New to Vulvodynia, is it what I have?

[OutdoorGirl]

Please help! I apologize if this gets long but I want to be thorough in my experience and explanation in hope that someone here can help me. I'm 29 and I've been dealing with this since I was 18. I've seen so many doctors I've lost count and no one can tell me what's wrong. This is the pattern... I feel fine, I have sex and everything gets red, irritated and painful. Sometime I get abnormal discharge, but not usually. When I go to the doctor they tell me its either a yeast infection or a bacterial infection, but I've never had the itching associated with a YI or the smell associated with a bacterial infection. I've never had anything but redness, irritation and sometimes some discharge. Lately neither yeast nor bacteria show up on the wet mount but I still feel the irritation. Usually it goes away if I take medication but every once in awhile it stays for months. Like right now, I had sex two months ago and I've been through Monistat, Bacterial Infection suppositories and pills, and homepathic remedies for yeast and bacteria. In the past I've tried estrogen cream (didn't help), diet change (didn't help), extra lubrication during sex (definitely helped prevent irritation), hydrocortizone gel after sex (didn't help). Nothing helps, nothings working. My diet is perfect. There's no yeast in my blood. I'm active. I dont know what else to do! I just want to be normal. I feel like a leper and not feeling well is really starting to take its toll on my mood. I feel like I'm bitter now, I used to be so happy all the time. Does anyone have experience with these same symptoms? Any advice? Does this sound like Vulvodynia to you guys?
Thanks for any help

[Pammylynn8]

I don't know much about the condition, so I can't help you with that... but I remember watching a show where someone was allergic the their partners fluids. It sounds like you might be having an allergic reaction possibly??
Maybe you can try using a condom and see if you get the same irritation?

[greeneyes]

My daughter is allergic to her husbands sperm or fluid, she gets sever cramping as well, do you?

[ICNDonna]

Another thought --- if you're using condoms --- some people are allergic to latex. Has anyone looked at the possibility it might be an allergic reaction?

Donna

[OutdoorGirl]

Hi Pammylynn, thanks for the response. I have used condoms before and I've found no difference. I've also had a few different long-term relationships where we sometimes used condoms and sometimes didn't (I know its super bad!).

[Claire_A]

I have vulva pain 24/7 but there is a lot of redness after sex, nobody can really explain why. This happens if we do or don't use condoms. Sometimes I feel sore after sometimes I don't. But I have had a lot of pt. I have been dx with vulvodynia.

Warm baths, ice, vit e oil all help. Relaxing the pelvic floor prior to sex seems to help I think if the muscles cramp up it just makes the irritation and burning worse. Non latex condoms are best for us.

Any questions PM me

Claire

[OutdoorGirl]

New symptom

Hi Claire, thanks for the response. This is the strange part, I dont have pain 24/7, unless its after sex. If I'm not sexually active, I feel fine. If I am, then the pain can be 24/7 but after time it'll go away. Also, I have a new symptom. I dont know if its related but I have a strange tingly, bruised feeling all on the right side of my stomach. It feels like a bruise but there are no marks, no bumps, no rash, no anything! And it's just on my skin, its not a muscle soreness. Has anyone experienced this? Do you think its related?

[Mothergoose]

I had the same problems when I was your age and it took till a few years ago to get a diagnoses, after a while I finally just lived with it and quite telling Dr's or I may have been diagnosed earlier.

For me I changed laundry soap, I use tide old kind, no perfumes or scented soaps, only cotton bottoms, when at home I wear PJ bottom, sweats or boxers. when dressed i no longer wear underwear this helped a lot, it OK a bit of getting used too, but now I would not go back.

I apply vit E oil daily, if my skin is bad I use an Rx hemorrhoid cream 4x's a day and alternate with vit E, I also use lidocaine ont in 5%, it comes in a gel 2% but the ont stay in place better and works longer, it stings quit a bit when you first apply but that settles down fairly quickly and then numbs everything.

This topic has been discussed quite a bit, search Vulvodynia and you will find lots of things to read about it and other tips other have found that work for them.

Britza has some good posts about it.

Hope this helps you MG

[OutdoorGirl]

Hi Mothergoose, when you were younger you only had problems after sex? It wasn't 24/7? And then over time it got worse? Do you put the Vit E oil up inside? I've also heard about Evening Primrose Oil, have you heard anything about that?

[Mothergoose]

No I had the problems all the time.

I so far have only applied the evening primerose oil on the outside but I would not be afraid to apply inside, it is quit soothing and I think helps heal.

MG

[skybluesoul]

Everyone has given you great suggestions so far. If you don't have pain all the time, it's probably not vulvodynia. I have vulvar vestibulitis, so I only get pain when the glands on my vulva are touched. I use lidocaine before sex, and also am treating it with a compounded cream (ketamine, lidocaine, and gabapentin). Has a doctor ever done a q-tip test on you? That would be a good way to figure out if you have what I have.

[Claire_A]

Mine started with pain after sex only and the within 2 weeks progressed to pain 24/7. If it is just with sex has anyone suggested PT?

[Claire_A]

Amanda could you please tell me how much you pay for the compound cream and how it is working for you? We don't have the nerve meds compounded here in Australia yet.

Thanks,

Claire

Everyone has given you great suggestions so far. If you don't have pain all the time, it's probably not vulvodynia. I have vulvar vestibulitis, so I only get pain when the glands on my vulva are touched. I use lidocaine before sex, and also am treating it with a compounded cream (ketamine, lidocaine, and gabapentin). Has a doctor ever done a q-tip test on you? That would be a good way to figure out if you have what I have.

[skybluesoul]

Claire,

I've tried several creams before this one, and I've seen the best progress (though very slow) with this one. If you want to know what else I tried, I can try to remember, lol. Anyway, the cream has helped dramatically with the redness and inflammation I used to have. I've been using it for almost a year now, I think. I still have some pain when touched, so during sex I generally use lidocaine ointment. The pain is much less though than it used to be. The cream costs $55 for a little bottle. The paperwork says it's a 30 day supply, but I make it last much longer than that, usually about 3 months. Luckily, my insurance covers most of the cost, and I end up paying only $11 for it. I'm hoping that stays the same since I got new insurance recently, but I'll see when I have to reorder it.

[Claire_A]

Ok thanks!

is it the ABG cream you use? and how is the vaginal valium going for you?

Claire