Long post- but please read!!
Hey everyone! First of all, I am so sorry about my extremely long absence from this blog. I originally created it to be a place where I could document my experiences with pelvic pain/painful intercourse and feel as though I had some sort of community who could relate to the things I was going through.
Life happens, and I needed a break from social media as I got married (yay!!!), coped with leaving a very toxic work environment, spent the summer in Guatemala, and started my masters program.
One of the biggest things that happened while I was away was I had surgery in January.
I had a vestibulectomy, which is essentially where the tissue around the vaginal opening is removed. I saw a doctor in a different city from me who works in specialized gynecology, and upon my first exam he noticed that the tissue around my vagina was very red and inflamed. This is something that often goes unnoticed and untreated by regular gynecologists. Vestibulodynia is either caused by excess hormones (usually the fault of birth control), or an autoimmune process.
After that tissue was removed it had to be biopsied. The results came back and showed that I have the latter– an auto immune disorder called lichen planus, which specifically targets that part of the body. The only way to fix it is through the surgery I had, along with medication in some cases.
It has been a long road to recovery– ointments, physical therapy, etc. However I am now able to have sex and it is so much easier. It isn’t still completely pain-free/uncomfortable, but I am confident that my body will get there one day (and soon).
This doctor literally changed my life and is one of the kindest people I have ever met. I would not be where I am right now without him, and I am absolutely grateful to him along with my pelvic floor physical therapist.
I will talk about all this in more detail in another post, but please send me a message if you have questions about my surgery or the process of getting diagnosed! This medical condition is more common than you might think!
Thank you for listening 💜💜











