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Silent, creeping narrowing of vaginal introitus

Posted , 11 users are following.

Morrell1951
Morrell1951

I'm wondering whether it would be proactive to regularly dilate this opening (even with warm oily fingers). I've been abstaining from sex for a year – too painful. Silly me, I've been using a magnifying shaving mirror to inspect my undercarriage nightly and last night it occurred to me to look with a regular mirror. Whoa! I'm a lot narrower than I thought! About two fingers. What I've been noticing in my inspections has been the narrowing and elongation of my perineum. I took that to be a tightening of the flesh from repeated tearing. But now I see it's that the 'shore' of the perineum is sneaking up on the vagina. Like a beach getting wider as the lake's water level drops.

My goal (a modest one) is to always be able to pee. So I think I might make a practice of massaging – slightly stretching that circle every night when applying my oily stuff. Not at the same time as applying Dermovate/clobetasol.

1 like, 49 replies

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  • Barking
    Barking Morrell1951

    Posted

    Oh Morrell, what a horrible discovery but once again you have a sensible approach. I agree re: desire to pee easily, yes it is modest but it is also essential and it seems as if we have to jump through hoops to seek and be given advice. It is only after watching/listening to Dr Goldsteins webinar that I realised I had not been applying clob correctly or frequently enough. I feel I have lost months of possible treatment which could have improved things considerably. I was given the cream and basically told apply it for a month or so and that is it. I almost feel scared to inspect myself on a regular basis but that is not going to help either! I can't believe how the undercarriage can change so much and it does make you wonder where it will all end. One statistic I found rather horrifying was the number of sufferers of LS in care homes - having watched my mother become totally inarticulate and helpless  with Alzheimer's, I think it might be an idea to have an ID bracelet (similar to the diabetic ones) to at least alert medics of this condition? Keep positive - as you always seem to! Thanks also to everyone else on this forum for the sense of support and camaraderie - we are all in this together, girls!

     

    • Morrell1951
      Morrell1951 Barking

      Posted

      Thanks, Barking. The silence is half the problem and we sure can't be turning a blind eye on ourselves! That mirror needs to be a daily routine. This is how it's possible to use the clob an extra day here and there, to stay on top of slight flares. My perineum used to tear so long and deep, but now the clob has that area thinned to a more normal depth and the white patch comes and goes for a day at a time. If it tears it's ever so slight and is healed the next day. I wouldn't know any of this good news without the old shaving mirror.

      About the women in care homes: we have this extremely old generation thanks to heart surgeries & meds and joint replacements. My sister's a palliative care nurse – she saw two really old ladies in the last few weeks who came into her care after vulvar squamous cell cancer preceded by lichen sclerosus. We will not be those old ladies, because we're speaking up and looking after ourselves.

  • john25364
    john25364 Morrell1951

    Posted

    Hi Morrell,  you are right to be concerned and to be proactive is better than late treatment of this disorder.  My wife's doctor recommended estrogen cream and dilation for her vagina, because menopause had left Heather with Vular Atrophy, she had narrowing of vaginal introitus, shrinking of labia minor (small lips) and clitoral shrinkage, not good news.  She continues to use the cream and I assist daily by dilating her with my lubricated fingers for 10 minutes,  we bought a small vacuum tube/pump which we use for 10 minutes daily to maintain her clitoral blood flow and engorgement.  After 3 months Heather could not only resume her sex life but also had no discomfort, itching, or infections, no further shrinking of labia minora or clitoris, isnow normal.  Just thought we'd share,,,,,Best of health to you, John

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