Genital Itching/Stinging Pubic Area (External Not Internal)

Could be something fungal? I used to get "jock itch" when my sugars were high. Now they are under control I don't get it any more. Could you try reducing carbs and filling up on fatty veg? Olive , avocados, all smothered in olive oil. I'm afaid I am a dyed in the wool carnivore but there are Low Carb Vege and vegan threads on the forum.. Take a look and drop those carbs!..

Eridu said:

Hi
I was diagnosed with Diabetes type 2 about 8 years ago but told I may have had it since the birth of my daughter in 1992.
All my symptoms were ignored by UK doctors and put down to depression, anxiety etc due to a very serious car crash before my daughter was born. So every time I had a head ache or was dizzy that is what they blamed it on.

Anyway I moved to Spain and that is where I was diagnosed, but the regime here is very strict and I am told I am not allowed to eat pasta, rice, cous cous, bulgar wheat etc but this is bad as I am a vegan...I NEED those things. So basically my sugars are high all the time because my diet is high in carbohydrates.

So my problem is that I have itching at least 3 to 4 times a month down below...not inside so it is not a yeast infection, there is no odour. I just itch and sting like crazy on my pubic area, my urine is very acidic due to high sugar but this does not go near the area.
So could it be the nerve endings? It does not feel as though the itch/sting is on the surface but just below my skin.
It drives me mad especially at night and I scrat until I am very sore.

I do have trouble with my nerves and I do have damage, my last three fingers and toes have pain in them and I so not get warnings when I need to go to the toilet, so I have to make trips every 15 to 20 mins just to make sure.

Does anyone else have this problem?

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I can't comment on your itching, but must advise you that there are lots of vegans on this forum eating low carb. They will tell you that you don't need those things. I will tag @Avocado Sevenfold who will be able to give you some good advice on what you could be eating.

Hi @Eridu Sorry to read you are suffering. I don't want to be the "B12 police" as I am vegan myself, but as diabetics we are vulnerable to nerve damage so must maintain good levels of B12. When I had symptoms of stabby feet due to mild nerve damage, I started on both B12 and Alpha Lipoic Acid tablets which made the symptoms disappear. Vegan tablets/capsules of these supplements are available on Amazon.

Pasta, rice, couscous, bulgur wheat...these are not essential for good health. There are many vegetable alternatives to grains when you are cooking such as courgette for pasta, cauliflower rice for rice and couscous. I read on here the other day that Lidl in Spain are now selling high protein bread rolls. These are vegan friendly and many people, myself included, do not get much of a change in bg levels after eating them.

My experience is that it is possible to eat a lower carb diet with healthy fats and plant proteins and take control of blood sugar levels. Ask me anything, please don't suffer any more

We have a veggie/vegan subforum if you're interested http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/category/vegetarian-diet-forum.71/

Eridu said:

Hi
I am pretty sure it is due to my sugars not fungal, as it flares up when my sugars are higher.
I tried cutting down my carbs but nothing fills me up, eating veg and fruit just is not enough.
The doctors here sort of poopoo vegan diets, very meat orientated country PIG all the way lol

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Veg and fruit isn't enough! Fruit is often high in natural sugar, especially the tropical fruits, so are not the best choice if you are watching your blood glucose levels.

If you add some fat to your meals, you will feel fuller for longer. Nuts, seeds, avocados, olives, oils. Last night, for example, we had a curry. Loads of veg, chickpeas and a creamy sauce made from blended cashews and tomatoes. The fat in the cashews made it very filling. In lieu of rice - shredded romaine lettuce.

Hi @Eridu .. could I just say the fungal infections 'feed' off of high blood sugars, so if you are running at a high sugar level then its most lightly going to be a fungal flair up !! Scabies or a skin reaction could also be a problem affecting this area.

I am vegetarian, but eat mostly vegan.. low carb can easily be achieved with a vegan diet. Lots of good fats for energy like olive oil and coconut oil are a must. the rest is above ground vegetables. @AvocadoSevenfold has given you the link to the veg forum.

@Eridu If you have any outside space at all, a garden, even a pot on a patio, pop in a couple of courgette seeds. They grow like weeds and thrive on neglect. Should keep you going all summer and you can use them as a pasta replacement without having to carry them on the bus.

One of the symptoms I had before I was diagnosed was itching. All the time. There was no obvious fungal infection (not a classic thrush) but as soon as my BG was in normal range it was gone and only returned once when I miscalculated my carbs and ran high overnight. And when I say it was gone when I was controlled, within hours it was gone once I'd started on insulin. That quick.
Lidocaine ointment helped (although it masked why I was itchy) but it may offer you some relief. It's likely the higher BG will cause the itching. As the sugar changes the natural microflora and pH compared to what is normal. Keeping BG down will probably help the most in avoiding it in future.

Eridu said:

I eat a lot of oats, peanuts, chia, sesame, sunflower seeds etc
I only use olive oil. I also eat vegan burgers and fake chicken nuggets when I am in too much pain to cook.
I have rice or cous cous/bulgar wheat about twice a week, pasta maybe once every two weeks. For some reason I am not allowed more than three walnuts a day according to the dietary list, so I do not buy them at all. I eat a lot of chickpeas and other pulses in soups, and I make veg curries a lot. I use soy cream and coconut add curry paste. Then I put in broccoli, potato, cauli, toms, peppers, carrots and courgette. I try to keep my fat levels down as I have very high cholesterol levels, this seems to be genetic though as my mum does too and neither of us eat fatty foods. At the moment the doctor is worried and wants me to use statins, but I have a red rice supplement instead. I am very over weight but I do not eat a lot, I walk my dogs daily, I do not have sugar as I drink tea (green tea, assorted black teas etc) I never drink fizzy drinks, coffee or any bottled drinks. I have freshly squeezed orange juice maybe twice a week only. I weigh 83 kilos and I am only 5ft 2. My body seems to have a mind of its own, I am 47, but I went into menopause at 28, yet ALL my hormone levels are okay, my ovaries have disappeared. I was asked if I´d had them removed and I have not, I have a daughter and I had a son who died in a car crash, so I did have ovaries.
My doctor seems to think that PTSD made my body just go crazy. This is why I do not like to bother the doctor, I have a list of things wrong with me, I feel like I may be seen as a hypochondriac or something. The doctor assures me this is not the case but I feel I am bothering them. I know they do not believe what I say when I tell them what I eat, I think they think I secretly eat cakes and sweets all day lol I stopped attending the diabetes clinic at hospital as they certainly spoke down to me and did not think I was being honest, I took my daughter with me to back me up once, she also though they were very rude to me and had a go at them. SO my local doctor takes care of my diabetes now. I eat healthy yet I look like I don´t!

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I have never heard of walnut rationing before I thought they were superhealthy! You might be feeling hungry after foods if they are high carb. This is my experience. Rice, pasta, potatoes are high carb so prompt your body to produce more insulin. The insulin can't take the glucose into your cells if they are resistant so you end up feeling knackered and hungry again. It is a bit of a vicious circle. The only way to break the circle is not to put the high carbs in in the first place. I have seen insulin described as the fat making hormone, so that's another reason not to want too much of it inside you.

Try not to worry about cholesterol for now. Your body makes it anyway regardless of what you eat. The kinds of fats you eat contain zero dietary cholesterol, but that doesn't matter either it seems.

PTSD or any kind of anxiety disorder can play havoc with cortisol levels and push up blood glucose levels too. Be kind to yourself x

Eridu said:

My itching is not inside, that is fine in there...it is on the pubic area, where the hair grows, but nothing is out of place there. I am not over grown lol, no sign of anything, it itches under the skin, stings. I never have problems with thrush, I have had that when I was 18 once. This is why I am asking could it be nerves...maybe the high blood sugar is making the nerve ends flair up?

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@Eridu I get what you get. Not as often lately as I keep my sugar low (most of the time).
I found a bottle of frozen water wrapped in a towel and placed there cooled off the heat and itching. I put it down to internal overheating in my sensitive areas.
I have underactive thyroid which can interfer with body heat/temperature.
Give it a try and let me know if you get relief like I used to.

@Eridu Sorry, forgot to ask - do you have a blood glucose monitor at home?

@Eridu I'm so glad Avocado Sevenfold is helping you. She's providing you excellent guidance.

You're going to feel a lot better after getting those glucose levels down. It's going to require you to make changes, but as you eliminate sugar the cravings will lessen over time, likely the inflammation and itching too. To ickihan's suggestion, I'd add only wear loose clothing if you're not already.

I have a number of autoimmune conditions that were likely caused by eating grains and processed foods that contain gluten from wheat, barley, rye, sometimes oats, so eat a restricted diet today. By "autoimmune", I mean that my immune system attacks healthy tissues in my body whenever I eat foods that I am sensitive to. In my case, the thyroid, joints, and inner ear.

A full serving of fruit will spike my glucose levels but because I do best if I don't eat grains, coffee, or chocolate, and eat only minimal amounts of dairy, fruit, and potatoes, I needed some type of "treat".

After a lot of experimenting. I found a way to add fruit back into my diet. I eat whole, organic fruits: 1) in small amounts and 2) preferably at the end of each meal (so I'm eating it for the flavor, not to satisfy hunger).

Here's what I mean by small amounts...

Orange - I wash and cut an organic orange in half, then cut one 1/2" slice at a time, storing the rest in a covered bowl in the refrigerator. I then cut the orange slice into 4 sections, and eat each section with the peel intact following my meal (again, so I'm eating it for the flavor not to satisfy hunger).

I do this for a number of reasons: the peel provides additional vitamin C, fiber, and oils; cuts the sweetness of the orange so I don't have sugar cravings; and because I don't bake with grains anymore to make sugary confections, I'm able to enjoy the flavor of the orange part of the peel again, referred to as "orange zest" when dried for baking.

Apple - I wash and cut an organic apple in half, and eat a 1/2" slice of it. For storage in the refrigerator I store it on a plate, cut side down. The cut edge that is exposed to air can be thinly trimmed away the next time a take a slice of apple. I eat the peel too because I want the pectin, fiber, and nutrients from it too.

Banana - I try to eat them as soon as they begin to yellow, one 1" section. To eat, I discard the peel from the cut section first. I store the banana in the refrigerator and thinly trim away the cut end before cutting a new slice/chunk to eat.

Berries - I eat organic berries in small amounts, from the freezer or fresh.

Lemon and Lime - During the warmer months, I like to freshly squeeze one lemon and one lime. I then use the freshly squeezed to make a beverage with sparkling water, stevia, muddled/crushed mint leaves (to release the leaf's oil) and ice. I can't remember the amounts, but probably 1 to 2 ounces juice to 4 ounces sparkling water.

Plums - For a snack, if I'm on the go and moving, I'll sometimes eat a small, fresh organic plum, preferably a blue/purple plum.

[Edited to add]: Just so there's no confusion, I'm probably only eating an 1/8th of the orange, apple, or banana at a time, so it's a "treat" without a "glucose spike". Before I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, I made beautiful, colorful salads with a six or more fresh fruits. I probably ate a cup with every meal until it was gone. So good. I wouldn't be able to do that today.

Glad you found your way here. We have many knowledgeable members here who will provide you useful guidance.