I’ve really hurt my labia and I’m very afria

[Firefly]

Hi,

So I’m not sure how I managed it (I think it started after masterbating) but one side of my labia is in a great deal of pain! It happens when sitting or standing and sometimes it’s not there and sometimes it is

It is a weird dull pain as if I’ve pulled a muscle and when I’m wiping myself it hurts to touch (although it’s only the left side)

I actually have a phobia of my area in general due to Traima so in addition to feeling pain I also feel incredibly ill at the thought of having hurt it

I can’t get a doctors appointment because the idea of touching my are (which I have never done ? (I masterbate with a pillow and pants on, and can’t even bring myself to wash it) frightens me and makes me feel sick

I’m worried it’s getting worse and I have no idea wh at to do! Every time I google it tells me I have some disease but I don’t think it’s that and want advice on how to make it better

[Heather]

Hey there, Firefly. I'm sorry you're experiencing genital pain, and I'm also sorry this has you so scared.

I do think that your very best bet would be to see a healthcare provider, but I also understand that, because of your history, you'd rather avoid that if you can. So, I'm going to suggest two different things that you can do one or both of.

1) Let's see if we can't get a better idea of what this might be together first to get a better idea about if you really need to seek that healthcare out. Can you tell me a little more? Are we talking about your inner or outer labia? If you press around the area outside your clothes -- or press the area unto something -- does that pain feel general (like across that whole area), or more specific, like there might just be one spot where something is up?

How long have you had this pain for? Anything else seem amiss, like anything smelling different to you, or discharges looking unusual when you wipe?

How bad is this pain? On a scale of 0 to 10, where 0 is no pain, and 10 is what you might feel if you were being eaten by Godzilla right this very second, where is the pain at?

Is it possible for you to try touching the area or looking at it directly yourself? That could give us even more information to work with, if so.

2) Might you be willing to see a healthcare provider who is trauma-informed, and who can start working with you to be able to have an exam, even if that won't be right away when it might be ideal? For instance, you could have just a consultation (you go in and see them and just talk) with someone and talk about how they can help you manage your trauma during an exam, like, for instance, by arranging for an anti-anxiety medication for you ahead of time, by walking you through everything they would do first during that consultation, etc.

You also might have the option to tell them what is going on and ONLY be examined in a way you *are* comfortable with right now, like by keeping your clothes on, for example.

[Firefly]

Thanks for replying

The pain is in the outer labia! But just the left side, it doesn’t look different to normal. It kinda hurts to spread my legs (and walk)! Pressing on it is painful in the way that it would be painful to press a bruise (although there is no bruising)

None of the pain is internal but the part that hurts most to press is the bit near the inside. I’m bad at the actual biology but I don’t mean the actual vagina I mean if the labia is like () then it’a sorest on the part of the Labia nearest the space between brackets

I don’t have a sense of smell so I have no idea! When I looked at it yesterday there wa a white discharge but my period is due soon so I don’t think that’s abnormal

I had an uncomfortableness for a week after hurting it while masterbating then I went to the gym two days ago and the instructor showed me a machine that kinda moved your legs apart but it REALLY hurt !! And since then it’s been pretty bad! It’s very painful when walking and I’m always conscious of it, because I have a fear of my genitals I feel constantly faint thinking about it

The pain is a 6 or 7 it’s pretty painful but I think i could deal with it better if it was in any other location

2) I could try but I’m hoping I don’t need to, I am going to try and rest it tonight! My issue would be anyone looking / touching down there so if I do go I hope they don’t need to look! I am just hoping I’ve pulled a muscle or soemthing

Thanks for the reply !

[Heather]

Sure.

This information helps, thanks for saying more.

Given your level of pain, and the fact that it sounds like this might be something under the surface -- like a cyst or swollen gland -- I'm afraid I really do think your best bet is seeing a healthcare provider. I'm happy to talk to you more about how you might do that if you like.

But you can also try a couple of things first to see if they might resolve it (again, assuming it's something like a cyst or swollen gland, and understanding that the best I can do here is to make an educated guess about that):

1) Have you yet taken any over-the-counter anti-inflammatories? Something like ibuprofen or naproxen or even aspirin? If not, and you can take those kinds of things, I'd suggest trying a couple of days of using those as directed on the bottle. If this is about swelling, those can potentially help bring it down.
2) Do you have a heating pad, and have you tried using it maybe for a bit in the morning and a bit in the evening in the area? Whether this is about a cyst or something muscular, heat might help a good deal. Same goes for a hot compress, particularly right on the area (without clothes): moist heat can especially help with something like a cyst, or even an ingrown hair -- which can cause more pain than you might expect in that area!

If you still want to avoid healthcare, maybe even just try those things for one or two days, and lets see if they make any difference?

[Firefly]

Hi, sorry for the late reply a lot has happened and now I need help with something kind of minor

I ended up telling my cousin (who is a GP about it) and they looked at me and saw I had a big old spot the size of a small marble (probably from an ingrown hair)

I have SUCH a phobia of touching anything down there and have never actually done so, so letting my cousin (who i trust) touch it was a Big Deal and I'm proud of myself for doing it. She prescribed me some antibiotics but told me the only way for it to go away is to massage the area a little every day, however, this puts me in a difficult position as

1) the idea of touching down there freaks me out
2) I did manage to touch down there this morning BUT was unable to find the "small marble" that is causing me pain! the antibiotics have also made it less sensitive to touch so it's very hard to feel it when I'm not standing up (and my cousin said to touch it in the shower)

The pain has dialled down but I'm worried it gets worse since I am struggling so much to touch the area

Do you have advice for

1) touching your labia and not being entirely grossed out / worried you hurt yourself
2) finding something on your labia that you can't see
3) any other advice for ingrown hair or marbles in your labia?

[Mo]

First off, that's great that you were able to talk to your cousin; I know that you were really uncomfortable with the idea of checking in with anyone about this, and I'm glad you were able to talk to her about your situation.
If the antibiotics are lessening the pain you're feeling, that sounds like a good sign already! If you can't feel the hard spot that you were feeling before, it could be that it's already going away because of the antibiotics (or also because sometimes these things go away on their own). You may want to gently touch or massage your labia in the shower anyway, even if you can't feel the exact right spot, but it might not even be necessary at this point.
In terms of feeling better about touching your labia, trying a hot compress on the area, like Heather mentioned above, could be helpful; you won't have to have direct contact and that tends to be a very helpful method for dealing with ingrown hairs. Even in the shower you could soak a washcloth in very warm water and hold it there.