May or may not be a complication related to WLS

I have a question.. it may or may not be a complication of my WLS or it may be just health related. But I am at the end of my rope here..  If you do not want to read ‘Right out in the open” things about female parts then stop reading now hehe

 

I am 4 years gastric bypass post op. I lost 118 Lbs and have kept 100 of that off. I never had any plastic surgery because I can not afford it.

 

 

For the past 2 years I have been having a problem. It started with a Urinary tract infection 2 summers ago. I got it treated but it just kept coming back every few weeks. After a while I would get the extreme burning of my urethra and would also have blood in my urine.. yet there would not be any sign of infection at all. This was baffling the doctors. I saw 2 different urologists and my OBGYN. I was treated with many rounds of antibiotics over the course of a year. I had a Cystoscopy and while in there they also did a dilation of my urethra. They were testing me for Intersistial Cystitis. He did not find Intersistial Cystitis but he found a lot irritation of my urethra. He (My 2^nd urologist) wanted to treat me with Intersistial cystitis medication anyway. I will not take meds for something that I do not have.

 

 

I ended up having a yeast infection one week and went to my Gyn. She gave me diflucan and the burning also stopped that wee****il the yeast infection came back a week later. She gave me another dose and the burning stopped again. Now I asked both Urologists if I could be over run with yeast from almost 2 years of constant antibiotics. They both poo poo’d me saying nope.. that can’t be it.

 

 

My gyn started me on diflucan once a week for 3 months. I had no burning for 2 months while doing this (it was winter). All of a sudden the warm weather is back and boom I am burning again. I always had a suspicion that the weather was a factor as it always seemed worse in the summer than in the winter.

 

 

Here is where the plastic surgery comes in.. I have the same sagging skin as everyone else.. arms, stomach etc.. I also have in my opinion A LOT of extra skin in my vulva area as well. When I stand it hangs and totally covers up my clitoris/urethra. I can see how walking/moving probably rubs that skin covering my urethra causing urethral irritation, the lack of air hitting anything down there can cause yeast and/or urinary tract infections especially in the summer when there is sweating.

 

 

Has ANYONE heard of this or someone that had these same problems?

 

 

Who do I turn to in order to find out if this suspicion can be true? Do I turn to a plastic surgeon? Do I turn back to my urologist? Do I turn to my OBGYN? I am at a loss of what to do about this anymore. I just know that I do not want to spend another summer suffering with this.

 

 

Any advice? Does this sound to any of you like it could be the problem?

 

I'm so sorry that you are having problem and that you are in pain.  Pain is a horrible thing - plain and simple!  :-( In the 30 minutes that I spent researching this on the Internet, I found nothing that gave a definitive answer of any correlation; however, there was INDICATION even if indirectly that there may be a possible relationship.  Also, it makes for a good "educated guess."   I understand your concern, frustration, etc. etc.  If this were me, because I find discusing the bowels, ballder, or female genitalia "sensitive" material, I'd call the doctor's NURSE (female) with whom I am most comfortable and discuss it with her over the phone.  I'd then question or comment as necessary, decide how I want to proceed, and then proceed. You know your body better than anyone else! Listen to it!  :-)

Excess skin that keeps areas damp contribute to yeastm and since you have excess skin from WLS, I'd say it's related. Documenting the yeast infections can help in getting insurance to cover a tummy tuck or at least a panni removal. Document any discomfort, treatments, rashes, infections etc.