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LS and time of the month

Posted , 6 users are following.

Kischelle
Kischelle

I'm 32 years old and was diagnosed with LS 6 months ago by biopsy. I had the horrible itch for 3 years or more. My gyno kept treating me for bacterial/yeast until I finally had a dark lesion or bump come up that did go away. I have the white patches and some areas are disfigured to my looks of it. I'm using Clob and sometimes it helps, but I still have flare ups especially during my time of the month. The itch is 10 times worse then and mostly at night. Any suggestions? Also, I'm due for my 2nd biopsy where the Dr said they may remove the worst patch. I'm not sure I will do that though because she said it will come back. What's the point?

0 likes, 19 replies

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  • Morrell1951
    Morrell1951 Kischelle

    Posted

    Hi Kischelle,

    Unfortunately clobetasol takes a long time – a year or two – to really make a difference. And there's no quitting it. That's why we discuss so many other things to supplement the prescribed drugs. There's plenty we can do to prevent flares and calm our skin. Especially stress management. If you watch Dr. Goldstein's presentation (linked in the pinned topic at the top of the list of discussions here) you'll understand that skin-thinning is not a thing to worry about with LS. LS makes our skin extremely thick with dead cells (the white patches) so, it's part of the treatment strategy to get that thinner. I've been using clob for a year and a half and my infrequent flare-ups are very mild and quick to calm down with an extra day's application of clob. Dr. G.'s method helps prevent steroid ointment bleeding onto good skin, which would thin. So we just have to be careful. But we're using a teeny, tiny bit each time, so really, don't add that to your worry list.

    Tacrolimus is normally only prescribed for patients who don't respond to the various ultra-potent steroids (including clobetasol).

    Simple Vaseline on clean, dry affected areas should provide a barrier to mentrual fluids, which definitely are irritating to LS. Other heavy oily ointment-like things such as coconut oil and emu oil will do the same thing.

    I never heard of surgery to remove a patch of LS. Are you sure it isn't VIN?

    • Kischelle
      Kischelle Morrell1951

      Posted

      I've had a few months of not itching while using clobetasol so I know it works, but the place that's closer to my anus is what irritates me the most. I need the clobetasol on it, but all ointments just irritate it worse. Thats what happens with my period at night. I will be trying the oil and vaseline. That's the patch she was talking about removing. I can't actually see it as well as the other patches, but she never said anything about VIN. 
    • Morrell1951
      Morrell1951 Kischelle

      Posted

      That's my worst spot as well. I started getting a tear there in my early twenties. After I had an episiotomy at 30 it was much worse, torn half the time, deeply. But I had years of remission in my forties. It's been so long since I had a period I can hardly recall. I did have an awful time in perimenopause – a few years before my last period I seemed to be bleeding  lightly half the time and always flared up. But I wasn't diagnosed, so I kept getting treated for yeast.
    • mary_58782
      mary_58782 Kischelle

      Posted

      That is one of my worst places also. For me, the ointment in Clobetasol only irritates it. I keep putting Desitin on it. It calms it down and makes me more comfortable. After several days it starts to heal.
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