After applying and waiting for my health insurance to kick in, I've found a new Gynecologist. And I love her so far. Terri Vanderlinde
We started out talking about my issues, and my past issues with my former Gynecologist. She was very indepth in her questions which I appreciated. We talked about my fiance and our relationship dynamic. I understand when you talk about lack of libido a lot of people believe it's psychological first. But luckily Terri changed her mind after hearing about our relationship and the fact that I'm not being pressured to fix my sex drive by him, but because we both want it.
When I went to the appointment I was terrified it would end like many others did. They would tell me to try all the silly things like lingerie and dirty books and send me off with a prescription for lidocaine. Terri was different.
We decided to start with a moderate dose of testosterone and see how things develop. And she sent me home with a sample of estrogen cream not derived by horses! I'm also going to up my estrogen and change birth control after I finish the month of TriNessa that I'm on. We're moving to Femcon because after the pelvic exam she said I definitely have some estrogen deficiency noticable with the vulvodynia symptoms.
I'm hopeful for a change and will keep this blog updated.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Starting over
I am determined to have a healthy sex life once again. It angers me that I have to have so many issues with my health.
My first step is getting health insurance. I am just underneath the average number involved to get health insurance through my work. I have been without health insurance for the past two years and thus I have had to visit clinics for my exams. I should be getting health insurance starting in April. The monthly costs are about 180, which is higher than I'd like, but hopefully it will help me in the long run. And of course it's good to feel like if an accident happened, I would be covered.
My next step involves picking a new Gynecologist. I have been searching around and have found a doctor that uses traditional medicine and natural alternatives as well. I am going to contact her and set up an appointment once I am sure my health insurance has gone through.
I had my first attempt at sexual intercourse since almost 6 months. My vaginismus seems to have weakened. I worked at trying to remain relaxed. Sadly the vulvodynia was just as painful as usual, even after using lidocaine. But I'm not going to let it deter me this time. I will get over this problem.
My first step is getting health insurance. I am just underneath the average number involved to get health insurance through my work. I have been without health insurance for the past two years and thus I have had to visit clinics for my exams. I should be getting health insurance starting in April. The monthly costs are about 180, which is higher than I'd like, but hopefully it will help me in the long run. And of course it's good to feel like if an accident happened, I would be covered.
My next step involves picking a new Gynecologist. I have been searching around and have found a doctor that uses traditional medicine and natural alternatives as well. I am going to contact her and set up an appointment once I am sure my health insurance has gone through.
I had my first attempt at sexual intercourse since almost 6 months. My vaginismus seems to have weakened. I worked at trying to remain relaxed. Sadly the vulvodynia was just as painful as usual, even after using lidocaine. But I'm not going to let it deter me this time. I will get over this problem.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Issues with Providers
Recently I had an appointment with my Gyno provided by the health center in my town. Of course it is a clinic so there wasn't much selection in getting a Gynecologist other than what was assigned to me. This is the same Doctor who diagnosed me with Vulvodynia.
The last time I visited her we talked about estrogen cream vaginal usage to treat the problem areas of irritation. I had done a little research so I asked that I not be put on Premarin because I am vegan and don't like the practices used to get equine estrogen. She treated my animal-welfare stance as something silly and told me that "it's not like they hurt the animal or anything". Personally I didn't like her tone and her comment later that "your face moisturizer has more animal products in it". No, I research my products.
She wrote out the prescription and when I went to fill it, it was....Premarin. Exactly the expensive equine estrogen that I had protested. I ended up not getting the hundred dollar item and instead called the office again.
I was told that a note was left for my doctor to prescribe another estrogen for me, or a generic that was not Premarin. After 2 weeks of calling the office to check on the request, I gave up.
It's been a full month and I never got a response. So sadly it looks like I won't be able to see if estrogen cream would help my Vulvar Vestibulitis.
I have since seen another provider, at Planned Parenthood. But she has decided that she doesn't feel comfortable prescribing estrogen to me, or anything else other than lidocaine for that matter.
Lidocaine so far has not helped my situation. So I'm at square one again.
The last time I visited her we talked about estrogen cream vaginal usage to treat the problem areas of irritation. I had done a little research so I asked that I not be put on Premarin because I am vegan and don't like the practices used to get equine estrogen. She treated my animal-welfare stance as something silly and told me that "it's not like they hurt the animal or anything". Personally I didn't like her tone and her comment later that "your face moisturizer has more animal products in it". No, I research my products.
She wrote out the prescription and when I went to fill it, it was....Premarin. Exactly the expensive equine estrogen that I had protested. I ended up not getting the hundred dollar item and instead called the office again.
I was told that a note was left for my doctor to prescribe another estrogen for me, or a generic that was not Premarin. After 2 weeks of calling the office to check on the request, I gave up.
It's been a full month and I never got a response. So sadly it looks like I won't be able to see if estrogen cream would help my Vulvar Vestibulitis.
I have since seen another provider, at Planned Parenthood. But she has decided that she doesn't feel comfortable prescribing estrogen to me, or anything else other than lidocaine for that matter.
Lidocaine so far has not helped my situation. So I'm at square one again.
Sex with the Lights On Review
I am falling in love with Ducky DooLittle. I began falling for her while reading the introduction to Sex With the Lights On. She became a sex educator through a string of events involving work in the sex industry. From a phone sex operator in a peepshow to a stripper, dominatrix, nude model, and then a sex journalist, Ducky has gathered a wealth of knowledge over all things carnal. I really enjoyed reading this book filled with all the questions about sex and the body that you might have been too embarrassed to ask.
I enjoy Ducky’s personable style of writing, using more relaxed words instead of medical terms. The tone of the book is both upbeat and sexy instead of clinical. In each chapter there are sections that include anonymous stories from various women and men talking about their own sexual experiences and stories. Small boxes highlight myths, interesting facts, or “homework”. I was impressed that the “homework” involved things like visiting Amnesty International to learn more about female circumcision.
The author does a good job at giving real information, including the fact that not all people will experience the same responses in sexual situations. I was glad to see that she included the fact that not all women have a responsive G-spot. The media perpetuates this image that there is a magic button inside your vagina, and if you’re not feeling it, then you are doing something wrong. This book is very body-positive, even including a section about being confident and feeling sexy in your own skin. I think it would be a good fit for anyone who is curious about sex but doesn’t have a lot of personal experience.
I have personally read a good number of sexual guides and information, but I found myself learning a lot of new things that were included in this book. The list of the chemical composition of ejaculate was quite interesting. Who knew all that stuff was in spunk! There was also a how-to guide on creating barriers for oral and anal stimulation. I was happy to see a small paragraph that discussed the fluidity of gender and the entire book seemed to be written for either a man or a woman, straight, gay, or flexible. The very back of the book includes a resources section that has websites, books, stores and more to give you further reading.
The only issue I have with this book is more present for me since it is a personal issue. I do wish that Ducky had included some information about dyspareunia. A small section including information about vulvodynia would be helpful for those who were like myself and couldn’t understand why intercourse was painful. There are some minor proofreading errors, but these seem to be unintentional mistakes such as the use of the term “drag kings” for both men and women.
I will certainly be looking for more from Ducky DooLittle, especially with my little crush I’m developing for her.
You can also visit her website as well
Nostalgia
My First Vibrator
The Galaxy vibe Jupiter was my first vibrator. At the age of 18, my friend Rachel and I convinced my boyfriend at the time to take us to the adult bookstore for fun. I believe the thought of two girls browsing sex toys convinced him to offer up the dare that we both had to pick out a toy and he would purchase it. But he made the stipulation that it had to be something we would actually use, not something silly.
Rachel and I went to work, browsing the long wall of toys that we had never really seen in person before. This was our first trip to an adult bookstore and to be honest we probably spent 2 hours going up and down the isles. There were big ones, small ones, fat ones, and plain scary toys. Then we found some soft purple vibrators. They weren't horribly girly, no pictures of butterflies or pink vibrators were allowed.
I chose the Jupiter, and my friend chose the Uranus. And believe me, we made a lot of jokes about the Uranus. The cashier put batteries in both to show us that they did indeed vibrate. To which we giggled in delight and my boyfriend seemed slightly embarrassed to be around us.
On the drive home, we broke our new vibrators out and annoyed my then boyfriend as we had "lightsaber" battles in between the front and back seat.
The Jupiter was a good, faithful, first vibrator. The soft material felt nice and the vibrations were good for a beginner. I found the Jupiter to be better for clitoral play. I don't think I would purchase a vibrator with this sort of jelly outer again.
The outside of the vibrator sleeve is in ripples, which actually made penetration slightly uncomfortable. It felt like I was "juicing" myself with a long citrus juicer. To some this may be an enjoyable feeling, but personally I did not like this effect one bit.
The material was soft, but it tended to be the sort of material that easily catches lint. To truly clean the Jupiter it is best to soap up, rinse well and then leave out to air dry. Understandably some people don't have the option of just laying their vibrators on the bathroom counter to air dry. And the Jupiter itself wasn't exactly the most elegant to display on your countertop.
I retired my first vibrator after 7 years in search for a nicer insertable vibrator. But I have to admit that my faithful, first vibrator was still going strong. I have yet to find an insertable vibrator that I really like. Especially with my condition of having Vulvar Vestibulitis.
Rachel and I went to work, browsing the long wall of toys that we had never really seen in person before. This was our first trip to an adult bookstore and to be honest we probably spent 2 hours going up and down the isles. There were big ones, small ones, fat ones, and plain scary toys. Then we found some soft purple vibrators. They weren't horribly girly, no pictures of butterflies or pink vibrators were allowed.
I chose the Jupiter, and my friend chose the Uranus. And believe me, we made a lot of jokes about the Uranus. The cashier put batteries in both to show us that they did indeed vibrate. To which we giggled in delight and my boyfriend seemed slightly embarrassed to be around us.
On the drive home, we broke our new vibrators out and annoyed my then boyfriend as we had "lightsaber" battles in between the front and back seat.
The Jupiter was a good, faithful, first vibrator. The soft material felt nice and the vibrations were good for a beginner. I found the Jupiter to be better for clitoral play. I don't think I would purchase a vibrator with this sort of jelly outer again.
The outside of the vibrator sleeve is in ripples, which actually made penetration slightly uncomfortable. It felt like I was "juicing" myself with a long citrus juicer. To some this may be an enjoyable feeling, but personally I did not like this effect one bit.
The material was soft, but it tended to be the sort of material that easily catches lint. To truly clean the Jupiter it is best to soap up, rinse well and then leave out to air dry. Understandably some people don't have the option of just laying their vibrators on the bathroom counter to air dry. And the Jupiter itself wasn't exactly the most elegant to display on your countertop.
I retired my first vibrator after 7 years in search for a nicer insertable vibrator. But I have to admit that my faithful, first vibrator was still going strong. I have yet to find an insertable vibrator that I really like. Especially with my condition of having Vulvar Vestibulitis.
Getting a Diagnosis
At the moment I work in food service. A usual job making sandwiches and expresso drinks. So as you can probably figure out, I don't make much money. And therefore I also don't have good health insurance. At the moment I have none at all because of employer issues and not relating the right numbers to me. But that's another rant in and of itself.
The issue at the moment is the fact that I have a "lady parts" issue and I'm having trouble getting the correct diagnosis. I have had a problem with painful intercourse for almost ten years now. I have spoken to several nurses, doctors and gynocologists about it. Up until the recent gyno, they've all been stumped and seemed to blame me for the pain. Saying that perhaps it was "a psychological issue." It is not. It's a physical issue. And no matter how many times I told them, they wouldn't listen.
This past year I visited a gynocologist at the local healthcare clinic. Since I don't have insurance, my only real option is the clinic, or find a way to pay for expensive doctor visits on my own.
The Gyno listened to me, then did a pelvic exam. After poking around with a Qtip, and noticing the apparent pain on my face, she announced that I had Vulvodynia! Finally a diagnosis. So she prescribed lidocaine to numb the area for intercourse and sent me on my way. After researching and studying about this illness, I noticed something. It didn't sound like me. Vulvodynia was a condition that caused pain all the time, mine was only during penetration. I found the other, closely related illness, Vulvar Vestibulitis. It fits my symptoms. I would love to start treatments specifically for it.
The problem is, I'd have to go back and tell the Gyno that I believe she's wrong. I know that will be an issue and she may argue with me over it.
It took me forever just to get this diagnosis. Now I have to go back and do it again?
The issue at the moment is the fact that I have a "lady parts" issue and I'm having trouble getting the correct diagnosis. I have had a problem with painful intercourse for almost ten years now. I have spoken to several nurses, doctors and gynocologists about it. Up until the recent gyno, they've all been stumped and seemed to blame me for the pain. Saying that perhaps it was "a psychological issue." It is not. It's a physical issue. And no matter how many times I told them, they wouldn't listen.
This past year I visited a gynocologist at the local healthcare clinic. Since I don't have insurance, my only real option is the clinic, or find a way to pay for expensive doctor visits on my own.
The Gyno listened to me, then did a pelvic exam. After poking around with a Qtip, and noticing the apparent pain on my face, she announced that I had Vulvodynia! Finally a diagnosis. So she prescribed lidocaine to numb the area for intercourse and sent me on my way. After researching and studying about this illness, I noticed something. It didn't sound like me. Vulvodynia was a condition that caused pain all the time, mine was only during penetration. I found the other, closely related illness, Vulvar Vestibulitis. It fits my symptoms. I would love to start treatments specifically for it.
The problem is, I'd have to go back and tell the Gyno that I believe she's wrong. I know that will be an issue and she may argue with me over it.
It took me forever just to get this diagnosis. Now I have to go back and do it again?
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