Simple Itch? Think Again

Just an itch??

Picture it... You’re sitting at work & all of a sudden you have an itch on your vulva. That’s natural, everyone has an itch here or there. You squirm in your chair to itch your lady bits so no one can see. The scratch you barely managed to sneak still gave you no satisfaction. Now you’re crossing your legs different ways & excusing yourself to the bathroom just to get that annoying itch to STOP!! You finally scratch it for what feels like forever yet the itch never subsides.

This has happened to me for years, and still does.

I have Lichen Sclerosus & Vulvar Intraepithelial Neoplasia (VIN). I am getting another biopsy this Tuesday, October 20th, 2020 because a couple of spots have gotten even itchier! This will be my 3rd biopsy on my vulva, but we're vulvastrong so as you know everything will be okay!!!! If the results comes back as VIN 2 or 3, a higher more invasive form of precancer, they will consider doing a wide local excision(W.L.E.) of the effected area.

I share this part of my life with you not to scare you, but to spread awareness & let others know an itch is a serious sign! I let it go for years, and am now facing a W.L.E.!! I once had a doctor tell me I had herpes although I was in a relationship for over 2yrs. The test results came back as negative, but she still told me she thinks I could possibly have herpes. I have been tested for STDs multiple times since, and guess what vulvastrong warriors, it always came back as negative. Herpes is common, and is nothing to be ashamed of, but it shows the lack of knowledge doctors have about the vulva & it's conditions!!!!!

I also believed maybe I was not “clean” enough. Maybe I need to try different feminine washes & that's what was causing my itchiness. After using it for about a year, while experiencing worsening symptoms, I found out that feminine washes are supposedly bad to use. It is said that they are not needed or good for us. Our body produces what we need, and we actually need to be very careful with our sensitive skin down there. Just like we get checked by a dermatologist & take care of our "body skin", we should be taking even better & more careful care of our vulva!! It's part of our body & is skin, too!

So, at 19 years old I was frustrated by the lack of answers and gave up on finding a diagnosis. I prayed it would just disappear & convinced myself that it probably wasn't a big deal at all. But, at 23y.o., my symptoms(also including tearing, ripping, & white patches) became unbearably intense. I knew it was time to really get serious about finding an answer because something was seriously wrong. So, after years of doctors brushing me off with creams & misdiagnosing me countless times, I finally demanded for a biopsy. The results came back, and they diagnosed me with VIN1. They said this was probably caused by human papillomavirus (HPV), a common sexually transmitted infection that usually will disappear on it's own. I was thankful for my diagnosis. To finally have answers was a relief! But, I had one other thick white patch on my perineum. This was a spot my doctor initially refused to biopsy during my 1st biopsy because he said it was a very painful area. But, when I saw I had low grade precancer at 23y.o., I had to make sure that area of my skin was not at a higher level. So, I had my 2nd biopsy, and my vulvastrong self got through it just like all you vulvastrong queens would & could!!
The biopsy confirmed that I had a rare autoimmune disorder called Lichen Sclerosus(L.S.). It is a skin condition that causes thinning of the vulva, so it causes itching, white patches, ripping, & tearing/bleeding, etc. It is not contagious and not a sexually transmitted disease. They believe that my VIN actually could be caused by the symptoms of my L.S. It has been found that you are more prone to VIN/cancer with L.S. due to the scarring of the skin caused by the itching. Lichen Sclerosus is something I will never be able to cure, but something I will have to learn to manage with steroids & regular visits to my OBGYN.

So, if you have an itch, don’t ignore it! It is not “natural!” Get checked. It is always better to be safe than sorry. YOU KNOW YOUR BODIES BETTER THAN ANYONE LADIES! Remember many doctors don’t even know that much about the vulva! If you feel like you are being brushed off at the doctor's or they are not listening to you, demand for answers! Doctors can always perform something called a colposcopy if they find it necessary which tests the skin with a vinegar solution. This causes a reaction that will show any areas of concern like cancer cells through a colposcope. And, if you still do not feel like you are getting the right treatment, it never hurts to get a 2nd opinion. None of this is anything to be afraid of, but to be aware of. Be vulvastrong & let others know the importance of checking themselves. Educate them on what a vulva even is. Many times even if a person has heard of a vulva they won't know where it is located!! How can we ever have answers if people hardly know what it even is!?

I share a small part of my journey with you today so you can protect yourself & catch anything before it goes to the next level. Do not ignore your symptoms like I did for so many years. If some of the doctors throughout my journey were more educated about vulvar disorders, I may not be facing a wide local excision today at 24 y.o.

Now stop ignoring that itch, and get checked today!

Not experiencing itching? Perform a vulvar self exam today & check your skin monthly for any changes.

You got this vulvastrong warriors!! There is nothing on your journey that you will not be able to handle!! 

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