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Biopsy after care

Posted , 11 users are following.

janwhy
janwhy

had my biopsies on Monday and labia fusion separated, feeling very sore, as expected, and stinging when peeing.  I have used Epsom salts in bath which eases for a while and aqueous cream to cleanse with.  I have also had Instillagel from the hospital and oramorph if the pain gets too bad.

any other things I could do/use to help with soreness and healing.

2 likes, 48 replies

48 Replies

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  • honeyduck74
    honeyduck74 janwhy

    Posted

    Well Biopsy day is here :-/ booked for 2.30pm this afternoon, have come to work this morning to take my mind off it. Have collected the numbing cream from the doctor so I can apply it before I go, and have bought my baking soda ready. Will let you know how I get on :-)
    • janwhy
      janwhy honeyduck74

      Posted

      I hope everything went well and your not too sore.  When you feel up to it let us know how you got on.  Thinking of you.

      jan

    • honeyduck74
      honeyduck74 janwhy

      Posted

      Hi Jan,

      It all went well, so glad I had the numbing cream to apply an hour before, although putting cling film in my pants is a whole new experience :-D LOL

      The doctor and nurse were very nice and reassuring, although I had to have 4 injections before they could start :-O which were still ouchy. Have come away with 4 stitches which I have been told will dissolve 2-3 weeks (is this true?) have been told I am allowed to start using the Dermovate in 7 days. Have come back to work today although the hour drive in the car I could have done without, everything just feels a bit tender and swollen, and i'm doing a great impression of John Wayne ;-)

      Thanks for all your help

    • hanny32508
      hanny32508 honeyduck74

      Posted

      You made it through, including a good sense of humour.  Indeed, before you know it the stitches will desolve.  A bit trying just prior, but other than that, soon forgotten.  Wishing you WELL

       

    • janwhy
      janwhy honeyduck74

      Posted

      So glad it's all over, the stitches will dissolve.  I can imagine the discomfort of having to drive for an hour, you poor thing.  Hope all goes well from here on in.  The Dermovate will help when you start to use it, but be carefully not to use too much as it is very strong and will thin the skin.  If you have some swelling I found an ice pack wrapped up helped a lot.  Hope you feel better soon.

      jan

    • honeyduck74
      honeyduck74 hanny32508

      Posted

      Thank you, I always try to look at things from the funny side, and as horrible as this experience has been, hopefully I may be able to find some relief with the treatment, and if I can keep smiling then it's not beating me! :-) Here's to a good weekend!
    • honeyduck74
      honeyduck74 janwhy

      Posted

      Hi jan,

      Feels a little better already, might even manage a nice walk tonight, with the sun shining, Spring feels like it has arrived :-) the doctor said it can 2 weeks for the stitches to start dissolving, will they just fall out? or will they need persuading? swelling isn't as bad today, and I was brave enough to look last night LOL not as bad as I thought. :-)

      Have a nice weekend

    • hanny32508
      hanny32508 honeyduck74

      Posted

      Stitches just disappear/melt away.  Enjoy your weekend! Things are looking up!
    • janwhy
      janwhy honeyduck74

      Posted

      So glad you feel better today, hope you enjoyed your walk, I'm in Wales the sun is shining but a bit chilly. We are now in our static caravan for a week, I hope the weather stays dry.  Your stiches will just dissolve, but I have had to have some removed previously, but that's just me. Hope you continue to improve, good luck.

      Jan

  • ChrissyC
    ChrissyC janwhy

    Posted

    I've been reading this thread but not commented until honeyduck's ordeal was over as my own biopsy experience a few years ago was awful and of course I wouldn't say. Really glad yours was bearable honeyduck. On the plus side I only had 1 injection but I wasn't given anything to numb the area prior and it was truly excruciating, just straight into an inner labia with no warning given. Afterwards they apologised and said it WAS one of the most painful areas to be injected into! Not sure the apology covered it. And they allowed me to stand up and leave the hospital with blood pouring down my inner thighs. I wasn't impressed and made an official complaint. Not sure how many stitches I had, at least a couple but they certainly dissolved as expected. Unfortunately I had one of my last ever periods (I'm now 56) a couple of days after the biopsy whilst I was still very sore and what a dilemma that was! I can laugh about it now but the biopsy had been taken from the very back of an inner labia very near to the entrance to my vagina. I couldn't get a tampon past the stitches and equally couldn't bear a sanitary towel against them so I was completely stumped. And house bound.

    Incidently I was given a set of dilators the very first time I saw a proper specialist after the biopsy had confirmed LS. (The biopsy lot were just my local hospital - I held out for a specialist once diagnosed and had to travel.) Happily I still don't have any real need for them but the specialist wanted to try and ensure I never actually got to that stage. So UK people, they are available!!

    Anyhow hopefully the numbing cream is now standard practise for anyone else reading who needs a biopsy - and if they don't mention it first make sure you bring the subject up!

    • honeyduck74
      honeyduck74 ChrissyC

      Posted

      OMG you poor thing!!!! Thank you for being so thoughtful your story is similar to others I have read and this lead to me cancelling the appt twice before finally talking to the doctor whilst in floods of tears trying to explain my fears. I can only imagine how painful the whole ordeal must have been for you, although i was numb from the cream the injections still hurt so for you it must have been unbearable. I too am due my period and not looking forward to wearing a towel, have gone knickerless since the op as can't bear anything touching me at the moment where it's so swollen. :-(

      I see you had yours a few years ago, do you use a steroid cream or anything to help symptoms?

      Thank you again for your thoughtfulness :-)

    • ChrissyC
      ChrissyC honeyduck74

      Posted

      Ah well, all water under the bridge now. At the time it all added to the stress of being newly diagnosed and what is going to happen etc. In truth it now seems an awfully long time ago, more in terms of experience than actual years if you see what I mean. Yes I use Dermovate. And Aqueous cream. I consider myself both lucky and unlucky with this condition. Lucky because I'm what they call asymptomatic. I don't have the dreaded itch at all and my heart really goes out to those that do, it must be awful. It was white edges to my labia that alerted me. Unlucky because my inner labia have completely reduced away to nothing. They didn't fuse or anything, just got smaller and smaller until gone so that biopsy area doesn't even exist anymore, but please don't panic because I don't know ANYone else that has had this happen in quite this way so there's NO reason at all for it to happen to you. My urethra opening and vagina entrance are both completely normal so far so I'll take that as lucky again and whilst I DO mourn the loss of my labia I know it could be so much worse and I could be so much more uncomfortable. Hope your period holds off as long as possible honeyduck X
  • ChrissyC
    ChrissyC janwhy

    Posted

    Hope you are now recovered and more comfortable too janwhy. 
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