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pelvic discomfort/itching after long covid

Discussion in 'Support Subforum' started by cypress__, Mar 9, 2023.

  1. cypress__

    cypress__ Newcomer

    I am at my wit's end. Sorry guys, feminine health issues ahead.

    I had long covid for 5-6 months with bizarre neurological issues and briefly couldn't walk. Between my initial infection and the onset of LC symptoms two weeks later, a family member was murdered which I didn't consider until I discovered TMS.

    Time and a daily meditation practice helped me get to 50%, but I was still struggling. I started exclusively looking at recovery stories and so many people said "it was my nervous system." Longcovidcured.com was shared in a reddit post and that's how I stumbled upon TMS. I was almost 100% better within a month once I accepted what was wrong with me fully. I did have some bizarre headaches, but I was prepared for strange symptoms as I improved and they didn't freak me out.

    Also around the time I started to get better, I developed BV, then a yeast infection, then BV, then another YI. I was tested and treated once I tested positive. I only had these infections like this 8+ years ago, when I was in grad school and an abusive relationship and very stressed. During that course, I had multiple infections, was tested and treated, then had the same symptoms - for me just itching/burning - for an additional four months while testing negative for any issues. My gynecologist just told me to not come back at that point, nothing was to be done. It resolved seemingly randomly.

    When symptoms came on this time, I immediately grieved the idea of being sick for another six months once I was diagnosed with BV the first time. I catastrophized. I have now had these symptoms for three months, testing negative for everything for 1.5 months. It's itching, a dull achy feeling, and some burning and my gyn said I look totally fine. I did a vaginal microbiome test online and I am waiting to see if there is something my GYN didn't test for just to be sure, but have tried to commit to the TMS approach in the meantime.

    Itching is hell. It feels like poison ivy and sometimes feels burning. The range of the symptoms seems to be growing (like halfway down my thigh will itch) and the intensity has only gotten worse since the infection was cleared. My GP thinks either the infection or medication could have caused a temporary bit of nerve damage. I am tense physically all the time since this came on, and all day long I try to pause and relax my muscles. I am not normally like this, I am just so deeply uncomfortable that my shoulders are up by my ears all day.

    I tried not using Vagisil (numbing cream) and I am in absolute agony. I can get brief periods of respite (30 seconds or so) from symptoms once I meditate but I can hardly work without it. I am so much more tight and tense without it. Will it really set me back too much to use it? Are pelvic floor stretching exercises also not recommended while treating this as TMS? I am really struggling since Long Covid went away so quickly once I knew it was TMS, and this is unbearable and making me worried something is structurally wrong with me.
     
  2. JanAtheCPA

    JanAtheCPA Beloved Grand Eagle

    Hi @cypress__ and welcome. What an excellent story of long Covid recovery with TMS knowledge and techniques! I know you don't feel like a success at this point, but honestly you could write that up and put it in our Success Stories subforum where it might help a lot of people who make their way here looking for relief!

    But let's look at where you are today. First of all, you are not alone. I can't count the number of relapse stories we've seen recently, but it's a lot, and the numbers just keep growing. None of us are immune to the fact that the whole world feels incredibly dysfunctional right now, but not a lot of people are making the connection, perhaps because it's too damn existentially horrifying to contemplate closely.

    My peers are going to get sick of me mentioning this, but Nicole Sachs just ran a repeat of a podcast episode from last year, titled "A Deep Dive Into the Symptom Imperative" In her intro she said the reason for the repeat is because so many people in her groups are reporting struggles with relapses at this time. It's a really powerful and relevant episode for what you are going through right now, so I urge you to listen to it. S3, E27 of her podcast which is The Cure for Chronic Pain with Nicole Sachs LCSW.

    And if you don't know about Nicole, after you listen to 3/27, go back to 1/1(late 2018 or 2019?) and start listening. She's awesome.
     
    Lizzy likes this.
  3. cypress__

    cypress__ Newcomer

    Thank you so much! I love Nicole's work and that episode was really helpful for me. Still struggling w/ this discomfort but I am working my way through the SEP. The first day I journaled, my feet felt on fire 5 minutes into writing - it was a weird feeling but helped me connect the dots between physical sensations and my emotions. I feel like I am waiting for the other shoe to drop on these microbiome test results coming in, but this panel I had done is so thorough that if it comes back clear I will be able to 100% know this is TMS and proceed without that piece of doubt.

    And yes, the world-wearyness... the news cycle is no longer something I can keep separated from my day-to-day living and career, so trying to keep my head above water has been really hard on top of past trauma.
     
    JanAtheCPA likes this.

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