Sores around vagina

[Thankyou20]

Hi, for about 2-3 weeks now I’ve developed what looks like sores around the top part of my vagina inside the lips. It started out as two cuts, and now looks like big sores, they were never blisters that where filled with puss or anything. It’s been really itchy, I’ve gone to wearing really loose fitting underwear, soaking in a bath, and not shaving or having sex. I’m unsure what to do next as I’m approaching week 4 and they don’t look to be healing, it looks really dry, I have no change in usual white discharge with no real smell. I thought I could be herpes but I didn’t have blisters, it was more like torn skin that keeps tearing more and more. Any advice on how to treat/ what to do? I didnt want to waste nhs time with the pandemic, so I’ve ordered self test sti kits and come back clear. Many thanks

[AskEveTeam]

Hi there,

So can we suggest you make a call to your GP. You can explain your symptoms and all the appropriate actions you have taken over the phone . They will then be able to assess whether or not they need to see you to help you (they may suggest photographing the area and sending pic to a secure NHS address) first it depends on resources.

Most GP’s are operating a policy of parking your car/waiting the 2 metre social distancing space between others and then being called in by telephone when they are ready to see you.

The caveat for everyone visiting GP or hospital is not to come if they have a fever or new cough. Do contact our Ask Eve team on [e-mail] if you have any more questions.

Best Wishes,

The Ask Eve Team

[clareB43]

Hi,

You should speak to your GP and I hope you have by now.

Could be a skin condition called lichen sclerosus or even vulval cancer so please don’t leave it .

Clare

[Garfield1]

Hi you should definatley speak to your gp could be a number of conditions vulval exzcema, lychen schlerosis which cause itching an tears. Please phone your doctor and you are not wasting their time with the pandemic. Hopefully its something amd nothing to worry about. Dont use soap or bubble bath as they are irritants but if you have aquious cream you can apply to your vuval area regular to keep hydrated. Your body self cleans this delicate area just use warm water . Hope this helps and im hear to talk if needed shell.🙂🌼

[Garfield1]

Hi again i have just read one post who had mentioned vuval cancer. I was apprehesive about suggesting that.

However i really think speak to your gp asap to rule things out. I speak from experience of your potential symptoms i was wrongly treated for vuval exczema for a few months and it was cancer. So please speak to your gp today to get help what ever the condition is. Xc

[clareB43 in reply to Garfield1]

I don’t want to scare anyone but if I had known about vulval cancer I would of got diagnosed earlier. Yes it’s rare but a condition often misdiagnosed.

[Thankyou20]

Hi both, thank you for so much for caring and sharing your experiences. I’ve been worried sick the last two weeks, I went to my GP and she is convinced it’s an outbreak of herpes, Ive always has cold sores but never actually looked into herpes properly because o always seen it as an STD so never bothered testing for it because was adamant I wouldn’t have it, I tested negative for everything bar herpes simplex 1 but tested negative for herpes simplex 2. She explained how simplex 1 can still break out around that area, my concern is from what I’ve ready it usually clears up after 3-4 weeks. I’m towards the end of my 7th week of experiencing this, so I was worried how long it’s taking. I was prescribed a weeks worth of antibiotics and finished those last Friday. No change or improvement, so I’m even more worried now. I’ve been referred to a vulvar specialist in the women’s hospital today, but again that could take weeks before I’m seen to with what’s going on. It’s just scary not knowing and yes I’m thinking the worse. But thank you again for caring and taking the time to reach out. I will update this once I hopefully get to the bottom as I hope this could help someone else if in the same situation.

Thank you

[clareB43 in reply to Thankyou20]

I was also misdiagnosed with herpes.

Chase up your referral and say your worried. Have you mentioned both lichen sclerosus or vulval cancer to your Gp?

[Thankyou20 in reply to clareB43]

Hi,

I’ve gotten no where with my referral, nhs it taking on appointments in the women’s hospital for vulval disorders, and I’ve even tried ring around private practices to see if I can been seen to to at least be diagnosed.

My symptoms just have not eased at all and now going into week 9/10 now I’m loosing count. It’s just horrendous at the moment I can’t seek any treatment

[clareB43 in reply to Thankyou20]

You could by a low strength steroid at the chemist to see if it helps as if was Lichen Sclerosus you would see a difference.

If I was you I would ring your Gp and ask to be on the urgent 2 week referral for suspected cancer as you are worried as treatment so far has made no difference and you believe it could be vulva cancer.

And say it’s affecting your mental health all this worry.

Then hopefully you will be taken seriously and seen in the next 2 weeks and even a biopsy.

Mean while you could try these

Dr Morton’s the medical helpline

It’s about £25 -£50 for a phone call or email to a gynaecologist.

drmortons.co.uk

[Lunadottie]

Hi there,

I was just searching for lichen sclerosus posts and found yours.

I was confirmed as an LS sufferer about 15 years ago. My symptoms started with thin cut-like tears in my skin that used to bleed after sex. This then developed into extreme itchyness in the general vulva area and sometimes lumps, boils and inflamed sections that were both sore and itchy. Some days I was in agony with it, particularly when trying to sit comfortably.

I must have visited my GP for 2 years or more with these symptoms, had the humiliating ‘you must be sleeping around and have STDs’ conversation every single time with whichever doctor would see me (I wasn’t btw - sex itself was so painful by then that the last thing I wanted to do was sleep around! And I was happily married at that time anyway) and had countless STD swabs that showed absolutely nothing every time.

In short, I got nowhere with my very unsympathetic GPs who were totally clueless.

The last straw came when I was again at my GP pleading for them to help me and I was told that I had visited the practice for the past few years with exactly the same symptoms and was I sure they were real or was I making them up???

Finding it very difficult to hold my tongue at that point I demanded a referral, first to my local hospital dermatology unit (who suspected LS but didn’t specialise) and they then literally saved my life and my sanity by referring me to The Royal Free hospital in London, an NHS hospital.

They have an excellent gynaecology department with consultants specialising in LS. There, I was quickly diagnosed as having quite prolific LS (silver scars all over my vulva) and prescribed a combination of steroid creams and nerve blockers to calm everything down.

And to cut a very long story short, I have continued to use the steroid creams topically over the years, only when I get a flare up which happens once or twice a year (or when I get stressed or run down, it is an auto-immune condition after all!) and was discharged from the Royal Free about 3 years after they first saw me and started monitoring me because my LS was under control and often in remission.

The moral of my story is do not take no for an answer. You might not have LS but you deserve the right to know either way and you deserve the right to know why you are in pain and suffering.

If you do have LS, it is important that you get an accurate diagnosis as if left untreated over several years, it ‘might’ increase chances of developing vulval cancers.

Make a nuisance of yourself at your GP and tell them you want a second opinion if they are being unhelpful. It took me years to be taken seriously and those years took a toll on me both physically and mentally, I was starting to think I was going completely mad!

If you are anywhere near London and could be referred to the Royal Free I would thoroughly recommend them as they were brilliant.

I hope you get some answers and some relief soon.