I Can’t Believe I Have Jock (er, Jill) Itch!!!

As some of you know or may recall, I am in the early training stages for a full marathon taking place in Savannah, GA this November. The running has been going great, in fact, I’m enjoying it more than I ever have in my life.

I’ve been clocking 5-9 miles several times a week and have been swimming most other days. I feel strong, I sense my endurance is improving, and the fact that I actually enjoy longer runs simply amazes me.

BUT all this wet clothing activity has gotten me into big trouble! I must have stayed in my drenched running clothes or a wet bathing suit a little too long because I have developed jock, er Jill, itch!

More than embarrassing, it’s annoying!

I love eating a high-fruit diet and I am mindful to keep my fat intake in check (reasons here). One weekend several weeks ago I made a big batch of homemade pesto from our backyard basil plants. I used a copious amount of basil, beautiful pine nuts (fat), supreme extra virgin cold pressed olive oil (fat), sea salt, and parmesan cheese (fat). I usually purchase a $10 tub of organic small farm parmesan cheese, but not this time. I was at a different store and bought their conventional less-expensive deli shaved parmesan.

This yummy conventional shaved parmesan gave us all gas it was so creamy and rich. Coming from conventionally fed, raised, and milked cows, surely some antibiotics and other medications were concentrated in the final product too. This parmesan was a bit more challenging on my digestive tract (where 75% of immunity is located) than the other brand of parmesan I occasionally eat.

Because I loaded down the pesto with so much basil, my family didn’t like it as it was too strong for them. So guess what? It was all left up to me to eat (happily!) and I certainly was not going to let it go bad and go to waste. So for three days I ate roasted potatoes (more fat from the additional oil) for dinner with the already high-fat pesto. My dinners are not usually not so cooked, fatty, or rich.

It was after this high-fat pesto stretch that the insane Jill itch manifested. Sweaty, damp clothes, too much dietary fat, and possible antibiotics…all a recipe for funky stuff to grow in anatomical nooks and crannies.

Being the natural health advocate I am, I insisted upon treating this fungal yeast attack naturally. I doused myself between the legs with Maleleuca alternifolia (Tea Tree) oil, Purification blend (citronella, lemongrass, rosemary, tea tree, lavandin, myrtle) oil, and sprayed LavaDerm (aloe and lavender mist).

Tea Tree oil has always been my go to oil at the sign of any urinary tract infection (UTI). I drop several drops onto a hot washcloth and hold in place between the legs. It’s soothing, the oil tingles a bit, and that’s usually enough for me to halt anything developing.

For the Jill itch, the Tea Tree oil helped some to relieve the itch, but it didn’t work magic like with an early UTI. The Purification oil seemed to work better to control the itch, but it wasn’t killing the fungus like I needed it to. The Lavaderm was very relieving to the itch, but it was very watery and I didn’t want to add too much dampness to the area when I was making so much effort to keep the area as dry as possible.

To keep myself dry I would stand over the dehumidifier in the bathroom (hello, welcome to the insanely humid South) and even blow dry down there with my hair dryer. I’ve been going commando (without underwear) and in a dress wherever and whenever I could get away with it. Shhhh…don’t tell my secrets! LOL!

It didn’t feel like the Jill itch was getting worse, but it certainly didn’t feel like it was getting better either so I needed to crank up my approach. The itch was most intense in the hot shower where I felt like I could scratch my skin right off. The itch sensation was so huge, at times I felt nauseated.

My husband had already arranged for me to get some prescriptive cream from the pharmacy but I just didn’t want to go that route. Yes, I’m stubborn like that. He did bring home this over the counter cream for me.

I started using the Clotrimazole externally only by rubbing some on the itchy parts. This kit comes with internal applicators but I didn’t use them because I wasn’t experiencing any internal itch (thank goodness). My itch was in the crease where my legs meet my pubic bone, all the way under, and then in the creases of my booty cheeks and, yes, my butt crack. Glorious!

While using the cream several times a day I started drinking this Turmeric bottled drink for all the medicinal spices to boost my immunity and balance my body. I didn’t stop running or swimming, but I was certain to strip down and get dry ASAP after working out. And, of course, the insanity eventually sets in and you feel like it’s now on your ear, your shin, your finger, or your nose. Everything starts to itch. Even places where it makes no sense at all to get Jill itch.

I took a ginger bath, an apple cider vinegar bath, an oatmeal bath and swallowed these raw probiotic Vitamin C capsules until my family begged me to stop. The gas they produced when I reached a threshold was deadly.

Last week my daughter and I took a day trip to Savannah, GA. We walked around downtown in the humid, hot weather. I commando in a skirt, of course. It felt like a sauna and the fungus had an orgy. Later we stopped by Whole Foods and I picked up this cream and some chewable Vitamin C.

.

I used the cream once before I drove straight to the pharmacy in desperation and picked up the prescription. I had had about 2.5 weeks too much of this annoying Jill itch waking me up in the night and causing general life discord. I was getting tired of sitting like a guy with my knees out wide …yes commando in a skirt, but only at home, I assure you!

So I’ve been using this expensive cream for almost a week now. I’m still running, swimming, wearing dresses, going commando, and sitting with my knees apart, but no longer wanting to rip off my skin in the shower. I’m still drinking the Turmeric juice, chewing Vitamin C, and watching my fat intake closely (didn’t do so well this weekend on the road!). I’m drying all my workout clothes in the dryer on high instead of hanging them dry and trying to preserve the elasticity. I’m staying as dry as possible in the humid Southern summer and will not let this set-back deter me from my marathon training schedule.

It’s funny that I called this prescription cream expensive considering all that I bought and tried before my stubborn self went to the pharmacy. But, like I said, I’m like that. But not quite as stubborn as Jill itch!