Health Organization for Pudendal Education

February 2024 I was on antibiotics, 2 weeks later I had all symptoms of thrush, started treatment then got swabbed. I expected the results to come back negative cause I had already started treatment. Month later still had thrush symptoms, got swabbed again, all results came back negative. I was going crazy!! After seeing 7 doctors and a gynaecologist they all basically told me it was in my head. Symptoms were getting worse it was so painful!!!

June 2024 I found Dr Bradford a gynaecologist in Sydney and was very lucky to get an appointment straight away, she diagnosed me with severe chronic thrush. Started treatment and within a month most of symptoms had disappeared except for the annoying buzzing sensation I was having, which I now know is my nerves being irritated.

July 2024 I had knee surgery, 2 days later the nerves and muscles were so irritated, felt like I needed to wee all the time, it drove me mental!! started on Lyrica, in a few weeks that feeling disappeared.

Now I have a burning sensation all the time, sometimes it radiates to my knee and foot. My clitoris sometimes hurts, and my pubic bone. The buzzing/tingling sensation is always there, it’s worse when I sit, it doesn’t hurt it’s just annoying. I’m booked in to see a pelvic floor physiotherapist in 2 weeks.

I’m looking for positive stories, has anyone had similar happen to them, and have you recovered? Would love to know what you did. I have 2 young children ( and 2 older adult children) and a hubby, they need the best version of me, right now I’m so irritable and fed up with the way I’m feeling. I can’t believe this is all from leaving thrush untreated for so long

Hi Lorine9,

There are a lot of different things that could be going on. Just to name a few, you could have nerve damage from the antibiotic, or from the thrush infection. Or you could have developed tight muscles as a result of your original symptoms and now your muscles could be impinging on the pudendal nerve causing irritation. One of my early symptoms of pudendal nerve entrapment was feeling like I had a yeast infection. Soon I developed the constant urge to pee, and later burning. My story is different than yours but I have recovered and I hope you will too.

Hopefully your PT will have some answers for you, but you may want to consider some additional diagnostics if PT doesn't help. Did you have an MRI yet to rule out anything obvious in the spine or pelvis?

In addition to PT, you could try some alternating hot/cold sitz baths to relieve symptoms and promote healing. If PT doesn't help within 6-12 sessions and your symptoms are still bad, you might want to consider a pudendal nerve block and seeing one of the pudendal neuralgia physicians in your country.

Violet