interstitial cystitis and vulvodynia help

I am a 39 year old woman with a history of hormone imbalance--not enough progesterone. In the past few months my cycles have become normal--used to be 14 days bleeding, 14 days stopped. I have hot stabbing vulvar pain during intercourse and have been diagnosed with IC. I believe I also have vulvodynia, but am doing the rounds with various yeast infections found and taking the prescribed remedies. At one point the nurse practitioner even found a staph infection in my vagina. I desperately want to make love with my mate and need help!

Answers to previously posted questions:

1. Describe your main suffering?
Painful intercourse in the vulvar area. Pain upon touching just inside the vaginal opening--burning, sharp, like a knife


2. What other physical sufferings do you have in your body? I suffer from regular migraine headaches that may last a few days. Also, lack of libido and interest in sex.



3. What mental sufferings / feelings do you have associated with your physical sufferings? Fear, feel like a victim, life is not fair. Something is wrong with me--I'm broken


4. What exactly do you feel when you are at your worst? Describe the sensation in your own words. Hopeless. Lost.


5. When did it all start? Can you connect it to any past event or disease? Started on valentine's day this year. Felt like a very bad bladder infection. I had just made major life changes and followed my heart to move in with a man 17 years my senior who is the love of my life. I have never experienced such lovemaking and had been there for 5 days before the symptoms began.



6. Which time of the day you are worst? Worst around my period, but otherwise any time I have sex.

7. What are the things which aggravate your suffering and which are those which ameliorate the same? Example- time, temperature, pressure, rubbing, washing, eating, tight clothing etc. The main time at this point is really only during and after sex.



8. Do your think your sufferings have relation to any external stimuli (like, change of place) or any internal biological changes in the body, like, menses (in females)? Could be hormonal, but I'm sure it also has to do with processing of abuse issues from my childhood with a man that I feel safe with.



9. When do you feel better, during hot weather or cold weather, humid or dry weather?
Haven't noticed a difference

10. Describe your general mental set up? Are you Moody, Arrogant, Mild, Agreeable Changeable, Nervous, Suspicious, Easily offended, Quiet, Arguing, Irritating, Lazy etc.
I am timid initially and moody and sad at times. I worry about others perceptions of me. I feel as if I have to sacrifice and work for the world in order to justify my existence.

- How do you feel before or during a thunderstorm? I love thunderstorms. I feel peaceful.

- Do you like being consoled during your tough times? Yes

- Are you sensitive to external stimuli like smell, noise, light etc? Sensitive to smells. Sensitive to light during migraines.

- Do you have any typical habit or gesture like nail biting, causeless
Weeping, talking to one self etc?
I forget to breathe, breathe shallowly.

- How do you feel about your friends, family, your children and especially your husband / wife? I love my mate and feel distant from my family. I feel supported by him, but have struggled to feel deserving.

11. What are your fears and do you dream of any situation repeatedly? I have had recurring dreams of bathrooms for 20 years--they are dirty, there are no doors, there are no toilet seats. If I let myself feel it I feel afraid to walk in the dark--inside or out, as if someone will grab me from behind.


12. What do you crave for in food items and what are your aversions?
I crave sweets, chocolate especially. I despise mushrooms.

13. How is your thirst: Less, Normal or Excessive? Normal.

14. How is your hunger: Less, Normal or Excessive? Normal

15. Is there any kind of food which your body can’t stand?
I have discovered an intolerance of wheat. I can get away with some, but not much before I start to have sinus problems and congestion in my head.

16. Is your sweat normal or less or more? Where does it sweat more: Head, Trunk or Limbs? I hardly sweat--even in the sauna. My nose runs instead. My head feels congested and when the sweat actually comes it is usually in my trunk.

17. How is your bowel movement and stool type? Easy, daily, solid and quick.

18. How well do you sleep? Do you have a particular posture of sleeping?Curled on my side. I have bouts of difficulty sleeping and then bouts of good sleep and exhaustion.


19. Do you think you are able to satisfy your sexual desires in general? Yes.

20. Do you have any strange, peculiar or unusual symptom or feelings? How are you different from others? I am self absorbed and self centered.


21. What medications have been taken earlier by you to treat the diseases and do you have any particular symptom surfacing after the medication? I am taking amitryptaline for IC and that makes me very sleepy and tired in the morning. It has helped tremendously with the IC symptoms. I've recently done a round of estrogen cream that I am weaning off of right now. This was followed by treatments for yeast infections. I can't remember what they were called, but they were prescribed by my doctor.


22. What major diseases are running in your family? None.


23. Describe, how do you look like? Describe your overall appearance. Average everything. Average size feet and clothes and height--5'4'. Recently gained weight about 15 pounds. My hair is long and very thin and gets stringy at times, but shiny most of the time.

(For Females)
24. If your menstrual cycles are not normal, please describe the irregularities, like pains, moods, flow type, clots etc. Lots of problems here in the past. 14 days of bleeding followed by 14 days of not bleeding. Painful PMS, very moody and depressed. I have just had my 3rd month of 7 days bleeding with 20 days between and not nearly so much pms symptoms. I started my latest treatment for this shortly after I began having symptoms in February. I am taking evening primrose oil and something called symplex F--bovine glandular support.