Slightly embarrassing questions!

[KatieTattie]

I've got a few questions I hope you might be able to help me with firstly about a year ago I noticed a small lump on the inside of my bum cheek which I assumed was an ingrowing hair or pimple. It would flame up for a few weeks then disappear. Then I wondered if it was a boil but it was very deep under the skin and had no head just a hardish painful lump which is probably the size of a twenty pence piece. Since I discovered I have endo I have noticed that this lump only appears after ovulation and carries on growing until my period then as soon as I come on it disappears! Anyone any ideas? My other strange question is has anyone started growing dark hair around their nipples with endo? I am a fair haired person and have never had this before! Thanks

[Impatient]

Regards the hair- yes same here.

Not specifically an endo thing, but it is hormone related and part of growing old ***sniff boo sniff!!!****

I have to do a round up of plucking them out...not just the strangers round the nips, but also

i have 2 on my neck which regularly appear and the moustache is a lot more frequently in need of hair removal these days too.

I have had 1 ovary removed and have a mirena and i'm mid 40's in age, so which element is to blame I have no idea.I think in part it is hereditary too.

My mum's facial fuzz problems started for her in her 30s, and she still has it to deal with in her 70s.

I haven't asked her about anywhere else, so I couldn't possibly comment, and I'm not going to ask either ! LOL.

If you are rich, then you could let the rogue hairs grow and have treatments on the individual ones,but it is costly and it won't stop others kicking off elsewhere when they have a mind to

switch from blond and fine to black and coarse in texture.

Shaving, plucking (my preferred method) or waxing or hair removal creams are all temporary fixes.

I just add it to my routine when plucking the eyebrows.

...........................................

The lump under the skin should be looked at by your GP in the first instance and then referred to a skin specialist or the practice nurse if needs be.

It does sound like it is hormonally sensitive sebaceous cyst of some sort.

It is unlikely to be endo from the time with in your cycle that it is flaring up, but certainly cysts are prone to misbehave as the hormone levels dance about.

These sebaceous cysts can be removed by a nurse, pulling it out (if close to the surface) or carefully cutting out the cyst sac entirely, which should resolve the problem for you. They are common - more common in men than women, but we do get them too.

There are number of you tube videos if you want to gross yourself out watching a sebaceous cyst removal. It is VERY graphic- but does demonstrate how it is possible for an entire cyst sac to be removed, taking all the contents with it.

youtube.com/watch?v=tuEVDjW...(Not working as expected?) **Please don't watch if you are squeamish. **

That film is done in a clinical setting. There are many others where people are doing it themselves - even some with grubby unhygienic fingers...YUK !!!

Cysts can form absolutely anywhere under soft skin on the body.

It might not be a sebaceous cysts, so be sure to see your Doc to get answers AND sort out treatment for you.

Sadly nothing can prevent the getting old and getting rogue whiskers in weird places.It will happen to most women eventually when they menopause for sure, but can start a long time before then.

If it's just a handful or so then self removal is the cheapest and most convenient and least embarrassing way to deal with them.

Best of Luck with the lump - hope it's one that can easily be removed and solve the problem.

[KatieTattie in reply to Impatient]

Thank you so much impatient! You are such a credit to this site and are helping so many people. It's so easy to atribute everything to endo as it has so many symptoms isn't it! Me n my mum are very open and I know she has had the rogue hairs probably from around my age and I am a lot like her apart from her being dark haired and me being blonde. As for the lump it would make sense with the place that it is as i know this is a 'hotspot' for cysts. I will defo look into it! Mine is so deep under the skin you can't even see it unless you 'pick it up' if that makes sense? I'm seeing my GP to discuss pain relief on thurs so ill mention it then. Thank you so much again xx

[Impatient in reply to KatieTattie]

My mum was dark haired as an adult, she's now totally white haired excepting the whiskers.

I've was blonde and just went mousey in my late teens...and started greying at 25, I'm now late 40s so the greying is advancing rapidly these days.

i am allergic to so many chemicals including hair dyes,so no option but to grow old and look it !!! LOL .. (I don't mind, it's the least of my problems.)

[KatieTattie]

Oh I forgot another strange thing if you could help please?! I have lots of light green discharge which does not itch or smell after I ovulate up to my period. I've been to Drs about this and had all STD test all negative ( been with husband for 14 years) once the tests came back negative they didn't suggest anything else. I am due a smear test next year and they won't do one until then. The nurse doing my swabs did say my cervix was bright red, inflamed and had lots of discharge around it. Gosh I'm not painting a very pretty picture of myself am I!!! Anyway I've just put it down to the endo but just would like to be sure as like I said its easy to put everything down to endo! Thank you x

[Impatient]

I was about to ask how well the visit to the Doc had gone today when I spotted your post about the cervix issue.

This sounds like cervical erosion - bit like an intense form of nappy rash that you get when the skin is sore and if you have a pee the urine burns the skin , well much th same can happen in the cervix. It produces cervical mucus which is the clear gel discharge you get. this should be enough to provide the cervix with some protection from period bleeds passing through as well as lubrication. But if you are having heavy periods then the mucus can get washed away before it can re-stock the supply and this exposes the cervix cells directly to the menstrual bleeding and it gets irritated and swollen and sore and icky. You can also get endo cells to stick to the cervix when it is exposed and again they can do what they do elsewhere and nest there and bleed too.

So the description the nurse gave does tend to make me suspect cervical erosion is the initial problem. If that gets infected then it can cause discolouration and smells in the mucus discharged.

Looking on the NHS website page for vaginal discolouration to green,

nhs.uk/conditions/vaginal-d...

it says an infection by a microscopic parasite can do this - and that an antibiotic metronidazole is the cure.

Back to the GP for that and even if the swabs were clear the fact that is is discoloured should mean you get something to try and remedy the situation.

As for the cervical erosion /endo.... stopping or reducing periods will give it a chance to calm down but it needs checking at your next surgery in case it is endo there too and that needs removing.

I was told I did have cervical erosion - not too surprising given how many years i had suffered with heavy prolong periods though. It can spread in to the vagina and it can cause the cervix to close or to form adhesions and get rather fixed and inflexible and cause sex pain. Giving it a blast with antibiotics followed by decent rest from having periods should give it a fighting chance to calm down and recover.

There's a good image of the red raw and sore look of cervical erosion on

sciencephoto.com/media/5174... so you can see what I am talking about.

at least with nappy rash you can apply a topical cream to aid healing - not so easy with a cervix.