private matters..... men read at your own risk

[killymcgee]

Yogurt on her and me was how we helped during her last escapade. Sucks, messy, but is better than the alternative and after a few "treatments" it was much better.

[PeaceChicken]

Yes right around 15$. I understand, trying it for the first time wasn't easy for me either but once I started there was no looking back. One thing to consider with the cups is no TSS! I will suggest you not wait until TSHTF to try them, learning curves can be longer in times of duress. plus they take up a lot less room in my BOB.

Good points indeed, thanks!

I mentioned this question to my gf today and she said I could also try sea sponges, and from the reviews I've read, some women prefer them to the cups:
http://www.gladrags.com/jade-pearl-menstrual-sponges-p-62.html. Any thoughts on those?

[ebonearth]

I mentioned this question to my gf today and she said I could also try sea sponges, and from the reviews I've read, some women prefer them to the cups:
http://www.gladrags.com/jade-pearl-menstrual-sponges-p-62.html. Any thoughts on those?

Yes. They are much easier to get used to but I must admit they weren't as leak resistant as the cups. Also no swimming with the sponges, and I like my jacuzzi too much to go without.

[nikki1843]

I have thought about monthly supplies too as I prep for myself and my children. I have a daughter that will in the next couple of years need to use them . I found a great site that tells you how to make reusable pads. Here is the link. http://hillbillyhousewife.com/sanitarypads.htm

[EmmaPeel]

I only use cloth pads.  Commercial pads make me itch.  I had not used disposable pads until I went to the BWB camp earlier this month.  I used the Seventh Generation pads and was impressed.  No itching.  But, I love my cloth.  So easy, so cheap.  Up front I spent a good bit of money getting a system that worked for me.  I work outside the home and needed reliability.  But since getting what I need, I spend nothing.  I've been using the same pads for 8 years now.

[SuperUltraJulie]

My only suggestion would be to try it the next time you have a yeast infection.  You don't want to have to  rely on an herbal remedy when tshtf, only to find out it doesn't work.  Practice with you're...ahem...gear, before you have to rely on it. 

I'll let you tell us how it works before I suggest it to my wife.  Oh & best of luck.

Good point.

I would be willing to try it, but I don't get yeast / other infections. I am familiar with tea tree oil & I know it has many uses.

Hopefully someone here will get to test this & hook us all up w/ the info

[SuperUltraJulie]

The yogurt was topically applied overnight with a pad to make sure it stayed in the area. We would have thought there would be some noticeable improvement by morning but no.

I've had experience with a GF (before wife) that was taking a lot of antibiotics that killed all the good bacteria in the mouth which was pretty uncomfortable. The Dr. told her to eat some yogurt and she started getting better right away so it did work that time. Same Dannon plain yogurt. So I have no idea why it would have worked one place and not the other. I'll have to leave the speculation to someone with some medical training to try and make sense of it.

**Raising hand**

Former corpsman here.

Why it worked w/ the mouth instead of the vagina:

The yogurt was placed inside the mouth; therefore, the action took place directly @ the site. Placing the yogurt on the outside of the vagina (even if it was the "right" yogurt) would never have worked because the yogurt never made it to the site. (Think Monostat: to work, it must be inserted).

I did a little research on the use of yogurt to treat yeast:

Eating the yogurt to treat a vaginal yeast infection: no way would this work if the yogurt does not contain acidophilus (read the label!). Your stomach would simply digest the yogurt and all of it's elements. (Acidophilus can survive the digestive process.) BTW - sugar cancels out the effects of acidophilus. If you absolutely need a sweetener - use honey. Avoid sugar of any type while you have a yeast infection.

If you can get ahold of yogurt which contains acidophilus, you can eat it but that would take longer to work without applying the treatment directly into the vagina: Dip a tampon into the yogurt and leave it there for an hour. Repeat every so often throughout the day for a few days until you're OK. All the while, keep eating the yogurt. The idea is to make your body inhospitable to the yeast.

You can also use acidophilus capsules - inserting one into the vagina every night.

Using yogurt with acidophilus may be even better than doing monostat or diflucan if you're a frequent sufferer: Since yogurt is'n't an antifungal treatment, there is no risk that it will cause your yeast population to become drug resistant.


I also found this in several listings for bacterial infections:  intake of large amounts of all the B vitamins: 100 mg. of B 1, B2, and B6; 299 mg B8 as well as pantothenic acid.

[sage0925]

Brandy, one thing you must do, and that is to keep yourself hydrated during the summer. A lot of times, you can get yeast infections just from vaginal dryness. Another, in the summer, always use a douche with provodone iodine after sex. Sex and vaginal dryness will almost ALWAYS cause me to get bad yeast infections during the summer. You can get a big bottle of it at any of the pharmacy chains...Wal Mart may even have it. I use about a tablespoon in a disposable douche bottle. You can reuse them, just clean it afterwards.

And this from an old trucker...do without underwear in the summer...yeah, you have to wash clothes more often, but tight fitting clothing (which panties are), can cause chronic yeast infections in the hot months, ask me how I know. Wear sun dresses or skirts...much more breezy, cooler, and easier to wash and dry than jeans.

Sage

[sage0925]

Thank you very much for the pad link, Nikki...now, if you or anyone else can find me a comfortable, reusable adult diaper pattern, that would be a good thing for me. At my age, I bleed so heavy the first two days, that a pad just doesn't cut it. The diapers are also better at night than a pad, as it reduces bed "accidents". I'd really like to avoid the "rubber pants" that kids used to wear over theirs, in the days before disposable diapers.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks much!
Sage

[johnnyb_good30]

Men read at own risk.hahahaha  let me tell ya i have a 10yr girl all own my own.trust me all i have is at own risk lol  but i love it

[wyochrissy]

This is AMAZING!  You girls are a wealth of information!  Thank you Thank you!    

[summer98]

Its a real pain in the ass to get them so often. It seems to run in my family though , and when I mentioned to the doc that every lady in my family gets them a lot , he said '' I have noticed that when the mother gets a lot , the daughter does too , though we don't know why'' .

I don't think that's always true. My mother got them all the time -several times a year -and I've thus far only had two.

I also prefer the cloth pads to the keeper, etc. I think they are much more sustainable in the long run.

[EmmaPeel]

Thank you very much for the pad link, Nikki...now, if you or anyone else can find me a comfortable, reusable adult diaper pattern, that would be a good thing for me. At my age, I bleed so heavy the first two days, that a pad just doesn't cut it. The diapers are also better at night than a pad, as it reduces bed "accidents". I'd really like to avoid the "rubber pants" that kids used to wear over theirs, in the days before disposable diapers.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks much!
Sage

First, investigate what you want to make the pads out of.  Hemp cloth is very absorbant.  Many of my pads are hemp.  Unbleached organic cotton is also more absorbant than basic cotton.  I have some pads make with organic cotton batting inside.  Wool is very absorbant.  I have knitted and felted wool for liners.  You can also get . . . oh I can't remember the name but it is a fabric that is waterproof that the nice cloth baby diapers have in them.  You might try checking out some of the stores for high-end baby diapers to see what they use.  Polarfleece is also somewhat waterproof.  I used those as diaper covers when my girls were in diapers.  There are also patterns available for longer, wider pads.  Those combined with some of the better fabrics like hemp may work for you.   

[SLOHomemaker]

Thank you very much for the pad link, Nikki...now, if you or anyone else can find me a comfortable, reusable adult diaper pattern, that would be a good thing for me. At my age, I bleed so heavy the first two days, that a pad just doesn't cut it. The diapers are also better at night than a pad, as it reduces bed "accidents". I'd really like to avoid the "rubber pants" that kids used to wear over theirs, in the days before disposable diapers.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks much!
Sage

I bleed like a stuffed pig for the first two days so I either use a sponge AND pad or an Instead cup AND pad. And stay close to the bathroom so I can rinse "whatever" I am wearing internally well and often.

[sage0925]

Unfortunately, I cramp too badly to wear anything internal for the first three days. I have a choice of adult diapers, or make a mess everywhere and ruin my clothing and bedding. If I am lucky, the ibuprofen knocks the pain down to a dull roar.

[Sister Wolf]

Unfortunately, I cramp too badly to wear anything internal for the first three days. I have a choice of adult diapers, or make a mess everywhere and ruin my clothing and bedding. If I am lucky, the ibuprofen knocks the pain down to a dull roar.

Go get "Premsyn PMS"  It will make much of the pain go away, but it's the ONLY over the counter medicine that works for me.  Seriously, it's amazing.

[sage0925]

What's in it? There's some stuff, like naprosyn, that I just can't take, as it tears a hole in my stomach. I also have a couple fibroids and endometriosis, which get painful as hell during my period. Used to be that ibuprofen would take care of the monthly issues, but since I got the damn fibroids, I can only get the pain down to a dull roar.

I don't want to get my female organs removed, because getting hormones if the SHTF is going to be impossible.

[Sister Wolf]

What's in it? There's some stuff, like naprosyn, that I just can't take, as it tears a hole in my stomach. I also have a couple fibroids and endometriosis, which get painful as hell during my period. Used to be that ibuprofen would take care of the monthly issues, but since I got the damn fibroids, I can only get the pain down to a dull roar.

I don't want to get my female organs removed, because getting hormones if the SHTF is going to be impossible.

Acetaminophine: 500 mg
Pamabrom: 25 mg
Pyrilamine Maleate: 15 mg

3 of those puppies, and you'll be sleepin' like a baby, with next to no pain for several hours.  It helps with endometriosis too.  Not a lot, but it DOES help.

[sage0925]

OK, thanks! I'll give it a try...going shopping tomorrow anyway...88 cent day at the dollar store tomorrow. must have more noodles...lol...found low-fat baked ramen noodles, 88 cents for 4 pkgs...and woot! no MSG!

[Sister Wolf]

OK, thanks! I'll give it a try...going shopping tomorrow anyway...88 cent day at the dollar store tomorrow. must have more noodles...lol...found low-fat baked ramen noodles, 88 cents for 4 pkgs...and woot! no MSG!

You can get them at Rite Aid (if you have that store out there).

[sage0925]

Yep, we have a Rite Aid...hope it works...last period was the worst ever. They get worse every month, the closer I get to menopause. (I'm 48 and still regular, but they're slowly getting closer together every year) And I feel even worse when my poor husband sits around upset, because there's nothing he can do.

[Sister Wolf]

Yep, we have a Rite Aid...hope it works...last period was the worst ever. They get worse every month, the closer I get to menopause. (I'm 48 and still regular, but they're slowly getting closer together every year) And I feel even worse when my poor husband sits around upset, because there's nothing he can do.

It will help more than Advil, I assure you.  Your poor husband.  Give him 2 or 3 and tell him to sleep through it.  LOL!

[homesteader]

I've switched to washable monthly pads.  There are several great brands out there.  I'll never go back to disposable!  They are so much more comfortable and if you have a "wet bag" then going out and about is no problem. I've never had one leak unlike the disposables.  I think there are sewing patterns out there if you wanted to make them.  All they are is flannel and waterproof fabric (vinyl) with a flannel insert.  The ones I have have a snap to hold them in place.  All the materials can be found at your major fabric stores or online.  Very cheap to make, not so cheap to buy, and worth it's weight in gold if TSHTF! 

I switched to those and washable diapers for the baby for economic as well as emergency preparedness reasons.   

[Louisiana Suvivor]

wow i've learned so much in 10 minutes i thought i'd never learn! lol
i'm reading this cuz as ya'll know my fiance is not as good a prepper as me. it's funny. she loves garlic and we eat it a lot!? i don't think in the 3 years we've been together she's ever gotten a yeast infection......could it be the garlic we eat? is it cuz she's only 20? sorry SW and others.........not meaning to come off rude. ya'll woman rock. or is it maybe just genetics?

[Angie]

I've got to add my 2 cents.

Prevention - is of course the answer.  I had my first yeast infection prior to diflucan, and the commonly used treatments used today.

Believe it or not - throwing panties hose in the garbage, replacing all panties if you've had a previous infection, and hum . . airing out the parts daily, will work to prevent infections.  Yeast requires warm, moist conditions.  Any nylon type product increases these conditions, and let yeast begin to bud and grow.

I 'air' regularly, use 100% cotton panties, and wear panties hose only if leg makeup doesn't work.  Haven't had a yeast infection in years.  And I live in Florida.

Also,  men can reinfect you.  So be sure his parts are thoroughly clean.  If its a bacterial infection i.e. chlamydia you need an antibiotic.  You and partner will pass this back and forth until both are treated.

[flagtag]

I think I had tried every cramp medication on the market.  Nothing worked.  Toward the end I was going 12 - 14 days, HEAVY! (Two pads & two tampons) And cramping so bad that I would double up and have trouble walking.

I finally found something that did work on the cramps - by accident.  I had taken an Equate brand pain releaver (500mg), it was barely working.  But it was also Fall and I have more sinus trouble in the Fall, so about a half hour after taking the Equate, I took an Alieve sinus tablet. It was only about 20 -30 minutes later that the pain was gone! 
I used that combination everytime I started - before the pain got too bad.

[summer98]

Naproxen sodium (aleve or its off-brands) is the only things I've ever found that will help my cramps. I only hope I can lay in a lifetime supply before TSHTF. 

[Cave Dweller]

This man happened to be browsing through the unread topics and decided to get nosey,
Not sure if it helps, but I came across this a while back.
Where women have no doctor
http://www.hesperian.org/publications_download_wwhnd.php
It's probably available in hard copy, but you other lurking men might want to consider downloading this for the ladies in your life.

Excuse me while I go pretend to do something else.

[Sister Wolf]

wow i've learned so much in 10 minutes i thought i'd never learn! lol
i'm reading this cuz as ya'll know my fiance is not as good a prepper as me. it's funny. she loves garlic and we eat it a lot!? i don't think in the 3 years we've been together she's ever gotten a yeast infection......could it be the garlic we eat? is it cuz she's only 20? sorry SW and others.........not meaning to come off rude. ya'll woman rock. or is it maybe just genetics?

LOL!  You're not coming off as rude at ALL, Lou.  Feel free to ask ANY question you have here.

As far as why she doesn't get yeast infections... It might be genetics (some women just don't get them), it might be that she doesn't play around with the soap she uses down there (some soaps will kill off good bacteria, and make way for bad bacteria), it might be due to your water supply (some water supplies just seem to cause me to get yeast infections or URIs), and it might be the food she eats.  It's hard to diagnose somebody's innocence. 

[Sister Wolf]

I think I had tried every cramp medication on the market.  Nothing worked.  Toward the end I was going 12 - 14 days, HEAVY! (Two pads & two tampons) And cramping so bad that I would double up and have trouble walking.

I finally found something that did work on the cramps - by accident.  I had taken an Equate brand pain releaver (500mg), it was barely working.  But it was also Fall and I have more sinus trouble in the Fall, so about a half hour after taking the Equate, I took an Alieve sinus tablet. It was only about 20 -30 minutes later that the pain was gone! 
I used that combination everytime I started - before the pain got too bad.

Somehow I doubt you tried Premsyn.  It has a sinus reliever in it, and for whatever reason, it WORKS.  It even works for boys (I used to give it to my dad when he was having migraines, and it would cure them flat out).  It's the best migraine reliever / PMS reliever / pain reliever available over the counter today, in my opinion.  GOOD stuff.