Endo & Me

Endo & Me

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I have started this blog to share my first IVF treatment and experiences with ladies preparing for or going through a similar journey. Please feel free to ask questions and share your experiences.

18/12/2022

My biopsy came back the next day confirming the diagnosis of LS and no sign of cancers which is a relief.
The lay few nights on the new combined patches of Oestrogen and Progesterone have been good.
I feel like I have slept much deeper and for longer times, sometimes right through.
So far no signs that it’s creating any adverse reactions.
I haven’t started the steroid cream as yet due to waiting for the biopsy sight to heal.
The first couple of days were very sore and I could only sleep with no underwear in the night.
At first the colouration was white and odd as the scab formed. I had to wash after every wee as it was very stingy. I used salt water as the doctor had recommended, and no soap.
A few days late and I can see the formation of scab. It’s much more comfortable now apart from a night of crazy itchiness which meant I slept with an ice pack between my legs.
In another couple of days I will start the steroid creams which have to be used every night.

13/12/2022

So today was the day, I saw Dr Beverley Powell a specialist gynaecologist. She was friendly, bubbly and really listened. We discussed my symptoms in detail and then I had my check up.
She started by taking a smear for her records and checking internally. She seemed happy with the health inside.
She then looked around the outside skin and used a microscope to see the skin better. She used a dye that she explained would highlight skin changes.
She said that she could see evidence of LS. She told me that she wanted to take a biopsy to check the skin changes were nothing to worry about (cancer).
She used a numbing solution first and then an anaesthetic injection into the worst effected area.
I am not going to lie, this hurt!
A few seconds after I was numb and she used a tool to take a small sample of skin from the area.
She then quarterised the area to stop bleeding and adviced I should wash in salt water for a few days until it settled.
After we discussed some treatment cream to use daily at night.
She confirmed I had LS at the front, back and around the a**s.
She would also give me a different hrt with oestrogen and progesterone to try as a patch as she felt this was a safer option for me as an endo sufferer.
She said she would call me if anything came from the results and if not I would go back in 6 months time.

13/12/2022

Around a year ago I noticed down below the skin near where I p*e had changed colour. I was suddenly white, and maybe slightly numb. I had noticed some inflammation occasionally and soreness after intimacy. I felt like I had a paper cut down there. I went to see the dr and she said it looked like it could be LS, and explained it was a skin issue. She told me not to google it! How would you react to that comment?! Anyway she gave me some cream and sent me on my way.
I came back to the doctor a month or so later as I was feeling more sore and nothing was changing.
It was then she looked again and said she would send me to a gynae who specialised in this condition.
The full name being lichen sclerosus.
The long wait began for the appointment.
The stinging and other soreness and itching continued and although visually there was no other discoloured areas it had spread. I was now sore and splitting when I went to the bathroom. I am constantly spotty and wondering whether I have been educated correctly about what we are expected to suffer post menopause.
Next update we hear 👂 what the specialist has to say.

07/10/2021

I am about 4 weeks post an overnight stay for a colonoscopy and an expected balloon dilation. I had been experiencing extreme pressure, spasms and cramping got a few months. I would be constipated for up to two weeks and movicol wasn’t working. Dr Colledge at Buderim hospital had trouble fitting the scope in at our initial appointment and decided a dilation was the way to go. After going through the nasty prep the procedure turned out to be removal of benign polyps. The dilation wasn’t required and it meant back to the drawing board to find out what was causing the problem.
While looking for the bowel issues in my ct scan and ultrasound they discovered a cyst. At first they mistook it for an o***y before I reminded them I don’t have ovaries. I started to think that the cyst could be the culprit behind some of my symptoms. I have been referred to a Gynae to investigate this further.
In the meantime I decided a new diet was the way to go to try and elevate some of these constipation and pain issues. I will detail how I got on in my next post. Keep strong 💪 ladies.