TMI? Irritation in the hoo hoo region

As many obese people do I'm sure, I had major problems with stress incontinence.  As a result of the constant dampness I often had irritation in the creases "down there", sometimes to the point of not being able to sit comfortably.  I sometimes medicated them, sometimes used zinc powder, tried pads, etc.  Zinc powder was the biggest help but not always. 

The main culprit always seemed to be the seams in my underwear getting damp and irritating the area.

I figured losing weight would help.  And yes, losing 40+ pounds has already cured the stress incontinence 90 percent of the time, halleluah!  But for whatever reason, the irritation from my underwear seams has gotten worse, to the point where it causes me more pain/irritation than my surgery incisions.

I will be bringing this up with my doc again when I see him next month.  But in the meantime, anyone ever find anything to help this problem?  Different underwear? Different medication?

Audrey

I was going to suggest different panties! Or non at all when you can!

Good luck! Corn starch! That will work! Doctors use that for diaper rashes! to keep it dry and medicate! You'll be surprised and thank me!

Yes, different panties is a defininte option...I was thinking if they made boxer briefs for women, that would be great, as the seam would be much lower down on the leg...

Tried corn starch once, but it got worse.... apparently I had the beginnings of a yeast infection down there and it fed it unfortunately...

Audrey

 Could try this.. they have them from XL up to 4X
http://www.avenue.com/clothing/Fat-Free-Boy-Short-XL2X.aspx?PfId=247654&DeptId=20001&ProductTypeId=1&pref=plqv

Or, just get some men's boxer briefs...

My stress incontinence is completely gone now that I've lost so much weight.  I hope you have the same result.

For now, this may seem like a goofy idea, but what if you didn't wear underwear?  But if you want to wear undies, have you looked to see if a different brand might have seams in different places or that aren't as big or something?

Going without would probably be best until you are 100% healed.  Try a lotrimin cream on the rash -- I'm guessing that it's yeast. 

My stress incontinence went away completely too -- hope you have the same results.

Laura

What if you turned your underpants inside out? Then the rough part of the seam will be facing away from your skin.
You could also use a sanitary pad to absorb moisture and perspiration, with the added benefit of covering the seams of your underpants.
Good luck working it through!
Sara in Maui

Another person wrote on here that a product called Zeasorb helped her. I purchased it at Walmart and it is in powder form. She also stated that she also sprayed the area with athlete's foot spray in combination with Zeasorb. It works. It may be that you panties are too tight in the leg. Nystatin, helps also and it is a prescription from the doctor. Hope this helps. Rose

Lots of nice ideas for me to try out here, thanks guys!

It also occurs to me that I got a lot of antibiotics while in the hospital which could have reactivated something down there, making it as bad or worse than when I was larger and still stress incontinent.

In any case, thanks!

Audrey

its probably the elastic in them i had the same problem switched to fruit of the loom whic has no elastic in the leg area and it fixed problem