Not sure if vulvadynia

[Julie77]

Hi ladies,
I have a question. For about a year I had bladder problems similar to IC and was seeing an acupunturist who specializes in helping bladder patients and she has helped me so much. She said that my problems were due to bacteria and yeast. I was put on natural "medications" to kill these "badies" and an anti-yeast diet. Now, the only symptoms I have are some vaginal swelling and sensitivity. I don't have any vaginal burning an only minor intching very infrequently. I was wondering if any of you diagnosed with vulvadynia have my type of symptoms ( a low level swelling feeling). Or do you think it is still some residual yeast that i need to get rid of, which is what my acupuncturist thinks, but i have had this swollen feeling for about 9 months and am absolutely sick of it. Any suggestions for relief? Thanks so much.
Julie

[shel]

Hi Julie,
I don't know if I can help you but I can tell you what vulvodynia does to me. Sometimes it can make the outside (labia) and clitoris very sensitive to touch-anything touching it hurts-clothes, urine ect.And it has a burning feeling sometimes. Your vagina burns and hurts after sex when your vulvodynia is flaring. It also makes it hurt to have sex and you can have that swelling feeling in that area.Sorry this is so blunt but that is the only way to explain it. Hope this helps
HUGS

[kat]

I had vulvodynia for 3 years before I found out what it was and that it was related to IC. Originally I had not only swelling but also rawness and burning. Now that I have my IC under control I've noticed that the vulvodynia rears its ugly head when I go off the diet and eat foods on the no-no list. When my IC flares, the vulvodynia comes back. I think it's very much related to foods but I can't prove it. (Have you seen the website: www.vulvarpainfoundation.org) They have more information on it.

[TMBA]

Julie,

I too have been having bladder problems/urethral pain and burning for about a year now. I suspect yeast and bacteria are the problems. Could you tell me how you found out it was bacteria and yeast. What IC symptoms or bladder symtpoms did you have? How are you now besides the vulvodynia swelling? Can you eat anything you want or do you follow a special IC or yeast diet? Are your bladder problems pretty much over? Just wondering. I know it is a lot of questions. If you want to you can write me back personally at [email protected] Thanks a bunch. Melissa

[Mhepe]

Hi Julie: I too am working with an acupressurist. I find that my vulvodynia seems to be hormonally related ( i think this is why the swelling comes up - I think it depends on the levels of estrogen in your body). It gets REALLY bad right after my period, and when I'm ovulating. I also did not develop it until I went off the pill(had been on it for 7 years) I saw a naturopath who gave me some "hormone balancing"pills (called Optigyne)They don't cure it, but I don't swell anymore, just burn sometime. I read somewhere that this may not be bacteria or yeast, but an overgrowth of FRIENDLY bacteria (like acidophilis)because your system is too acidic. The suggestion was then to use baking soda to stop the burn. I am trying it for the first time today ( 1 cup water, 1 tsp. baking soda soaked in tampon) I can't tell if it has helped yet, but it is definitely not making things any worse.

[JackiePecora]

Hi everyone,
Although I've had IC for about 7 years, 3 years ago I really started having problems. I always controlled my IC with diet but 3 years ago I had a c-section and all my problems started. My IC was really bad - meaning pain, urgency, frequency, burning etc. Also I was experiencing swelling and irritation in my vaginal area. Sometimes it looked red when I would hold a mirror to it and it would always be more irritated after sex. A year after having my child my symptoms got worse and I had blood in my urine, was extremely fatigued and very foggy in the head and oh something new - pain in my urethra. After seeing my primary, gyno and urologist to no avail, I decided to seek help from a naturopath. In November I went on an anti-yeast diet, took tea tree suppositories and took natural anti-fungal supplements along with cranberry caps and quercetin (ingredients in CystaQ). It is now August and I can honestly say I have NO bladder discomfort whatsoever. I also have no uretheral pain and no vaginal pain or redness as well. I am still battling the yeast. I feel my yeast has level has been growing for the last 10 years (that's when my IBS kicked in and I developed 'leaky gut' at the same time) but it went out of control with my pregnancy. I think my IC is the effect of the cause which I believe to be food allergies, leaky gut and yeast overgrowth. I could be wrong but it is amazing that my bladder, urethera and vagina feel normal finally. If anyone out there has gotten their yeast under control I would love to hear from you. [email protected]
Hugs and well wishes to all.
Jackie