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Herpes or Vulvodynia?
I was diagnosed with vulvodynia almost 2 years ago due to overall burning and discomfort in my genitals as well as sharp pain when touched. This happened after sex with a new partner. I cleaned my inner labia with Noxema, put tea tree lavender cream on it daily, and went to my gyno several weeks later. The gyno did a biopsy on my inner labia and found a little bit of yeast. She said she thought I may have had a horrible yeast infection made worse by dry sex, and that I knocked out most of the infection with the regular tea tree use. She gave me Diflucan tabs.
In January 2009, I tested positive for HSV-1 and negative for HSV-2. The doctor said not to worry about the HSV-1,that most people pick it up as children. I never have cold sores.
About 2 1/2 weeks ago I had oral sex with someone new--both given and received. There was some penetration but not much because he was impotent due to surgery. There was a lot of fingering that hurt me. I was very dry and uncomfortable the whole time. Afterward I experienced a lot of discomfort and burning. It felt like I'd been scraped in my vagina. There was no itchy feeling.
A week later I got a paper cut in the corner of my mouth and it reddened around that area. It looks a LOT like angular cheilitis. I put tea tree on it and it has dried up and flaked, though remains reddened in the surrounding facial skin.
I used natural boric acid suppositories in my vagina. I took a Diflucan tab. This helped for inside my vagina.
I put tea tree oil ointment on my inner labia. Despite the initial burn, I put undiluted tea tree oil on a cotton ball and put it in my inner labia all day and all night for two days.
Soon thereafter, I saw two sore spots side by side--one on the shaft that goes up to the clitoris and one right beside it on my inner labia. They were barely detectable and I could only see them if I stretched the skin and stared awhile. They looked like flat, skinny oval shapes. The one on the shaft was vertical, tiny, and definitely skinny oval. The one on the right inner labia was bigger and felt a little lumpy underneath the skin, though the lumpiness has subsided.
The sores became more visible but no blister, no raised area, no ulcer with pus in it. It looks like a cross between a very flat blister and a chanchroid, except not white and barely indented. I have had them a few days and the skin has not broken. It blends in with surrounding skin but the skin on them seems thinner, though.
Yesterday I put Neosporin on them, and it really soothed the area. Now they are going away. I'm not going to put anything else on there because I want my gyno to have something left to scrape and culture when I see her tomorrow for a biopsy and blood test.
I am wondering if:
1. The sores are from an undiluted tea tree oil burn, since it's right where I left the cotton ball;
2. If it's possible that I picked up a fungal or bacterial infection from my last sexual encounter. That would explain the angular cheilitis on the corner of my mouth. Also, I know that yeast can aggravate vulvodynia, and cause sores. I also read that yeast doesn't always cause a discharge (I haven't noticed any discharge).
I know I will need another blood test in about 3 months because HSV-2 antibodies may take that long to be detectable in the body.
What do y'all think???
In January 2009, I tested positive for HSV-1 and negative for HSV-2. The doctor said not to worry about the HSV-1,that most people pick it up as children. I never have cold sores.
About 2 1/2 weeks ago I had oral sex with someone new--both given and received. There was some penetration but not much because he was impotent due to surgery. There was a lot of fingering that hurt me. I was very dry and uncomfortable the whole time. Afterward I experienced a lot of discomfort and burning. It felt like I'd been scraped in my vagina. There was no itchy feeling.
A week later I got a paper cut in the corner of my mouth and it reddened around that area. It looks a LOT like angular cheilitis. I put tea tree on it and it has dried up and flaked, though remains reddened in the surrounding facial skin.
I used natural boric acid suppositories in my vagina. I took a Diflucan tab. This helped for inside my vagina.
I put tea tree oil ointment on my inner labia. Despite the initial burn, I put undiluted tea tree oil on a cotton ball and put it in my inner labia all day and all night for two days.
Soon thereafter, I saw two sore spots side by side--one on the shaft that goes up to the clitoris and one right beside it on my inner labia. They were barely detectable and I could only see them if I stretched the skin and stared awhile. They looked like flat, skinny oval shapes. The one on the shaft was vertical, tiny, and definitely skinny oval. The one on the right inner labia was bigger and felt a little lumpy underneath the skin, though the lumpiness has subsided.
The sores became more visible but no blister, no raised area, no ulcer with pus in it. It looks like a cross between a very flat blister and a chanchroid, except not white and barely indented. I have had them a few days and the skin has not broken. It blends in with surrounding skin but the skin on them seems thinner, though.
Yesterday I put Neosporin on them, and it really soothed the area. Now they are going away. I'm not going to put anything else on there because I want my gyno to have something left to scrape and culture when I see her tomorrow for a biopsy and blood test.
I am wondering if:
1. The sores are from an undiluted tea tree oil burn, since it's right where I left the cotton ball;
2. If it's possible that I picked up a fungal or bacterial infection from my last sexual encounter. That would explain the angular cheilitis on the corner of my mouth. Also, I know that yeast can aggravate vulvodynia, and cause sores. I also read that yeast doesn't always cause a discharge (I haven't noticed any discharge).
I know I will need another blood test in about 3 months because HSV-2 antibodies may take that long to be detectable in the body.
What do y'all think???
I think you have several things going on at the same time.
1st off - your dryness issue down yonder/vulvodynia. Has your gyn ever prescribed topical estrogen cream for you to use? might be worth looking into regardless of your age. Sometimes it's hard convincing them that you need it if you are young but vaginitis can cause irritation and thinning of the genital skin in us gals and pain. topical estrogen can help quite a bit for some women.
2 - tea tree oil. At this point I recommend stopping use of it and also the boric acid. Both can be incredibly irritating ( esp undiluted TTO ). I love TTO myself but it's a major allergen for many folks. It's hard sometimes because it can help irritated skin and it can also cause it. Leaving a cotton ball soaked in it in place for so long was a pretty bad idea to be honest. At this point since you don't know what is going on, I'd stick to just lukewarm baths for comfort.
3- neosporin. Usually not a good idea for the genital area. It too is an irritant in the genital area for many folks. I would not continue using it on the genital skin unless specifically told to do so by a medical provider.
4- herpes. You already have hsv1 and we'll assume it's oral at this point. Your risk from oral sex would've been hsv1, not hsv2. You have significant protection against contracting hsv1 genitally thru oral sex. I wouldn't even consider herpes at this point. If you've had other partners and genital sex with them since you were tested in january you can get another blood test if you want it but if not, don't bother.
5- chelitis. It can be caused by many things. sometimes what is causing it orally can also cause genital lesions too. If you are using a toothpaste that is more than just a run of the mill plain ole toothpaste, switch just in case that is the culprit ( no cinnamon or "bold" flavorings either ). If it reoccurs, see your provider to make sure it's not an oral fungal infection going on causing it.
It really sounds like this is all due to the TTO. In the future, use it sparingly, don't use it as a compress for any length of time either and don't use it undiluted.
grace
1st off - your dryness issue down yonder/vulvodynia. Has your gyn ever prescribed topical estrogen cream for you to use? might be worth looking into regardless of your age. Sometimes it's hard convincing them that you need it if you are young but vaginitis can cause irritation and thinning of the genital skin in us gals and pain. topical estrogen can help quite a bit for some women.
2 - tea tree oil. At this point I recommend stopping use of it and also the boric acid. Both can be incredibly irritating ( esp undiluted TTO ). I love TTO myself but it's a major allergen for many folks. It's hard sometimes because it can help irritated skin and it can also cause it. Leaving a cotton ball soaked in it in place for so long was a pretty bad idea to be honest. At this point since you don't know what is going on, I'd stick to just lukewarm baths for comfort.
3- neosporin. Usually not a good idea for the genital area. It too is an irritant in the genital area for many folks. I would not continue using it on the genital skin unless specifically told to do so by a medical provider.
4- herpes. You already have hsv1 and we'll assume it's oral at this point. Your risk from oral sex would've been hsv1, not hsv2. You have significant protection against contracting hsv1 genitally thru oral sex. I wouldn't even consider herpes at this point. If you've had other partners and genital sex with them since you were tested in january you can get another blood test if you want it but if not, don't bother.
5- chelitis. It can be caused by many things. sometimes what is causing it orally can also cause genital lesions too. If you are using a toothpaste that is more than just a run of the mill plain ole toothpaste, switch just in case that is the culprit ( no cinnamon or "bold" flavorings either ). If it reoccurs, see your provider to make sure it's not an oral fungal infection going on causing it.
It really sounds like this is all due to the TTO. In the future, use it sparingly, don't use it as a compress for any length of time either and don't use it undiluted.
grace
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You are reading content posted in the Herpes Community
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Millions of people are diagnosed with STDs in the U.S. each year.
STDs can't be transmitted by casual contact, like hugging or touching.
Syphilis is an STD that is transmitted by oral, genital and anal sex.
