Oh My Burning!!!

Has anyone ever experienced vaginal burning that feels like the worst bladder infection you could ever imagine??

Flood of Feelings

anxious, sad, lonely, tired, overwhelmed, constant pain, hopelessness, frustration, anger, impatient, cold, depressed, stressed, and pissed off!! That is how I feel right now.

Low and High-Oxalate Foods

It is recommended that people with Vulvodynia eat a low-Oxalate diet. Here is a list of foods and where they fall.

Low-Oxalate Foods- you CAN eat

applesauce, avocado, bananas, grapefruit, green grapes, melons, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, mushrooms, nectarines, onions, fresh peas, plums, radishes, noodles, oatmeal, rice spaghetti, white bread, jellies, preserves, oils, salad dressing, apple juice, lemonade or lime aid (without peel), wine, cheese, eggs, milk, lean pork, poultry, yogurt, bacon, lean beef, lean lamb, and seafood.

Medium-Oxalate Foods- Caution

apple, apricots, asparagus, oranges, peaches, pears, pineapple, prunes, broccoli, carrots, corn, cucumber, lettuce, Lima beans, parsnips, canned peas, tomatoes, turnip, watercress, cornbread, sponge cake, bottled beer, coffee, cola, orange juice, tomato juice, sardines, marmalade, and pepper (greater than 1 tsp per day).

High-Oxalate Foods-AVOID

blackberries, blueberries, currents, fruit salad, gooseberries, peel of lemon, lime, or orange, black raspberries, red currants, rhubarb, strawberries, grits (white corn), nuts, nut butter, popcorn, wheat bran, wheat germ, draft beer, instant coffee, juices containing berries, ovaltine, Tea (ANY Tea), beets, beet greens, celery, dark leafy greens, eggplants, beans (string, wax legume types including baked beans canned in tomato sauce), leeks, okra spinach, summer squash, sweet potatoes, Swiss chard, tomato soup, tomato sauce, cocoa, chocolate, fruit cake, soy products (tofu, soy sauce), cinnamon (greater than 1 tsp per day).

Avoiding Vulvar Irritation

I want to share some tips that my PT told me on how to help avoid vulvar irritation.

Clothing
Wear 100% cotton white underwear. Wash them in Woolite and double rinse in cold water. Do not use bleach or fabric softener. Do NOT wear pantyhose or tight clothes.

Hygiene
Wash with only mild soap. Avoid all fragrances and deodorants. In severe cases, try spraying the vulva with clear luke warm water and pat dry after urination. Some women dry the vulva with a cool hair dryer. Tipping the pelvis slightly forward while urinating usually results in less contact of the urine on the skin of the vulva. Use white unscented toilet tissue.  Wash your hands before and after urination. Wash your hair with your head tipped back or forward over a sink or tub so that no shampoo or conditioners run off the vulvar area.

Mensturation
Avoid tampons if possible. If they must be used, be sure they do not contain fragrances or scents. Avoid switching brands frequently. Use all cotton menstrual pads. Change pads frequently to minimize moisture. Do NOT douche with anything.

Sexual contact
You and your partner should wash your hands before engaging in sexual interactions. Allergic reactions to contraceptive jellies, foams, creams and condoms may be a component of your condition. Patients often find that any cream or lotion with propylene glycol in it is irritating to the vulva.

Comfort measures and other suggestions
Avoid bike riding. Some people find ice to the vulva is helpful in decreasing the pain. Others find that warm baths or compresses help. Try to avoid extremes of temperature in either direction. Daily walks and staying generally active have been helpful to many patients. Deep breathing and relaxation also helps many patients to cope with the pain as well as to decrease its occurrence. If you experience vulvar pain, try applying candula cream.

Diet
Eat a healthy diet to avoid possible vitamin and mineral deficiencies especially Vitamin B6., Zinc, Magnesium, and Iron. Eat a low-Oxalate diet. A low acidic and high alkaline diet can make a huge difference. Drink lots of water. Preferably mineral water since it is high alkaline.

FINALLY Hope!!

I had only been diagnosed with vestibulitis, but after reading so many blogs from other vagina pain sufferers, I was beginning to wonder if I also had pelvic floor dysfunction and a problem with my Pudendal nerve. Then, I woke up last night at 3am with the most horrible vagina pain ever!! I laid there crying until I just couldn't take it anymore. Then I remembered a fellow vagina pain friend telling me that stretching helps relieve her pain, so I climbed out of bed and stretched for about 30 minutes. And sure enough, she was right!! I was finally able to go back to sleep. I have been wanting to go to a PT for a very long time, but I didn't think that I could afford it. After the pain last night, I didn't care how much it would cost! I just wanted to feel better. So first thing this morning, I called to make an appointment. To my surprise, they had a cancellation and were able to get me in today! The appointment went GREAT! The PT was wonderful and I felt very comfortable with her. She diagnosed me with pelvic floor dysfunction and pudendal myalgia. I know it sounds bad that I now have 3 vagina problems, but I was actually relieved! For the first time in over a year, I actually have HOPE!! I might not have to live with this pain forever after all! There might actually really be someone that can help me!

Bad Dreams Anyone?

Right now, all I want to do is go lay in bed and cry! Instead, I am sitting here putting on a fake happy face for my kids while I blog about how sorry I feel for myself and how my whohaa feels like it is on FIRE!! And to make things worse, I have been having horrible dreams. They are so bad that I really actually cry in my sleep and wake myself up. So I am getting no break from myself. My whohaa hurts ALL day, and then my sleep, which is my only break from my fire crotch, is being ruined by my dreams!! I am beginning to wonder if it is a side effect from my Prozac. Has anyone else had horrible dreams while on Prozac? I really hope that isn't what is causing them. I really don't know what I will do if I can't take my Prozac anymore!! It has helped me sooooooo much!

Makes me want to SCREAM!

Have you ever seen the movie Groundhogs Day?? Well, if you haven't, the basic idea is that this person keeps waking up on Groundhogs day, so they keep reliving the same day over and over. Well, that is starting to feel like my life. I wake up, drink my coffee while checking emails, blogs, etc (while listening to my kids argue and fight over something ridiculous), clean the house, take the kids to school, clean the house, get ready, clean some more, pick the kids up, make dinner, do homework, clean, and go to bed. Then I wake up in the morning and repeat the same thing. Oh, and in between all of that I here "Mom...Mom....Mom" and "Babe.....Babe......Babe" because someone needs something from me about every 5 seconds!! The sentences that begin with "I need, I want, and Will you" are about to make me SCREAM!!!!! And it doesn't make it any easier since I already want to SCREAM because my whoohaa is on FIRE and it makes it nearly impossible to focus on anything else! Oh how I would love a vacation from the cleaning and arguing, and from the "I need, I want, and Will you" sentences. But most of all, I would give ANYTHING to have a vacation from my WHOOHAA!!

Depressing days.....

Autumn is my favorite season. Sadly, it is much too short, and we all know what follows.....winter:( This has been the first week of what feels like winter, and I am already feeling the change in my mood. Winter is so depressing. The trees are bare, the flowers are gone, the air is cold, and the sun shines for way too few hours of the day. Everything just feels so dreary, and I can't decide if my burning has gotten worse over the past week, or if I just notice it more since I am stuck in the house bored out of my mind. I do know that as I sit here typing, I can't help but think that I wish there was a way to rip my vagina off! The constant pain eats at my patients. It is like having a toothache that never goes away. It makes me sad, irritable, and angry. It also makes it really hard to be sympathetic and understanding of my husbands "needs". It is impossible for me to feel sexual when all I want to do is cry! I really do understand his frustration, and he really is a wonderful guy,  but sometimes I find myself wanting to scream at him "let me scrub your penis with sandpaper and soak it in lemon juice and see how you like it! Then let me ask if I can rub it repeatedly just to make myself feel better". I know that sounds awful, but sometimes I feel really sorry for myself and it makes it worse when I feel like he doesn't get it.