After weeks of misery and no relief I finally decided to give
the vaginal Valium suppositories a try! I am the worlds cheapest person and the
idea of spending 74 dollars on some thing that may or may not help was a...
Hard pill to swallow... (Heh heh) but I wanted relief more than I wanted to be
frugal. So my devoted hubby went to the fancy compound pharmacy and picked up
the suspicious brown lunch bag.
When I got it I had no idea what to do so I posted on an IC
board and got some great tips and also had a few people ask me to let them know
how it works. So I decided to document my first three experiences using it for
all of the IC, Vulvadynia, and PFD sufferers out there.
January 3rd, 2013
9:05AM- The insertion was a lot easier than I expected. My
vaginal muscles kind of just did the job for me once I got it in there. I read
that I should lay down for about an hour after putting it in so I'll be lying
in bed with my legs up if anyone needs me.
9:38- I don't know if it’s from going to bed super late and now
laying in my cozy bed or if it’s from the suppository but I am suddenly really
tired! The pain hasn't subsided yet but I can feel it melting in there like a
Popsicle on a hot day.
9:42- Owie! It's starting to burn as it seeps out a little bit.
I have some open cuts down there so that may be why…
10:01- Oh my goodness, the urethral pain is miraculously gone!
My bladder is still aching but the constant burning in my urethra that makes
sitting and closing my legs painful is nowhere to be seen!!
10:56- I tried getting out of bed to do a little bit of cleaning
and within minutes I felt it making its way south and dripping out. Weird.
11:06- Back in bed with my legs up in the air. The pelvic floor
and urethral pain is still gone!!
11:50- I tried to get up again but it just turns me into a
disgusting sort of dripping faucet!
12:13- Sudden intense cramping in my lower abdomen. It feels
like bad menstrual cramps!
2:06- Well I went pee. It hurt like normal as I went but the post-pee-pain
wasn't as horrific as usual. I'm still having bad cramping that comes and goes.
I'm going to get in the shower and see if that helps!
2:51- After being in the shower for almost an hour the urethra
pain is coming back. I don't know if it’s wearing off, it's been washed away,
it's all dripped out or if the pain is just breaking through but it's
annoying!
So I have to say this day has been inconclusive! I'm
definitely thinking I'll try it at bedtime next time because the dripping was
obnoxious. One of the many weird things that goes along with my IC is that
I can't stand wearing underwear! The waistband hurts my bladder and the mere
presence of the tight fabric on my lady bits irritates it. So the vag drippings
were extra annoying. I spent the day sitting on a towel after realizing it got
all over my sheets.
The cramping could have been coincidental but it felt like
period cramps which I rarely get these days since I get the depo shot. I
am rejoicing that it helped my urethral and vaginal pain though! After this
first trial I think it’s going to be a great tool to have in my IC tool box!!
Trial number 2
January 4th, 2013
Well... My hubby and I had um... marital bonding time... this
evening. Now I'm in the routine torturous pain that follows. So I decided to
give the Valium another try! It is late at night so I'm hoping the dripping
won't be as bad and if there's cramping again it will just be after I'm asleep!
Here goes nothing!
10:32PM- Another successful insertion, the pain is so bad that I
did it while in the shower and I am just hoping that I can get out before it
starts melting!
While we're on the edges of our heating pad and tubs waiting to
hear what happens let’s just talk about IT. I know we're all thinking about IT.
I think IT is one of the hardest yet least talked about subjects in the IC
world. Doing IT is really, really painful for us with IC. IT is such an
important part of marriages and yet IT is the single most disruptive things we
can do to our pathetic pelvic floors!
The actual act of doing IT can be tolerable if certain rules are
followed. However some times in the moment the rules are out the window and I'm
the one that pays. My urethra is my greatest foe and yet it lays just mere
centimeters from the uh... entrance and the bladder is propped right above. So
any pressure in the wrong direction and the wrong kind of fireworks erupt.
So if you could imagine IT isn't easy but after 4 years of
practice we are getting the hang of IT. The most important things are to make
sure to use lots of lubricant, avoid the previously mentioned areas, and to
take things slow. Also know that every time is different and you just have to
be patient. Something that hurt last time might be fine this time and something
that usually is okay could feel like blazing daggers. You and your hubby have
to take time and try different things. Also,
be open to the fact that sometimes IT’s just not going to happen. Honestly my
husband is just as happy with a back rub while he watches a new episode of Duck
Dynasty. Maybe not JUST as happy but you know…
However! No matter how bad, tolerable, or good IT goes the
post-relations is always misery. If I can plan ahead I take pain meds before
but if not, my first act is to take meds then head straight to the
shower. My bits are always very swollen after IT and the burning is
shocking. Like I check for flames and have the fire extinguisher ready.
Anyway... Back to my Valium diary....
12:22- Still no relief. It's still burning like the fires of
hell!!
12:50- Cramping is starting!!!
Sunday January 5th, 2013
8:08am- Well I just woke up... I must have eventually dosed off
despite the pain last night. I just had my morning pee and it was just as
painful as ever!!
So I will say I definitely didn't like the night time theory. I
feel like I just wasted $2.46. By the time it kicked in I was already asleep
and when I woke up it had already worn off. Oh well… it was worth a shot!
Trial 3
January 6th, 2013
I’ve been in the shower since 8 this morning and I need relief
so I am going to try it again!
1:18PM- The insertion went ok, I decided to put it in while I’m
in the shower again but since I was sitting I didn't feel like it went in as far
as before.
1:22- I am already feeling it melting and the urethra pain seems
to have eased! Wow that was fast!
1:23- I stood up to get out of the shower and felt the
thick, warm goop oozing out so I quickly ran to bed with my legs shut and laid
on a towel! The urethra pain is gone but now I feel confined to bed because of
the dripping.
Side note- I did talk to my doctor today and she mentioned that
I could leave it out of the fridge until it kind of melts and then apply it
more like a topical medicine around the areas the hurt! I'll have to try that
next time!
2:14- I am having some cramping but if I keep the heating pad on
me it is tolerable.
2:30- The original pain is still gone so I took my towel and my
heating pad downstairs where I made a nice little nest on the couch. It's great
to have the pain gone and be out of the shower, it's just a bummer that I'm
finally feeling good and have to stay lying down.
5:12- I had to get up to get my kiddos dinner ready. I walked
around like a Barbie's whose legs have been tied together. I still couldn't put
on any underwear or pants so I waddled around in my robe trying to keep from
dripping on the floor. EW!
6:01- The pain is back, headed to the shower!
Well after three different scenarios I do totally acknowledge
that it works amazingly! It erases any pelvic floor or urethral pain I'm
feeling which is generally what keeps me in the shower.
However it does cause moderate cramping and the whole dripping
thing is difficult, especially if there are any cuts. The valium getting into
the open cuts is brutal but I would much rather be stuck on a towel with a
heating pad and tiny paper cut burns in bed than in the shower writhing around
in agony! (Drama!)
I think my third trial will be how I use it most often. If I've
been in the shower for a while with no other hope of escape the Valium seems
like a great option! If I'm going to be useless and stuck somewhere it might as
well be the couch and in less pain!
So my recommendation is to give it a try! The urethral and
vaginal pain relief alone is worth all the hassle!!
If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask! I'm an
open book… as if you couldn't tell already!
