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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!
:( Yeah, I do. I've been dealing with these troubles for 2 years. I was officially diagnosed with vv early this past September. We still, are not sure what started all of this.
Everything points to a resistant strain of yeast that seems to be hard to capture with a culture. Only 1x out of the many times. I think for the first 6 months it was this yeast that caused white discharge, slight itch, sometimes internal burning, sometimes all over external pain. It settled to a pasty off white/gray discharge and 24/7 vulvar burning, that was the symptoms of vv.
In September I started lidocaine 1x day at night, and estrace 1x in the morning. I used a very small amount of each. They both burned at first, but I was in a lot of pain and the area was sore so I kind of expected that. At least with the lidocaine after 15 minutes or so of intense fresh burning, I found relief. I also started pt and biofeedback.
It was working! The pain was going away. In the first 2 weeks of October I rode my mt bike for an hr and had sex 3x!
Then I foolishly tried to make the crisco I was using as lube more slippery by adding olive oil. For the past 14 days I have experienced a lot of white chunky discharge, lots of all over external burning, some internal burning and a transient itch. First culture came back neg. But the clinic doc said, they can give you a neg even if you have a relatively small # of colonies because they consider that normal. My pcp did the first culture, the clinic doc sent a new culture yesterday asking for a colony count and strain typing.
One of her running theories is that I am hyper sensitive to vaginal yeast. This would be why relatively small numbers could send me into such distress.
This is were I stand (or painfully sit) today. Waiting once again for a damn culture to come back.
Everything points to a resistant strain of yeast that seems to be hard to capture with a culture. Only 1x out of the many times. I think for the first 6 months it was this yeast that caused white discharge, slight itch, sometimes internal burning, sometimes all over external pain. It settled to a pasty off white/gray discharge and 24/7 vulvar burning, that was the symptoms of vv.
In September I started lidocaine 1x day at night, and estrace 1x in the morning. I used a very small amount of each. They both burned at first, but I was in a lot of pain and the area was sore so I kind of expected that. At least with the lidocaine after 15 minutes or so of intense fresh burning, I found relief. I also started pt and biofeedback.
It was working! The pain was going away. In the first 2 weeks of October I rode my mt bike for an hr and had sex 3x!
Then I foolishly tried to make the crisco I was using as lube more slippery by adding olive oil. For the past 14 days I have experienced a lot of white chunky discharge, lots of all over external burning, some internal burning and a transient itch. First culture came back neg. But the clinic doc said, they can give you a neg even if you have a relatively small # of colonies because they consider that normal. My pcp did the first culture, the clinic doc sent a new culture yesterday asking for a colony count and strain typing.
One of her running theories is that I am hyper sensitive to vaginal yeast. This would be why relatively small numbers could send me into such distress.
This is were I stand (or painfully sit) today. Waiting once again for a damn culture to come back.
well, the specialist said that i have vulvodynia, or clitorodynia to be exact. again of course she does not know exactly what caused it. she said i have one of the more mild cases and prescribed lidocaine 2 times a day for 4-6 weeks and to try to wean off of it after that. she believes it will disappear for me. however, i am pretty scared and upset. i've read so many stories that women are not able to get rid of this. i'm afraid that because mine is on my clitoris that i won't be able to have ANY sexual contact or that the lidocaine will cause damage. I'm afraid that even if it does come back that a future yeast infection or herpes outbreak will cause it to come back and then maybe that time it won't go away. I'm afraid that if i do get to the point where i can have sex (and i'm only 22!) that any stimulation to that area will irritate it and start this all over again. she also believes that the vulvodynia is what is causing my internal itching. however, she didn't do a culture b/c she said all my other ones were negative- but i'm worried that maybe the internal problem is yeast or bv that is just not showing up on cultures. she didn't test the skin or anything and i'm worrying that maybe she should have done that. i know she's a specialist and i've heard a lot about her and that i should trust her but i'm just worried that this won't ever go away or if it does that it will come back. i also have to stick to a low oxalate diet :( she seems to think it will go away but i've heard so much about how it doesn't. my question is....has anyone heard of anyone where they were able to successfully wean off the meds and return to normal????? this stinks :(
did your pain start all of a sudden? mine just started one day and has not gotten any worse or any better. it definitely gets worse as the day goes on and the more i sit. the only way i can get to sleep is by holding an ice cube in a washcloth on the area. have you had any success in treating the pain?
I really think you need to search out a vulvar pain clinic. All of your symptoms just scream that out to me. I would hesistate to use steroids. From what I've read, it can just make matters worse.
kenzies mom,
When the doc told you to use lidocaine, did they suggest anything else? Lidocaine does just numb the pain, but what a wonderful numbness it is. You have to find out why you are in pain. Is it muscle tension, over grown nerves. Those kind of things. Have you been to a pt to check out muscle/skeletal alignment/tightness issues? All of these things have to be looked at.
Sometimes, I really really hate being a woman.
kenzies mom,
When the doc told you to use lidocaine, did they suggest anything else? Lidocaine does just numb the pain, but what a wonderful numbness it is. You have to find out why you are in pain. Is it muscle tension, over grown nerves. Those kind of things. Have you been to a pt to check out muscle/skeletal alignment/tightness issues? All of these things have to be looked at.
Sometimes, I really really hate being a woman.
I thought I had a UTI when everything began. I was treated with many antibiotics, which I believe made things worse. I also have a lot of cramping and discharge at times, which may be something else. But yes, I do have trouble sitting at times. I have to be careful not to wear anything too snug around that area, or I hurt. Bike riding is not a favorite of mine either. Sex can be a nuisance as well. I pretty much engage on those days when I'm feeling okay! Do you urinate a lot? I sure the hell do! I just had a test done where they had to insert a catheter, and it stung like a b****. I guess the urethra can become inflamed with vv as well. I haven't started the lidocaine yet. I really need to, but the thought of numbing things down there makes me nervous! Yoga helps me. I don't feel 100% better, but it is relaxing and it gets the blood flowing everywhere. I'll let you know if I have any success with the lidocaine, once I'm brave enough to start using it!
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