Subject: Vulvodynia

Dr. Manny:

Just viewed your clip re: Vulvodynia. You had a patient, Dana, who was suffering from the disease and her doctor on with you.

First let me say that I am not a doctor. I am a patient who suffered from the same disease
for several years. One day I was at a doctor’s office and heard another patient talking about suffering from the same. She had found an answer. I made absolutely certain that I understood what she was saying and asked her explicit questions about the treatment she was using. I proceeded to use the treatment plan and have been since 2002. The only time it does not work is when you do not use the treatment consistently and I do mean consistently. If you miss a few days, you may as well say you will start from scratch and the pain will be most intense.

The treatment plan is: 1200 mg Mucinex every morning and every night (2400 mg daily) .
You must use only the name brand (generics will not work…I tried
them and the lady who had shared her treatment plan said she had
tried them also without success) It is absolutely necessary that one
use only the plain Mucinex and it is available over the counter but is
somewhat expensive. It takes at least three (3) weeks of treatment
for the pain to subside but when it is gone….it is gone! Praise the
Lord! I guarantee that you won’t forget to take the medication too
many times….because any lapse brings forth intense pain plus.

Renew Life …..Ultimate Flora Critical Care 50 Billion Cultures Per
Capsule….. Probiotics (use brand name only…tried others ….don’t
work) . For the first three (3) weeks, take one capsule every
morning and one capsule every night at least one hour before a
meal. After the three week period, you can drop dosage to one
capsule either morning or night one hour before a meal. These
capsules have to be refrigerated so it is usually easier to take while
at home. There are many other Renew Life products….just use this
particular one as it addresses yeast buildup throughout the body…
not just the vagina. There is one designated for Vaginal Support.
That is not what vulvodynia patients need…it
does not address any problem outside of the vagina.

Dr. Manny, I do not know why these products address this particular disease and I do not have to know. I needed relief and was willing to try anything and had tried so much it was unbelievable. I do not argue with success…..I just share it with anyone it may help. And in your position, you can share with many and I certainly hope you will. I do not get any
financial benefit as a result of sharing specific brand names…..I was blessed to have someone I had never seen and did not know ….to share with me…and I want to bless others
whom God brings across my path who are yet suffering and are seeking relief just as I once was.

Blessings of God To You And All Who Hear,

Gale Morton

Note: Have been ill for what was diagnosed as “fibromyalgia” for 21 years. Learned
recently that my true diagnosis is Lyme Disease. Learned through television
program http://www.suzanne.tv on Lyme Disease. Had the testing through IGeneX Labs
and will start treatment soon according to http://www.ilads.org protocol. Pelvic pain
(vulvodynia) is just one of the symptoms. I am going to forward you an information
sheet that I made up to share with potential patients. Perhaps you can share
necessary info with other patients, as well.

I too suffered from this for over 7 years, and it ended up ruining my marriage and devastating my self-image. Like your guest, I couldn’t wear pants and had to drastically change my diet, clothes, and my whole life.

I tried everything your guest tried and more: direct injections to the site, topical testosterone, laser ablation (the worst thing you can do for this condition!), and more. I had four surgeries: three of them for the incorrect condition.

After 7 years of not being able to have sex with my husband, I grew very depressed and became just a shell of a woman. I left my husband out of guilt that I could not fulfill the role of a wife (I was 28 when we divorced.) I honestly never thought I would be able to have sex again, let alone feel whole.

Finally, an angel saved my life. She was a nurse at a doctor’s office, who noticed my request for a child size speculum at my annual GYN visit. When I told her why I needed it, she told me she’d had this too and gave me her doctor’s name. This was in 1994, when the condition was not very well known. The doctor was Dr. Joseph Saavedra in Tampa, Florida, and he diagnosed me with Vulvar Vestibulitis (not vulvodynia, which is just a catch-all term for pain.) He performed surgery on my vulvar area (a partial vulvectomy) and today I am living a totally pain-free life. I am married again and thank God every day I found the right doctor.

There is a support group for women like us as well. http://www.vulvarpainfoundation.org/

Another aspect of vulvodynia and vulvar pain is the tightening of soft tissue (fascia and muscles) in the pelvic floor in response to pain. This can be treated by a knowledgable physical therapist.
Pelvic floor work is not a part of the basic physical therapist degree program, but it is offered as post graduate coursework. There are a very few names in the U.S. of competent, trained PTs who treat this effectively.

Dr Manny thank you so much for bringing this to the publics attention .

FANTASTIC!

I have Vulvadynia for almost 1 1/2 year now and let me say it is such a life change for a woman.

This is such an awful condition/disease that needs to be researched more.

If anyone in the medical field is reading this comment please note the pain is” very real and debilitating!

We need to focus on research and finding a cure!

I am so thankful to Fox for showing this. I have struggled with vulvadynia for two years. The doctors that I have seen have run the gamut from harmful and unethical (”You will never get better”) to insulting (”Have a glass of wine.”). I am almost 100% better now and have been pain free for several weeks. I used physical therapy and topical estrogen, along with avoidance of chemicals, long-term antifungals, and daily relaxation. If you are a woman that has this keep trying treatments until you find something that works. There is hope.

Great for the sufferer to come out and speak publically about this painful condition. The doctor, though, was less than ideal. The q-tip test she spoke about only refers to vulvar vestibulitis patients, a subset of vulvodynia patients. Many many vulvodynia patients do not have pain upon contact or with the q-tip.

Also, any specialist in vulvodynia will tell you that there are many known reasons why vulvodynia develops, and what the cause is - tight abdominal and pelvic muscles. After 6 months of treatment with a qualified physical therapist, I am pain free.

Found your interview with Dana on Vulvodynia very interesting. I too, have the same problem and have tried most all of the remedies that Dana had, however, in my case none seemed to work. The q-tip test was very painful. I was put on Estrogen (Vagisil) cream and Zanex. This has been going on for at least 6 months and have not found any relief yet. I was very interested in the women who went for physical therapy and also the women who had surgery (if nothing else works). I too, have felt very guilty toward my husband and the lack of sex after being married 38 years. He is very understanding but is mentally taking a toll on me. I hope there is a lot more research and education on this debillitating disease. I laugh when my daughter gets her period, I tell her it is better than menopause, mood swings, hot flashes and then vulvodynia!

Read the post from Gale Morton and want to try this non-invasive treatment plan. It sounds too good to be true. I am worried that I am getting my hopes up. Although, I must say if I find any relief I will be so thrilled! I have been suffering with Interstitial Cystitis (IC) an Vulvar Vestibulitis and Polycystic ovary Synddrome (PCOS) since I was a teenager. I am in my 30’s and have one child. I really want to know where to get 1200 mg Mucinex. I have only seen time release in 600 mg. Do you recommend taking 2 in the am and 2 in the pm to get a full 2400 mg in a day? Is it okay to take the time release kind???

I too, suffered from this symptom. It is really a body chemistry issue. My PH was off and I was holding acid in the tissues of my vulva. I have helped several women get pain free and balanced naturally. No drugs, surgery or physical therapy. It is a acid burn much like acid reflux. In fact most of the women who suffer have acid reflux or migraine headaches, or IC or IBS just to mention a few. These are all a result of a depleted mineral reserve and acidosis of the body’s internal environment. There are several books written on PH and I would suggest that if you suffer from this to read them. It took 6 months to be 90% pain free and now after 14 months I am pain free, acid reflux free, migraine free, high blood pressure free. My blog is http://www.vulvadyniasolution.com. I don’t sell anything. I just am trying to help other women. Good Health. laura