? women's hygiene (i.e. trail annoyance s)

“Hey guys (or should that say, girls)- been a while since I've lurked on TT, but I have a question for some of you regulars who have probably experienced this annoying and embarrassing problem... Sorry it's a gross topic, but honestly, I'd like a serious answer.

Last weekend I went horseback riding before camping, so there was a little extra irritation to start with... I usually use those nifty hygiene towelettes to keep things clean and dry, but I ran out. So, after going a weekend without toilette paper, there was some external irritation by the time I got home. All week I've been really meticulous about keeping things clean- using the adult version baby wipes after the TP when using the restroom, lathering well in the shower, using panty liners to keep things extra dry. Well, all week, I may have a very mild yeast infection because there's been a little extra discharge, and even with my precautions the added moisture has aggrevated the already irritated skin. Today I bought some baby Desitin creamy and have used it all day, every trip to the bathroom, after TPing, then moist-toweletting. Maybe it's helping some, but not really noticeably. Keeping in mind this is just affecting the external parts, and seems alot like diaper rash or on animals, urine scald, do you girls have any other suggestions that you might use on the trail for this type of thing??

Thanks so much for any advice you might have!
~ la chilena”

“i didnt know trolls could get yeast infections!”

“you should just get a sex change”

“try la lengua”

“Come on guys, the troll asked a serious question and deserves a real answer.

monkey butt sucks too but I dont think this is the same thing....”

“Hey, I'm not a troll, notice this is one of the few backpacking related threads on the board right now!! And why are GUYS answering me? I'm being for real... if you think it's gross, don't read the thread. I KNOW other women have had this problem. Men, unless you're a gyno, I really don't want to hear it. Who else am I supposed to ask this question, who better than backpackers?”

“Sorry, don't have any suggestions. I'd think you might be alittle irritated with all that cleaning and wiping and no toilet paper(?!).”

“If you could not hike back out due to inflammation,that would become a medical emergency.
As a witch doctor,I would apply a
sterilized leatherman, petrolium
gauze pads and some duct tape.
Please inform me of what kind of treatment worked for you and possibly send some before and after pictures so I can recognize this problem on the trail.
Thanks.”

“LOL”

“Some of the wipes your using may be causing added irritation.Try putting on some Cansten creme.I`d avoid using wet wipes as some og the chemicals may be irritating your more delicate areas.Honest not all men are pigs...”

“You could also try using natural yogurt.It may be a little sloppy but it should ease some of your discomfort and clean up your yeast problem.I also make it a habit to leave tp in my bp all the time.”

“awwww paddles gets the granola-crunching, friend-to-womyn sensitivity award. feels strange giving it to a self-proclaimed anti-liberal.

btw, la chilena and paddles, im just razzin ya. thats what we do here. so please dont flame me. thats stikmons job.”

“I`ll leave my flaming ....on low burner.It`s been a quite day at work...I`m feeling mellow.”

“Well, for starters, something to treat the yeast infection would be in order. Many of those products will also tone down or eliminate the skin irritation as well. The wet wipes typically don't cause irritation in and of themselves, but they burn like fire if applied to already irritated or chafed skin. This applies to men as well as women. If you have no tp, use leaves or other natural materials and clean up with water as often as possible. Panty liners can also can irritation while hiking. The more air down there, the better.”

“If you develop a medical problem
maybe you should see a doctor before hitting the trail.
That way you don't become a liability to other people on the trail.”

“sometimes I don't know whether to laugh or hide when I read this board :)

Thanks for the serious thoughts. I'm not a liability because of this, it's an annoyance (a painful one!) And I've been camping/hiking/bp'ing for years, this is the first problem I've had. I actually don't carry pantyliners in the woods, just one more thing to pack out. I think my trail routine is pretty standard, tried, and true... This time it was just complicated due to sweating in a saddle for 5-6 hours pre-camping. (yeah, that'll probably get some comments, huh?) so, thanks for the thoughts, and let me know if you come up with more ideas. I didn't want to spend money at the dr. on this issue because my annual physical is in a couple weeks anyway.

I do think it odd that most responses seem to be from men, I would think this topic would be far more info that you'd want to know! But it is something women deal with, not uncommonly.
~la chilena”

“what can i say, we're weirdos.”

“yea, i'd say so. can't live with yas, can't live... er, scratch that.”

“i knew i say i just KNEW youd be chiming in sooner or later”

“cant live without us, and vibrators need batteries”

“Might be surprised, there could be
a lot of talent on this board.”

“Well, THIS is a thread I could've gone the rest of my life without reading.

Have you thought about trying Zim's Crack Cream?”

“LOl..you guys are soooo BAD....

Darlin...one application Monostat is great and Monostat makes an external cream which is heaven sent....... Paddles is correct......plain yogurt has the "good bacteria" acidophillis and it helps yeast infections if ya want to go the natural way......and make sure the baby wipes are non-alcohol and unscented...and never ....EVER use poison ivy leaves to wipe with....”

“Oh...and polyester panties..they wick the moisture away from skin......if no yeast infection then maybe Desitin is a good idea...”

“I know women have these female problems, but seriously us guys have a lot extra down there rubbing around when we hike. We get what I have always heard of as "gaulded" which is a terrible rash from our guys rubbing around in a moist warm environment. I personally tried some of the shorts the Tenn. Titans are using and were endorsed by Frank Wychek. They helped tremendously and are made for men and women. The name is Under Armour and they have a line of products for women:

http://www.underarmour.com/ua2/default.asp

I don't know if this helps the ladies, but the best suggestion I know is to keep as dry and clean as you can on the trail. Change your undergarments frequently or as often as you can. Happy Hikin'”

“for diaper rash-I always bathed my kids in a bath with a handful of baking soda thrown in. after bath it is important to let the affected area get lots of air. repeat twice or three times per day. works like a charm.
BTW it sounds to me as if you're using too much stuff with too many additives. stick with the basics & cotton undies for a while, see if this helps.”

“my girlfriend told me i got herpies from riding a tractor in my bathing suit...”

“Just use pinecones when you wipe, its good for what ails ya!


-Free24-”

“sooo...you did your biz in the woods and did NOT use any toilet paper??

now you're wondering why you're in womenly discomfort??? hmm...”

“I go hiking for a couple of days and look what I missed.



MrsChili,,,,you about ready for another trip? Football pretty much sucks on Saturdays lately and the threads on TT now feature #&%!$ infections.”

“I'm ashamed of all the Male posting here.

here is a woman in definite need, and what does she get...derisive comments and innuendo. Shame on all of you.

La Chilena, I have refrained from hitting this thread, but I did, and I cant'; believe the nonsense thrown your way. Men can be such pigs.

I have no solution for you. I hope your discomfort goes away soon and you feel better...

the rest of you...(except those that actually said something postitive) go suck emu sperm.”

“Beware La Chilena, stikmon will be inviting you to come east soon.”

“it may very well be the wipes. after a little saddle-soreness they might have thrown your very delicate nether skin into revolt. the panty liners probably helped increase the irritation.

i would take a nice warm/hot bath to soak my bottom, and use absolutely no soap. soap will dry out your skin and make things worse. after, i'd apply a little of the diaper cream (although i'd use the non-creamy stuff, just the petroleum-based ointment) and then let it air out as much as possible. i don't know how comfy you are with wearing a skirt with no undies, but if you can get away with that it does wonders for helping highly sensitive areas to heal.

PLEASE menfolks, no leering or naughty jokes at my expense. thank you.”

“note to self: Never take hubby on a hike if Tarbubble is on the team!!!”

“don't worry - tarbubble already has a hubby, and one is plenty enough!”

“I treated a young woman for a severe vaginal hemmorage in her home. I couldn't believe she survived all that blood loss!
I was kind of hoping the thread
would kina spin that way.
Oh well!”

“LMAO@ Tarbubble. Just kidding!!!”

“Consult your gynecologist.”

“if the womans brave enough to post this on the internet to a bunch of strangers, then she has to be ready for some good-natured ribbing”

“I agree with Tarbubble, stay away from the wipes, use either cotton or wicking material, try some eating some yogurt, and maybe use a little baby powder. If I was to try some cream, I'd only use it at night and not wear undies to help air out. Other than that, unfortunately you have to let nature run its course. The more moisture you use down there the longer it'll take to clear up and maybe make it worse. :( Good luck”

“Snra. La Chilena: I agree that you are using too many products. TP, water, a towelette wipe once a day oughta do ya. Instead of yogurt to treat, you can get acidophilus capsules, insert 2 at night before bed, skip the hanky panky, wear a liner the next day because it's messy but will help.”

“I bet after five years her issue is resolved, lol.”

“I sure hope so!”

“Username: hikerlizzie
State of residence:
Member since: 4/24/08”

“I read a lot of hiking and backpacking sites, and appreciate the friendly advice etc. This is my first time here at this site, I'd googled "women hiking hygiene" to see what other women had to say. And I get to a great question that a woman had the courage to post looking for some answers. What she gets is a bunch of adolescent guffaws and leering, the usual sexual offers and innuendos, and a couple of respectful responses.

You know what, guys? If every time someone says they're a uncomfortable you say 'oh, we're just kidding! where's your sense of humor?" you're missing the point. Here's a hint: if someone you like to talk with says they're uncomfortable with what you're saying, shut up and think about it for a minute. Maybe you could change what you say, at least in their company. Maybe if you're doing something to make someone uncomfortable, out of maturity and respect you could change what you're doing, at least in their presence.

Just an idea.

And women, if some of you are LOL only because you've been told for so long that you ought to, look around. There are dozens of other forums where the joking happens but it doesn't dominate. I've never seen a thread on any other backpacking forum that smelled quite as strongly of locker room.

No need to respond on this forum, I'm not going to be back.”

“I remembered after I logged off, being advised to soak my bottom in as epsom salt solution. When I just googled it, seems some recommend using epsom salts solution internally too, I didn't take the time to read more.

Best wishes and Happy Trails to all the grown-ups AND [grown-up] babies on this thread.”

“wow”

“Now that was a good smackdown. You go, Lizzie Girl!”

“whew, for a minute there I thought she was gonna stay.”

“I'm not going to be back.

Thank Goodness it was only kidding!”