Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => All things menopause => Topic started by: squibsy on March 19, 2023, 07:58:33 AM
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>:(
Is anyone suffering from vaginal atrophy. I have been for three years, tried every medication i have been prescribed which have not worked. I have now gone private and last week had a steroid injection in the vagina which has not worked at all. I am in absolute agony every day like sitting on an erupting volcano. Had full hysterectomy in 1984 when I was 24.
Has anyone else had these injections if so did they work.
Squibsy
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Hello and welcome.
I have VA and steroid injections have never been mentioned, although I have used a steroid ointment for occasional patches of inflammation on the labia.
Only local oestrogen will help with VA, because it is caused by lack of it. What oestrogen products have you tried?
I can recommend the private Vaginal Atrophy Facebook support group for help and advice (as well as this group, of course!).
JP x
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Hello and welcome to the forum. I am so sorry to hear your va is so bad. I have it bad too. I have tried vagifem, imvaggis and ovestin. I can only tolerate ovestin and use it daily, sometimes twice a day. I stopped baths and switched to showers washing only in an emollient. I also take sea buckthorn capsules daily. I gave up caffeine and only drink water.
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Hi Flossie
Do you find that either it hurts to sit down but then hurts to walk. The only bit of relief that I look forward to is bedtime and laying on my side. I too do not use any perfumed shower gels. It really gets me down, pain relief doesn't work. Had a heart attack last month was in hospital on morphine for that but still the burning down there continued.
Squibsy
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I use steroid cream externally when I have a flare up but what HRT have you tried? That's the only treatment that works for me.
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Morning. Do let us know which products you have tried and for how long. Who have you talked to about this as many GPs are unaware of how difficult it can be to treat.
Who suggested a steroid injection into an already tender area :-\. Were you paying for this? It doesn't seem that the practitioner knows much about vaginal atrophy !
Yes it can cause difficulties with sitting and walking. For me it was like razor blades :o up there!
Who is overseeing your heart condition?
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Hi Flossie
Do you find that either it hurts to sit down but then hurts to walk. The only bit of relief that I look forward to is bedtime and laying on my side. I too do not use any perfumed shower gels. It really gets me down, pain relief doesn't work. Had a heart attack last month was in hospital on morphine for that but still the burning down there continued.
Squibsy
I am so sorry you have had a heart attack. Have you had your skin examined? I was wondering if there could be something else going on such as Lichens. I often get pain sitting up and mainly lean back or lie on my stomach.
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>:(
Is anyone suffering from vaginal atrophy. I have been for three years, tried every medication i have been prescribed which have not worked. I have now gone private and last week had a steroid injection in the vagina which has not worked at all. I am in absolute agony every day like sitting on an erupting volcano. Had full hysterectomy in 1984 when I was 24.
Has anyone else had these injections if so did they work.
Squibsy
It sounds to me like you have had a steroid nerve block injection ? In desperation when i should have known better to agreeing i had an unguided one done by a gynae. Meant to be done at the Ischial spine. I began to experience vulva muscle tightening after that so personally i wouldn't recommend it. The gynae concerned seemed happy with his 'experiment' but didn't give a monkeys as to how it affected me. This was done in an NHS pain clinic where he was working alongside a pain consultant.
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Interesting :-\ /. Any effects after Minusminnie?
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Hello Squibsy, sorry I'm a but late to reply but yes, I have VA. Didn't know I did until I joined this forum. I've had 2 misdiagnosis of it and yes I've had the steroid injection because my gynae didn't agree it was menopause symptoms. I've had 10 years of agony and not even the gynae could help. In the end she said she wouldn't see me as there was nothing she could do.
I came to this forum and after reading, I realised I had every symptom of VA. My GP won't accept that but has agreed to prescribe oestrogen pessaries and cream which after using continually, longer than prescribed, has improved my symptoms no end. Coconut oil as a moisturiser is really helpful too. But Dr Currie tells me that I can use the pessaries 5 times a week and yet my GP won't agree to that.
It's seems hard to get help for thus, but starting with pessaries and cream is a must.
Feel free to message me if you need any help or info.
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MrsMitch - get your GP to ring Dr Currie? In fact, ask why he/she won't prescribe as suggested by a Consultant who runs the MM Forum ;-)
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Just a thought the pessaries can be bought over the counter as a back up to what a GP allows you to have.
Ovestin cream can be bought from Superdrug Online pharmacy.
I always find it useful to have back up treatments of both products even though my surgery is happy for me to use it on a daily basis.
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:thankyou:
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CLKD: can I get my GP to do that? I had to be so careful yesterday speaking to her because she sounded really unimpressed that I had sought advise from Dr Currie. I felt I had to tread on eggshells every time in mentioned Dr Curries recommendations.
Basically I told her Dr Currie recommended HRT in tablet form & pessaries 5 x a week and I was refused. My husband is livid and it's all I can do to stop him going into the surgery to explode this morning. She has even refused to see Dr Curries email to me. Not sure what to do now as I can tell my hot flushes are starting to come back with avengence.
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Can you change your surgery? I would definately be looking for another doctor or demand a referral to a specialist.
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MrsMitch, I certainly would not ask your GP to ring Dr Currie, that would be very unethical and you would risk being asked to find another surgery, your GP is already very annoyed with you!
You really need a private consultation, change surgery's or wait for a menopausal clinic appointment.
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Hello
I def recommend joining the Vaginal Atrophy Facebook Page - like this fab site, you can search through posts with your chosen keywords. Best of all you will realise you are not alone - that does help.
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I had to be so careful yesterday speaking to her because she sounded really unimpressed that I had sought advise from Dr Currie. I felt I had to tread on eggshells every time in mentioned Dr Curries recommendations.
You've been proactive on your own behalf and it is a pity that your GP doesn't acknowledge that.
I heard a phrase once that 'GPs are the consultants' handmaidens' .....but first it seems you actually have to see the consultant.
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Thank you all for replying...I wasn't trying to hijack this thread and was hoping the OP would be back. Has she been back on here does anyone know?