It's strange - I started Krill oil because I thought my hair was getting slightly thinner and suddenly, months later, realised I didn't need my dry eye drops anymore! Then I read that some people were using it for dry eyes:-))) Mine are down to the Ehlers Danlos though - the connective tissue thing that affects all sorts of things.
No but have been
I have researched it n there can be a lot of side affects but there can be with many other medicines
Well, this is a coincidence! I was MIA for a couple of weeks after switching to another computer, but now a message has suddenly appeared and what are people discussing but krill oil which I just ordered on line because of what I had read here about it helping with dry eyes. I thought I might try taking it every other day. Also thought I would try probiotics (again) although I never noticed any benefit in the past. Still have not ventured toward the hormone cream as the AV seems to be static. Some occasional burning only. Did not visit the gyno this year so no painful exam. Re the coconut oil, never knew it not to melt on contact.
You must have had a fairly good year..i think i went 7 times alone just to the gyno..but this is still new to me..so still confuseng
Yes, I'm having good enough years. My problems began about 15 years ago and lasted for 5 miserable years. My issue (an infection) was finally resolved thanks to a GP who prescribed what my gyno refused to (Flagyl) which cured me. However it was also the start of menopause and with that came the beginning of AV. My symptoms have never been very bad, although the gyno's I have seen have been recommending hormone cream all along lest the atrophy get worse. But I am reluctant to use hormones. As long I don't have an exam or attempt to have sex I get by with a little coconut oil & proper PH soaps. Have tried vit E though I'm not sure that does much for me (could be I should use it more frequently, but I don't like the stickiness of it).
Good luck with your appts. I know what that is like. Doctors aren't equipped to solve the AV problem other than to prescribe hormones which obviously comes with some risk. So it comes down to that or cobbling together some relief with lotions and potions. Some women complain of problems using the hormones. I think women have been suffering in silence for many years, but now that there are forums like this the problem is being openly discussed. If things get bad for me I am holding on to the hope of that Mona Lisa treatment.
I got krill for my eyes and when I took i t started with itching vagina so now taken myself off of it. Funny how we both have poorly eyes and vagina,!
Add a third person to the eyes and VA lol
I am hopeing to be able to wait a few years so that i can see how women really do with the mona lisa touch..hopefully by then insurance will also cover it.Our health costs are through the roof..having sub standard expensive insurance which does not cover alot of things..always a worry with that.
It does melt on contact Beverly, just takes slightly longer. The biggest problem was that it was more solid in the jar LOL! But I took a knife to it in the jar and got it in small pieces, so it just pushes up easily like a pessary. I'm still using it twice a day. I'm using a panty pad during the day because I tend to use quite a lot of the coconut, and changed the make this week and got sore! So am going back to the other ones!
Ah yes! Flagyl, also known as Metronidazole, is a very good antibiotic and I actually keep a spare course of it here (I should add that I don't take antibiotics unless i KNOW I need them!). I've been given it for various issues over the years as I'm allergic to penicillin. How old are you Beverly? (Hope you don't mind me asking). I'm hoping that the good old coconut will see me through too:-))) I'm 66. But I think you've hit the nail on the head about cobbling together some relief with lotions and potions - it's a case of finding what works for you, but then it seems that some women DON'T find the relief with non hormonal products and that's when the choice becomes so limited. If the coconut oil stops working for me then I'm going on to the hyalaronic acid gel - I have my plan of action, and that always helps!
I was wondering if it was purely coincidence about the krill oil affecting the vagina as well, but then when you hear more people say the same thing, you just have to think there might be something in it! I did see a site the other day about various foods and drinks to avoid (sorry Lee, alchohol was one of them and caffeine and loads of other things!). But at least it didn't say cake!:-))))))))
chris, I'm 67. Am also single so that gives me an advantage in that I'm not trying to achieve the impossible by having sex. If I were then I'd be in the same postion many of you are in which is damned if you do and damned if you don't. I also have made note of the hyalaronic acid and will try it if symptoms worsen.
Ah, so we're close in age. I think we are on the luckier end of things, judging from how many women much younger than us are having horrendous problems.
my most recent gyno wanted me to use Premarin to prevent more serious problems from developing. After reading about all the problems here I now understand what the doctor meant. (For whatever reason she hadn't gone into detail.) One of the posters here warned me that the problems can get so bad she advised I should use the hormone cream. I just am very reluctant to do so because my sister has stage 4 breast cancer (caused, I am sure, by taking hormones). She was the only female in my family to do so and the only one who has gotten cancer. The doctor felt that the dosage is weak and not as much gets into the bloodstream as taking pills, but....
Beverly I am SO SO sorry to hear about your sister. I had similar feelings about it because my mother died from breast cancer, but I let the doctor talk me into vagifem, telling me it was safe, even at three times the recommended dose. I find this incredibly difficult to know what the answer is! I can see it from both sides. I can absolutely understand why women don't want to use hormone treatment because of the risks, but at the same time I can also understand why some women do resort to it when there don't seem to be any other options for them that work! My feeling is that if things are reasonable without using hormone cream it's better to carry on as you are, because things might not get any worse, and who knows what the future holds in any respect, so personally I think I wouldn't use a hormone (well, I wouldn't and couldn't anyway because of my history now, but if that hadn't happened) until the time came and I then felt I had no other options if nothing else would work at that point. But I wouldn't use anything that was risky to put of an 'in case' scenario, if that makes sense.
First of all,i am so sorry to hear about your sister.I think whoever decides to take hormone replacement should have an annual exam and mamography.That way should this happen it should be a low grade and treatable.I have read so much on this topic.I tend to think that the low dose cream,vagifem etc is much safer then the pill.i do also think if we dont treat it that we will continue to get worse symptoms.Guess the question is,how long is safe enough to wait befre symptoms get possibly out of control..Will it keep getting worse thats the question that confuses us enough to not take it.
Im trying somthing new for rinsing daily or after urinateing..i bought a bottled water..thats high alkaline and i believe to be totally chlorine free.I think chlorine might be very irritateing to most of us as our skin is so delicate.Water name starts with an F,will post if this helps the skin after i use it awhile.Most of our water systems in the US have Clorine etc.Just an idea.By the way water can be very acidic..drinking water..somthing i didnt used to know.
Something that just went through my mind, Beverly. On the vagifem site it says not to use the product for longer than necessary, so if you start these hormone treatments before you actually need them, does it prolong the time you're on them? Or maybe it doesn't work like that? By starting them earlier, does it mean you use them less? I don't know the answer to that.
I think we have the same attitude towards this, but your options are apparently more limited by your history. As I've said, if I were suffering and couldn't alleviate it via alternative methods I would go with the Premarin. Also if I were attempting to have a sexual relationship with a man (haven't in a long time) I would be forced to go with the Premarin. Needless to say my circumstances hardly encourage me to get involved with anyone. So I just continue on, hoping my body won't deteriorate further without my being aware of it and going past the tipping point. That's what the doctor was trying to prevent. She feels strongly that the cream is safe and would monitor me to look for any changes. As I'm now away half the year that becomes problematic so I just carry on! Just rejoined the gym today so that will work in my favor healthwise. Am planning to go visit my sister this winter while she's feeling well enough to have company. Tough getting your head around life sometimes, but at our ages this is our reality. Best we can do is handle it with some kind of grace.
BTW have any reasons been given why krill oil would exacerbate vaginal issues? I haven't found anything online. There was a rambling article on potassium which I'm not worried about. If anything it should be beneficial as I tend towards high cholesterol (which doesn't concern me because my 94 year old mother's is off the charts).