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clitorodynia???
i was wondering if anyone on here had clitorodynia..i've been struggling with yeast/bv for 3 months and now that i am yeast/bv free i have a constant aching pain in my clitoris. i was told by an afterhours nurse to try a hydrocortisone cream on it to soothe it, but when i went in today and got checked out i COMPLETELY forgot to tell the nurse that I had used it- she said she saw some discharge or remants of the metro-gel that i had used for bv under the clitoral hood and cleaned it out- she said she was sure that's what was causing the pain and that the nerves were just irritated..however, i completely forgot that I used that cream and that is probably what she found under there and cleaned out- the pain started before i used the cream so it makes me think the pain is unrelated to what she cleaned out, especially since its still painful. i've been reading a lot and have found vulvodynia and clitorodynia and am now wondering if that is what i have. i am so scared that i will have permanent nerve damage by the time i get it figured out or that this is something that will never go away..it is unbearable and it makes me think that if it doesn't go away i will never be able to have a sexual relationship again..i actually had an appointment with a specialist for tomorrow but then cancelled after my follow up for bv with the nurse today- what she had told me and found made complete sense, until of course i got home from work and realized that the cream is probably what she found..now who knows when i'll be able to get in again. any words of advice would be greatly appreciated!
I had this problem 1994 and 1995. Started with yeast and went into chronic vulvar /clitoral pain. I had numerous cultures etc and tried everything for what I thought was yeast. Eventually it just went away.
I had a few repeat instances over the years-It seems like at times of great stress.
Now it is back again after I took antibiotics and diflucan for yeast.
What helped me before was physical therapy witha gyno-urinary physical therapist in Illinois.
It seems like the yeast does go, but sets off the nerves.
I was glad to find this forum and will be glad to help anyone with information.
Jo
I had a few repeat instances over the years-It seems like at times of great stress.
Now it is back again after I took antibiotics and diflucan for yeast.
What helped me before was physical therapy witha gyno-urinary physical therapist in Illinois.
It seems like the yeast does go, but sets off the nerves.
I was glad to find this forum and will be glad to help anyone with information.
Jo
can someone please explain to me just what is exactly clitorodynia? for a few years now i have never been able to touch my clitoris for more than 10 seconds before im in agony. an i cant have internal sex for any more than a minute because i feel its banging against something and also causes pain.. Help me please
kenziesmom,
I know my insurance covers the pt visits. For the biofeedback unit I have at home, I pay $50 a month (it costs$450). I think to try and get it covered by insurance there is something else they need to call it, they can't call it biofeedback. I don't know what term it was, something to do with neural training.
From my experience the lidocaine helped. It stops the pain, but it doesn't numb you up like novacaine. You can still feel everything, your just not pain.
Yes emsuc, your doc is right. From what I understand, after the repeated insults to the tenderest of tissues the nerves just keep going. In fact they grow more nerve endings in the area in response to the pain. You have to remember, we already have a lot more nerve endings down there than anywhere else in the human body. It sucks they are being used for pain instead of pleasure.
In my case, after repeated insults and non stop yeast infections or reactions or whatever (to be determined, the doc still isn't sure) I ended up with pelvic floor muscle tension that was through the roof. This muscle tension decreases the blood flow to the area which inhibits healing and the removal of the pain chemicals being produced by the nerves. Through the use of lidocaine and estrace (estrogen to help strentghen the tissue) and kegels with biofeedback, I was achieving a pain free existence.
I've had a set back from using olive oil as a lube and I am waiting for the tests results yet again. Though this inflammation is different from the uncomplicated vulvodynia.
The lidocaine won't hurt you guys, except for the initial burn which goes away in a few minutes. I was in enough pain that the burn was worth the hours of relief that it gave me. The plan is to continue with these things for 6 months and see how I'm doing. My doc said it took her at least 2 yrs to incoporate what she learned in pt to everyday moving and posture.
:)
I know my insurance covers the pt visits. For the biofeedback unit I have at home, I pay $50 a month (it costs$450). I think to try and get it covered by insurance there is something else they need to call it, they can't call it biofeedback. I don't know what term it was, something to do with neural training.
From my experience the lidocaine helped. It stops the pain, but it doesn't numb you up like novacaine. You can still feel everything, your just not pain.
Yes emsuc, your doc is right. From what I understand, after the repeated insults to the tenderest of tissues the nerves just keep going. In fact they grow more nerve endings in the area in response to the pain. You have to remember, we already have a lot more nerve endings down there than anywhere else in the human body. It sucks they are being used for pain instead of pleasure.
In my case, after repeated insults and non stop yeast infections or reactions or whatever (to be determined, the doc still isn't sure) I ended up with pelvic floor muscle tension that was through the roof. This muscle tension decreases the blood flow to the area which inhibits healing and the removal of the pain chemicals being produced by the nerves. Through the use of lidocaine and estrace (estrogen to help strentghen the tissue) and kegels with biofeedback, I was achieving a pain free existence.
I've had a set back from using olive oil as a lube and I am waiting for the tests results yet again. Though this inflammation is different from the uncomplicated vulvodynia.
The lidocaine won't hurt you guys, except for the initial burn which goes away in a few minutes. I was in enough pain that the burn was worth the hours of relief that it gave me. The plan is to continue with these things for 6 months and see how I'm doing. My doc said it took her at least 2 yrs to incoporate what she learned in pt to everyday moving and posture.
:)
The way my doctor explained the lidocaine to me is that for some reason, whether it be multiple infections, hormonal imbalances, herpes outbreaks, trauma to the area etc., our nerves down there are firing for no reason. The brain thinks there is an infection or the like and our nerves are going crazy. The lidocaine is supposed to stop the signals to the brain that something is wrong down there and then the brain will stop sending the pain signals. I too didn't really believe this, not sure if I still do, but one of my best friends is an athletic trainer and I explained everything to him. He said it's hard to understand how the lidocaine will stop you from hurting once you stop using it, but he said they trick your brain/nerves all the time in his job. The use something called stim (sp?) on something like a pulled muscle. The stim somehow (i forget exactly how) sends a good message to the brain and then brain eventually stops sending the bad message and you heal faster. I know it's hard to understand, like I said, I still don't completely, but I feel that its something we have to take and run with and give it a try. I don't know what caused mine. I don't know if it was my initial infection 3 months ago, all the products that I was using to get rid of what i thought were infections, or herpes outbreaks. I know that these are probably something that I need to control as well to get myself healthy but the first step is getting the pain to stop and I'm hoping that the lidocaine will work.
I hear you, my dear. It does suck. I have, unfortunately, began to learn how to live with it. I haven't even started the lidocaine yet, because I am not big into taking medicine, and the thought of just numbing myself to rid of a problem seems odd to me. The diet is a more natural approach, but it doesn't leave many nutritious foods to eat! I am researching alternative methods. I've heard good things about biofeedback, but don't know if insurance covers that. Free Spirit, do you know the answer to that?
Hang in there emsuc, we'll get through this together :)
Hang in there emsuc, we'll get through this together :)
the specialist is squeezing me in today....i'm going to see dr. susan richman in CT who i've read has a lot of experience with vulvodynia and the like....i'm praying that it's not, but hopefully she can at least maybe tell me what is causing this pain/irritation. i will definitely let you guys know what she says...i know it will probably take multiple visits to get to the bottom of it, but i am hoping that she can at least give me something to numb the pain until we figure it out...do you think i should ask for lidocaine?
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