Possible Vulvodynia, need relief suggestions
8 Replies
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After two months of pain, and all the research i have done on the internet, I believe I have vulvodynia. I have a constant burning in my vulva, located in the labia minora. i don't have pain with insertion, so I don't think it's vestibulitis. I think this has started because of the numerous creams/treatments I have applied to my labia since September last year.
I would like to know if anyone has had any relief for this. I haven't been diagnosed yet, but I don't think it could be anything else at this point. I don't have discharge (I have my period now anyway, but I did have some thick white discharge and was treated for a yeast infection. the labs tests were positive. that was three weeks ago. I took one diflucan. pain STILL here!!!) I don't have a history of yeast infections, or bacterial infections. please help! my nerves are absolutely SHOT which I think is making the situation much worse. I can't stop obsessing about this! please, any words of encouragement would be greatly appreciated.
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This may not completely solve your problem but at least help make the "environment" better - Lactobacillus Acidophillus. You could find it as a supplement in whole foods/ health food stores, or even in yogurt and cider vinegar. Check on it, as it might ease at least.
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More acidophilus and using a very weak vinegar solution could help if your ph is off. If you find it isn't helping the best plan is to get your pelvic floor resting tone checked out with a biofeedback machine, there isn't any other reliable method of checking it so make sure wherever you go has the machine. If it's too high you'll need to learn to relax it and might need some work on the muscles around your pelvis too. It's also a good idea to get your pelvic alignment checked out and your back tested for tightness/weakness etc too. If it is a pelvic floor issue it takes time to reduce it, in fact all treatments for vulvodynia take time so there isn't a quick fix. It's taken me 3 months to get my resting tone down even to normal high levels (as I said before) and I've been told to expect it to take at least another 6 months to get it down to a more normal level that should help with symptoms. If you do have vulvodynia getting pain relief quickly is important as it breaks the pain loop and then looking at ways to get rid of the problem is the next step.
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I can totally relate to how you feel, I was totally convinced mine would be an infection or a skin reaction as it just happened overnight. I went to bed feeling fine and woke up with terrible burning, soreness and bright red skin. Apparently that's a really common way for it to start. The theory is something upsets the skin like a yeast infection, irritating clothing etc and for some reason it doesn't heal. Pelvic floor therapists say the tightness in the pelvic floor decreases circulation to the area so inflammation can't be flushed away and the brain interprets this as an injury so throws more inflammation at it and it continues. Tightening the pelvic floor muscles is a really common finding and can either be there before the vulvodynia or as a result of but either way it prevents healing and increases pain.
Another theory is nerve damage, this can be caused by local infections (again yeast infections etc) or the pelvic floor can irritate nerves and set them off so it doesn't resolve. Nerve pain is usually burning, I had burning and soreness so the meds have reduced the burning a lot for me but not the soreness as yet.
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A doctor who specializes in researching vulvodynia says the pelvic floor is always tight and unstable in women who have it and it's actually a pretty reliable way to diagnose the problem. The first step is to rule out any infections so a GU clinic is a good place to go, they will also know about skin conditions so should be able to rule out those too or refer you to a dermatologist to check, then they will be able to give you the diagnosis. Once you have that you need to start trying to get on top of the pain, medication breaks the pain loop so that helps, then look at your pelvic floor and start learning to relax it. If you don't fancy a therapist initially you can start on your own using a book called "Heal Pelvic Pain by Amy Stein" which explains how to start relaxing the pelvic floor and how to do internal massage etc but I really would at least go see a therapist once to find out exactly what's going on with your pelvic floor as lots of variations exist.
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I'm very thankful that I happened to discover this informative site. I learn now this vulvodynia. And thanks also to those who share their knowledge.
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it is a chronic pain in the area around the opening of the vagina. you can alleviate the pain simply by doing some home remedies like trying cold compress or soaking in a sitz bath 2-3 times a day.
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Well having heard what other girls with vulvodynia have to put up with, I feel I ... To my relief, the psychiatrist said it was not a psychiatric condition and sent me ... vaginal, vulva and pelvic areas and gave us some treatment suggestions. .... I needed to hear that it was possible to recover but I didn't hear many positive stories.I learn all this for my career.It feels very important to me.If possible visit doctorschoiceplacement.com .
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Vulvodynia may indicate some infection. You can try Fuyan Pill to help you which is an effective medication on female reproductive system. It is made from Chinese herbs without any side effects and drug resistance. One of my friends has just been cured who has the same condition with you. Good luck to u!
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