[Sarah001]

I got a decrease in redness when I used a 1% hydrocortisone ointment and on days where the soreness is unbearable I was applying a bit at night which rapidly got me down to my normal pain level again. I tried a gel with aloe vera in it and it had no impact on me at all so for me it was definitely the hydrocortisone ointment. I find all creams irritate the area further, it must be something to do with the base I think, it has to be ointments for me.

The yeast theory is one that I've seen mentioned online, some people believe it can cause a problem under the skin so it doesn't show on swabs but is still there. However I also saw some posts that said if that is the case it is evident when they biopsy as that would allow them to examne the layer where this yeast is. I don't think mine's yeast related at all, as long as I take my acidophilus I don't seem to have any yeast problems. The solution they give if it's yeast under the skin is the candida diet, boric acid pessaries and very frequent doses of diflucan but I did see a woman say very frequent use of diflucan made her hair fall out so I don't fancy that!! To top it off it didn't make a difference to her symptoms either!!

The change in cycle is something I keep seeing over and over though, always a shorter cycle too along with the vulvar problems so you'd think there was a connection wouldn't you? However some of these women have had their hormones checked and tried various hormone routes and not got any relief. It's bizarre.

[Sarah001]

With regards the question of whether the discharge is causing the soreness, in the info leaflet I was given today about Lichen Planus it mentions it can cause either a heavier than normal discharge or a heavy yellow discharge sometimes too. It seems anything that irritates the area can produce a discharge in an attempt to flush the problem away whatever it is.

I'm going to give this ointment a good try, it does also say in the leaflet however it can be very stubborn and persistent in the vulvar and can take oral steroids to get a bad flare under control. If LP is what I've got I definitely come into the severe level but we'll see.

I've also been doing pelvic floor exercises and noticed today although the speculum hurt as it passed the sore skin it didn't hurt when they opened it which it did previously so I think the pelvic floor work has helped that area. If I could just get rid of my sore skin......

Any of you ladies tried Sea Buckthorn Oil? I've heard really good things about it and am looking for somewhere to buy some from.

[r3dh3ad]

I am glad you posted becuase I have never read anything that states lichen planus causes a discharge. In fact my pcp ruled that out because of my discharge! I don't undertsand all the misinformation, I mean the manifestation of a discharge makes perfect sense to me. Then again the supposed specialist they sent me to didn't act like she had a clue what ureaplasma urealyticum even was. I'm still shaking my head over that one.
I have never had a problem with yeast infections so I have never been prescibed anything related to them. I have been on oral steroids in the past with ( like most things) no improvement in my symptoms whatsoever. I can though definitely relate my periods getting closer together with turning thirty. But whenever I questioned my pcp about it he of course said that is was normal and not to worry abou it!?
I have never heard of Sea Buckthorn Oil. Is it for vulvar pain/ irritation?

[lafemelle]

r3dh3ad, I wonder if the doc that ruled out LP was confusing it with lichen sclerosis. I've been "diagnosed" with LS (meaning, a doctor gave me cream for it when he was at a loss as to what else the problem is), but I knew from the beginning it was a useless treatment because with LS there is no discharge, while with LP a discharge is very common. That's why I'm convinced I haven't been thoroughly examined for LP and DIV, is because my symptoms match both of them to a T but no doctor ever takes me seriously when I bring them up. So you may want to try pushing to have it looked into more next time you see a doctor!

[lafemelle]

Another random question, do you ladies have days where your symptoms aren't as bad and other days where your symptoms are just AWFUL? I've noticed I go through little spurts where I kind of have "flareups," in a way...like, for a few days my symptoms are minimal and I feel great and then BAM, they'll be back and horrible for several days, and then I'll have a few more days where they go into a mini-remission right before coming back really awful. Is anyone else like this, or is it just me?

[Sarah001]

Sea Buckthorn Oil is supposed to be excellent at healing the vulva which is why I really want to give it a go. It is orange however so will stain underwear if you don't wear a panty liner!

I've seen lots of sites online that give discharge as a possible symptom of LP, I think I'd print some bits off if I was you and take it in to your doc. I don't have the discharge problem however and my skin is pretty dry and sore but again that's also a possibility too. Depends on the individual.

lafemelle I have some days where I feel like someone has poured acid on my vulva and I can't do hardly anything because it's so painful and then I'll have a few days where it calms down and is alot less painful. I can't explain it because often I've done nothing different on the bad days to the good days.

[amelillo13]

Yes, Lafemelle, I go through that kind of cycle as well. I haven't been keeping a journal, though I've been meaning to, so I don't know why it is so bad some days and ok on others. The only thing I noticed was that eating some foods high in sugar or eating cheese messed with it. It may just be more because they were processed and unhealthy than anything, but I don't know. Also, I have been sick once since this ordeal began and my discharge was 10x worse during those 5-7 days.

[r3dh3ad]

Thanks for the tips. I am actually compiling as much information as I can so I can get an answer this go around. If not I will just give in for a while and only see the doc for my yearlies. Ive been dealing with this for so long that it is just tiresome. And yes I do notice too that it's worse on some days more than others. Is anyone still having sexual intercourse? Me and my partner do with use of condoms and I always feel really swollen inside afterwards. Sorry if that' too much information. Anyway about the some days being worse tha others makes me lean towards a reaction to something I'm putting in my body but who knows. I do find it interesting that Amelillo discharge was so much worse when she was sick- That sounds like it could mean something.

[amelillo13]

I haven't been able to have sex at all since this began. I tried one time last month or the month before but had wayyyy too much pain when he tried to insert, we decided to just forget it. I'm too irritated internally for anything. A lot of times, even getting an exam done with the speculum hurts to the point where I cry and I have a pretty high pain tolerance

I kinda figured the discharge was worse when I had my period because my immune system was compromised and busy fighting off the bad cold germs, but is was weird. I wasn't taking any meds except for day+nyquil+tylenol. I'll have to ask my doctor about that when I see him. He was able to move me up to July 15th which is good, but *sigh* still far away.

[lafemelle]

I can still have sex, it's just kind of irritating feeling a lot of the time and like r3dh3ad I feel all swollen right afterward. =/ Amelillo, is the pain you feel when you have something inserted inside you different from the normal irritation you feel on a daily basis?