my app't...big surprise!

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Dear Group,

As i've already posted, i went to my appointment with

Kellogg on Tuesday fully expecting her to confirm what i had already

reported to her by phone in September -- that her very strong suspicion at my

initial August consult that i had lichens planus was apparently true since my

inner labia had clearly started to fuse. I was certain that she'd take one look

and i would start on some kind of steroid protocol.

Well, it didn't turn out that way at all, much to my

utter amazement.

After reeled off several possible approaches to treating LP/LS and asked

which i would prefer, i told her that before we went any further i wanted first

to get her assessment. So, with me expecting the worst and Dr. Hersch, a gyn

getting training with looking on, peers through her high-powered

colposcopic lens and exclaims, " OH, MY! . .You look SO much BETTER!!! " And while

i'm lying there thinking, huh???, Dr. Hersch chimes in: " Yes. . .If this vulva

walked into my office (lol)i'd think, 'it looks GREAT for a 52 year-old!' " And

both of them proceed to rhapsodize about how beautiful and normal everything

looks!!

Needless to say, i -- who expected nothing like this -- was in shock. Actually,

i think may have been even more stunned than i was, since she reiterated

just how truly awful my vaginal erosion

had been in August. (What i remember her saying then quite bluntly was something

like, " You look awful! You really need estradiol badly! " This, despite the fact

that i had been faithfully using 0.01% estradiol 2x/day plus .1% testosterone

1x/day, both compounded in emu oil,for well over a year prior to seeing her.)

I had told them before the exam that in the last few weeks i was seeing a little

" re-poofing " of the lower portion of my right inner labia when i was aroused,

which was exciting, but that the left side was pretty much still flat as a

pancake from about 4:30/5 o'clock down. But said that that amount of

fusion was really not that significant at all --well within

normal ranges -- and if there was any lichoid process involved it was very

minor. . .or had been arrested!

And the extremely, extremely severe vascular ectasia (broken blood vessels very

close to the skin surface, similar to those seen on the noses of some

alcoholics), that in August she had described as about the worst she'd ever

seen, was. . . world's better! In fact, to her everthing looked so good that she

told me that she wouldn't even WANT to do a biopsy at this point even if i HAD

agreed to one -- and that there was no need to even think about steroids at this

point. OMG. What a surprise and what a relief!!!

Apparently, this incredible turn-around that somehow happened without me much

noticing (i always thought i was pretty observant, but i guess being a vulvar

specialist who looks at hundreds of vulvas a week does give one just a bit of an

edge. . .) is all due to the addition of the anti-inflammatory homeopathic

Traumeel protocol that suggested i try: 10 Traumeel tablets very finely

ground, mixed into 1 oz. of my emu oil, and applied to the vulva 3x/day. She

feels that with my " hypersensitive constitution, as she put it, this gentler

approach is the way to go. Certainly seems to be working!

Had another q-tip test: still some pretty bad spots, but from my perspective

less painful than the initial exam. Also rechecked my muscles internally and,

based on a quite ouchy spot in one of my levators on the left side, i got my

first Trameel injection.

I jumped at 's suggestion that i be seen by the PT, Theresa, who happened

to be there that day. (I think wanted Dr. Hersch to see her in action,

which was fine by me.) She confirmed what a Fletcher had told me in July --

that my right pelvis is rotated forward and gave me an exercise to add to the

ones i'm already doing. She didn't do an internal

check.

Let's see. . . anything else? Oh, yes: i actually had my first internal exam in

at more than three years. used a pediatric speculum, was very gentle, and

it wasn't all that bad. Got a pap and everything else that hadn't been done the

first appointment. At that

point, i was getting fairly irritated, so we called it quits. She said i

definitely do have severe vestibulitis and suspects that my substantial

pain/irritation with any pressure/rubbing/etc. is probably due to problems with

the glands.

But she wants to deal with things slowly and step by step.

Also, after more than five years without any prescription meds, i had started

neurontin and elavil again in desperation after my horrible hyperacusis set-back

in September. Dr. Hersch pointed this out to her and asked if i would be

willing to try gradually raising the n. to at least 900 mg/day, which she feels

is the minimum therapeutic dose for pelvic pain, and 100 mg.(i think she

said)for the elavil. (I'm currently taking just 300 mg/day of n. and 25 mg. of

the el.) I'm going to give the higher neurontin a go; not sure yet if i want to

do the same with the elavil.

So that was the appointment. I was smiling the whole

three plus hours home. . .

One update: got a call today from . She was

very pleased that the c. Krusei infection we found in August is completely gone.

No yeast problem of any

kind. So the two rounds of boric acid caps i did seem to have done the trick.

However, they may have

been TOO effective at eradicating yeast, since i have

a mild case of BV. I could well have been dealing with this for quite a while,

but this is the first

time i've ever been dx'ed with it. Not sure how i'm going to treat it yet.

Because it's not an extremely bad imbalance is willing to let me decide

how i want to proceed, which i really appreciate. She's sending me an Rx for

Tindamex, just in case i opt to use it, but i'll probably try a natural approach

first instead.

Hollis