Sensitive Advice needed - Vulvovaginitis or Vaginal Itching in young girls?

blue_monkey_2

Hi,

A bit long winded this, I wondered if anyone else had expeienced this with their young girls, if you would prefer to PM me then please do, I'll explain about my daughter and although we have been to the doctors endless times and hospital for tests they show nothing as to why she is getting these flare up. She is having another flare up and I am at my wits end as there is no school to distract her from it and she has been quite distressed. We are off to the docs this morning but I wondered if there were any other mums out there who's daughters had this that I could talk to/compare notes with. It seems like a blank canvas and no-one else has had it or heard of it in their children, or if they have then they are not talking about it.

Basically she has had a problem since around 8 months old - she is now coming up 5, as soon as she could sit she was having this trouble. This week she has been walking around the shops with her hand pressing on herself, she tells me just can't stop doing it. She holds herself but won't stratch as she says it hurts to, she presses just above her pelvic bone and just gets so frustrated she is red in the face and screaming in the end. I have taken her to the doctors when she had flare ups, she has had tests and swabs and medicines like they were going out of fashion and until rlast year she had it for 2 weeks out of 3. I have tried everything that I can find or think of. Today I am off to the doctors again with another flare up and hoping they can give me some other creams just to stop the itching for her. This is why I needed some advice or to talk to someone to see what creams you were using or had used in the past or if there was something I can do. I have been using Sudocream but it is not seeming to work now.

My daughter has also been under the hospital as they thought that she might have a foreign body in there but because the flare up slowed down (this is the frst one in months and I think it is because I started using Simple bubble bath - I thought it would be OK, obviously not!), I did not want to have her put under anesthetic for no reason really. She has also had a scan on her tummy and they could find nothing wrong internally via the scan.

It is hard work and so hard to see her frustrated with the itching as we all know how much it can itch when we have thrush but I tell her to scratch to alleviate the problem but she does not seem to want to and this is why she gets frustrated. I am looking for some support from others whose children had this or who have got it now, I am not looking for medical advice, so anything anyone can help me with would be appreciated. If you prefer to PM rather than post then please do, I understand that this is a subject that no-one talks about and it does seem so rare but I need more support, persaonl advice and an ear to help when the times are bad.

As I said she has had this for a while and I have no one else to ask, who better than my MSE friends - here is hoping that at leasr one person can help.

x

Justie

can't give specific advice on the condition but a few thoughts: firstly I would look at things like what washing powder you use, I wouldn't use any bubble bath or anything in the bath (boring for her I know), don't use soap on the area - you might want to use something like lactacyd (I think it's called) which is the right pH etc. Make sure she's wiping front to back and maybe make sure she wipes (dabs) after a wee so she's not damp. I wouldn't use sudocrem personally as it can cause itching in some children. There have been various threads about natural treatments/creams for eczema which had some good suggestions for mineral oil free creams which could be used (I can't remember now what they were). I would also make sure that her undies are loose and try to keep her in skirts/dresses so she's got less to irritate - also give her bare bum time at home if you can. It may be worth asking the GP about allergen tests. Does she have any allergies at all as well as this itching?

lynzpower

I know this is obvious, but try to buy untreqated cotton pants for her too, it certainly makes a difference in adults feminine itching IME

floyd

Many members of my family have itch-related conditions ranging from Eczema, Psoriasis and Dermatitis to lupus photosensitivity. We have all used products from http://www.salcura.com with great success.
They are extremely helpful so it may be sending them an email or calling to see if their products are suitable for use in the genital area. The products are also natural and lanolin and mineral oil free. Many commercial 'itch' creams contain lanolin which many people with sensitive skin are allergic to so its a vicious circle.
good luck with finding something that helps

trigger2

bluemonkey - my DD (7) is very sensitive there as well. The docs have taken swabs etc, always comes back blank. THe last time we went I was told to "wash her more often & she would grow out of it" !!!! I do everything they tell me - cotton pants, sheets, wash in appropriate detergents eg non bio, surcare etc, use unperfumed products, eat less rubbish & more fruit & veg (not a problem in her case), etc etc, but it still flares up every couple of months. I did buy a product from a place called Just UK which is swiss i think, anyway its a wash product suitable for sensitive thrush prone areas, I read lots of testimonials before I bought it, I dont use it every day, only when i think its starting to get bad again, heres the link http://www.justuk.net/just/pages/product_detail/71.php. It certainly helps us, but obviously everyones different. HTH & good luck !

mae

Although my daughter does not have this problem she has sensitive skin and my doctor told me never to use any creams, soaps or talcs on her and when she is in the bath just use aquaeous cream to wash her and since then she has had no flare ups at all.
I agree check your washing powder, you can get sensitive ones but I don't know the name of them. I'm sure someone will be along soon who can name them.
Also have you aksed the doctor if an anti histermine might stop the itching? I take Piriton when I'm itching, I know its not solving the problem but may be worth asking if it will alleviate some of her stressful symptoms while they are investigating.
While she is say watching TV if its bothering her could you give her some something frozen wrapped in a tea towel to press on the area over her knickers to try and cool the area down.
I wish you both well with this as I know how any continuous itch can drive anyone to distraction.
Good luck.

trigger2

lynzpower - where do you get your untreated pants from ? (sorry dont know how to copy your post onto this !)

blue_monkey_2

Hi everything, thanks so much for your adivce and trigger2, thank you for your post, it was nice to know (in a really horrible sort of way) that someone else has the same problem. She has had more swabs than I can remember - even when she had a green discharge it can back as being nothing. It gets very frustrating for all of you - you because you can see they have a problem and can't do anything to help, them because of the itching and the doctors who can't get to the bottom of it (pardon the pun!).

But yes, we always have her in cotton pants, we always use the same washing powder (not sesetive but always the same brand so this is not the problem) and we wash her hair in the bath and do not use bubble baths that often. She has had this for nearly 4 years now and we do realise what triggers it, shampoo in the bath has never been an issue until we used this brand and we have always used other kids and nbaby shampoos but it just takes one little thing to set it off and you have to get out of the cycle of it being itchy, them not being able to sctratch it do getting frustrated and then getting the PH balance back to normal. In regard to this though, I have been researching and the PH balance in a child is different to that in a woman so the stuff to restore our PH balance does not restore a childs.

The doc has given me some anti-histimine, not something I would have thought of before in all honesty and I am annoyed with myself as I had some in the cupbaord, and I am going to get some canesten to use on her as well, the docotr says this is fine. i did buy some hydrocortisone but it said not to use on children under 10 and on the vaginal areas so got a bit panicy and only used it the once, but she has told me that this was fine also. So, fingers crossed we can get out of this current cycle and get her back to normal.

We have tried everything, food, washing with sensitve stuff, not wearing pants (we put a nightie on her and during the night she will go and get pants on, no amount of explaining will make her understand at this age) but because she has been clear of this for about 5 months to date it has to be something that has triggered it off and I think it is either the shampoo we switched to or the Simple Bubble Bath we used. I now wash her hair over the bath when she gets out. It is hard work but we will get there.

Thanks so much for your support on this. If you want to PM me trigger I'll tell you how it all goes when I start the medicine. My daughter tells me it does not hurt to wee but she is red and this is what is causing the itching. I am not sure about your daughter though buyt mine will not wear any trousers if she can help it. She will not have anything that digs in her tummy such as jeans or skirts with a button. I am not sure if this is related, maybe it is rubbing down there and they can't be pulled down unlike the ones with elasticated waits, either way, I was not sure if this was a problem you had with your daughter.

blue_monkey_2

Oh just to add, I did try giving her some cooled kitchen towel but she was having none of it!! She is only 4 remember and they don't know what is good for them and I thnk she thought her mother was going a bit la la!!

belfastgirl23

I know you think the washing powder isn't the trigger but just to say since I started washing undies with gym stuff (so with only a little powder and mostly bicarb of soda and using vinegar to rinse) I am a lot more comfortable. I can always tell if a pair got mixed up in the regular wash by accident too It might be worth doing just to see if it helps.

Poor little thing, sounds horrible for her...

bumpybecky

blue_monkey wrote: »

I am going to get some canesten to use on her as well, the docotr says this is fine. i did buy some hydrocortisone but it said not to use on children under 10 and on the vaginal areas so got a bit panicy and only used it the once, but she has told me that this was fine also. So, fingers crossed we can get out of this current cycle and get her back to normal.

you can get canesten with hydrocortisone in, it comes in a tube like regular canesten, but with blue stripes and writing not red. I've had this from the GP for dd2 as a baby when she had thrush on her bum and a few weeks ago (she's now 7) when she managed to graze herself on the side of her labia (not sure if that's the correct medical term! - onher bits! :eek: ). Like other hydrocortizone creams you're not supposed to use it for more than a week or so (it thins the skin I think), but it might help sort things short term

hope you manage to find something that works for your daughter