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How do you know?

Posted , 4 users are following.

Guppy007
Guppy007

Someone recommend Vagifem, a pessary for vaginal dryness to me...So my question is how do you know you have vaginal internal dryness. I am prone to thrush and recently have wondered if it is coming back, or whether its something else, namely lichen sclerosus, my symptoms have been a kind of hot internal irritation every now and then, but not enough to bother me too much, so I wanted to ask what symptoms, if any, people experience, because I dont know whether this is normal or not or whether its the onset of thrush...I should mention that I have this condition quite mild, and oral lichen planus more severe...any help would be great please. I dont want to start buying diflucan and using that if I dont need it.

0 likes, 19 replies

19 Replies

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  • Morrell1951
    Morrell1951 Guppy007

    Posted

    Hi Guppy,

    I think you'll find that Lichen sclerosis by definition is external. Lichen planus is inside the vagina. Hope that helps.

  • doreen17521
    doreen17521 Guppy007

    Posted

    I found out that i had LS during a routine smear and a referral to a consultant
  • Guppy007
    Guppy007

    Posted

    Thanks a lot for your replies.
  • marey
    marey Guppy007

    Posted

    lichen planus is generally a skin condition but it can effect the genitals...treatment is as for autoimmunity you might like to check out the paleo mom ...she has planus under control and is a fabulous resource. will you let us know how you get on?

    may i just enquire as to why you would consider a biopsy? treatment is the same ie as for autoimmunity whether planus or sclerosus....nothing else is effective and you only get another scar. i ask just to invite you to consider whether you need more info when a competant person has already advised you. a biopsy won't help you heal...its just another layer of pain and difficulty.

    i hope i'm not intruding with these comments...but hope this helps with your decision one way or the other.

    very best wishes

    marey xxxxx

    • Guppy007
      Guppy007 marey

      Posted

      Honestly I dont know what your talking about, I have re read your reply three times, I think you have posted this for someone else maybe.
    • marey
      marey Guppy007

      Posted

      I am so sorry guppy....I must have LS of the brain!!

      It does seem i've crossed over with someone else who had had a visual diagnosis of LS ...but was further considering a biopsy...

      I see your issue is between lichen planus and sclerosus. I had just wanted to mention that the author of a book has cured herself of planus. 

      I am so sorry for the confusion....please forgive me.

    • doreen17521
      doreen17521 marey

      Posted

      Surely the idea of a biopsy is to ensure that there is nothing else to worry about as Lichen Sclerosis is a precurser to Cancer
    • marey
      marey doreen17521

      Posted

      hi doreen!

      I can give you the personal or the political answer? Just don't want to be attacked!!

       

  • marey
    marey Guppy007

    Posted

    hi guppy

    great that you have minimal symptoms. what is diflucan please?

    if you have had a history of thrush its likely that your internal flora and fauna lining the gut is disturbed. This is pretty common knowledge now I appreciate but not everyone has heard that its advisable to take pro-biotics after a course of anti-biotics. ...so i thought I'd mention it.

    All these conditions are connected and have a route cause which is intestinal permeability.

    Specifically LS is diagnosed in terms of differentiation by inflammation and extreme itching of the external vulva and white pre-cancerous patches.

    Most of us probably were driven to our GP's by the extreme itching of the vulva. Its very localised for me and external. Was that the answer you sought?

    There are photos on pubmed which would prob help you in your enquiries/investigations...or google pics of LS. Think thats were I found a photo resource.

    But anyway do ask for an internal at your GP Surgery. A nurse might perform a gynae exam and take swabs...but this is all about the end result and not the cause. Happily many GP's and their staff are interested in working with patients who are exploring their own health care and trying to find natural methods of working with the body.

    I'm bit worried you may be trying to self diagnose with a view to prescribing yourself something allopathic. This just adds to the antibiotic burden that we're all suffering at the mo.

    All those hand sanitisers anti-biotic soaps and other chemical products cause such harm. I'm happy to put forward my perspective further but don't want to force anything! Just if you are asking!!

    • Guppy007
      Guppy007 marey

      Posted

      Hi Marey, thanks for the reply, my situation is a little confusing....so I will explain more in detail.

      I was diagnosed with oral lichen planus many years ago.

      I also have lichen planus.

      Last year I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis.

      I was recently diagnosed with lichen sclerosis.

      So..... whilst I know what the symptoms of lichen sclerosis are, mainly external, in my original post I was trying to find out and differentiate between thrush and lichen sclerosis, as I thought maybe the itchy burning feeling internally could be related somehow to lichen sclerosis, I thought perhaps Lichen Sclerosis may also effect you internally, and that maybe I did not have thrush as I suspected.....bearing in mind that I have only been diagnosed recently with lichen sclerosis, so I was unsure of what to expect.....also my tongue was an off white colour which further confused things, as that is a classic sign of thrush.....I hope this makes sense.

      Anyway as an update, I have had severe oral lichen planus, which was chronic, in my mouth, on my tongue, like nothing I have ever experienced before in the past, and I believe I also had lichen planus down below which was causing the discomfort...as well as the lichen sclerosis of course!....its possible I also had  thrush too, as I have had all the symptoms of Candida, which I suspect is linked somehow to the lichen planus family somehow.  

      I have been taking something which is a very effective treatment for Candida, and that in conjunction with my homeopathy treatment, Arsenicum Album, which I have successfully used for years to treat oral lichen planus, my symptoms have gone internally, and my tongue is slowly starting to recover and look better every day.

      , 

      Because I have  Ulcerative Colitis my diet is crucial, and I eat carefully and healthily, taking probotics also.

      So I'm hoping that I will just continue to get better, auto immune diseases are complex and very debilitating...that's for sure!

       

    • marey
      marey Guppy007

      Posted

      yeh guppy!

      so much happier for you that you're on to it. Also with support from a homeopath.

      PLEASE will you check out The Paleo Mum ...Sarah has written a book about healing Lichen Planus. Its all about the gut.

      Will you keep coming back here so we can communicate more. I see you making huge progress.

      Love Marey xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

    • Guppy007
      Guppy007 marey

      Posted

      Thank you marey, wil definitely take a look at the book mentioned.
    • Guppy007
      Guppy007 marey

      Posted

      Hi Marey, I had a look at the Paleo diet, and my diet is actually quite close to the Paleo one, but not exactly the same.  It took me quite some time monitoring my food with a food diary every day to get to a place where I am not ill after some foods.. I can't eat a lot of fruits and juices and some vegetables as they will make me feel ill, but I do avoid alcohol and dairy as in the Paleo diet.  Ulcerative colitis is quite a tricky disease to manage, what works for one person, will not work for another, but I do feel like I now have finally got a good diet that I can stick to and which works, which is extremely important for people with Ulcerative Colitis.
    • marey
      marey Guppy007

      Posted

      That is really interesting! I admire that you organised a food diary and now have a protocol of your own. I am currently considering taking L Glutaimine...a precursor to glutathione...a major anti-oxidant in all body cells but not available as a supplement...only the building blocks are available...including L Glutamine. This is one supplement that I'm interested in trialing but wouldn't mind discussing further ...together with licquorice...beneficial but also an immune booster (care required which has put me off licquorice). The objective is to actually seal the gut to overcome autoimmunity. It may therefore be of extreme interest to you as well?  Would you hang out with me whilst I give this a go...? I'm sort of looking for buddies to report back to and to exchange strategies with. You sound like such a person possibly?  I'd love to hear more about your diet and to offer support for the strategies you are working with. love marey xxxxxxxxx
    • Guppy007
      Guppy007 marey

      Posted

      Marey I am flattered, but I work full time, with children, even though I am quite sick, and whilst I am happy to pop into the forum occasionally I simple don't have a great deal of spare time on my hands, but I am sure there are others on this site that would love to participate, why not post something to that effect, see what happens?
    • marey
      marey Guppy007

      Posted

      Thank you guppy...well I seem to have found someone! There is a newby who has cured herself and wishes to share her experience and to give back to others. Her name's Willow if you wanted to say hi!

      Well I shall check in with you from time to time and am here for you should you wish to call!

      Loads of love to you and the beautiful children with whom you work.

      Marey xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 

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