I'm a 27 year old female newly diagnosed with an irritated pudendal nerve and a tight, painful pelvic floor. I've had painful sex and back pain on and off for the past 2 years, but dismissed it as nothing serious. My noticeable symptoms started 2 months ago; they include having the constant urge to urinate along with lower pelvic pressure and sometimes pain, mostly focused on the left side as well as lower back pain on the left side. This then evolved into random aches in my vagina and throughout my abdomen, again mostly focused on the left side as well as numbness on my butt after sitting. Sometimes I also feel a sensation of arousal/clitoral overstimulation when I am, of course, not aroused. All of my symptoms feel better when lying down and much more intense when sitting. I'm also much better off in the morning and get worse as the day progresses. I should also mention that I started a new job about 6 months ago that requires a lot of sitting - I think this is what triggered everything.
I realize that I'm very fortunate to have gotten a correct diagnosis so quickly. At first I didn't believe it, but when my doctor pressed on the pudendal nerve endings, I literally felt every symptom that I'd been feeling for the past 2 months all at once, plus terrible burning/shooting pain. My physical therapist also confirmed the diagnosis. I'm thankful to now at least have an answer.
I'm currently trying to avoid sitting as much as possible, using a Boppy cushion and/or a kneeling chair, and lying down at home. I've also been told by my physical therapist that I can't have sex until I get better, so my boyfriend and I are abstaining from that
![Neutral :|](./images/smilies/icon_neutral.gif)
It's overwhelming looking for information on the Internet because there's just not a lot out there and also because there are such a variety of pudendal nerve conditions. I don't have intense, unrelenting pain like many stories I've read, but the vaginal sensations and urge to pee have really interrupted my life. The cushion and lifestyle changes immediately improved my symptoms, especially the urge to pee, but I'm scared about what the future will hold. Can anyone relate to my story and has physical therapy helped? This all came out of nowhere, and I don't know what to anticipate; I never thought I'd be having an issue like this at 27. If anyone can relate to what I'm going through and has advice or a success story, I would be grateful to hear it. I just need some hope that I can get back to normal or at least close to normal.
Ps- My urologist scheduled me for a cytoscopy with hydrodistention (under anesthesia) to rule out IC. However, my pelvic pain specialist who diagnosed me with PN says that none of my symptoms match IC (diet modifications made no difference and acidic foods don't flare my symptoms at all). Do you guys think the cytoscopy is neccessary? Id love to be able to rule out IC for sure, but I'm scared that the procedure may aggravate the nerve or make my symptoms worse. Anyone have experience with this?
Thanks in advance for any advice and support