Distraught over new LS diagnosis!!

So sorry Nicole as you are still young.

You need to start treatment to get it under control.

A prescription is required as these are not over the counter ointments or creams.

I use Advantan fatty ointment  as it is well absorbed and not the most potent of the treatments.

People will have a lot of advice on here for you but it is important you have a very good specialist looking after you or even a clinic that specialises in this which should be available in London.

I attend one in Melbourne at the Mercy hospital and it would be good if you could seek out something similar.

Because women vary so much in that area men do not notice the differences.

I worried about that with my husband of nearly 50 years and he did not even notice.

It does get easier to manage and take comfort in the fact that it is not life threatening just a dam nuisance!

As for the clitoral phimosis you need to see a very good surgeon who specialises in that to see your options.The issue with your labia minora will be handled by your specialist at the end of August who can also advise on the phimosis.

All the best and sorry once again for your struggle without expert help for six months.

 

Hi Nicole

I am so terribly sorry to hear diagnosis. However, do not despair, as there are very knowledgeable ladies on this site and you will get excellent advice here. In the meantime get yourself some organic coconut oil and 100% aloe vera gel. If you cannot find 100% then down to 97% gel will also do but not less. Apply those two lavishly whenever you can and especially when you go to bed at night.  It helps tremendously with the itch.Wear cotton panties. If possible, also get yourself a small quantity of bicarb of soda and put 2 to 3 pinches in approx 100mls of boiled and then cooled down water. Put in a little spray bottle and spray on and pat dry whenever you use the loo. You can also use witch hazel instead of the bicarb, but witch hazel should not contain alcohol. I hope this will tide you over until end August when you get home. Most of us are using Clobetasol (Dermovate) so I am sure your Dr will prescribe that. Some ladies are also using manuka honey UMF 15+ strength (must be from NZ) with the coconut oil and aloe very gel and they say it works for them. I, unfortunately have not been able to try the honey, as I am from South Africa and honey is on our list of prohibited and restricted goods, so I cannot buy it online because it cannot come into our country without an import permit. Dont be embarrassed about your condition...it is not your fault. Once you know your man a bit better and it seems he's in for the long haul and has your trust, you might want to break it to him bit by bit, but test the waters first. You will need companionship and support from him more than anything else. I am 60, have been diagnosed in April of this year and luckily my husband understands that sex can be very painful, so is very supportive. I understand that in your case it is completely different, as you still have your whole young life ahead of you and I just feel so sad that you have to be saddled with this at age 25. Anyway, take heart, try not to stress as it makes the condition worse and know that you will get wonderful advice on this site. You will soon know what works for you (as we are all different and learn by trial and error) and get your condition under control. I KNOW you will! Please let us know how you are getting on. XXXX

Hallo nicole....Sympathies with your diagnosis.

There's no doubt it knocks one back when newly diagnosed.

I am recently diagnosed myself and initially it is upsetting and worrying but accepting LS is part way to dealing with it.

Searching out forums like this one will help enormously.

Any worries or questions just voice them and the helpful ladies on here will do their best to support you, that way you will benefit and won't feel alone with your problem.

There are quite a few ladies on here with years of experience concerning how to deal with LS and many are happy to talk about their own experiences. 

I am assuming your male friend is also quite young and may not know much about female problems or what is involved so if it is getting serious I thing it is good advice from Cuppa to break it to him gently.

Hope your situation improves for you. 

  

 

Hi Nicole so sorry to hear of your recent diagnosis. I was only diagnosed a few months back and it is very frightening and confusing but trust the women on this site you will get your head around this and get things under control with treatment.  I have read many posts from women who have had LS for 20 plus years and have kept things well under control and have had healthy relationships, families and comfortable lives. Stress doesn't help but we all know it's hard not to worry when you first find out this news. Kathleen is right women all look different down there and men don't notice.  My specialist thinks I have had LS since my thirties and my partner never noticed nor did I until I got a mirror and looked!  Until you can get some treatment try the coconut oil or aloe vera - just start with a little in one spot to ensure no reactions to anything so you don't make things worse.  Different things work for all of us. I changed to all cotton underwear and stopped using any body wash or soaps down there.  Please try not to worry and keep us informed of how you are going.  This site kept me rational and gave me a lot of help and motivation to get myself in the most comfortable position possible. I am 80 percent better now than when I was first diagnosed and had major flare ups.  

Nicole, you came to the right place. I muddled through without diagnosis or treatment from age 22 to 61. I had two kids in my thirties with natural childbirth. Ive had several long stretches of remission, lots of great sex, and too often put up with painful sex. That's the part I would change if I could go back. Don't dump too much info on your guy. You've been given good advice above.

Tricky to be trying to look after LS on the road and stress is the number one thing that makes it worse.

I was diagnosed about 3 months ago. I am 44 and probably have had it for many years, just not diagnosedI am responding well to my mild steroid (many on here are on a very strong one). And I also use olive oil after most bathroom visits. I have a product called emuaid I use to supplement my steroid. I love it the emuaid. It takes awhile to find a rhythm to treatment and I found it very upsetting for awhile. The support on here is just wonderful. Honestly, I learned far more on here than I did from my Gyno. I find sweating is very irritating for me. Important to spray off or shower off the area after sweating. Pat the area dry and apply extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil. Some like aloe Vera but others find it irritating. I used it for awhile but something was irritating me so I backed off on the aloe and the coconut oil. May try them in future again.