I finally dragged myself to the college health center complaining about it yeast infectionAnd I got some prescribed medication. But I had the same problem over and over again: sometimes it would go away, then it would keep coming back. I found myself in this constant cycle of going to the health center every few weeks. And it wasn’t like I was just going for a routine exam—it felt too intimate and awkward to have a pelvic exam every few weeks. I mean, no one wants to be in stirrups more than they should. It was really disrupting my life, not only from the visits, but it was also starting to take a toll on my self-confidence.
After months of return visits, I started to become an advocate for myself, sharing that I didn’t really think the medication was working. Then I was put on a long-term course of antifungals (a fluconazole pill weekly for six months). It worked to some extent, and the symptoms disappeared for a while – but then two years later, the same cycle started all over again.
I was put on another course of antifungal treatment for six months, but then I started getting an allergic reaction (swelling, hives, works). As it turns out, I developed an allergy to the antifungal. However, at the time, I was so desperate for my vaginal symptoms to go away, sometimes I still took medication and hoped that maybe (maybe!) the reaction wouldn’t be as bad as last time. But it always was. My doctors eventually switched me to another medication, but the recurring course continued.
This entire experience lasted for five years – through college, through graduate school, and my move to New York.
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