Red rash on Vulva - in a lot of pain - all advice and info is greatly needed asap!!!!!

[jenmcs21]

Hi everyone,

I was told by a very helpful form member over at pain management that I might be able to get some more info and help on the very distressing and irritating problem that I'm having at the moment, so here it is:

For just over a  month now, I have experianced a sharp (not too severe but there nonetheless) throbbing pain in my vulvur area. My vulva is red, slightly swollen and tender where the pain occurs and the pain is in one specific area only, not quite at the vaginal entrence, just below it. The pain varies day to day but is there consently and I'm finding this extremely irritating and distressing. Also I have a small very red 'rash' (there is a part of the skin on the inner vulva that is very red in particular) going down from where the pain starts and stopping just before the anus. It starts on the 'inner vula' just below the vagina.  

I'm 20, have not yet been sexually active and there is no itiching or heavy vaginal discharge, the area is just extremely sore and red. I've been to the doctor and she's ruled out any sort of yeast infection due to the fact that there's no itiching and the redness or didn't go away when I tried the usual anti- fungal creams.

I've been on Diflucan (single dose tablet) and another antibiotic that didn't clear the problem. She now has me on Fudicin H cream for ten days and has given me a week long does of anti-inflammitres to take. I'm also making an appointment to see a specialist as soon as possible but could anyone give me any advice on what they think could be the problem??

My doc has told me not to worry but I'm petrified it could be some sort of chronic vulva pain (though my vulva doesn't look 'normal' you'd know something was wrong and I don't experiance the burning pain that its accosicated with and my doc has said that that's the worst case sinareo and my problem can most likely be fully treated by the right specialist) but I know I can't cope with this for much longer. Its really getting me down and doing daily activites is very sore.

I'm inclined to think its some sort of vulva dermititis since I have the rash but I just don't know.....does anyone know if the inflammitries with clear it or help the pain stop?? I think once the rash goes the pain will go away also since the pain stemed from the rash but I'm not sure..... I've not changed detergants or anything and I'm not using any sented soaps or anything like that on the area....

Any advice or info on this will be most appricated as I'm finding this so upsetting, I've never had any sory of chronic thrush infections or anything like that, it just started suddenly and the pain hasn't gotten that bad over the course of the month, but it hasn't gotten better either (and the redness hasn't gone down at all) I'm at a loss and am so worried and frustrated!

Thanks so much in advance for any info that will help me shed light on this,

Jennifer.

[jenmcs21]

Hi Chelle,

Its great to hear that you at last have a diagnosis and that your proper treatment can start. With my problem, I think it was a once off due to the Ulcer that was there (the problem was that it took so long to find it!) that's what my Gyn says anyway so I'm not too concerned about the results as I've had no other symptoms, just the pain from the Ulcer but it'll be interesting to see if any other factors could have caused it. (I somehow doubt it though, we all know how random these things can be!)

I am still very uncomfortable due to the internal stitches but hopefully there starting to work and I won't be too bad much longer. I'm seeing my Gyn on the 9th of January and then depending if I'm still sore because of what I told you via the PM, the other proceedure will be done (I may just ask him to do it anyway to save future discomfort) and then I'll be pain free, yippee!!! (what annoys me the most is that if he had just had to remove the Ulcer without having to stich up the other thing, I'd have no pain right now!)

Anyway, the main thing is that their was a reason for the pain and because of this he's doing everything he can to get me feeling normal again so I jjust have a couple more weeks and I should be sorted once and for all, which is a relief to know.

I've sent you a reply to your PM anyway so keep in touch and let me know how your getting on with everything...

Chat soon,

Jen xxx

[chelle000]

Hi jen,

Hope you are feeling ok after your op.  Are you having much discomfort??

I got my results.  It is psoraisis apparently, so not as bad as i thought, and hopefully get a treatment now that works at last.  Although i have been on med for this condition, but to no relief.  I have to seee my doc and get a referal to a skin specialist.

Hope you get a positive result too, and be able also to get treated promptly.

Keep me posted, even if just to talk if you are getting stressed about waiting on your results.

Take care, xx xx

[jenmcs21]

Hi Chelle,

Have you had any results yet??? I had my Biopsy done only yesterday evening (I caught a virus and my tempature went up so they couldn't do it on Monday because I was going under a general and had to keep me in untill my virul symptoms went down) so they did the biopsy itself and among other things also removed a ulcer which it turn was blocking up my entrance wih a lot of fluid because of the size of it (I can tell you full dteails via a mail because they also did something else which I feel is a bit too personal to say on the public boards) so I'm stiched up and extremely sore at the mo but happy that things are at last getting found out and sorted :)

Hope everythings ok and looking forward to hearing how you go on with your results,

Jen xx

[chelle000]

I had a punch biopsy under local. It was realyy straightforward.  The local was the woest part for me, that was quite sore.  I was given a gel to use an hour before hand but i dont think that well to be honest.  I felt a slight sensation while the biopsy as being done, nothing sore, just knew something was happening down south, lol.  I had a couple of stitches, and i cant say ive had much pain after it.  It just feels like a hard lump now.  It was disolvable stitches, they came out after 9 days.


My symptoms are:

Intense itching around vulva
red streaks on skin
flaking skin
ulcers on skin
weeping
extreme pain

thats the main symptoms.

Im so fed up with the whole thing.

Good luck on Monday

[jenmcs21]

Hi Chelle,

I'm not sure what kind it is, I'd love to hear about your Biopsy though so I might be a bit prepared for mine! Feel free to send me a mail or just post here if you like. I'll be knocked out for mine so hopefull the recovery will be ok. I've been under General Anasetic a good few times before but never for something like this so I'm mainly feeling nervous because their working with such a sensitive area! (and how much pain I'll be in after and how long the recovery will be)

What are your symptoms if you don't mind me asking? Are they similar to mine?? What did your doctor say after the biopsy and how long has your recovery time been so far? (and how has it been pain wise?) Where you under General Anasetic for yours?? I'm hoping to be relitivly better by the end of next week but it all depends on what the outcome is!

My gyn thinks I have a condition in which causes my nerves to become super inflamed hence causing me the pain. So he would clip the swollen part of the nerve and this would make the pain stop, he said its all minor proceedings and once we find the source of the soreness thats what counts!!

How long have you had your symptoms for??

I'm thinking of you and look forward to hearing from you,

Jen Xx

[chelle000]

Hi Jen,

Im having a bad time with it at the moment, but hopefully the worst is over, and he healing will start soon, then maybe have a week without an itch, lol.

Good luck for Monday, how you feeling about having it done?? Are you ahving punch biopsy, thats the one i had anyhow.  If you want any info on it then im happy to ell you my experience of it.

Good luck babe, im thinking of you. xx xx

[jenmcs21]

Hi Chelle,

I'm having the biopsy on Monday so all will be reveled then lol In terms of pain etc I'm not feeling too bad today, more irritated than anything else, I can't wait for them to find out exactly what's causing me to feel so uncomfortable though!!!

Let me know when you get any results or anything, how're you doing now??

I'll let you know how I get on on Monday :-)

[chelle000]

Hi there, ive still not had results, but how are you getting on?? Any changes, or anything to update,lol

[jenmcs21]

Hi Chelle,

Thanks very much for asking. This is going to be rather long so I appologise in advance!!

I've actually had two appointments with different gynoncologists since I first posted. The first one I didn't like because he didn't even do an exam or ask a lot of questions or even seem to be concverend about how sore I've been over the past few weeks, he just took one look, gave a cream to use internally (which I had no success with anyway because it was too difficult to use a I'm still tender and sore) and said "I'm sure you'll be fine." Not much use to me!

So I went down to my local SwiftCare clinic originally just to get something to ease the 'stinging' pain (which isn't too severe but after having it for these few weeks on and off is getting more difficult to cope with) but they did an exam and discovered exactly were the point of pain was - Its just on the lower right hand side of the Labia Minora just near the vaginal entrance, the area is swollen, raw and tender but th GP said its easier for them to see it rather than me as I have mild Cerbal Palsy (from birth) which affects my walking and muscle extention. Hence why using the cream internally would be difficult on both counts!

But it was a relief to know that they knew exactly were the pain was. The GP thought it could be a very small Bartholin Cyst - it would explain a lot! but referred me to a different Gynocologist for a second opinion to be sure whom I saw on Friday.

I really think this Gynocologist was brilliant, the first thing he did was spend ten minutes before anything asking me to describe the pain and so on, then took swabs (the only doctor out of the 5 or 6 i've seen to do so!) and confirmed the point of pain but actually on first glance didn't think it was a cyst because it wasn't that swollen like a cyst is usually and he said to was too sore and what he thinks my nerve endings on the point of pain  could be very very swollen which is causing the stinging, slightly sharp pain.

Anyway because of my both my Disability and obvious disciomfort he said he was going to put me under a local anastetic for one day in hospitial and do a biopsy and any other tests he needs to do (because I haven't had any done so far) and clip the swollen nerve endings if they needed to be which will effectivly stop the pain. So I'm going in to have that done on the 15th of this month.  (He also said that he never just handed out different creams and tablets unless he new exactly what was causing the problom because it was pointless and very disstressing for the person in pain which I thought was a brilliant attitude to have)  

One of the things he also mentioned right away if all the biopsy etc was clear was the possibility of 'Vuldynia.' (Including the Sex and the City episode! lol) This both terriffys and relives me at the same time. On the one hand I'm terriffied of having that because there is no universal cure and I've read nothing but horror stories on the internet about it with no positive outcomes and though my symptoms are minor compared to others, I don't know how I'll cope with having that and my Disability (which is hard enough to cope with day to day on its own as it is)

But at the same time I'm relieved because I know people have suffered for years simply because few in the medical profession know that much about it and he knew exactly what he was talking about and tons of info on the subject and (much to my relief) said from his own experiance he didn't believe that anti-deppresants worked and were much too hard on the user but knows of two other treatmens that he said that were exetremly successful and would help to eliviate it if it was the case so I know I should be so gratful for that. He was very positive and said that 90% of cases such as mine were fully treatable, once the underlying cause has been found which will be come Monday (thank god!)

I know he had to mention Vuldynia as a last resort but I'm really sceptical of it being that because from all the research I've done my symptoms for General Vuldynia or VVS  just don't match up but all will be reveled on Monday aand though I'm nervous about it being Vuldynia, he was very positive about full recovery and either way I'll know exactly what the problem is aand it'll be on its way to being sorted so that I'll be comfortable for Christmas, YAY!!!  

I'll let you know what the outcome of the biopsy is etc and again sorry about the lenth!!!

All the best,

Jenny

[chelle000]

have you had appointment yet, any news??

Best wishes