The Block Wore Off

I am still so impressed by the success of my pudendal nerve block.  It really helped and seemed to reduce the pain.  But all good things must come to an end.  I had the block last Friday and by Monday it started to come back. 

I worked from home as much as I could.  As the week went on the pain got worse.  It wasn't as bad as it was before the block, but it was bad.  I was getting the shot of pain with every step I took.  I called my doctor to see what I could do.  The answer was disheartening.  Nothing.

I can't get another block for three to four weeks.  All I can do is go up on my Neurontin, take pain meds as needed and rest.  I shed a few tears after I hung up the phone.  I felt helpless.  There's nothing proactive that I can do.   

Successful Pudendal Nerve Block

I thought the heat and the bathing suites were going to do me in, but in the end it was the actual trip that caused me pain.  It took us more than four hours to get to and from the beach.  Even though I was sitting on my cushion, my pudendal nerve flared. 

I started to feel pain in the second hour in the car.  I tried to shift around and find a comfortable position without much luck.  I had intermittent pudendal nerve pain during the holiday weekend, but I wasn't too worried.

After I returned to work, I realized I was in a flare.  Every day it got worse.  The pain was constant.  There was no position I could get into the brought me relief.  By Thursday, every step I took caused a shock of pain.  I've never had that before.  The pain was concentrated around the opening of my urethra.  The area was burning. 

After a trip the gym on Thursday, I knew I was in trouble.  The pain got so much worse after I did a series of sit ups. 

The next day I saw my doctor who suggested a nerve block.  He said it could really help with an acute flare.  He performed an extremely painful vaginal nerve block.  I couldn't help but cry as he located the nerve canal and performed the injections. 

Within a few hours, the tears were worth it, because the area was completely numb.  I wasn't in pain.  I continued to walk gingerly for the next few days, but the nerve block really seemed to knock out the flare. 

Warm Weather Blues

I'm enjoying the 4th of July weekend at the beach, but summer weather presents a lot of problems for someone living with vulvodynia and pudendal neuralgia.  There are even more accommodations to make to stay comfortable. 

I typically can't wear panties.  The pressure of even flimsy cotton panties again my clit causes a great deal of irritation.  If I have to wear panties, I can only wear them for a limited period of time.  In the summer, the desire to wear panties increases a great deal because of sweating.  I know, totally gross, but I want to be honest here.  Naturally if it's hot and humid, areas of your body that overlap are going to perspire.  This makes panties really appealing. 

On a really hot day I'll wear panties and powder my thighs.  I usually can't go a few hours without having to take them off.  Other days if my love button is especially cranky, I'll just powder my thighs and hope for the best.  I keep a pair of panties in a sunglasses case in my purse just in case I can't stand it. 

The other day my bean was raw and angry.  I went to the freezer for some ice and discovered a small blue ice pack that was just the right size.  It felt good to have the extreme cold on my angry folds.

 

  Take all these issues and put them on the beach and what do you get?  A problem.  If you want to wear a bathing suite, you're just asking for trouble.  I just spent the afternoon on the beach and my kitty is not happy with me.  I try to create a little space between the bathing suite fabric and my lady bits.  It helps a little bit.  

Despite the discomfort, I'd rather have a weekend on the beach with an angry kitty.