Very painful lump on vulva - please help

[forfuckssakewhatsthisnow]

Really struggling and overwhelmed. Am recently bereaved and have pre existing type 1 diabetes, which is very well controlled, but just am knackered and feeling run down.

Yesterday, I developed a horribly sore lump on the inside of outer labia. It really hurt and because I am more vulnerable to infections I need to get it sorted. My mum died from gynaecological cancer and I know it is more likely to be something like a Bartholin's cyst but can't help thinking well what about vulval cancer...

I don't live in the UK so don't go through a GP, you can just go straight to a consultant, and don't want to go to my male GP with this anyway. He's nice but I'd feel too awkward and want somebody very experienced with gynae bumps. I was thinking to try to find something like a well woman clinic maybe but is that more for things like contraception and sti screening?

Or would it be better to find a gynaecologist or dermatologist be better? What should I do? Am so overwhelmed as I said, and can't think properly.

Get yourself off to any sexual health clinic or gynae. I am in UK and skipped GP straight to clinic - if you're going to have someone check you out, it should be someone who looks at fanny's all day long! Sex health clinics tend to run the gammut, and no you don't have to think you have a STI to go for a check up there. Soreness, pain is enough.
They'll take swabs, have a look and probably tell you it's a benign cyst. Better safe that sorry though...

It is most likely a cyst since it's come up so suddenly. Bathe it with hot water as often as you can bear. Sometimes they burst on their own.

If it started out of the blue and hurts lots, my bet is an infected cyst that needs a quick course of antibiotics. No big deal. Perhaps from an ingrowing hair. I'd just go to a gynae if you have one and don't want to see your GP. Soon be sorted

Gynae I think rather than dermatology

Sounds like a cyst tho / ingrown hair, and may well just pop

Have you put a hot wet cloth on it?

If it's pea sized it's highly likely it's just a small cyst and it will just go in a week. A warm bath can help.

Not dermo - def go well woman or gynae. It's a very sensitive area, it can often feel much worse that it is...

Not sure if medical but nice warm baths or in warm shower with clean hot flannel. You may find it bursts in the shower.

Ok no sooner had I posted the thread and now something seems to have happened - not sure if it's burst but there was a small bit of blood when I wiped after peeing (sorry tmi) and it feels a bit better and is smaller already?

But surely that can't be it? There was no pus (sorry again) so how can just a small bit of blood be all that was in there? It was like a rock hard pea sized lump up until 20 mins ago?

Now I'm also freaking out that the blood leaking out will infect all the surrounding skin and I will get more? Does that commonly happen or not likely?

The blood won’t infect the surrounding skin if the skin is intact. Personally I’d have a mega hot bath and see if that draws it out. Don’t squeeze it though or it will get infected. And as others have said go to a sexual health clinic if it doesn’t go in a couple of days. If you get a temperature or feel generally unwell go straight to your GP.

It’s most likely a bartholins cyst/abscess. They can rupture on their own but usually need antibiotics and very occasionally minor surgery to excise/marsuplaise it. You need the GP to check it and make a referral to gynae if necessary.

I had this after my first ever wax. It was sooo painful! Then about 2 days after it came up, I asked dp to look at it after a hot shower. He literally touched it and it popped 🤮🤢 I think the hot shower helped, I wouldn't have asked him to look if I had realised what it was.

The relief was immediate though 🤣🤣

Hey OP i suffer from these quite often and they can be unbearably painful. What i do is get a face cloth get it under running HOT water, wring it out and hold it against area as long as you can bear keep doing this every so often until it bursts and all the gunk comes out.
The heat definitely helps speed up the process.

You've got this out of proportion. Honestly, it's an abscess or horrible spot . It's nothing worse. Have a hot bath - put some salt in (or epsom salts). Let it drain . Get some magnesium sulphate from the chemist tomorrow and put that on it- it draws it out. Keep up the hot baths, hot water cloths and the MS ointment few a few days. Probably more stuff will come out. If it doesn't and it is still sore and swollen, you might need some anti-biotics. I've had two of these across the years. They're not serious. You can get horrible spots there just like you can anywhere- just blocked pores.

It feels flatter now, is that good? Could that be it finished with now or is there almost certainly more gunk in there?

Hoping it's starting to heal.

Thank you all so much for replying, this is horrible and never had anything like it before.

I have had similar. I put tissue that I kept changing as it would bleed - light spotting - for a while still. And keep it clean and sterile. I like to use sudocrem. Keep an eye on it. Hopefully all remains ok. Sometimes these cysts refill again which is a pain.
I've been on antibiotics before when large and painful. It's a relief when they burst. Though not nice particularly it's placement. Ingrown hairs...swollen lymph nodes in groin area etc can cause this.

Yes I wondered if it could be an ingrown hair, but it's hard to tell as it's right where the skin meets the inner pink bit of the labia (so no hair follicles) so hard to say what side it started from.

Yes, i forgot to mention magnesium sulphate paste, I've used it before on a particularly nasty one and it done wonders

Can you put magnesium paste on the inside of the labia?

Slap on a bit of Germolene or Sudocrem if you have it.

I found giving it a bit of a squeeze to get the ‘core’ out stops it refilling. They are horrifically painful but a hot compress and ensure it’s empty and it’ll be fine tomorrow. The relief is immediate when they burst.

Sudocrem is magic . Just a dab every time you use the loo.

Bartholins cyst for sure. If you Google it you should get some info. Glad it’s feeling better but if it gets bad again, hot bath and hot compress with a flannel.

If it's any help my mother had vulval cancer - she said her symptom was really bad itching, not a lump

I have suffered from these before and the relief when they 'pop' is amazing! Agreenwith pp that a hot compress helps it along and a little Sudocrem hasn't done me any harm to help the healing.

I did discuss with the Practice Nurse at my GP's when I went for my smear and she mentioned maybe having too much sugar in my diet. I did change diet and lifestyle for other reasons and have to say, it is now very rare that I have one.

Sounds very similar to what I had a couple of months ago, tmi but I gently squeezed it in the shower and heard a sort of cracking noise. I also noticed a small amount of blood, Been fine since so assumed ingrown hair/cyst but get it checked if you're worried:)