4 weeks post surgery

I had my 2nd doctors appointment since my surgery last Friday and everything is going well so far. She said that all the stitches had dissolved and the incision had completely closed. There was still a little redness at the perineum (at the 6pm location) but this was normal considering I still have 2 weeks left until my last checkup. She did a q-tip test and everywhere seemed pain free except for the perineum. I am still doing sitz baths once every other day for another week or two.

I have noticed that if I wear tight jeans I have a litte more swelling and irritation. It's not really visible but I do notice the outer labia just gets slightly hardened because it has some fluid build up. Sitz baths are helping with this. I also started putting a little aloe on the area after each sitz baths.

I have now resumed full exercise and life is entirely back to normal. I am hoping the last bit of painful tissue heals soon.

Sitz Baths for Post Surgery...

Sooo... it only took me about a week of doing sitz baths 3 times a day to realize that they were really uncomfortable. The cheap plastic ones are so hard and I felt like the bottoms of my thighs were getting bruised! I decided to look for alternatives and so I ended up buying a Soft Sitz.

This is an inflatable sitz bath that is really inexpensive. So much more comfortable than a traditional sitz bath! Although just to warn you it doesn't have any holes in the back to let out overflowing water and it doesn't come with a plastic bag and tube. I still find that it works well though. 

If you are interested, I bought it on Amazon here. 

Vulvar Vestibulitis: Another Post Surgery Update

So... It's notw been around 3 weeks since my vulvar vestibulectomy surgery. I had my two week post op checkup and she said everything is looking good. She pulled at the skin 'down there' to get a better look at things which was a little painful but she said that was to be expected.

I also have still been experiencing back pain since surgery (although I think it's been getting steadily better). I called anesthesia at the hospital I went to and they said that most likely I have a bone bruise. This means that when they were putting the needle into my back for the spinal anesthesia, it must have hit the bone causing some bruising that should get better within 3 months... I was not happy about this at all. Granted it is just a little painful now, it is still quite inconvenient. I have my 2nd post op this friday and I will update again after that. Everything is back to normal for the most part. I am still doing sitz baths at least once a day and I feel the same now as I did before surgery (except for my back). I still haven't played any sports that require a lot of running or lounging as my Dr. told me to keep taking it easy in that respect.  I am looking forward to my appointment and please use the comments box below to ask me any questions...

Vestibulitis: Things I've Tried and Some Great Resources

Now that I am waiting to see if I am "cured" after having a vulvar vestibulectomy, I figured I'd work backwards and share my experiences with past treatments that I have tried. Obviously nothing has really had any lasting or overly positive impact or I would not be in this position today. But, since vestibulodynia can be different for everyone, I thought some of you reading this blog might get some new ideas if you are feeling like you've hit a wall and your only option is surgery.

Subscribe to my blog to follow my story...

I will be posting about the different treatments I've tried every week until I've told you about them all. By that time hopefully I will have a success story to share with you too!

For now here are some great resources:

His and Her Health on Vulvar Vestibulectomys
This is a great forum that I recently found. It does have a lot of negative comments from people who have had vulvar vestibulectomys that didn't help them or made their condition worse but it is important to remember that some surgeries are much more invasive then others (even though they have the same name) and some of the people with this condition also have issues like prudential neuralgia or fibromyalgia that can make things much worse. Always do your research before getting surgery and as your doctor to describe the surgery to you in detail as well as talk about the experience he or she has had with this surgery in the past. It is also important to make sure you don't have an underlying condition that could be causing this issue because in that case, surgery might not be the best option.

VulvarVestibulitisRelief.com
Sign up for this site and create a case study to share your story. You can look at other case studies to get ideas for new treatment options or just read some of the articles that are posted there for more information.

MTV True Life: I Can't Have Sex
This is a video MTV did a while ago that just shows that this condition (or ones like it; ie. vaginismus) are more common than you think!

More resources and information soon!

One Week Post Surgery: Recovery and Walking

It's been just over a week since surgery and I'm doing really well. I'm so happy my period is over and I can finally go commando (recommended by my doctor) wearing comfy sweat pants when I'm around the house. This lets the area dry out to reduce the risk of infection. I'm still doing Sitz baths three times a day and using a blow dryer on low to dry the area after soaking. I have also been using the little squirt bottle the doctor gave me to rinse the area after going to the bathroom. The last few days have been totally pain free, although I haven't really had any real pain since the beginning. I can describe it more as being uncomfortable at times (or just kind of weird feeling). I've been going for walks, driving, and doing chores around the house with no issues. I still sit on a doughnut pillow when I do sit just to avoid putting any extra stress on the area. I also am really careful when bending down or getting in and out of the car so that I don't break open the stitches. The doctor said the stitches might cause a pokey feeling when I sit but I haven't really felt that. Maybe a little in the beginning when I was sitting down but not lately at all. I have my first post operation appointment this coming friday and I can't wait to tell my doctor how easy it's been. For anyone considering getting this surgery I would definitely recommend taking a week off afterwards where you can relax and let yourself heal but after that, as long as you have a doughnut pillow, things should be relatively normal. I am definitely not ready to go skiing, or biking, or even jogging necessarily, but I feel great.

Also, please remember that there are varying types of vulvar vestibulectomy's and depending on how much tissue was removed, there would be varying levels of pain. Some people have the vestibular glands removed and some do not. My particular surgery just removed the affected tissue on the surface and no glands were involved. I had the most pain at the 6pm spot of the vaginal opening but strong pain from the 2pm to the 10pm section.

More updates soon!

Day 4 Update: an unexpected pain...

Today was day 4 since my vulvar vestibulectomy. Yesterday was probably the worst day so far... I got my period and the cramps were unbearable. I took 2 ibuprofen at 8am and 2 midol at noon. This was more pain killers than I have taken for the surgery. It was also 10 times more painful, easily. I just sat in bed all day for the most part and did 3 sitz baths throughout the day.

Today was much better. The cramps were pretty much gone I just got a headache from my hormones acting up. I felt totally normal today. I still haven't really looked at the area because I'm too scared I'll tear the stitches. I also went for a walk today; going slow and taking it easy. It was nice to get out of the house and I had absolutely no pain. I used a doughnut pillow for the car ride but walking feels almost 100% normal; sometimes I feel the stitches poking into me though.

More updates soon :) comments or questions welcome.