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Could pain be caused by CP?
lozzer25
Member Posts: 89 Courageous
This discussion was created from comments split from: Hi, I'm Gill, I'm a full-time PSHE Specialist.
Replies
I just wanted to let you know that I'm consulting some other professional contacts for their thoughts about the issues you've raised, as I'm not a medical professional.
I will feed back their thoughts as soon as I get them
Gill
Hello there - and first off, I'm so sorry to hear about what happened with your date. That's really miserable. I hope you're feeling a bit better about it today, and if there's anything positive to be taken from it - at least he was honest, and you got to find out early on that he wasn't going to be much of a prospect if he couldn't even meet you to find out if you got on. I know it's very small comfort indeed, but at least you didn't waste your time on someone whose view of relationships and intimacy is focused on whether they can achieve a certain kind of sex with their partner, and who was so disrespectful of your time. There's SO much focus on penetrative sex as some kind of goal, and it's very misleading. So: deep breaths. I also think that Tinder (and the like) can be pretty punishing, just as an aside - there are some amazing folks out there, but to some extent there can be an element of depersonalisation, and having experienced it myself (along with other friends who have been doing the same thing), it can be very hurtful. I didn't always disclose my disability and it was a very complex process. I read an interesting final column just this week from a woman who had been using dating websites later in life and although her situation is very different from yours, and mine, it still had some good insights in it (particularly about how people act on such platforms), which you can read here: http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/apr/02/from-oddballs-to-indiana-jones-my-online-search-for-love
Anyway that's a complete aside - I did (eventually) get some responses from my contacts and I must apologise for the long delay. There were various different professional backgrounds and all made the same disclaimer that without being able to carry out a consultation or examination, these are really speculative suggestions. One of the ones that sounded most helpful was to see about finding a pelvic physiotherapist who specialises in working with problems (including spasms) in that area. There were suggestions around exercises potentially with your own use of dilators, which I believe can be part of a treatment programme that is sometimes used for vaginismus/vulvodynia. In this country, a psychosexual therapist would usually support women who experience this problem, and I know that in my local area, they are accessed through GU services. There was also discussion around whether botox could provide any relief, as it has been used to treat leg spasm - maybe? - and also around whether timing any medication could help with reducing things, but I wasn't sure whether that was applicable to you. I had some slightly more graphic/specific suggestions too but am slightly unsure as to whether I should post them here publicly. Drop me a line at [email protected] so I can email them to you privately with a bit more of an explanation?
My questions:
Gill, I noticed you are Midlands based as am I - do you know of any specialists whom others in similar situations have approached (from your college)? I appreciate you are not a medic, but if you don't ask eh? Would also love it if you could forward me the same email you sent to the person above?
Thank you for this thread, it has been so useful!
In a way I'm glad my GP hasn't referred me for further investigations as the thought of further examinations fills me with dread and I get really embarrassed talking about it.
Have you asked your GP if you can get referred to gynae?
I am really frustrated at the lack of understanding (and compassion, let's face it) that you and velvet girl have experienced. It's just unacceptable that visits to professionals who should be supportive have resulted in these kinds of responses
Thank you so much for all your replies. Finally feel like I'm getting somewhere!
Velvetgirl, yes my GP asked me these exact same questions with the same outcome. Another GP also was prescribing me some other medication for an unrelated issue and said "I normally ask if people are pregnant before prescribing this, but that doesn't apply to disabled people like you does it." I was furious! So yes, I do need to get a referral to gynae but it's getting there in the first place!
Hoping from this that I can arm myself with information so don't just get fobbed off when I go back. Gill, thanks so much, I've emailed you.
Eve, no mine aren't painful but are incredibly heavy and difficult to manage being in a wheelchair. That is also making me think that other diagnoses need to be ruled out first.
Thanks everyone (hopefully this gets through the moderators haha!)
Bananapancakes99 Could you try and get referred to gynae with heavy periods rather than gynae pain? I've managed to get an emergency neurology referral (GP's can be helpful sometimes) due an allergic reaction to my CP meds and will mention my vaginal tightness when I am there.