Something I have truly been struggling with

[WantGirths]

I have not been able to talk to anyone about this because I am too embarrassed, except for my ex-girlfriend, who I really haven't talked to since she dumped me a month ago. For the last 4 months I have had a yeast infection on my genitals. I am a male, and yes it is possible for males to get them.
It has honestly been one of the worst things to ever happen to me. For the last 4 months I have been in a fairly constant state of discomfort ranging from annoying to pure agony. It may be difficult to believe that a simple yeast infection could cause the level of discomfort I am describing, but it is truly one of the worst things I have ever experienced. To put a comparison on it, I broke both of my wrists a few years ago, and walked around for a week before seeing a doctor. The pain of that injury during that week was much less severe than the pain of other injuries I have had, and the discomfort this yeast infection has caused me has been equally as bad as the worst injury I have ever had (a terrible thumb injury which left me without the use of it for over 1.5 years). The itching that is sometimes caused by this has left me in tears on multiple occasions. I have very seriously considered going to the ER more than once and begging them to sedate me. It is horrible.

Since this started 4 months ago, I went from having a great sex life, to sex literally being impossible. I tried once about a month ago, it made things so much worse, even with wearing a condom. I have lost 20 pounds of muscle. I can no longer work out, sweating makes things worse, and friction of course doesn't help. I have lost many friends. I am constantly making excuses as to why I can't go do things, and so I have basically just been blowing off all of my friends for the past 4 months. I do as much as I possibly can when I can, but that is limited, and pretty much every time I do just about anything it makes it worse. I have missed many of my college classes because it often just isn't possible for me to sit in class for hours. It is really ruining my life. There are many nights where I am lucky to get 3 or 4 hours of sleep. I have had a couple times it has been so bad that I might only get an average of 3 hours of sleep a day for a week or two straight. I mean this is truly ruining my life.

I have tried every single home remedy there is, the only thing that actually seems to help is if I take a large amount (a few cloves about every 4-6 hours) of crushed, or finely chopped fresh garlic. This helps significantly, but does not completely eliminate it. I have been to multiple doctors. They have prescribed me several different medicines. None of them actually seem to do anything.

I really don't know what to do. I am beyond desperate for this to go away. I fear my penis will be permanently scarred from it as well. It has essentially been raw for the last 4 months. I have done a ton of reading online, and I have found just a few cases similar to mine, and the only cases I have found that don't respond to treatment pretty much immediately have been stuck with this problem for years and are still dealing with it. There seems to be no cure for some. The thought of this being with me for the rest of my life is fucking terrifying to me, and I can honestly say that I think life might not be worth living if that did end up being the case.

It gets so tiring trying to act and live normally with this...
I just want this to stop. I just want it to go away. I don't know what to do :shootout:

 

[Steneo]

Whoa, that sucks. Are you sure it is a yeast infection? What did these multiple doctors say about it specifically and what drugs did you take? Has anybody actually done some sort of culture or microscopy to determine exactly what the offending organism is?

Two things come to mind - if this is a yeast infection and if it is as severe as you describe then you probably need a decently long course of therapy (fungal infections can sometimes be difficult to get rid of). Also, if it truly didn't respond to the first round of therapy (need to know what that was and how long you took it) then it could be resistant and you need to try something else. Try seeing an infectious diseases specialist, there is no reason to continue to suffer or believe that it isn't treatable with the correct drug and duration.

 

[lil-crazy]

Holy cow!! Head to the hospital asap. I can only imagine something like this getting worse not better. You have mentioned it has effected your schooling, weight and starting to hurt your mental health.
Your immune system is already taking a large hit with lack of sleep and the stress

 

[WantGirths]

Well after trying every home remedy there is, coconut oil, yogurt, garlic, a few others, oh and aloe vera gel, that was one of the most painful 5 minutes of my life. I got a handful of aloe vera gel and smeared it on my junk, and it started to burn worse than anything I have ever felt. I ran screaming to the shower and then learned that it was not water soluble. I washed as much of it off as I could, but after 5 minutes the pain went away. In fact all feeling in my penis went away, it was completely numb. I honestly think what happened is that it overloaded the pain receptors to the point that they just shut down. lol

I believe it is a yeast infection because it has all the symptoms of it including the smell of a yeast infection. I also believe it is a yeast infection because of its response to garlic. Anytime I stop with the garlic is when it gets so bad that I just can't bear it.

I was prescribed nystatin cream, that cleared it up completely in about 5 days. I continued using it and it was back worse than ever 2 days later. I then was told to continue using the nystatin along with lamisil. This did nothing.
I was then prescribed ketoconazole which has actually been a god send. It has severely reduced the itching intensity and frequency, but it hasn't seemed to lessen the infection by much. At the same time as I was prescribed ketoconazole I was also prescribed fluconazole pills which are for women, lol. They have pictures of women on them, they say multiple times how it is the cure for most vaginal yeast infections etc... This also hasn't really seemed to help much.

The doctors all said that it sure looks like a fungal infection, most likely yeast. The first one didn't know what the fuck he was talking about and after seeing him a few times I told him how to treat me because he didn't fucking know how to do it. He disagreed with me saying that my recommended course of treatment didn't make sense and that's not how it works. I told him to get me another doctor who first thing upon entering the room recommended what he just told me wasn't possible.

As far as it getting worse, it fluctuates a lot. Some days it's not too bad, just a bit annoying, other days I am in tears.

 

[gettingintoshape]

In would head to the nearest minor medical center now.

 

[lil-crazy]

If you must self treat I would first start today on a probiotic available at any shopping center that carries vitamins.
Stop drinking beer, smoking, and consuming foods high in sugar all things the yeast infection bug feeds off of. Your skin is a good sign of what is going on in side your digestive track.
I'm afraid if you don't get healed up you are flirting with chances of getting staph infections

 

[Steneo]

Ok then, so on nystatin it cleared and then came back while you continued to use it? That wouldn't be "usual" for a typical yeast infection caused by Candida albicans (most common organism) and is somewhat suggestive that you have a different, non-albicans species of candida (again, if you have it at all which I cannot determine personally over the internet) which have shown the ability to develop resistance to nystatin on therapy. It wouldn't be unusual for a non-albicans candida (such as C. krusei, C. glabrata, C. tropicalis...) to also be resistant to lamisil so that part isn't surprising.

Then you were put on oral therapy with ketoconazole and it worked it sounds like - symptoms went away anyway. It can take a while for the lesion itself to heal FYI. Also, it does not make sense to be on both ketoconazole and fluconazole at the same time...they are the same class, have the same mechanism of action... How long did you take ketoconazole? Like I said, if it is as severe as you describe you are probably looking at multiple weeks of oral antifungals at least.

I'm gonna return to my advice from the end of my first post - that being to go see an infectious diseases specialist. I think it is certainly warranted given the severity you describe as well as the treatment failure with nystatin (which makes me suspicious that you may have a less common form of candida requiring a different that usual therapy). Good luck man.

Edit: Drop those home remedies, that's not going to help for this.

 

[WantGirths]

I am NOT stopping my garlic regimen. Every time I have it has amplified ten fold within a matter of 2 days.
Even if it is not helping I know that it is not hurting. I have stopped the rest though, as they did not help.

Yes the nystatin cleared it up, then it came right back, and applying nystatin after that just seemed to agitate things more.
The lamisil just seemed to burn ever so slightly and not really have any other effect.

For the first probably 1.5-2 months I had this it would go through cycles where it would be very bad, then mostly clear up. It fluctuated a lot. Then I started the garlic and it kept it from getting worse, but it wouldn't go away. Anytime I stopped taking the garlic it would come back so badly that those were usually the times I was in tears, screaming, considering going to the ER, etc... For the most part the garlic has kept away the more severe symptoms

Sorry for the confusion, the fluconazole is an oral treatment, and the ketocanazole is a topical treatment. I have been on the ketoconazole for a week, and the flucozanole for 5 days.
The symptoms have not completely gone away, but they have gotten much better. I am hoping that it is actually going away, but I am not holding my breath because it has behaved similarly to this before and then ends up just coming back worse than ever.

 

[Steneo]

Ah I see, so topical ketoconazole for the last week and oral fluconazole for the last 5 days. Symptoms are improving...then the best advice is to just keep going for now with the current regimen (even though that combination still doesn't make much sense). Like I said above, it can take longer for the lesion to heal than for the symptoms to go away. Don't miss doses and if it gets worse again like you describe above then go to a specialist

 

[WantGirths]

It seems to make sens to me. The pills to clear the yeast out internally, and the cream to treat it at the source of the issue.
The reason for it being to different medications, is because taking ketoconazole internally has lead to kidney failure.

I will be going to a specialist if this gets worse or does not get better by the end of the week.

 

[CUSP82]

First off you won't have a sex life with a yeast infection and garlic. Yeast infections must be treated by a doctor and if persistent you need long term anti-fungals It really is simple. Go back to the doc and keep going back until it's gone. The garlic is not curing anything.

 

[islander]

Get to a real medical center. You need blood test cultures. For your body to hold on to this your immune system may be weak.
Wash all your clothes with a cup of white vinegar each time in the wash.
Make a misting spray of 50/50 white vinegar and water. Spray it on there.
Yes it could be yeast but ill bet it's something else to. It's your body talking to you. Listen to it and seek real super sonic attention asap. If you are close to a Cleveland Clinic go there.
This is horrible!!! I'm so sorry for you. Don't give up. MAKE them solve the mystery.

 

[fordzilla]

crap dude I had a similar thing at one point in time can't speak for you but honestly what it was for me was several different things

like my sweat is too acidic
a yeast infection
wearing clothing that is too tight
not bathing for awhile
having multiple skin conditions

get checked bud it sucks but it always gets better good luck to you!!!!

 

[sweetie52]

Hi W.G.
First off, don't be embarrassed. How can we ever solve anything if we keep it to ourselves. Did you know that women can have yeast infections around their breasts? Any place there is moisture and skin. you can try an over the counter sauve that may be found at the drug store. It is for this specific purpose. Try keeping the area dry-medicated powder can be a big help. It absorbs moisture. If this doesn't help, make an appointment to see a doctor. You wonuldn't want to spread this to anyone. Good Luck.

 

[WantGirths]

First off you won't have a sex life with a yeast infection and garlic. Yeast infections must be treated by a doctor and if persistent you need long term anti-fungals It really is simple. Go back to the doc and keep going back until it's gone. The garlic is not curing anything.

Lol, the nurses at the doctors office joked with me about having no sex life with the garlic. I have managed to do surprisingly well despite that. Had a 9/10 girl sleep in my bed with me the other night. Thank god she was on her period so she wasn't expecting sex.

You can think what you will about the garlic, I have tried several times taking it and not taking it and EVERY time I have stopped within a very short time period it has gotten so much worse it's insane, and every time I have started taking it again it has helped the symptoms by so much. So think what you will, I will NOT stop taking it until this is gone for good.

I have been washing my clothes 3-4 times each to make sure they are truly clean, I will start adding vinegar though.

Ford I have been wearing nothing but boxers or no underwear for a while now because I realized tight clothing was not helping. I wear almost exclusively basketball shorts. I have been bathing about twice a day since this started, but I don't use soap on the area (except for very rarely) because that only kills the good bacteria and makes it worse. Besides this very localized problem I have no skin conditions.
I eat very healthy, and I don't think my sweat is acidic, but it could be.

And don't worry about me spreading it to anyone, sex is impossible, it causes me a great deal of pain. I wont be having any until this is gone.

 

[islander]

Get the dog gone blood tests! Promise me! Ugh!

 

[WantGirths]

As I said I am hopeful this new treatment will actually clear it up as it has helped (but so have others temporarily). If it is not better by the end of the week though, I promise to go to a specialist and get the blood test and everything else.

 

[anonymity]

Oh Mr. WG. I'm so sorry. I as a woman can actuall feel your pain. I need to know diet. How many carbs? How much sugar? How much alcohol? (completely obstain by the way from ALL the above until your okay agian, by the way , you will be okay.) What is your probiotic regiem? How many antibiotics have you taken? Have you tried the monostate cream given to women? As far as permently hurting your penis, inbetween what ever treatments we figure out, use a diper cream with the highest Zinc content you can find.

 

[WantGirths]

Oh Mr. WG. I'm so sorry. I as a woman can actuall feel your pain. I need to know diet. How many carbs? How much sugar? How much alcohol? (completely obstain by the way from ALL the above until your okay agian, by the way , you will be okay.) What is your probiotic regiem? How many antibiotics have you taken? Have you tried the monostate cream given to women? As far as permently hurting your penis, inbetween what ever treatments we figure out, use a diper cream with the highest Zinc content you can find.

I guess I eat a decent amount of carbs. I eat carbs (such as bread, and potatos), animal proteins, fruit, and vegetables in that order. No sugar other than natural sugar, and the sugar I get when I eat cereal.
Alcohol is not consumed very often, less than once a week. probiotic, none. antibiotics, none. monostate, no. I have been using max strength neosporin which has bacitracin zinc in it.

 

[Padawan787]

Thrush? That's really easy to treat.

You can treat it orally or with a topical cream, neither of which need a prescription.