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sweetglowing · 11-19-2006, 08:47 PM

Hi everyone,

I know how frustrating these symptoms can be! I have had very similar vaginal issues to those posted here. I had sustained them for over a year. I had tried to find answers at my gyno and I even checked this site amongst other websites searching for any information before I found the conclusive reason for my condition.

I had small vaginal tears that came and went. My vaginal skin seemed thin, sometimes even appearing shiny. It often felt extremely dry. It also was consistently red and irritated. Sex was painful and could make my symptoms worse. I had a large “tear” in the crease of my buttocks, above my anus. All the areas would occasionally even slough off skin, like dead skin rubs off.

I tried the following based on information I got from a variety of sources:

1) Got tested for STD’s - I was negative for everything, except for HPV, of which shouldn’t cause any of these types of symptoms.

2) Used no soaps, wore cotton underwear only, wore loose clothing, washed gently, etc.

3) Natural Progesterone “wild yam” ointment – to strengthen skin (in case it was hormone related, which can happen in older women after menopause, but I’m 30, so that seems unlikely and I had hormone tests that indicated I was fairly balanced)

4) Prescription yeast infection pills and both non & prescription anti-fungal creams – in case it was yeast related. The creams tended to make my whole vaginal area burn even more. However, yeast can cause cuts, but I was negative. Be sure to ask your doctor for a yeast culture before they give you creams, etc. that may be useless or may irritate you more.

5) A steroid/anti-fungal cream mixture. - This was successful in relieving my symptoms, but didn’t seem like a long-term cure.

I tried to find hope in all these, and sometimes I thought something had worked, but my symptoms always returned. I wanted to know what I had!

I think it is important to not only communicate with your gyno, but also SEE A DERMATOLOGIST! And I don’t mean any dermatologist; ask for one that specializes in genital diseases. Mine specialized in STD’s, Genital Disease, and General Dermatology. The reason is that a general dermatologist may not be able to successfully evaluate you. I went a general dermatologist that had no idea and gave me the usual creams. Luckily, she had a fellow doctor that she knew might know more. She sent me to the doctor that eventually was able to diagnose me.

He advised the following tests to narrow it down:

1) Take Diflucan (a pill to clear yeast infections) - He had me take a dosage 3 times longer and stronger than usual to be certain. If it is successful, one should see a significant difference in a day or so. I saw no change.

2) Do a patch test. This was a 2-day test you wear on your back that can determine if you have a contact dermatitis. This means you could be allergic to something from your exterior environment. They test you for ~150 different possibilities (e.g. ingredients in toilet paper, laundry detergents, etc.) He even said that you could have an allergy that shows up in different areas than the area of contact. Example, you can touch something with your hand and get a reaction on your foot. I was allergic to a few things, but nothing that would cause my symptoms.

3) Get a biopsy, Of course this does not seem like a pleasant alternative, yet it was successful in determining the cause of my symptoms. The procedure was not nearly as dreadful as I anticipated. They take a tiny amount of skin for testing. I easily healed in a few days with no major discomfort or pain.

SUCCESS!

The test results revealed that I had very early stages of Lichen Sclerosis. The biopsy may reveal other conditions as well. This came as a surprise as most information I read on Lichen Sclerosis usually show the extreme symptoms and usually applies it to elderly women. I learned that Lichen Sclerosis can occur in young women, men and even children. It is an autoimmune disease. It is not contagious, can occur at any time, and the early symptoms can be exactly like mine. Many gyno’s are not aware of the early symptoms. Please note that itchiness was only occasionally a symptom for me, yet itchiness can be a common symptom, often making people think it is yeast.

Lichen Sclerosis can be scary; it can yield very devastating results if diagnosis does not happen early. There is no cure, but symptoms can disappear with treatment (a prescription steroid cream cleared everything up – I may have to use it occasionally to relieve any future symptoms). There is a good chance that it will not progress if kept in check. I’m back to normal, sex is comfortable (as always, be sure to use lubrication if you are irritated) and I’m happy that I at least know what I’m dealing with. Believe me, I know how frustrating it is to have symptoms and not know how to make them better.
Always ask doctors to perform tests for symptoms so you have conclusive results - yea or nay - so you are not searching in the dark, unable to determine if something worked for you for the right reason.

As far as birth control pills (they seem to cause so many issues!):
I had started taking birth control pills at the time my symptoms started (LS may be linked to fluctuations in hormones amongst a few other things), However, my condition had even continued a year later after I had stopped taking them.

I apologize that this is such a lengthy post. I just hope something in it could be an option in searching for an answer when there is so much good and bad advise out there.

11-19-2006, 08:47 PM	#60 (permalink)
sweetglowing Upright Location: NYC, New York	My experience Hi everyone, I know how frustrating these symptoms can be! I have had very similar vaginal issues to those posted here. I had sustained them for over a year. I had tried to find answers at my gyno and I even checked this site amongst other websites searching for any information before I found the conclusive reason for my condition. I had small vaginal tears that came and went. My vaginal skin seemed thin, sometimes even appearing shiny. It often felt extremely dry. It also was consistently red and irritated. Sex was painful and could make my symptoms worse. I had a large “tear” in the crease of my buttocks, above my anus. All the areas would occasionally even slough off skin, like dead skin rubs off. I tried the following based on information I got from a variety of sources: 1) Got tested for STD’s - I was negative for everything, except for HPV, of which shouldn’t cause any of these types of symptoms. 2) Used no soaps, wore cotton underwear only, wore loose clothing, washed gently, etc. 3) Natural Progesterone “wild yam” ointment – to strengthen skin (in case it was hormone related, which can happen in older women after menopause, but I’m 30, so that seems unlikely and I had hormone tests that indicated I was fairly balanced) 4) Prescription yeast infection pills and both non & prescription anti-fungal creams – in case it was yeast related. The creams tended to make my whole vaginal area burn even more. However, yeast can cause cuts, but I was negative. Be sure to ask your doctor for a yeast culture before they give you creams, etc. that may be useless or may irritate you more. 5) A steroid/anti-fungal cream mixture. - This was successful in relieving my symptoms, but didn’t seem like a long-term cure. I tried to find hope in all these, and sometimes I thought something had worked, but my symptoms always returned. I wanted to know what I had! I think it is important to not only communicate with your gyno, but also SEE A DERMATOLOGIST! And I don’t mean any dermatologist; ask for one that specializes in genital diseases. Mine specialized in STD’s, Genital Disease, and General Dermatology. The reason is that a general dermatologist may not be able to successfully evaluate you. I went a general dermatologist that had no idea and gave me the usual creams. Luckily, she had a fellow doctor that she knew might know more. She sent me to the doctor that eventually was able to diagnose me. He advised the following tests to narrow it down: 1) Take Diflucan (a pill to clear yeast infections) - He had me take a dosage 3 times longer and stronger than usual to be certain. If it is successful, one should see a significant difference in a day or so. I saw no change. 2) Do a patch test. This was a 2-day test you wear on your back that can determine if you have a contact dermatitis. This means you could be allergic to something from your exterior environment. They test you for ~150 different possibilities (e.g. ingredients in toilet paper, laundry detergents, etc.) He even said that you could have an allergy that shows up in different areas than the area of contact. Example, you can touch something with your hand and get a reaction on your foot. I was allergic to a few things, but nothing that would cause my symptoms. 3) Get a biopsy, Of course this does not seem like a pleasant alternative, yet it was successful in determining the cause of my symptoms. The procedure was not nearly as dreadful as I anticipated. They take a tiny amount of skin for testing. I easily healed in a few days with no major discomfort or pain. SUCCESS! The test results revealed that I had very early stages of Lichen Sclerosis. The biopsy may reveal other conditions as well. This came as a surprise as most information I read on Lichen Sclerosis usually show the extreme symptoms and usually applies it to elderly women. I learned that Lichen Sclerosis can occur in young women, men and even children. It is an autoimmune disease. It is not contagious, can occur at any time, and the early symptoms can be exactly like mine. Many gyno’s are not aware of the early symptoms. Please note that itchiness was only occasionally a symptom for me, yet itchiness can be a common symptom, often making people think it is yeast. Lichen Sclerosis can be scary; it can yield very devastating results if diagnosis does not happen early. There is no cure, but symptoms can disappear with treatment (a prescription steroid cream cleared everything up – I may have to use it occasionally to relieve any future symptoms). There is a good chance that it will not progress if kept in check. I’m back to normal, sex is comfortable (as always, be sure to use lubrication if you are irritated) and I’m happy that I at least know what I’m dealing with. Believe me, I know how frustrating it is to have symptoms and not know how to make them better. Always ask doctors to perform tests for symptoms so you have conclusive results - yea or nay - so you are not searching in the dark, unable to determine if something worked for you for the right reason. As far as birth control pills (they seem to cause so many issues!): I had started taking birth control pills at the time my symptoms started (LS may be linked to fluctuations in hormones amongst a few other things), However, my condition had even continued a year later after I had stopped taking them. I apologize that this is such a lengthy post. I just hope something in it could be an option in searching for an answer when there is so much good and bad advise out there.