[Sammersam]

Hi there,

I am a bit confused. I've been dealing with one of those mysterious lady ailments that has no name for almost a year.

A physio suggested that I might have vulvodynia, but one of my problems is that along with a cramping anterior vaginal wall, and a burning bladder I also have trouble peeing, mostly in the morning. It comes in low dribbling spurts or not at all. No matter how badly I have to go. And it burns often.

This doesn't seem to be a common symptom of vulvodynia from what I have read. Or am I wrong?

[kira]

Every source I checked said the symptoms vary greatly and can include everything from the bladder to the rectum and even up the abdominal walls. As for an explanation that includes bladder issues I found this

Women who experience vulvar pain due to chronic pelvic pain and vulvodynia may benefit from a low-oxalate diet. Oxalate is a chemical substance found in foods of plant origin. Women with vulvodynia or chronic pelvic pain have been shown to have higher levels of calcium oxalate in their urine that peaks in relation to intensity of pain along with symptoms of urinary urgency, frequency, muscle and joint pain, and rectal itching and burning. Several women who tried a low-oxalate diet as their first course of action experienced significant pain reduction, however, a low-oxalate diet alone is not always sufficient to reduce symptoms. It usually is necessary to combine the low-oxalate diet with additional treatment in order to achieve optimal recovery.

Western medicine is still uncertain as to the cause of vulvodynia. One theory is that vulvodynia can be caused by oxalates.
Oxalate is an organic chemical that is found in many foods, especially those of plant origin. It is also a by-product of some metabolic processes in the body.
Oxalates (in the blood in the form of free oxalic acid) are ordinarily filtered by the kidneys into the urine, and eliminated from the body. If the kidneys do not filter fast enough, oxalates can form crystals that develop into painful kidney stones.
If the concentration of oxalates in the urine is too high, microscopic crystals can form in the bladder. Some cases of vulvodynia have been linked to microscopic oxalate crystals that irritate the nerves in the urethra.

Along with diets and supplement suggestions for treating vulvodynia. If you do a google search for oxalate diet you will find it. Also searching vulvodynia and oxalates together gives other suggestions.

[Sarah001]

A tight pelvic floor can cause those symptoms and is related to vulvodynia. Oxalates wouldn't affect the strength of the stream so I'd start with getting your pelvic floor checked out.

[Sammersam]

Thanks to you both. I will look into the oxalate issue just in case and I will mention it to my doctor when I see her next week.

The tightness I have been experiencing started months after I began having problems with bladder/urethral pain. The first thing I noticed last year was that I couldn't start a normal stream when peeing. Just little spurts. And I had the case of the mysterious UTI that sometimes tested postive and sometimes negative. Which seems to be quite common for a lot of women.
I was told my vulvodynia was probably caused by the initial unnamed health problem. But who knows. It's all alchemy to me at this point... no discernible rhyme or reason.

After 5 months I finally got my appointment confirmation to see a uro/gyno specialist in the mail today! Dumb thing is that it is 4 months away. But at least it's something to focus on.

Thanks again for your input. You have no idea how much I appreciate it.