Feeling Overwhelmed
Posted , 4 users are following.
Am a 60 year old , post menopausal with a autoimmune sjogrens and cutaneous lupus. Started with burning , slight itching and every time I wipe it was just sore and when I sit I am very uncomfortable . Went to Gyn checked for yeast was told that I didn't have it but because I was so red around vulvar area I was given diflucan 1 pill . So I took it made my forehead sweat and actually I felt like I was having an allergic reaction but after 10 min I was fine and the next morning I felt 99% better . Then it went away now it has started up again but this time it feels very raw , sore and burning , pain no itching . So I went again to Gyn she did a culture came back negative but she said that the skin between my vagina and anus looked not right that I should have a biopsy. She said that she didn't want to try any creams unless she knew for sure what it was and because I am so sensitive meaning that I can get a fib she is reluctant to try something . She's a Nurse Practicioner . She called in the Doctor and she said that it looked like atrophy and she said it would be better to to do a vulvar biopsy to make sure . My problem is that i am going on a vacation in 4 weeks and I really don't want to do biopsy now if it is not an emergency. . I would prefer to try something first and if that doesn't work then when I get back I will do it . I have an appt with another dr in the group next week to discuss this and hopefully I will be given other options . Is anybody suffering from vaginal atrophy or have had a biopsy and how was it and how much time to recover . Has anybody tried any creams etc .for vaginal atrophy . I am just overwhelmed because I've had one health issue after another and now this . Thanks for any suggestions . .
0 likes, 8 replies
Minamii Sunflower13
Posted
Hi Sunflower, sorry to hear how you've been suffering. I am a 57 year old lady and had similiar problems, put up with it for years until I found out (on my own, doctors were no help) that I actually had a sensitivity to eating foods of the solonacea family. Like you, I have a lot of autoimmune problems, and while I had no trouble eating foods of this type while I was younger, as I've gotten older the sensitivity developed.
Try to cut out potato, tomato, eggplant, chilli, capsicum and tobacco. They are the foods that set me off. When I stopped eating those, my symptoms disappeared completely. Or if you accidentally eat some of them (it's hard to find things these days that don't contain tomato, for instance, sauces) take an antihistamine to take the edge off the pain.
Now, that may not be the problem, but I found that excluding these things from my diet completely fixed it for me.
And please keep us updated, I'd love to hear how you've got on with it.
Bests,
Minamii
Sunflower13 Minamii
Posted
HI Minamii , thank you so much for writing back to me. Come to think of it i have been eating alot of potatoes and tomatoes lately. I will try to avoid them . Did you ever have a biopsy ? Or what have you tried besides the diet ? I have the appt. on Tuesday so we will see how it goes.I am kinda upset with the Dr. office because i made the appt as a consullt but they added that after consult if i needed the biopsy they would beable to do it. I dont know if it is an insurance issue so that way they would be covered if they did the biopsy . I will call office and talk to the girl that made the appt . I just feel like they are missing out on something and want to jump right into doing a biopsy which probably will reconfirm what they all ready think. I even thought that maybe it was the toilet paper or laundry detergent but havent changed that at all. I really feel like its yeast but the culture can back negative. It's funny how sometimes we end up figuring out on our own. Thanks again i really appreciated your suggestions. I will keep you posted.
Sunflower13
Rhino2015 Minamii
Posted
Oh no have just read all the posts relating to Sunflowers post😩😩😩😩 I love and eat a lot of tomato, capsicum, spice and some potato. Could this be the reason for the irritation in my vaginal area and hand and foot tenderness?
I am gutted, will do some more research and book app with dr.
so glad for all you such Informative and willing to share and help ladies.
Kindly,
Loui x
Minamii Sunflower13
Posted
Sunflower, it sounds like you've really been put through the mill, I'm so sorry to hear about it. I went through similar, my symptoms developed slowly over years, but eventually got so bad that it was really impacting on my life, I couldn't sleep due to the pain. And doctors mucked about telling me it was one thing and then another thing, and none of their treatments did anything for me. I only found out when I came down with a tummy bug that was going around my workplace at the time and couldn't keep anything in my tummy for three days. However, while I was too sick to eat, I found that miraculously, my other symptoms all cleared up. So that was the clue that something I was eating was causing the trouble. As I got over the gastro, I gradually introduced foods back one at a time. Toast and bread were in the clear, dairy was fine, no problems with meat. But as soon as I had some mashed potato (one of my favourite foods, btw) back came the pain with a rush! And so I did a bit of research on the internet and found that the family of vegetables and fruits that are Solanacea do have a reputation, for some people, of the same symptoms I had been suffering from for years!
Cutting them out has seen me clear now for the past three years. I really think doctors don't know much about it, when I told my GP she really was very dismissive. But I can now sleep, work, have sex with my husband, and generally back to normal. And the symptoms come back whenever I accidentally eat something with the foods I'm sensitive to (some breads, for instance, have potato flour added, and of course anything with "spice" in the ingredients list can include chilli or paprika) or when I give in and have some mashed potato (because I'm only human!)
That's why I was pleased to discover that an antihistamine helps with the symptoms.
Bests
Minamii
Minamii Sunflower13
Posted
Oh, meant to add, try putting Solanine sensitivity into your search engine on the internet. It will bring up a list of symptoms and you can see if it matches yours. Of course, it may not be that, but it's worth a try - got to be better than having a biopsy and having doctors tell you they don't know.
Sunflower13 Minamii
Posted
Hi Minamii thank you so much for all your help . I really appreciate it . I will search into Solanine sensitivity . I know that when I eat things that are have alot of spice or citrus it irritates my bladder . So I drink a lot of water .Its like a sensitive bladder .i have a friend that has IC and she can't eat anything with spices or coffee , citrus because she gets urinary frequency and pain , I was wondering I usually use ivory soap to wash the vulvar area but I have read that you shouldn't use soap . Any input on this ? Well thank you again .
Sunflower13
cindy20069 Sunflower13
Posted
Hi, there! I have sjogren's, RA, fibro, etc. But I also found out that genitals can have their very own person ai issues. I was dx with vulvar lichen planus. Another is lichen sclerosis. I declined a biopsy because it didn't matter which one it was, the treatment was the same. The lesions were bright (and I mean REALLY bright) red and glassy in appearance. A woman on a sjogren's page I'm on referred me to a group there. A wealth of information. If you're looking for a group, let me know. They have collected lectures, photos, case studies-- and in one convenient place. It was a godsend.
Sunflower13 cindy20069
Posted
Hi Cindy thank you so much for writing to me . Am so sorry that you have lichen planus . You are absolutely right sometimes we have to take charge because if the outcome is the same why be doing unnecessary tests . I went to Gyn today they decided that I didn't need biopsy . It's apparently atrophy so they suggested coconut oil for now because I have other things going on . I would like to join the sjogrens group because I am in doubt wether I really have to be on plaquenil . I have a positive ANA and positive SSA but that is it . I've been on it for 7 years . I don't have the malar rash anymore or joint stiffness . But my immune system is shot . Please let me know which is the group so I can get more info . Thank you so much .
Sunflower 13