Swollen Vulva and Abdominal Pain

gynohelp · Newbie Joined: 12 Apr 2006 Posts: 11

On a Thursday I started to feel discomfort in my genital area. I noticed that my vulva was swollen and the area around it was very hard and sore, protuding somewhat. As the next few days went on, it started to be very painful to sit down, sit up, etc. By Sunday, the pain was getting more severe and I went to the walk in clinic. The doctor gave me an internal exam and said that my cervix had totally dropped and sent me to emerg.

At emerg, I had another internal exam and the doctor said it looked like a prolapsed uterus or bladder and sent me for an ultrasound the very next morning. Both internal exams were excruciatingly painful.

Later that evening after being sent home, the pain was getting much more intense to the point that it felt unbearable to sit down. I went to bed and woke up shortly thereafter. The pain was so intense that it hurt lieing down and it took all my energy just to turn over in bed. It also hurt just getting in and out of bed. I felt pressure in my abdomin like something was pressing down on my vagina. I couldn't sleep because of the pain so I got up and walked around for a bit. I had to grip the hand rails to get up and down the stairs, I could not sit down and the pain was so bad I cried for a couple of hours.

The next morning, after drinking my 40 ounces of water, I went for my ultrasound. I felt like I was going to die waiting on the ultrasound bed for the technician. After the initial ultrasound with a full bladder was over, she asked me to empty my bladder so she could do an internal ultrasound. I was wearing a maxi pad because I couldn't hold all the water in and when I went to empty my bladder, my pad was almost completely filled with blood. I had only been wearing that pad for less than an hour and I was not on my period. The internal ultrasound didn't hurt as much as I expected and as soon as it was over, the swelling in and around my vulva went down almost immediately and the pain diminished rapidly. It seems to have something to do with all the bleeding because as soon as that happened, the pain went away.

My blood work was all normal but they did find two tiny cysts, one in each ovary.

I went to see my gyno two days later. He performed an internal exam and found a small lesion at the top of my vaginal wall in a very odd spot that was difficult to see. So he sent me to the hospital two days later to look at it with special equipment. The lesion was so small and in such an awkward spot under a fold of skin that was difficult for him to look at even with the specialized camera equipment and probes.

I do remember on the Wednesday before all of this happened being scratched by my husband's finger in that area and it was the very next day that all of this started to happen.

Does anyone know what this could be????

Please help. Thanks!!!

Laylah · Silver Member Joined: 27 Mar 2006 Posts: 178

That was a very strange situation! I don’t think that the small cut in the vaginal wall had anything to do with it. The cut would certainly hurt and maybe even bleed because vaginal lining is the same as inner mouth lining. It could sting and bleed a little bit, but your symptoms were so severe that it is impossible to think about anything without seeing it.
The strangest thing is that nothing had been found after all those ultrasounds and internal exams. I once had a similar problem, and I knew I made a cut, so I went to see my gyn, so I would prevent any infection but she told me that these cuts rarely get infected and that they heal easily. Even if you had a vaginal cyst, I don’t think you would be in so much pain.
It is true that vaginal cysts can cause discomfort, spotting, cramping usually around ovulation and periods. My cousin has them often and she suffers a lot of pain that sometimes even radiates to her tighs. But in your case, it is obvious that something broke down and let the blood out and it was all over. Like a pimple or a cyst somewhere in the skin.
Have all those doctors who examined you made any conclusions? How are you feeling now? Do you still suffer or has everything ended with that huge bleeding?

gynohelp · Newbie Joined: 12 Apr 2006 Posts: 11

Hey. Thanks for replying!!!

Everything stopped with the bleeding all at once. The doctors haven't made any conclusions yet. I have no idea what happened to me?

Ready_Lube · Silver Member Joined: 11 Apr 2006 Posts: 227 Location: AZ

Best of luck! Looks like you should be ok.

Take care Smile

Painful · Newbie Joined: 27 Jan 2007 Posts: 1

I am experiencing the same symptoms as gynohelp and the exact excutiating pain. At first I thought this was the onset of a yeast infection because similar swelling once occured with a previos yeast infection, but not to the same degree. So I took a perscription pill for the yeast infection, but the swelling never went down, it got worse. I am not sure it was a yeast infection to begin with. I used clotrimazole vaginal cream last evening and need to continue for 2 more days. But walking around during the day inflames the vulva. Two years ago I had a prolapsed utereus and it was removed along with both ovaries. I don't know what to do to relieve the pain except make a gyno appointment soon if something over the counter doesn't work. Have any suggestions? I can't take the discomfort much longer.

Please help!
Hurting

ChristineChristine · Newbie Joined: 08 Oct 2007 Posts: 1

Just 10 minutes ago I went to go to the bathroom and realized that my vulva has become harder and has swollen to almot three times it's size. I'm honestly really scared to death because I've never experienced something so irregular happening to my body. I immediately googled this, and here I am. Just above my pubic hair lining is also swollen. I'm a little sore now and it doesn't feel to be getting any better.

I don't believe I've done anything to get this way, I was literally studying all day today in my room. I'm still young and have never had sex so any STD should not be a factor.

I'm afraid to think it's the same thing you have above. All the bleeding, doctor seeing and emergency room stories are frightening me and I hope that my case is not the same...

I don't know what to do.

***********************************************************
Day 4

Well, just to edit, since it is now Friday, 4 days since the swelling began, I'm doing just fine. There was no pain, no blood, no doctors or gynos, it all just went away. I'm unclear if any infection or bacteria are entirely gone but as it seems, my vulva has gone back to normal.

I'm truly mystified by all this. I will comment that I'm certain the swelling was due to some sort of fluid. As I'm standing up, the swelling seemed to gravitate towards my labia. After a full night rest, I wake up to the swelling having again gravitated now at my anus, because I was lying horizontally on my back. And what was funny was that wearing tight jeans gets the swelling to venture up toward my abdomen since there's no room in the crotch area. It just felt like a huge bag of liquid in my uterus that bounced whenever I jumped.

Just to describe exactly what I did in hopes that it may help someone with this similar problem, I iced it for a few hours moments after I realized the swelling. I sat out for my soccer game and postponed my exercising routines for the risk of anything possible that could happen to me. So much physical work probably wasn't a good idea. And I waited. I didn't see a doctor or anything, I just waited until it went away. Shortly after, from Monday to Friday, it was gone.

yeah · Newbie Joined: 12 May 2008 Posts: 1

i usually wouldnt come to things like this on the net since im really insecure bout it,i have booked a doctors apointment in two days but thought id see wat other people thought bout it first.

for the last two days i have been in alot of pain,my vulva is all swollen externally and a little just inside,i cant decribe the pain but i cant sit down,move in the wrong way or even touch it slightly!i wouldnt hav a clue what could be wrong and i dont wanna hav to be worried or be in pain anymore.just wanted to know if anyone could please give me an idea of what it could be because everyone knows doctors wont always be right!!!!

Swollen Vulva and Abdominal Pain

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