u/FlatElvis

43F, premenopause. I have a rash covering my vulva, inner thigh, perineum, and about half my butt. It itches. It burns. The skin is all peeled off so it randomly bleeds. I can't have sex. I can't swim. I can't sit in bath water. It hurts so bad to pee. This has been going on for 15 months. The gynecologist said it was an allergy. The allergist said it was eczema. One biopsy said it was "normal" and another said it was an allergy. Got tested for a million allergens- blood test, skin test, the skin test that takes all week, the works. All negative. Then I got a yeast infection. The gynecologist said my rash hadn't started as yeast but was colonized by opportunistic yeast that won't go away so now the yeast infection is chronic and no longer responding to treatment. At some point I decided to try to have sex. Had to stop because my skin was cracking and bleeding and it hurt so much. My husband caught the yeast infection. He was treated and it went away. The dermatologist said this isn't an allergy and to moisturize and put steroids on it. General practitioner said to stop moisturizing and keep it dry. Gynecologist said they'd see me back in a year.

I've had 4 visits to 2 dermatologists, half a dozen visits to my gynecologist, 7 encounters with the allergist, and 3 visits between 2 GPs. I've eliminated everything it is possible to eliminate in case of an allergy. I can't spend any more time dealing with this than I already am, and I can't live like this. The only time I get relief is during my period, when the itching fully stops for about 72 hours. Is this hormonal? Everyone says no because of the large amount of skin involved.

Has anyone been through this? Do the at home test kits yield anything? Should I keep trying to find a doctor who can help, or do I just accept that this is my life for the next 30 years or however long I make it? Is there some other kind of doctor I should be seeing? I live in the rural south but am willing to travel anywhere in the US to see someone who can fix this.