Tuesday, February 2, 2010

The burning problem

Literally. I have a burning problem. My vagina burns for hours, sometimes days, with really no explanation. I noticed it most when I was out of town for Christmas and spent many hours sitting in cars, sitting in restaurants, sitting in movie theaters. Whenever I sit for long periods of time, especially on hard seats or in seats where I can't move around very much, my vagina starts to burn. Even though I say that it happens mostly when I sit for a long period of time, it also happens at completely random moments (or so far as I can tell) when I haven't been sitting. And there's really no explanation for it. Naturally, I'm paranoid about getting yeast infections, so sometimes I think I have a yeast infection. I'm starting to be able to tell the difference though. I can't explain it, but the burning problem is not the same as a yeast infection.
I told my physical therapist about the burning problem and she has made two suggestions:
1) Put an icepack right on the area kind of like you're icing a pulled muscle, and 2) put lidocaine in my vagina twice a day. Lidocaine is a gel that is supposed to numb the area. At first she wanted me to try soaking a cotton ball in lidocaine and putting that in my vagina. That just did not work for me. It felt like my vagina was being plugged up and I could not stand it. So now I just put it in with my finger. The downside to this is that I have to wear a pantyliner or I'll get gel all over my underwear. The intent of using lidocaine twice a day is more of a long-term goal. It's supposed to make me less sensitive over time, so it's not necessarily supposed to work right when I put it in.

Do these methods work? I don't know. The icepack feels good at the time, but when I take it away, the burning is still there. I haven't been doing the lidocaine for very long, so maybe it's affects have not shown yet, however, it's supposed to be numbing right? Well when it's in there, I don't feel numb at all. Is that normal?

Anyone else have this unexplainable, indescribable burning vagina problem?

11 comments:

P said...

Oh dang. I hate that you have pain when sitting. I am so sorry.

I have horrid, absolutely horrid pain when sitting. Mine's not vaginal, but at the "sit bones" and my left labia. I actually don't sit. Well, I do sit for my commute. But that's about it.

Have you ever tried using a cushion that relieves pressure on the genitals and the area of the perineum? That might help with the vaginal burning--to take pressure off those nerves.

Let me know if you want recs for cushions. I haven't yet posted a "my favorite cushions" post yet.

Wishing you pain free days ahead!!

Love,
Pearl
living with pain at pudendalpain.blogspot.com

Lora said...

yes, and Dr. Nyrjesi was the one who treated me for this, and his treatment actually did work for quite some time! I have other problems down there too (don't we all) but the burning was "cured" for awhile because he put me on a course of Diflucan every 4 days for I think it was a year or so. I was in so many gyn offices, getting tested for yeast infections, and they all said I didn't have one. But, it turned out that I just didn't have a detectable one. The Diflucan (I'm pretty sure it was 200 mg, maybe 150? I forget) worked wonders.

That same pain is creeping back. I'm going to see about getting off the pill and getting an IUD. We'll see if that helps. Who knows. Who the heck knows about any of this.

Jaene said...

Did the lidocaine work for you? My doctor gave me some, but I haven't dared use it due to the fact that one of the main side effects listed is skin irritation! That is all I need is more irritation down there!!

Sarah said...

Lidocaine really does nothing for me at all. It doesn't numb the area or irritate me. It just does nothing. I've heard it works for other people, but for me it's useless. Maybe I need a stronger dose.

Jaene said...

Do you know what your dose is?

Unknown said...

I have FINALLY found someone else who is describing what I've experienced for over 25 years now. I've been treated for depression over and over. Duh. Of course someone gets depressed if they hurt like that most of the time... Some specialists thought that the anti-depressants often reduce pain, but none I've tried have managed to do the trick. The only thing helping me is to maintain a regimine of chiropractic care with massage therapy and acupuncture. But right now, I'm visiting relatives in Oregon and am spending time on the couch because the pain has hit yet again. I've been to dozens of specialists all giving different suggestions and different ideas of what is wrong. So far, no answers. One doctor is thinking that maybe we should begin testing for an auto-immune disease. But handed me four pages of possibilities. And I am completely overwhelmed. I've studied these symptoms up one side and down another trying to put the puzzle pieces together. Thought I was the only one in the world. I'm truly sorry you are dealing with this and hope the suggestions you are trying help you put this all behind you.... God bless.

Sarah said...

If it's a vagina problem you have, then Dr. Goldstein - www.cvvd.org - will be able to figure out what it is. I'm so sorry you've been dealing with this, but it is nice to know you're not alone, isn't it? I've learned a lot over the years so feel free to ask questions.

Anonymous said...

I just found this forum, and I am so happy that I am not alone. I don't think i've searched the internet so much in my life, trying to find SOMETHING to do with this. Your problem sounds the same as mine, although I find no difference in sitting or standing. Sometimes i'd rather curl up in a corner and cry because it's just so irritating. I've seen one gyno specialist, who thought i might have had Interstitial cystitis.. because my pain seems closer to a bladder problem than a UTI. I've had pelvic, bladder, and kidney ultrasounds.. and i've been on EVERY antibiotic out there.. oral and IV. now they're telling me they don't know what to do. It's going on 4 years in pain now. Just a constant burning down there for hours on end. I find intercourse makes it worse, and I sometimes can't even move afterwards, due to a very sharp pain I get in my lower abdomen.

Just wanted to know if you've had any progress on that yet?
Or if anyone had any other ideas.

Anonymous said...

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! It is so wonderful to find that I am not alone in this. I have been having this for a few months now and it's driving me crazy!

I've been treated twice for UTI, twice for yeast infection, and now they are checking for perimenopause. I know that vaginal dryness and vaginal atrophy are common during menopause but I'm only 35! I hope they can figure something out soon.

The only thing I can find that has helped has been to use Probiotic capsules as vaginal inserts when the pain starts and use them for three days (in addition to taking them by mouth). You have to wear a pad with it though because it will leak all over your underwear. I'm not sure if it is a yeast infection and the probiotics are helping that way or if it's a dryness issue and the fluid increase from the inserts help to sooth the irritation.

2 questions for you all... if you've been treated for yeast infection, has your husband/boyfriend? A yeast infection for men is asymptomatic which means he can be passing it back to you with him knowing it.

Have any of you been checked for perimenopause?

Sally said...

The symptoms you are describing is something I suffered with as a child. I went to doctors and they thought it was sexualtrauma of some sort but it was not. The burning was uncomfortable and came at the most random times. But I learned to overcome the pain by squeezing my legs tight together for a few minutes or rubbing the area with Vaseline/ petroleum jelly, it definitely relived the burning sensation. It went away and returned very rarely, mostly when I washed the area too roughly. I too suffered from vaginismus and I know it was caused by this burning I experienced as a child.

Kitt said...

I too have vaginal burning, but can start first with discomfort on my
left side after car washing or carpet cleaning. It gets better over night,
but can start back with sitting on hard surfaces. I had tests...urology,
C-scans, gynecology ultrasound.. It sometimes takes a week to go away.