Anyone who has healed from vulvodynia who is willing to have a phone chat?

Hello,
Introducing myself and looking for some personal support. I developed 'vulvodynia' (mostly provoked in the vestibule area) after a vaginal bacterial infection 5 years ago when I started a new relationship with a man who is now my very understanding and wonderful husband. Like many who are coming to this forum, I have done so many western and alternative methods trying to heal (and spent upwards of $60,000). Of course, nothing has worked long term- sometimes I'll get some relief but then it comes right back and the only thing western doctors can point to is nerve pain as everything else has been ruled out... but all the treatments for that (anti-depressants, gabapentin, etc did nothing). Essentially they are mystified. I have other symptoms as well (sore throats, eczema/rosacea, stomach that tends to get upset with acid/spicy food) that have gotten worse since so the 3 functional medicine doctors I've seen (yes THREE different ones) thought it was immune related but no 'gut healing' protocol, months of supplements, or cleanse has given relief. Someone posted in a FB group I'm a part of that they had healed from Dr. Sarno's work and their story so resembled mine that I took a look. I had heard of him before, but was resistant to his work for a while because I've been in therapy for years and have done a lot of personal work to understand and heal any past traumas (ayahuasca, energy work, women's work, etc) and so I thought, "How could I have any repressed emotions?? I'm constantly working on that ". But I recently read Dr. Sarno's MindBody Prescription - and it seemed to all make sense to me. Something about the daily and chronic stress as well as my childhood upbringing (alcoholic father) + the perfectionist personality style really hit home.

I bought Dr. Schubiner's "Unlearn Your Pain" workbook and I'm going through it now (week 1) but I feel I need to have a conversation with someone who has used the healing methods of TMS specific to vulvodynia to help solidify the belief in my brain. Or do you recommend I see a local physician who is trained in TMS? I just know that BELIEF that you have TMS is a large part of healing and although logically I can agree with it, I'm noticing some resistance (probably because my brain doesn't want me to know that the jig is up!) Thoughts? Is there anyone here who has healed from vulvodynia who would be willing to speak to me on the phone briefly? Hearing healing stories isn't enough- I feel I need a conversation to ask some questions.

Thanks in advance!
Steph

 

"Vulvodynia" is most definitely TMS. Many people have recovered from it and it's stemming from he brain just like any other form of TMS. I private messaged you

 

I am new here - i have vulvodynia and back pain. I too have been checked out and there is nothing they can find wrong. I thoroughly believe that mine is TMS. I am on day 5 of journaling and I have already improved. I feel for you, it is terrible to go through but let's tell ourselves it is not permanent, and let it go. I think mine is from a whole bunch of different traumas and I definitely think TMS will heal me. I was seeing a pelvic floor therapists who although did not describe it as TMS told me women hold there emotions in their pelvic floor. There is a good book called Wild Feminine that has meditations about clearing your emotions from your pelvic region and vagina/vulva and explains things in a good way. It is well written.

 

Hello, @staids228! It sounds like you are in the right place - pain that lingers after an infection has healed definitely stems from the mind-body connection/TMS, which experts such as Dr. Sarno himself, Steve Ozanich, Dr. Howard Schubiner, and many others have observed and discussed. I myself experienced this with strep throat, sinusitis, and UTIs that healed (as verified by testing) but continued to generate pain for me until I used the mind-body/TMS approach.

One of my favorite quotes from Steve Ozanich is as follows - this applies to infections, injuries, withdrawal syndromes, etc. that have healed:

Many people have healed from vulvodynia. I recommend using the search functionality at the top right of the forum to view more success stories from members; please let me know if you have trouble with the search bar and we'll help you! To start you off, here is some helpful information: https://www.tmswiki.org/ppd/Vulvodynia (Vulvodynia)

I do want to note that we typically encourage members to interact with one another in the posts within this forum, as opposed to ongoing direct messaging within the forum inbox center or external phone or email conversations outside of this forum. This is to allow all other members to benefit from the insight and value provided, and give other members who have additional information and perspectives the ability to contribute to the conversations. The TMS Wiki community is incredibly strong and knowledgeable, and the forum discussions have a lot to offer! Additionally, this helps us avoid reassurance seeking (which many of us, including myself, have experienced at some point - while it may seem helpful at first, it ultimately hindered our journeys). It should also be noted that the vast majority of us are not licensed medical professionals or counselors.

I definitely understand how important it is to know you are not alone and understand how other people have healed, which is why I think conversations within this post as well as the success story posts will be very helpful to you. Sometimes when you request communications outside of your post, potential conversations that could occur within your post and provide significant value to you don't happen - I just don't want you to feel limited.

Also, have you viewed the Structured Educational Program to get started?: https://www.tmswiki.org/ppd/Structured_Educational_Program (Structured Educational Program)

We are glad you are here and know you will benefit from the TMS Wiki community!

 

Hi Steph,

I successfully recovered from vulvodynia (which I had had for 10 years) and a number of other TMS symptoms. I would be more than happy to chat sometime if you are still looking for someone to speak to. Please feel free to send me a direct message if you would like to arrange a time to speak.

Best wishes,
Kathryn

 

Yes Kathryn- I want to talk to as many women as possible to keep reaffirming that belief. If you'd be so kind as to chat, I'd love that. I just PMed you.