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New to all this - advice please

Posted , 11 users are following.

Joan1978
Joan1978

Hello. This is all very new to me and I'd really appreciate some advice from some of you more experienced ladies.

I had never heard of LS until recently. I'd been feeling a bit itchy down below, had a look in the mirror and was horrified to see white patches of skin on my vulva. I immediately started googling, and LS is what came up. I've had the odd bout of low level itching before but assumed it was my shower gel and didn't think much of it, and it never lasted long enough for me to get worried. I do also sometimes get small tears in that area, I have done for years, but, again, didn't really think anything of it. So it all seems to fit with what I've read about LS.

Anyway, I went to see my doctor, and said straight out that I thought it might be LS. She examined me and said she could be 100% sure but she did think it looked likely. She has referred me to a dermatologist and in the meantime has prescribed me betamethasone valerate, which she told me to use for two weeks and then stop.

I've been using the cream for 5 days and it has stopped the itching. But now I'm not sure what to do - should I use the cream exactly as the doctor said, and stop after two weeks? Or should I continue using it? From what I've read you're meant to use it twice a day for at least a month until the symptoms clear up, then drop down to a couple of times a week.

I'm also concerned that the cream might clear up the symptoms and then the dermatologist will think there's nothing wrong.

Help!

Obviuosly I don't WANT to have LS, but I want to make sure that if I DO have it, I'm diagnpsed correctly. What can I do to make sure this happens? Should I push for a biopsy? Or just wait and see what the derm says?

I've been so worried and feeling really tearful and down after looking at horrific images on the internet (I know I shouldn't be looking!).

any advice for me?

0 likes, 20 replies

20 Replies

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  • kimmiesue
    kimmiesue Joan1978

    Posted

    I just want to say that I did have a biopsy even though my gyno was sure it was LS (I was having another procedure so she just decided to do it and be sure.) I didn't have time to think it through and I have to say it was extremely painful. The numbing shot was actually worse than the biopsy! Don't get one unless absolutely necessary.
  • sandra01720
    sandra01720 Joan1978

    Posted

    I didn't have a biopsy and I don't regret that. If they don't biopsy the correct spot, it'll show negative.

    My Gyno looked at my symptoms and said he agreed with my suspicion I had LS. We started treatment and I responded. He did a follow up and was happy with the improvement.

  • kasiaj
    kasiaj Joan1978

    Posted

    Hey Joan! I completely understand how you feel. I am 19 and when I found I had LS I was so scared and shocked. But from reading your message, we sound pretty similar! 

    I had itching and got accustomed to it - for me it became normal.  Then one day I just could not have sex, it was so painful. This made me go to a sexual health clinic where they properly looked at me and initially thought it was eczema. I too had white patches inside my lips and to be honest I didn't think much of it! I'm half asian so I thought because I have brown skin, the colour of my vagina is going to be different from the pink ones you see! And as it was such a gradual process and I didn't look down there too often, I didn't notice the difference.

    However, after going back to a specialist she suddenly said she thought it was LS and did a biopsy and it confirmed that. The biopsy was fine so don't worry about that.

    Reading things on the internet just scares you. Even the forums. You won't get many people that have LS and are dealing with it well to be posting on these sites. 

    But you sound as though you're similar to me, in fact you've even caught it earlier and it's easily manageable with the steroid cream and other things. Get onto the steroid ointment and you will be fine. Don't stress and don't look into it too much. There are many people with it badly but this tends to be the case when it's untreated and you'll be fine. 

    Always here if you want to talk. 

    Kasia smile

    • Joan1978
      Joan1978 kasiaj

      Posted

      Thanks Kasia for your reassuring message smile I'm just waiting for my dermatologist appointment, hope it won't take too long and that they'll diagnose me quickly.
    • kasiaj
      kasiaj Joan1978

      Posted

      It sounds like you have it all organised. It can be reassuring to read comments on here and receive other's advice. But, most of the time it can make it a lot worse. Hence why I try to refrain from going on here too much. A lot of the women on here suffer a lot worse than I do and than you do. The fact that you did not realise something was majorly wrong until looking in the mirror just shows you've caught it early and it can be controlled. When it's caught early, it is a lot easier to deal with as hopefully you won't have experienced the tightness yet so that can be avoided and many of the other things that happen could be avoided. 

      It is a condition but it's important not to make your life about it as many women easily do. There's good treatment around. The pics aren't going to help as they will mostly be at the bad stages of LS. I mean I have suffered from quite a bit of fusing of my inner lips but I actually think things look nicer now down there! Haha. 

      Try to stay positive and you always have us to help you if you're struggling! X

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