Vaginal Burning?

[LanaWinters]

I don't know what to do anymore and would like your advice on this.
On July 31st, two days after my period ended, I had manual sex with my boyfriend. It was pretty rough, to the point where the next two days I started spotting. I figured he was too rough and might of scratched me inside or my period didn't fully end yet.
Then I started to have some uncomfortable vaginal burning. It burned every time I used restroom. I didn't think anything of it. Until a week later, I saw a red dot of blood on my toilet paper when I wiped along with the vaginal burning. I got checked by my doctor and my urine sample showed that my white blood cell count was above average and diagnosed me with a UTI. He said the UTI would explain the vaginal burning and spotting I had. He prescribed me with two medications.
one was an antibiotic called Nitrofurantoid monohydrate
and the other was a painkiller for my urethra called Phenazopyridine (turns pee orange)
I took both for a week and my symptoms were under control and i felt they were gone.
But now that i'm done with my medication, the burning is coming back!
It's not when I pee, so I know it's not my urethra. I believe it's coming from my vagina.
It especially burns after I wipe. And it may sound strange but the more I think about it, the more it burns.
I'm no doctor, but I don't think it's a yeast infection
i don't have that cottage cheese looking discharge or any foul odor
Since he did scratch me, i'm thinking it might be BV? i'm still not sure
I had BV a couple months ago and my doctor gave me Difflucan (one pill) and it seemed to do the trick.
I know manual sex has it's STI risks...what are the chances that I could of gotten an STI from this like Chlamydia? My partner is NOT infected.
I do have an appointment with my OB/GYN for a pap test on tuesday (5 days).
My MAIN concern is:
Is it safe just to wait until my OB/GYN appt to see what's causing this vagina burning or does it need medical attention immediately?
Or should I call my medical clinic asap and see if I can get an appointment to let my doctor know that my treatment didn't work?
And if it is an STI, could my doctor have misdiagnosed it thinking it was a UTI? He explained to me I was fighting an infection because my White blood cell count was high. He said it was 5+

I just don't want it to be something bad and have the doctors say something like "Oh you waited too long the infection is bad."
I can stand the burning, if i had to rate it from 1-10, I would rate it about a 4.

I'm not asking for a diagnosis, I know you guys aren't doctors. But maybe an idea of the possibilities of what it can be?
I just want to know if waiting for my appointment is safe or not also.

THANK YOU!

[Karyn]

It does sound like some sort of infection, but there's no way for anyone to narrow it down more than that, unfortunately. If your partner does not have any STIs, though, you can rule that out: STIs do not appear out of nowhere. Just like a cold or the flu, you have to have contact with someone who has an STI to get an STI yourself.

In terms of waiting for your appointment five days from now, that mainly depends on how much discomfort you're in. But, it would be worth calling your OB/GYN's office, telling them what's going on, and asking if they think you should move your appointment up. A few days won't likely make a huge difference, but your gyn is the best person to ask about that. If you do decide to wait until your appointment, but find that your symptoms are getting worse or you're experiencing new ones before your gyn appointment (pelvic pain, unusual discharge) then it would be best to see a doctor sooner. And regardless of whether you wait or not, you'll need to let your gyn know that you've been having these symptoms and the treatment you've already had.

Until you see a doctor - your gyn or another healthcare provider if you decide to see someone sooner - it would be a good idea to refrain from sexual activity, as that can make things worse. Wearing cotton underwear (no thongs!) and looser clothing can help keep the discomfort to a minimum.

[Heather]

Just to be clear, a UTI is a kind of infection.

Like Karyn, I think calling in about this would be wise. It may even be this UTI is still the issue, and the treatment you did just did not take, in which case they may want to just prescribe you a different treatment or another round to start right away.

[LanaWinters]

Hello Karyn and Heather, thank you for your replies!

I woke up this morning and the burning is still there. I figured it's better to be safe and sorry and do what's best for my health. I called my medical clinic and I was able to get an appointment tomorrow. I explained how they treated me for a UTI and the medication worked in the mean time but now that i'm done with it the symptoms are coming back. So thank you guys for helping me decide!

I just have one more concern. I'm sure for the doctor to figure out what's causing this, he might have to take a swab from my vagina? I may say i'm fine with it now, but i dont know how i'll feel about it tomorrow! I don't want to feel embarrassed. How can I come overcome this?

I'm glad that I can rule out an STI risk, PHEW! All we've ever done is dry and manual sex. We've never had any genital-to-genital contact. We think it's best to wait until i'm on birth control and i'd definitely like to bring that up after my pap test.

Will I be able to get on birth control the day of my pap test? or will I have to wait until I get my results?

Thank you again for your great help!

[Heather]

Per obtaining a BC method per timing with a pap, that is one of those things where each provider or clinic has their own policies and preferences, so you will have to find that out from them.

For sure, an exam is the best practice with any known or possible genital or reproductive infection. You may well feel embarrassed or nervous at first, but if so, that is okay. Exams are very brief, so usually by the time they start, they are pretty much over, and as this kind of healthcare becomes a habit and something you do each year, it tends to be something people just learn to get comfortable with and not feel so embarrassed about.

If it helps, know that to a sexual healthcare provider, your genitals are no different than say, how a dentist looks at teeth, or an orthopedic surgeon looks at knees. These parts may seem really different or more private to you, but to this kind of healthcare provider, they are just yet one more part of the body, beyond the fact that providers know these parts are parts people tend to have extra emotional sensitivity about, so bear that in mind with how they provide that care.