As I’ve reached my ‘mature’ years, my good health (or the lack of it) has taken on a life of its own. Skipping over the ‘serious s***’, there was one health-related incident that occurred recently I thought worth sharing.

My voice was rapidly disappearing. I’d start to say something and nothing would come out! I went to my doctor, who in turn checked my throat; said nothing was ‘inflamed’ but asked me to lift up my shirt so that they could listen to my breathing. “I don’t like the sound of that. I’m going to prescribe antibiotics,” my doctor said.

Now, I am not a ‘pill taker’. It takes me at least 10 minutes to swallow the ‘get up and go’ pills (vitamins and such) without choking! But, I did as I was instructed and took the antibiotics.

Woe is me! Those bloody antibiotics have caused me endless days of discomfort. You see antibiotics affect the natural ‘flora and fauna’ of one’s body. In my case, it’s my ‘nether regions’. The condition is called vaginal thrush but trust me, this vagina is not singing. It has to be one of the most uncomfortable, irritating conditions I’ve ever experienced. It itches; it stings; and it has managed to extend itself right up into my bottom area too.

While men seem to have no difficulty in scratching their private parts regardless of where they are or whose company they might be in, for women it is quite a different story. Try scratching your vagina, surreptitiously in a public place — it doesn’t happen. You might squirm and wriggle (to no avail, I might add) and that’s about the best that can be done when you are a woman afflicted with such a condition.

I resorted to wearing no knickers, allowing my ‘nether regions’ full freedom of airflow; spreading my legs while sitting at home (wearing my night gown, I should disclose) with no one around other than Simpson the canary to view this less than attractive, female pose. Thankfully, he doesn’t talk!

Forget about the creams, the application of yoghurt etc. as they don’t bloody work anyway. Yet my way does work and at my age, I’ll do whatever I can to relieve this discomfort.

Have you ever had a reaction to medication you have been prescribed? What did you do?

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