PPV Smell

14
u/Crispy95
Fri Aug 2 04:34:02 2024 UTC
(18 comments)

Hi team

I'm a bit over 2 months post op PPV.

My vag smells kinda musty. Not like gross, just not clean. I can smell it in the morning, when I take my pad off, sometimes just after sitting for prolonged periods.

I douche 2xday with iodine solution and sterile water as requested by my surgeon.

I use the Lifestyles lube (Australia). It's a basic lube.

What can I use to correct this smell? I think 2 months is possibly too soon to try and adjust the PH, and I'm thinking maybe do a course of sterilube. Thoughts?

all 18 comments


8
u/Honest-Fix7665
Fri Aug 2 05:58:42 2024 UTC
*
(1 child)

Try water based ph balanced lube and vaginal moisturiser like “YES” and if not required just use saline or distilled water and check back in a couple of days. It should reduce. Ppv is not supposed to have it but it’s more likely due to lube- even medical lube as it recovers over 2-6 months! Fem was is a good idea but I guess it’s more about masking so it’s a secondary option Predominantly it could be a ph issue since you have been douching ppv and also lube might have hindered its normal biome development

2
OP
Fri Aug 2 07:51:40 2024 UTC
(0 children)

Yup I'll change lube over and hopefully that solves my problems :)

4
u/janewills89
Fri Aug 2 06:01:00 2024 UTC
(0 children)

Yeah. I have that smell in the mornings, too. I pretty much do a sitz salt wash twice a day. I have this damp smell when I remove my underwear in the morning

4
u/MossyJoules
Fri Aug 2 13:34:37 2024 UTC
(2 children)

I've discussed vaginal health, and Angel in other posts.

What procedure did you have for you PPV? I'm assuming scrotal tissue, but could be PPT

Over cleaning can be just as bad as no cleaning. Excess iodine is great for sterilization, and preventing an infection, but can be damaging/aggravating the canal tissue....

Dead tissue treated this way will cause odor, and overly dry/aggravated tissue is the same.

Can you see why inflammation, granulation, or discharge before douching?

If it's not a colon procedure then I can best recommend a PH balanced water based lube to promote healthy microbiome growth.

I'm not the most familiar with PPV techniques, but a lot of my time has been spent of plain PPT and PIV research.

4
Fri Aug 2 13:45:11 2024 UTC
(1 child)

Regardless of the tissue; if it's not a colon graft then water based is your friend. I'm not going to argue against your surgeon, but excess cleaning with harsher chemicals will cause their own problem.

The musty smell could be from the iodine (which does have a tarter smell when dried), or from the canal skin/surface being dried/aggravated.

I'm no doctor (as said), but my current guidance 2 months out from my medical team (after a PPT revision from a PIV) is douching 1-2 times weekly max with simple saline. That was even after being released from the revision.

The canal tissue is going to adapt to being a closed off environment that no longer needs to protect external anatomy. It'll become softer, more pliable, paper, and etc. Using a safe PH balanced lube (like good clean love) will allow the canal to be maintained in a more acidic state that helps prevent malicious bacteria + promotes the growth of beneficial bacteria commonly seen in natal vaginas (like lactobacillus). These bacteria eat the discharge/waste generated by the tissue shedding in your new naughty bits

And please remember that vaginas do smell. Even 100% healthy ones with have a scent. If there's any discharge (which is very common for all people with vaginas), then it'll regularly give off a scent. Common things to look for are a musty, earthy, or slightly tart smell, and that'll be your sign that healthy bacteria (like lactobacillus) are eating waste.

Think of the tart earthy musty scent of healthy pickled food. Something like that, but not snacking you in the face is a sign of a healthy hoo-ha

2
OP
Sat Aug 3 04:21:02 2024 UTC
(0 children)

Hey, thanks for the essay!

PPV with scrotal flap.

It is water based lube, but not ph balanced.

Based on the feedback I'll change lubes and work with that for a while.

I went to Theerapong, he's advised me to keep doing twice daily til 3 months. If the lube fixes the issue great, if it does not it I'll be at about 3mo to look at adjusting the schedule.

Thanks for the info!

3
u/TimeTravelor1
Fri Aug 2 05:54:04 2024 UTC
(2 children)

Change dilation lube to water base stops this issue - had an issue with silicon lube before myself 1 St year ?

1
OP
Fri Aug 2 07:51:14 2024 UTC
(1 child)

I've been using water based but a cheap one. I'll change to a PH balanced one :)

2
Fri Aug 2 19:42:41 2024 UTC
(0 children)

Hmm, ? Well ? I also use a 6 ft long shower head pulse jet on low luke warm water once a week now only to flush out after Theerapong's Sigmoid Colon Revision 2022 fall - a few times , not many times there's some discharge the last 2 years production naturally discharge ? but when it did , the smell was not good - never had a problem so far after using the shower head and just warm water douching ?

3
u/littlecuddlepuppy
Fri Aug 2 12:33:45 2024 UTC
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(1 child)

I'm about 2 months post-op myself (suporn clinic), and they specifically warn against using silicone lubes for the first year because it will cause issues like you have. That is because you can't wash it out with water, so it just accumulates in the canal and sticks around.

What you need to use is a water solvable lube so you can clean it all out while douching. The lube brings a lot of the healing gunk out with it when you douche.

Also, make sure that the iodine wash is the last step of your douce/ dialation routine, so it sticks around in the canal and continues to keep things sterile for the time being until you are more healed.

Edit: I found out that the lube that you mentioned has both silicone based lube and water-based lubes, so you will need to clarify what you use.

Also, even if you use a water-based lube, it can be a good idea to get one that is glycerine free as it can also cause microbiological growth as it is a sugar alcohol.

1
OP
Sat Aug 3 04:22:22 2024 UTC
(0 children)

Ah, I used the water based. All good tips :)

2
u/new_girl2024
Fri Aug 2 13:02:55 2024 UTC
(1 child)

Hey!! So I did saline and iodine too for the first 8 weeks and then switched to just distilled water now. I’m at 10 weeks. I was using slipper stuff lube because it’s pretty cheap for a large quantity. Recently moved to good clean love lube about a week ago because it’s more ph balanced. Downside is it’s a lot more expensive I haven’t had any smell using those two types of water based lube. Hope that helps 🫶

1
OP
Sat Aug 3 04:21:37 2024 UTC
(0 children)

Oh amazing! You've already done the testing.

I'll pick some up, thanks.

2
u/heademptybottomtext
Fri Aug 2 04:58:03 2024 UTC
(1 child)

I wonder if the iodine is just smelly? I know it can be pretty pungent.

You could also try sleeping in underwear made in a breathable fabric to keep the air flowing down there.

Truth is, kind of like foreskin, the labia and sweat/oils do build up and that’s just part of life. You could just be reacting to that less then fresh but not dirty odor.

Have you ever thought about changing the solution down the line when you are more healed up?

My partner douches with a mixture of 1 tablespoon distilled white in about two cups of water and It has a pretty minimal smell the day after.

2
OP
Fri Aug 2 05:13:24 2024 UTC
(0 children)

Yeah, I think it's worse than that - my partner is afab and has never had odour at this level.

Vinegar? Yeah makes sense, acidifies the environment which is known to promote a healthy microbiome.

I was thinking hopefully at 3mo I could probably start something like that.

My nurse (from TH) just suggested feminine wash but tbh I've only heard bad things.

1
u/ashleyevolves
Fri Aug 2 07:47:21 2024 UTC
(0 children)

Best $50 you'll ever spend.

SAMODRA Non-Electric Bidet - Self Cleaning Dual Nozzle (Frontal and Rear Wash) Fresh Water Bidet Toilet Seat Attachment with Independent Adjustable Water Pressure (Right Hand Control) https://amzn.asia/d/01tRifqW

1
u/Flat_Steak9982
Sun Aug 4 12:42:41 2024 UTC
(0 children)

I have a similar smell. 12 weeks post op. Penile inversion with peritoneum graft. Not strong but a mild musty smell. I have never douched. My doc says not to do it and it is not needed. He says the smell is normal and not to worry about it. I believe the smell is as the bacteria in the new vag as they form and grow. Think cis vag smell.

1
u/PostieTS
Sun Aug 4 14:42:09 2024 UTC
(0 children)

I was told by my surgeon to use white Vinegar and water. Hope this helps