it ended about five days ago after a normal 7-day length. I started using Replens for vaginal dryness and haven't had any adverse reaction that I can tell.
Said discharge is pale greyish-tan and chunky, almost like what I imagine hunks of tissue would look like? I'll link the imgur post in the comments. I think I mentioned everything worth mentioning. Google says "trich" which I highly doubt as I've never had a penis within six feet of my vagina. Any guesses?
EDIT: forgot to mention, no foul smell. Smells like my vagina typically smells, maybe a little saltier than normal, but nothing off-putting
submitted by bulletbitten to Healthyhooha [link] [comments]
Said discharge is pale greyish-tan and chunky, almost like what I imagine hunks of tissue would look like? I'll link the imgur post in the comments. I think I mentioned everything worth mentioning. Google says "trich" which I highly doubt as I've never had a penis within six feet of my vagina. Any guesses?
EDIT: forgot to mention, no foul smell. Smells like my vagina typically smells, maybe a little saltier than normal, but nothing off-putting
2016.12.17 00:03 lovelifeinlove Just want to share my BV success story...TL;DR
Edited- TL;DR---Studies show efficacy of vitamin C for treatment of BV. I did this routine for 6 months, and eliminated my BV: Following menstrual period, I used one metronidazole (antibiotic) gel treatment 5 days, then I followed with vaginal insertion of Vitamin C crystalline capsules for 6 days straight. For the next 5 months, I did the 6 day vitamin C treatment after every menstrual period. I have no has an outbreak since, and I did this a few years ago.
Another edit: They don't sell the brand of vitamin C that I originally used. If I had to do this again, I would use this brand because it's delayed release: https://renuebyscience.com/product/vitamin-c-liposomal-120-ct/?gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMInta62K2nhAMVzh6tBh2wkQalEAQYBSABEgLRHvD_BwE
After 7 years though, it still hasn't come back! 2/12/2024
Original post: I made a post similar to this awhile back, but just deleted it. This is similar to the last post, except that it's updated with revised notes about my personal experience. I just want to share what worked for me, in case it helps anyone else in this forum. Trying to pay it forward after suffering for so long...
I've included notes of mine that I took before, during, and after my own successful BV treatment. The total amount of time I've spent doing research, taking notes, and tracking my treatment has been extensive, but it's because I really wanted to get to the root of the problem. I thought it might be worth sharing if it's going to help someone else cure their BV. Iāve been copying and pasting this on answers to other questions, as well as sharing with others in different forums when I have the time. I figure, if makes someone's life a little easier, then it was worth the time I put into it. Sorry to all who are experiencing this problem, and hopefully you donāt have to suffer from it anymore! Anyway, here it is:
Warning: Very, very long postā¦but worth it, I promise!
I looked for so long for a cure for my BV, and had heard similar stories from friends about multiple rounds of antibiotics. I didnāt want to go that route without figuring out the source of my problem first, because so many women experience recurrences despite antibiotic treatment. I wanted to know more facts from an empirical perspective. By poring over scientific studies, I was able to isolate the specific bacteria that's the source of BV, and discovered that polymicrobial biofilm is the TRUE reason for recurrent outbreaks. I feel very thankful that scientists are actively working to find effective treatment for this problem that supposedly doesn't have a cure. Many women suffer with this problem, which affects so many aspects of life. Itās disappointing to be told over and over again that there is no cure. Iām going to share this information that Iāve found with my provider at my next visit, and ask why these options havenāt been explored more. I found a lot of success in following a multi-faceted approach as recommended in the studies, and havenāt suffered any BV symptoms since. I feel like a weight has been lifted, and my life has changed. I no longer have to worry, and I am thankful. Hope is on the horizon!
I spent a several hours reading through multiple scientific studies through GoogleScholar, and my school library website which gives me access to scientific journals. I gathered information from two specific studies, and grouped them together into one document. Most of what I found seemed to show that isolated traditional treatments on their own do not work as well, and present a high probability for reoccurence. These studies have made clear that a multifaceted approach is most effective, meaning the traditional medical therapy to treat BV, specifically Metronidazole and Clindamycin, AS WELL AS a combination of alternative therapies seems to show a lot of promise. I've outlined the cliff notes, with personal comments in [[double brackets]]. These cliff notes mostly consist of direct verbiage that I copied and pasted from the studies, but also includes some paraphrasing that I did on my own. If you want to read the full studies on your own, Iāve included the full journal titles with names of researchers who conducted the studies, for your reference.
P.S. The full treatment regimen that I implemented for myself is listed at the bottom in case you want to skip the studies/cliff notes. Iāve included all information so that you can learn more about it, and/or pursue your own research if you prefer.
----------Cliff notes from two studies of proposed BV Treatment options. I copy and pasted most parts, and paraphrased others [[My personal comments are in these brackets]].----------
Study name: Efficacy of Vitamin C Vaginal Tablets as Prophylaxis for Recurrent Bacterial Vaginosis: A Randomised, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial; Vladislav N. Krasnopolskya, Vera N. Prilepskayab, Franco Polattic, Nina V. Zarochentsevaa, Guldana R. Bayramovab, Maurizio Caserinid, Renata Palmierid, e
-Treatment overview during trials: Within 24 hours of cure from a recent episode of BV by metronidazole or clindamycin, implement vitamin C for six consecutive monthly cycles. Each cycle consists of inserting one vaginal tablet for 6 consecutive days during each month following menses [[Do this at night before falling asleep. You can do it during the day if you want. I just find it more convenient to insert before bed]].
-Tablets are 250mg ascorbic acid in a silicone carrier that ensures prolonged action [[Twinlab C-500 Caps Crystalline Vitamin C capsules were what I used. This brand makes the C-250 Capsules too if you want to follow the exact recommendations of this study. I just opted for more milligrams as a personal preference, and didnāt notice any harsher side effects for doing so. This brand is a little more spendy, but I donāt recommend using anything else. It is the most pure, and contains the least amount of additives]].
-No statistical significance was noted within the 3-month period, only becoming apparent during month 5. Conclusion was that the regular use of the tablets for the suggested duration following the success of metronidazole treatment reduces the reoccurrence rate from 32.4% to 16.2%. [[I used the metronidazole gel]].
āA therapeutic approach in the treatment of BV relapse is to re-establish and maintain the physiological acidity of the vagina, as the growth of anaerobes and other faecal bacteria is inhibited by low pH. Attempts to achieve this via re-colonisation with exogenous lactobacilli have not been successful. Another, more accepted approach is to reduce vaginal pH, in order to create a negative environment for pathogen growth and to achieve long-lasting normalisation of vaginal flora using intravaginal ascorbic acid (vitamin C). The use of antibiotics may induce resistance in the pool of bacteria recognised to cause BV and, conversely, could affect the normal flora of lactobacilli, favouring recurrence within a few weeks in over 70% of women taking antibiotics for bacterial vaginosis. Ascorbic acid plays a vital role in maintaining low vaginal pH values and enhances healing processes in the vaginal ecosystem - recolonisation with lactic acid bacteria. The mechanism of action is simple: through the lowering of vaginal pH to the physiological level of 3.8 - 4.5, anaerobic overgrowth is inhibited and the conditions for the re-growth of physiological lactobacilli flora are re-established. ā āThe results of the present study show that 250 mg ascorbic acid vaginal tablets taken 6 days per month safely halves the risk of BV recurrence from 32.4% to 16.2% during a 6-month prophylactic treatment. The O.R. confirms that subjects treated with placebo had a doubled risk of BV recurrence compared with the group of subjects treated with vitamin C. Considering the time to the first BV relapse, treatment of at least five cycles is necessary in order to reduce, at a significant level, the risk of BV recurrence. As this was a prophylaxis study, in women who at the screening visit were healthy and who terminated the study in case of relapse, a between-treatment difference in clinical parameters was not expected. At the same time, differences in pH were not expected but conversely, a reduction in pH was noted for 3-month and 6-month treatment. ā In conclusion, regular use of silicon-coated vitamin C (250 mg) tablets, after the standard antibiotic treatment for BV, protects women by reducing the risk of recurrence probably by re-establishing the normal lactobacilli flora that is able to maintain vaginal pH.ā
Study name: Bacterial Vaginosis Biofilms: Challenges to Current Therapies and Emerging Solutions; Daniela Machado1, Joana Castro1,2, Ana Palmeira-de-Oliveira3,4, JosƩ Martinez-de-Oliveira3,5 and Nuno Cerca1*
āBeing polymicrobial in nature, BV etiology remains unclear. However, it is certain that BV involves the presence of a thick vaginal multi-species biofilm, where G. vaginalis is the predominant species. Similar to what happens in many other biofilm-related infections, standard antibiotics, like metronidazole, are unable to fully eradicate the vaginal biofilm, which can explain the high recurrence rates of BV. Furthermore, antibiotic therapy can also cause a negative impact on the healthy vaginal microflora. These issues sparked the interest in developing alternative therapeutic strategies. This review provides a quick synopsis of the currently approved and available antibiotics for BV treatment while presenting an overview of novel strategies that are being explored for the treatment of this disorder, with special focus on natural compounds that are able to overcome biofilm-associated antibiotic resistance.ā
Current available treatments Metronidazole and clindamycin are shown to be effective against anaerobic microorganisms, though tinidazole was the most recently approved antimicrobial agent for BV treatment, and is considered an alternative antimicrobial agent, particularly whenever metronidazole and clindamycin are unavailable or not tolerated. Being a second generation nitroimidazole with a longer half-life than metronidazole, it requires lower dosages, to be taken less frequently than metronidazole.
Although antibiotics are effective against anaerobic microorganisms, they have an inability to completely eradicate the densely-structured polymicrobial BV biofilms-associated bacteria G. Vaginalis.
Alternative solutions:
Probiotics have been shown to modulate vaginal microbiotaā
āIn the human vagina, certain Lactobacillus strains can act as probiotics, preventing the growth of BV-associated bacteria through two main mechanisms: the inhibition of pathogens adhesion to vaginal epithelium (Machado et al., 2013); and the production of antimicrobial compounds like hydrogen peroxide (Mastromarino et al., 2002), lactic acid (Boskey et al., 2001) and bacteriocins (Aroutcheva et al., 2001b). Diverse pharmaceutical formulations containing probiotic lactobacilli strains have reduced BV symptoms, improved the vaginal microflora profile, being usually well-tolerated (Rossi et al., 2010;Hantoushzadeh et al., 2012; Facchinetti et al., 2013; Vujic et al., 2013; Vicariotto et al., 2014). ā
āIn contrast, despite their therapeutic potential, some clinical trials have not detected a significant improvement in BV management (Falagas et al., 2007). Alternatively, probiotics have been proposed as adjuvants to antibiotic therapy [[meaning, using probiotics DURING antibiotic treatment. I used the Natureās Way brand Primadophilus Optima Womenās, 90 billion]]. Several combinations of metronidazole, clindamycin or tinidazole with lactobacilli probiotic preparations have displayed promising results in BV treatment since they have been associated with high cure rates, low recurrence or quick re-establishment of an healthy vaginal microflora (Marcone et al., 2010; Bodean et al., 2013; Recine et al., 2016).ā [[This is why I chose to take probiotics during my antibiotic treatment]].
āProbiotics have also been used in an attempt to specifically deal with BV biofilms. Remarkably, in 2007, Saunders and colleagues showed that L. reuteri RC-14 was able to disruptin vitro G. vaginalis biofilms (Saunders et al., 2007). Later, McMillan and colleagues demonstrated that probiotic L. reuteri RC-14 and L. rhamnosus GR-1 were able to incorporate themselves into BV-biofilm, composed by G. vaginalis and A. vaginae, causing both the disruption of the biofilm structure and bacterial cell death (McMillan et al., 2011). These findings provide some evidence of how lactobacilli probiotics might interfere with an abnormal vaginal microflora, reinforcing the hypothesis that probiotics could eradicate vaginal pathogenic biofilms and restore the normal microflora in in vivo situations.ā
āIt has also been proposed that prebiotics [[such as the product Irwin Naturals Healthy Tract Prebiotic]], nutritional substances that stimulate the growth of probiotics, could be used as alternative to treat BV (Roberfroid, 2007). Interestingly, Rousseau and colleagues demonstrated that prebiotic preparations containing oligosaccharides were able to promote the growth of beneficial lactobacilli strains but not of the pathogenic microorganisms often found in urogenital infections including G. vaginalis (Rousseau et al., 2005). ā
āLater, Zeng and colleagues compared the efficacy of a prebiotic gel containing sucrose with 0.75% metronidazole vaginal gel to treat BV (Zeng et al., 2010). In that study, the prebiotic gel displayed a similar therapeutic cure rate to metronidazole, having a major advantage of quicker restoration of the normal vaginal microflora. Recently, Coste and colleagues evaluated the efficacy and safety of another prebiotic gel, applied as adjuvant therapy [[combined with antibiotic treatment]], in women treated for BV and showed an improved recovery of the normal vaginal flora, reducing the risk of recurrences (Coste et al., 2012).
Plant-derived compounds āSurprisingly, up to now only one study evaluated the capability of plant-derived compound to eradicate BV biofilms. Interestingly, Braga and colleagues showed that thymol, a molecule present in thyme essential oil, had an inhibitory effect upon both newly formed and mature G. vaginalis biofilms, which supports the importance of exploring essential oils and their main constituents as therapeutic alternative to treat BV (Braga et al., 2010). Furthermore, the expectations on essential oils as effective agents against BV-biofilms can be inferred from studies in other related vaginal biofilms (Palmeira-de-Oliveira et al., 2012; Bogavac et al., 2015).ā [[The suggested delivery was through douche]].
Acidifying/buffering agents -āRecently, Bahamondes and colleagues verified that a soap containing lactic acid and lactoserum could be used for external intimate hygiene, reducing BV recurrence after treatment with oral metronidazole (Bahamondes et al., 2011). ā
-āInterestingly, vitamin C, when coated with silicon, allowed the constant release of the active agent, resulting in a long-lasting vaginal low pH and prevention of vaginal irritation (Polatti et al., 2006). Other studies reported an effective and safe use of vaginal vitamin C tablets in BV treatment (Petersen et al., 2011), contributing to improve abnormal vaginal pH and microflora, especially in pregnant women (Zodzika et al., 2013). Additionally, the regular use of vitamin C during 6 days per month, for 6 months after successful BV treatment, was shown to decrease the risk of BV recurrence (Krasnopolsky et al., 2013).
-āAnother alternative comes in the form of buffering agents. Polycarbophil [[like the product Replens]] is a weak poly-acid that it is able to adhere to vaginal epithelial cells, acting as a buffer in the vaginal secretions (Milani et al., 2000). ā
-āAnother agent that has been long used in the treatment of vaginal infections is boric acid (Van Slyke et al., 1981) [[This could be the 600 mg tablets from brands pH-D, BoriCap, Bona Dea, or Boric Balance as of a recent Google search]]. Recently, Reichman and colleagues reported that the use of boric acid in combination with a nitroimidazole reduce the BV recurrence (Reichman et al., 2009), suggesting a potential impact on BV biofilms. However, this need to be further studied and in vitro biofilm experiments will elucidate the role of boric acid in BV prevention.ā
Conclusions and future directions BV current approved therapies are not sufficient to deal with this multi-species biofilm-related vaginal disorder. Future, research should address biofilm communities with a particular emphasis on multi-species biofilms, a topic that only recently emerged (Castro and Cerca, 2015). By properly addressing the complex interactions established in multi-species biofilms, novel strategies will hopefully overcome the high recurrence and relapse rates associated with BV.
MY PERSONAL TREATMENT: ***Disclaimer***: I am not a health provider! Please remember that the information Iāve provided is strictly through my own research and experience. All information from the studies I followed is available to view on the web, so I suggest reading those if you want to be thorough. I have no known allergies to any of these items, and I suggest proceeding with caution if you have allergies and are unsure if you will have any reactions. If this is a concern for you, do extensive research about all of these ingredients, and how they may affect your body. If you know that youāll have reactions to any of the following items, then please do not follow this treatment. I currently do not have a backup method of treatment to offer as an alternative. Again, I have only provided information about my own experience, so please proceed with safety precautions for yourself.
First off, if anyone is curious about substituting brands, Iām not sure how to answer that. I used the Twinlab C-500 Caps Crystalline Vitamin C capsules, and Natureās Way Primadophilus Optima Womenās 90 billion brands specifically because after doing lengthy research and comparisons, I found that these specific products are the most accurate for this course of treatment. The Twinlab Crystalline Vitamin C is the most pure, without additives or sugars (which you donāt really want to be introducing to the vagina anyway, to avoid a yeast infection). The Natureās Way Primadophilus Optima Womenās probiotic is a very high concentration containing all of the specific strains that were mentioned in the studies that are needed to help restore vaginal flora. The Irwin Naturals prebiotics was the only brand I could find at the health store, so thatās why I got them, but Iām sure other brands would work fine. The brands of everything else donāt need to be specific, so just use what you prefer. The overall cost of everything is fairly expensive, but itās worth it to know that the treatment is effective. Itās certainly more cheap than additional visits to the doctor for more antibiotics.
List of items needed for course of treatment:
Directions: 1. First thing that Iāll mention: On the days that I did this treatment, I tried to stay as hydrated as possible, and ate more whole foods, cutting back on extra sugars and white flour, as well as avoiding alcohol. I thought of it this way, I spent all this money on supplements, why make them less effective by eating crappy food and drinking alcohol? The directions in the study say to do the treatment for at least 5 months. I would say to go for 6 months, which is was the researchers did during the study trials. For the first month, youāll do 5 days of metronidazole antibiotic treatment, directly followed by 6 days of vitamin C treatment. For the following months after that, there is no need to do additional metronidazole antibiotic treatments, so just continue with the vitamin C treatments only. Keep in mind, even if you notice a major improvement after the first treatment, keep up with it for the following months. The idea is to dissolve the resistant biofilm that causes recurrences PERMANENTLY, so I suggest following the directions of the study rather than cutting it short.
---If you feel inside the vaginal walls, it may be a bit more dry than what youāre used to, this is also normal. It will feel like this throughout the day. Something that I did while in the shower, was āsweepā out the gobs of leftover gel capsule residue. Iād rinse my finger, reach in to do a āsweepā of the area of the upper vaginal wall near my cervix, checking for the gel capsule globs. Then Iād rinse my finger again, and reinsert to double check. Despite introducing the moisture with your finger, it wonāt easily rinse away the vitamin C powder. It will just make it a little more pasty. Generally, the powder sticks to the vaginal walls pretty well, so itās not as though itās going to āfallā or ādripā out. You will have the usual amount of discharge.
---Youāll notice that during treatment, your discharge may begin to smell and look a little different (in other words, much better!). Mine ranged from clear to yellow-ish clear. The dreaded BV smell seemed to disappear completely on the third day of vitamin C treatment.
---Definitely use disposable pantyliners during the metronidazole antibiotic treatment. I didnāt want the medicine to be left behind on my underwear. Normally during my period, I use Thinx brand period panties, which are like pantyliners (the most amazing thing ever, by the way), and I noticed that the vitamin C was safe on those underwear, and didnāt ruin them at all, so I imagine that itās also not an issue for the vitamin C to get on your regular underwear. I also have a bidet on my toilet, so this made cleanup a little easier for me each time I used the bathroom. However, baby wipes or flushable wipes are a nice touch, and quite helpful during treatment.
---A final thing to note if youāre going to have sex during treatment: I chose not to have intercourse with my husband during the antibiotic treatment. However, we did have intercourse while I was doing the vitamin C treatment, and it didnāt affect us negatively at all. Since vitamin C powder is safe to ingest orally, this didnāt pose a risk either. Actually, he remarked that he didnāt mind the taste. Also, we normally use coconut oil as a lubricant, and I found that it did not cause any side effects. I cannot confirm if other lubricants/chemicals will cause any reactions with this treatment, so that is something to keep in mind. I usually avoided intercourse directly after inserting a pill, so if you want to get busy, it may be better to do so before inserting the pill.
Hope you find as much success with this as I did! Good Luck!
submitted by lovelifeinlove to TwoXChromosomes [link] [comments]
Another edit: They don't sell the brand of vitamin C that I originally used. If I had to do this again, I would use this brand because it's delayed release: https://renuebyscience.com/product/vitamin-c-liposomal-120-ct/?gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMInta62K2nhAMVzh6tBh2wkQalEAQYBSABEgLRHvD_BwE
After 7 years though, it still hasn't come back! 2/12/2024
Original post: I made a post similar to this awhile back, but just deleted it. This is similar to the last post, except that it's updated with revised notes about my personal experience. I just want to share what worked for me, in case it helps anyone else in this forum. Trying to pay it forward after suffering for so long...
I've included notes of mine that I took before, during, and after my own successful BV treatment. The total amount of time I've spent doing research, taking notes, and tracking my treatment has been extensive, but it's because I really wanted to get to the root of the problem. I thought it might be worth sharing if it's going to help someone else cure their BV. Iāve been copying and pasting this on answers to other questions, as well as sharing with others in different forums when I have the time. I figure, if makes someone's life a little easier, then it was worth the time I put into it. Sorry to all who are experiencing this problem, and hopefully you donāt have to suffer from it anymore! Anyway, here it is:
Warning: Very, very long postā¦but worth it, I promise!
I looked for so long for a cure for my BV, and had heard similar stories from friends about multiple rounds of antibiotics. I didnāt want to go that route without figuring out the source of my problem first, because so many women experience recurrences despite antibiotic treatment. I wanted to know more facts from an empirical perspective. By poring over scientific studies, I was able to isolate the specific bacteria that's the source of BV, and discovered that polymicrobial biofilm is the TRUE reason for recurrent outbreaks. I feel very thankful that scientists are actively working to find effective treatment for this problem that supposedly doesn't have a cure. Many women suffer with this problem, which affects so many aspects of life. Itās disappointing to be told over and over again that there is no cure. Iām going to share this information that Iāve found with my provider at my next visit, and ask why these options havenāt been explored more. I found a lot of success in following a multi-faceted approach as recommended in the studies, and havenāt suffered any BV symptoms since. I feel like a weight has been lifted, and my life has changed. I no longer have to worry, and I am thankful. Hope is on the horizon!
I spent a several hours reading through multiple scientific studies through GoogleScholar, and my school library website which gives me access to scientific journals. I gathered information from two specific studies, and grouped them together into one document. Most of what I found seemed to show that isolated traditional treatments on their own do not work as well, and present a high probability for reoccurence. These studies have made clear that a multifaceted approach is most effective, meaning the traditional medical therapy to treat BV, specifically Metronidazole and Clindamycin, AS WELL AS a combination of alternative therapies seems to show a lot of promise. I've outlined the cliff notes, with personal comments in [[double brackets]]. These cliff notes mostly consist of direct verbiage that I copied and pasted from the studies, but also includes some paraphrasing that I did on my own. If you want to read the full studies on your own, Iāve included the full journal titles with names of researchers who conducted the studies, for your reference.
P.S. The full treatment regimen that I implemented for myself is listed at the bottom in case you want to skip the studies/cliff notes. Iāve included all information so that you can learn more about it, and/or pursue your own research if you prefer.
----------Cliff notes from two studies of proposed BV Treatment options. I copy and pasted most parts, and paraphrased others [[My personal comments are in these brackets]].----------
Study name: Efficacy of Vitamin C Vaginal Tablets as Prophylaxis for Recurrent Bacterial Vaginosis: A Randomised, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial; Vladislav N. Krasnopolskya, Vera N. Prilepskayab, Franco Polattic, Nina V. Zarochentsevaa, Guldana R. Bayramovab, Maurizio Caserinid, Renata Palmierid, e
-Treatment overview during trials: Within 24 hours of cure from a recent episode of BV by metronidazole or clindamycin, implement vitamin C for six consecutive monthly cycles. Each cycle consists of inserting one vaginal tablet for 6 consecutive days during each month following menses [[Do this at night before falling asleep. You can do it during the day if you want. I just find it more convenient to insert before bed]].
-Tablets are 250mg ascorbic acid in a silicone carrier that ensures prolonged action [[Twinlab C-500 Caps Crystalline Vitamin C capsules were what I used. This brand makes the C-250 Capsules too if you want to follow the exact recommendations of this study. I just opted for more milligrams as a personal preference, and didnāt notice any harsher side effects for doing so. This brand is a little more spendy, but I donāt recommend using anything else. It is the most pure, and contains the least amount of additives]].
-No statistical significance was noted within the 3-month period, only becoming apparent during month 5. Conclusion was that the regular use of the tablets for the suggested duration following the success of metronidazole treatment reduces the reoccurrence rate from 32.4% to 16.2%. [[I used the metronidazole gel]].
āA therapeutic approach in the treatment of BV relapse is to re-establish and maintain the physiological acidity of the vagina, as the growth of anaerobes and other faecal bacteria is inhibited by low pH. Attempts to achieve this via re-colonisation with exogenous lactobacilli have not been successful. Another, more accepted approach is to reduce vaginal pH, in order to create a negative environment for pathogen growth and to achieve long-lasting normalisation of vaginal flora using intravaginal ascorbic acid (vitamin C). The use of antibiotics may induce resistance in the pool of bacteria recognised to cause BV and, conversely, could affect the normal flora of lactobacilli, favouring recurrence within a few weeks in over 70% of women taking antibiotics for bacterial vaginosis. Ascorbic acid plays a vital role in maintaining low vaginal pH values and enhances healing processes in the vaginal ecosystem - recolonisation with lactic acid bacteria. The mechanism of action is simple: through the lowering of vaginal pH to the physiological level of 3.8 - 4.5, anaerobic overgrowth is inhibited and the conditions for the re-growth of physiological lactobacilli flora are re-established. ā āThe results of the present study show that 250 mg ascorbic acid vaginal tablets taken 6 days per month safely halves the risk of BV recurrence from 32.4% to 16.2% during a 6-month prophylactic treatment. The O.R. confirms that subjects treated with placebo had a doubled risk of BV recurrence compared with the group of subjects treated with vitamin C. Considering the time to the first BV relapse, treatment of at least five cycles is necessary in order to reduce, at a significant level, the risk of BV recurrence. As this was a prophylaxis study, in women who at the screening visit were healthy and who terminated the study in case of relapse, a between-treatment difference in clinical parameters was not expected. At the same time, differences in pH were not expected but conversely, a reduction in pH was noted for 3-month and 6-month treatment. ā In conclusion, regular use of silicon-coated vitamin C (250 mg) tablets, after the standard antibiotic treatment for BV, protects women by reducing the risk of recurrence probably by re-establishing the normal lactobacilli flora that is able to maintain vaginal pH.ā
Study name: Bacterial Vaginosis Biofilms: Challenges to Current Therapies and Emerging Solutions; Daniela Machado1, Joana Castro1,2, Ana Palmeira-de-Oliveira3,4, JosƩ Martinez-de-Oliveira3,5 and Nuno Cerca1*
āBeing polymicrobial in nature, BV etiology remains unclear. However, it is certain that BV involves the presence of a thick vaginal multi-species biofilm, where G. vaginalis is the predominant species. Similar to what happens in many other biofilm-related infections, standard antibiotics, like metronidazole, are unable to fully eradicate the vaginal biofilm, which can explain the high recurrence rates of BV. Furthermore, antibiotic therapy can also cause a negative impact on the healthy vaginal microflora. These issues sparked the interest in developing alternative therapeutic strategies. This review provides a quick synopsis of the currently approved and available antibiotics for BV treatment while presenting an overview of novel strategies that are being explored for the treatment of this disorder, with special focus on natural compounds that are able to overcome biofilm-associated antibiotic resistance.ā
Current available treatments Metronidazole and clindamycin are shown to be effective against anaerobic microorganisms, though tinidazole was the most recently approved antimicrobial agent for BV treatment, and is considered an alternative antimicrobial agent, particularly whenever metronidazole and clindamycin are unavailable or not tolerated. Being a second generation nitroimidazole with a longer half-life than metronidazole, it requires lower dosages, to be taken less frequently than metronidazole.
Although antibiotics are effective against anaerobic microorganisms, they have an inability to completely eradicate the densely-structured polymicrobial BV biofilms-associated bacteria G. Vaginalis.
Alternative solutions:
Probiotics have been shown to modulate vaginal microbiotaā
āIn the human vagina, certain Lactobacillus strains can act as probiotics, preventing the growth of BV-associated bacteria through two main mechanisms: the inhibition of pathogens adhesion to vaginal epithelium (Machado et al., 2013); and the production of antimicrobial compounds like hydrogen peroxide (Mastromarino et al., 2002), lactic acid (Boskey et al., 2001) and bacteriocins (Aroutcheva et al., 2001b). Diverse pharmaceutical formulations containing probiotic lactobacilli strains have reduced BV symptoms, improved the vaginal microflora profile, being usually well-tolerated (Rossi et al., 2010;Hantoushzadeh et al., 2012; Facchinetti et al., 2013; Vujic et al., 2013; Vicariotto et al., 2014). ā
āIn contrast, despite their therapeutic potential, some clinical trials have not detected a significant improvement in BV management (Falagas et al., 2007). Alternatively, probiotics have been proposed as adjuvants to antibiotic therapy [[meaning, using probiotics DURING antibiotic treatment. I used the Natureās Way brand Primadophilus Optima Womenās, 90 billion]]. Several combinations of metronidazole, clindamycin or tinidazole with lactobacilli probiotic preparations have displayed promising results in BV treatment since they have been associated with high cure rates, low recurrence or quick re-establishment of an healthy vaginal microflora (Marcone et al., 2010; Bodean et al., 2013; Recine et al., 2016).ā [[This is why I chose to take probiotics during my antibiotic treatment]].
āProbiotics have also been used in an attempt to specifically deal with BV biofilms. Remarkably, in 2007, Saunders and colleagues showed that L. reuteri RC-14 was able to disruptin vitro G. vaginalis biofilms (Saunders et al., 2007). Later, McMillan and colleagues demonstrated that probiotic L. reuteri RC-14 and L. rhamnosus GR-1 were able to incorporate themselves into BV-biofilm, composed by G. vaginalis and A. vaginae, causing both the disruption of the biofilm structure and bacterial cell death (McMillan et al., 2011). These findings provide some evidence of how lactobacilli probiotics might interfere with an abnormal vaginal microflora, reinforcing the hypothesis that probiotics could eradicate vaginal pathogenic biofilms and restore the normal microflora in in vivo situations.ā
āIt has also been proposed that prebiotics [[such as the product Irwin Naturals Healthy Tract Prebiotic]], nutritional substances that stimulate the growth of probiotics, could be used as alternative to treat BV (Roberfroid, 2007). Interestingly, Rousseau and colleagues demonstrated that prebiotic preparations containing oligosaccharides were able to promote the growth of beneficial lactobacilli strains but not of the pathogenic microorganisms often found in urogenital infections including G. vaginalis (Rousseau et al., 2005). ā
āLater, Zeng and colleagues compared the efficacy of a prebiotic gel containing sucrose with 0.75% metronidazole vaginal gel to treat BV (Zeng et al., 2010). In that study, the prebiotic gel displayed a similar therapeutic cure rate to metronidazole, having a major advantage of quicker restoration of the normal vaginal microflora. Recently, Coste and colleagues evaluated the efficacy and safety of another prebiotic gel, applied as adjuvant therapy [[combined with antibiotic treatment]], in women treated for BV and showed an improved recovery of the normal vaginal flora, reducing the risk of recurrences (Coste et al., 2012).
Plant-derived compounds āSurprisingly, up to now only one study evaluated the capability of plant-derived compound to eradicate BV biofilms. Interestingly, Braga and colleagues showed that thymol, a molecule present in thyme essential oil, had an inhibitory effect upon both newly formed and mature G. vaginalis biofilms, which supports the importance of exploring essential oils and their main constituents as therapeutic alternative to treat BV (Braga et al., 2010). Furthermore, the expectations on essential oils as effective agents against BV-biofilms can be inferred from studies in other related vaginal biofilms (Palmeira-de-Oliveira et al., 2012; Bogavac et al., 2015).ā [[The suggested delivery was through douche]].
Acidifying/buffering agents -āRecently, Bahamondes and colleagues verified that a soap containing lactic acid and lactoserum could be used for external intimate hygiene, reducing BV recurrence after treatment with oral metronidazole (Bahamondes et al., 2011). ā
-āInterestingly, vitamin C, when coated with silicon, allowed the constant release of the active agent, resulting in a long-lasting vaginal low pH and prevention of vaginal irritation (Polatti et al., 2006). Other studies reported an effective and safe use of vaginal vitamin C tablets in BV treatment (Petersen et al., 2011), contributing to improve abnormal vaginal pH and microflora, especially in pregnant women (Zodzika et al., 2013). Additionally, the regular use of vitamin C during 6 days per month, for 6 months after successful BV treatment, was shown to decrease the risk of BV recurrence (Krasnopolsky et al., 2013).
-āAnother alternative comes in the form of buffering agents. Polycarbophil [[like the product Replens]] is a weak poly-acid that it is able to adhere to vaginal epithelial cells, acting as a buffer in the vaginal secretions (Milani et al., 2000). ā
-āAnother agent that has been long used in the treatment of vaginal infections is boric acid (Van Slyke et al., 1981) [[This could be the 600 mg tablets from brands pH-D, BoriCap, Bona Dea, or Boric Balance as of a recent Google search]]. Recently, Reichman and colleagues reported that the use of boric acid in combination with a nitroimidazole reduce the BV recurrence (Reichman et al., 2009), suggesting a potential impact on BV biofilms. However, this need to be further studied and in vitro biofilm experiments will elucidate the role of boric acid in BV prevention.ā
Conclusions and future directions BV current approved therapies are not sufficient to deal with this multi-species biofilm-related vaginal disorder. Future, research should address biofilm communities with a particular emphasis on multi-species biofilms, a topic that only recently emerged (Castro and Cerca, 2015). By properly addressing the complex interactions established in multi-species biofilms, novel strategies will hopefully overcome the high recurrence and relapse rates associated with BV.
MY PERSONAL TREATMENT: ***Disclaimer***: I am not a health provider! Please remember that the information Iāve provided is strictly through my own research and experience. All information from the studies I followed is available to view on the web, so I suggest reading those if you want to be thorough. I have no known allergies to any of these items, and I suggest proceeding with caution if you have allergies and are unsure if you will have any reactions. If this is a concern for you, do extensive research about all of these ingredients, and how they may affect your body. If you know that youāll have reactions to any of the following items, then please do not follow this treatment. I currently do not have a backup method of treatment to offer as an alternative. Again, I have only provided information about my own experience, so please proceed with safety precautions for yourself.
First off, if anyone is curious about substituting brands, Iām not sure how to answer that. I used the Twinlab C-500 Caps Crystalline Vitamin C capsules, and Natureās Way Primadophilus Optima Womenās 90 billion brands specifically because after doing lengthy research and comparisons, I found that these specific products are the most accurate for this course of treatment. The Twinlab Crystalline Vitamin C is the most pure, without additives or sugars (which you donāt really want to be introducing to the vagina anyway, to avoid a yeast infection). The Natureās Way Primadophilus Optima Womenās probiotic is a very high concentration containing all of the specific strains that were mentioned in the studies that are needed to help restore vaginal flora. The Irwin Naturals prebiotics was the only brand I could find at the health store, so thatās why I got them, but Iām sure other brands would work fine. The brands of everything else donāt need to be specific, so just use what you prefer. The overall cost of everything is fairly expensive, but itās worth it to know that the treatment is effective. Itās certainly more cheap than additional visits to the doctor for more antibiotics.
List of items needed for course of treatment:
- Natureās Way Primadophilus Optima Womenās 90 billion (Itās ~$40-50 for 30ct. bottle, and must stay refrigerated. I bought mine at the health food store)
- Irwin Naturals Healthy Tract Prebiotic (prebiotics are basically āfoodā for the probiotics, allowing them to multiply as much as possible so that they reach the colon in greater numbers, ~$20-23 per bottle)
- Twinlab C-500 Caps Crystalline Vitamin C capsules (~$15-25 for a 100 ct. bottle)
- Metronidazole antibiotic gel 5 day treatment (got mine from my doctor)
Directions: 1. First thing that Iāll mention: On the days that I did this treatment, I tried to stay as hydrated as possible, and ate more whole foods, cutting back on extra sugars and white flour, as well as avoiding alcohol. I thought of it this way, I spent all this money on supplements, why make them less effective by eating crappy food and drinking alcohol? The directions in the study say to do the treatment for at least 5 months. I would say to go for 6 months, which is was the researchers did during the study trials. For the first month, youāll do 5 days of metronidazole antibiotic treatment, directly followed by 6 days of vitamin C treatment. For the following months after that, there is no need to do additional metronidazole antibiotic treatments, so just continue with the vitamin C treatments only. Keep in mind, even if you notice a major improvement after the first treatment, keep up with it for the following months. The idea is to dissolve the resistant biofilm that causes recurrences PERMANENTLY, so I suggest following the directions of the study rather than cutting it short.
- During my period, I started taking my multivitamin, Super B/Stress B complex, and vitamin D3 8000IU vitamins every day. Once the flow of my period stopped, I began my metronidazole gel 5-day course of antibiotics every night before bed. Every day of the gel treatment, I took one prebiotic and one probiotic pill together, usually during lunch or dinner. Usually during antibiotic treatments I get a yeast infection, but it didnāt happen this time. It could have been luck, or it could have been because of the probiotics. In any case, I was very glad. I avoided coffee for a couple of hours before or after the prebiotics and probiotics too. Iām not sure if the acid in coffee affects the probiotic strains at all, but I didnāt want to take any risks. Like I said, didnāt want to waste all that money I had spent on expensive supplements if coffee or alcohol was going to affect them.
- When I was finished with the metronidazole antibiotic gel on day 5, I inserted one whole Vitamin C crystalline capsule on day 6. I did this before going to bed, placing it as far in as my finger could reach (donāt forget to wash your hands first!). The gel capsule will dissolve while youāre sleeping. Do this every night for 6 nights in a row. When the 6 days are done, carry on with life as usual.
- Thatās one treatment down for the 1st month, with 5 more months to go. The metronidazole antibiotic treatment is only done in the 1st month, so there is no need to repeat it again. For the following months, after the flow of your period stops, proceed with the 6-day vitamin C treatment only.
- Some things that you will notice:
---If you feel inside the vaginal walls, it may be a bit more dry than what youāre used to, this is also normal. It will feel like this throughout the day. Something that I did while in the shower, was āsweepā out the gobs of leftover gel capsule residue. Iād rinse my finger, reach in to do a āsweepā of the area of the upper vaginal wall near my cervix, checking for the gel capsule globs. Then Iād rinse my finger again, and reinsert to double check. Despite introducing the moisture with your finger, it wonāt easily rinse away the vitamin C powder. It will just make it a little more pasty. Generally, the powder sticks to the vaginal walls pretty well, so itās not as though itās going to āfallā or ādripā out. You will have the usual amount of discharge.
---Youāll notice that during treatment, your discharge may begin to smell and look a little different (in other words, much better!). Mine ranged from clear to yellow-ish clear. The dreaded BV smell seemed to disappear completely on the third day of vitamin C treatment.
---Definitely use disposable pantyliners during the metronidazole antibiotic treatment. I didnāt want the medicine to be left behind on my underwear. Normally during my period, I use Thinx brand period panties, which are like pantyliners (the most amazing thing ever, by the way), and I noticed that the vitamin C was safe on those underwear, and didnāt ruin them at all, so I imagine that itās also not an issue for the vitamin C to get on your regular underwear. I also have a bidet on my toilet, so this made cleanup a little easier for me each time I used the bathroom. However, baby wipes or flushable wipes are a nice touch, and quite helpful during treatment.
---A final thing to note if youāre going to have sex during treatment: I chose not to have intercourse with my husband during the antibiotic treatment. However, we did have intercourse while I was doing the vitamin C treatment, and it didnāt affect us negatively at all. Since vitamin C powder is safe to ingest orally, this didnāt pose a risk either. Actually, he remarked that he didnāt mind the taste. Also, we normally use coconut oil as a lubricant, and I found that it did not cause any side effects. I cannot confirm if other lubricants/chemicals will cause any reactions with this treatment, so that is something to keep in mind. I usually avoided intercourse directly after inserting a pill, so if you want to get busy, it may be better to do so before inserting the pill.
Hope you find as much success with this as I did! Good Luck!