Electric Stimulation

[Violet M]

Violet

I am trying my Tens again in the pad positions you have suggested for a tight Obturator Internus which i have on one side.

Could i ask you please if this helped with the muscle release or were you having internal PT as well as using the Tens ?

Rosemary X

It helped with the muscle release. I did a bit of internal work on the obturator internus after PNE surgery but using the TENS unit for 2 hours was more effective for me.

Violet

[Rosemary]

It helped with the muscle release. I did a bit of internal work on the obturator internus after PNE surgery but using the TENS unit for 2 hours was more effective for me.

Violet

Violet

Thank you for your reply Violet - that is so much what i wanted to hear. it gives me some hope.

I have tried the Tens before with pads placed as advised by a physio but she suggested inner thigh and lower back to side of spine which really didn't help much.

She also advised continual use and not to worry about how long you use it for at any one time.Do you agree with this at all ?

Rosemary X

[Late Owl]

Thank you Violet, Lernica, Rosemary, Bertie and Ezer for all your replies. It means a lot to hear from you. I visited my nhs physio on Thursday. I informed her that the acupuncture was not working and that my sore areas were at the anus, perinium and entrance to the vagina with pins & needles in the buttocks would she check for tightness. She found some tight areas and massaged these, it was extremely painful. I have to massage these and do internal massage with a dilator until I see her in 3 weeks. The physio I saw twice was Maria Elliot.
Bertie if you see Lucia Berry please keep us informed! I am 58 by the way.
Ezer, I believe fear and anxiety plays a big part in my life. From being a child my parents were always pointing out dangers in everything. I had a small injury to my back when I was 21 and a slight accident with a sun lamp which seemed to trigger my 'obsessive compulsory disorder' off. It materialises as a form of protection against harm. As a result the incidents that have lead to my current pain (sexual intercourse /thrush/further sexual intercourse) has caused major anxiety, fear and guilt. This results in a lot of body tension and clenching of the pelvic floor.
Through years of body compensating for back trouble I feel my fascia has twisted and tightened maybe with my pelvis being out of alignment. I had a definite twist mid back 2 yrs ago and sought myofascial release treatment which resolved that problem. Now with this new anxiety my whole body tissues feel tighter again. Everything is connected body and mind which makes this so complicated.
It is scary having this as there are no definite answers. Thanks again.

[Rosemary]

I am 58 by the way.
.

i am now 60 and have had my problem for five years now - i had noticed though at around age 53/54 that whenever i had a bout of thrush the canestan cream itself started to cause irritation - i went to the doc one time and she said to finish a week of using the cream and then things would get better - they generally did but i now feel that the vaginal area was beginning to get vulnerable - if i used one of the lemon or lime shower gels it stung as well. Noone advised me to just use water to wash below until things got really bad.

i wish there was more education around getting older and where you may be vulnerable - my thoughts of menopause were some hot flushes and not much else.

Have you been offered localised oestrogen HRT at all ? i used it for over two years and it made little difference to the pain but it can help some and needs to be used continually.

i am following mindbody approach and am currently reading the Great Pain Deception by Steve Ozanich - i can relate to a lot of his writing. i can't quite decide if because of the menopause i am stuck with this pain or if my body will adjust in some way - at the moment i have a lot of faith in the later.

Rosemary X

[Late Owl]

Rosemary I too was 53 when the Incident with thrush left me with pain in the vagina and I had no idea that the menopause affected things down there apart for the end of menses. I was prescribed oestrogen cream later when I started going to the toilet too much. It worked straight away and I used it up until this new phase of pain kicked off. I did not want to add to my irritation as the cream has additives in. Tried to obtain cream in a neutral base but was unable to do so. The book you are reading sounds very interesting. I think I will have to read more on chronic pain and the brain! It is nice to hear from you. X

[Violet M]

I have tried the Tens before with pads placed as advised by a physio but she suggested inner thigh and lower back to side of spine which really didn't help much.

She also advised continual use and not to worry about how long you use it for at any one time.Do you agree with this at all ?

Rosemary X

Rosemary, I think you can wear the TENS unit as much as you want. Basically my PT told me to use it at least 2 hours a day but if it helps to calm down the pain I am not aware of any reason you couldn't use it longer.

Since that placement of electrodes doesn't seem to be working for you maybe try the placement my PT suggested as I posted in that other thread. http://www.pudendalhope.info/forum/view ... =32&t=4015

Violet

[Rosemary]

maybe try the placement my PT suggested as I posted in that other thread. http://www.pudendalhope.info/forum/view ... =32&t=4015

Violet

Thanks Violet that is what i am doing now having read your thread about placment of pads earlier.

Rosemary X

[Rosemary]

I did not want to add to my irritation as the cream has additives in. Tried to obtain cream in a neutral base but was unable to do so. The book you are reading sounds very interesting. I think I will have to read more on chronic pain and the brain! It is nice to hear from you. X

i stopped using Ovestin cream on the vulva eventually as that caused irritation rather than helping me - i also used vagifem pessaries for several years but all this seems to have done is thicken my womb lining and not helped the pain at all.

When you say about Electric Stimulation that you have been offered is this to be done by the acupuncturist ? i had western style acupuncture with a GP at my local NHS pain clinic (you can have 6 sessions on the NHS) she put wires with electric going through on to the acupuncture needles which were placed in my vulva and perineum towards the anus - is this the Electric Stimulation that you mean ?

I had more than 6 sessions with her as i went to her privately as well (£40 per hour) but as things were not improving i stopped seeing her by mutual consent. One thing she did find though was trigger points down my leg in muscles from inner thigh and up through my abdomen and beyond - she also thought that i had a nasty trigger point in the vulva near the Bartholins gland where one point of my pain is bad.

I have found that by seeing different specialists and coming on this forum that you can put some pieces of the jigsaw together to realise what is going on with yourself. I had no idea that i had trigger points to such an extent until i saw her.

I learnt from Lernica on here that you need to talk to each specialist about matters within their own field and not to expect them to go beyond -eg i found the specialist physio i saw didn't know much about the Bartholins Gland - she viewed things much in her own way which is fair enough i am not an expert but at one point i had to decide if the physio was doing me more harm than good and i decided to stop going.What i did learn from going to her was that the Obtuator Internus muscle is tight on one side and where sore points are inside me.

For me personally it is also a dilemma when you are paying privately to see people as to how far i go with it - you more or less have to try as the NHS has its limits if you want to look for other answers.

Rosemary X

[Late Owl]

Rosemary that sounds like the acupuncture I had but in the buttocks and legs. No the electric stimulation is a small sensor placed in vagina atnd charged with a low voltage. At the moment this has been placed on hold. I can't see her for 3 weeks so I have to concentrate on self massage both external and Internal. X

[Violet M]

No the electric stimulation is a small sensor placed in vagina atnd charged with a low voltage.

Sounds like what I tried. Can't say it worked at all for me but everyone is different. Good luck.

Violet