Help needed tonight for my poor mangled nethers!

[MangledNethers]

I had a hysteroscopy under general anaesthetic today to get biopsies for possible endometrial cancer. I’ve had previous conscious attempts to get a Pipelle biopsy but they can’t get in because I’ve had an ablation in the past.

I’m in agony this evening every time I have a wee, as whatever elephantine speculum they used to get in there has ripped my vulva to shreds by stretching it - all my skin down there is very delicate despite being on HRT and breaks at the drop of a hat, even from wearing pads, which I’ve had to do recently because of this unexpected bleeding.

Anyway, the agony. I have ordered some of the good barrier cream which the nurse gave me a couple of years ago when she tore me doing my smear test, but that won’t be here until, realistically, tomorrow afternoon.

WHAT THE HELL DO I DO UNTIL THEN?

I’ve just had a warm salt bath which made me cry. I am in complete agony weeing, and the massive pads I am having to wear for the bleeding are just making it worse.

Please, wise women, hit me with any and all ideas you have, preferably from experience so you can vouch for them. I am knackered from the GA this morning so too much experimentation is out. DH isn’t supposed to leave me for 24 hours, but could probably do so in the morning - our nearest late pharmacy isn’t really late and is already closed tonight. Obvs am drinking as much as I can stomach to keep my wee dilute, but that doesn’t even seem to be helping!

I thought of this but the only pot we have DH has been using to stop his groin chafing on hikes and I don’t fancy dipping into that for current purposes 😂

This is my mum’s go-to cystitis cure but I also have horrible reflux and acid overproduction so can’t have anything with citrus in!

Amazon is going to have a field day working out why I need the weird combination of things I’ve ordered tonight 😁

DH has just suggested I am still distinctly under the influence of the GA (no wonder you’re advised not to sign important documents or make decisions for 48 hours afterwards!) so apologies for any garrulousness or offence. I shall retire to bed after a hopefully more comfy wee.

Thanks again to all of you marvellous women. May your nethers ever be robust.

This is not glamorous but pee in the shower with the shower head in your vulva’s direction.

Works a treat for when i have had a cystoscopy or uti.

Good luck.

OP huge hugs. You’ve had some day, and sounds like you’ve been having a really hard time in general. Hoping someone with medical knowledge will help but just wanted to say hope you get some relief soon.

Boil up some chamomile tea bags, pop them in the bath, sit in the bath and wee in the bath!

Chamomile has antibac and anti-inflammatory properties and whilst it won't be a miracle, it'll stop it getting worse and will allow you to go without extreme agony.

You poor thing.

That sounds awful, I'm sorry. Cystisis powder makes your wee alkaline, do you have any of those sachets around. It's basically Sodium citrate if you have any of that.

Forgot to add if the pads are scratching you, take one nappy and open the sides (I had leftover pull up pants from my DD) and use it as a normal pad. They are bigger and more cushioned and hopefully will help.
Oldest DD prefers to sleep with them on her period too, an amazing discovery

Great tip. No nappies here as no kids (and they’d be grown by now if I’d managed it!) but I do have gigantic maxi pads from my post-ablation stash, which I’ve switched to from the ultrathin and rather scratchy ones I’d been using up since this new bleeding started, so I hope that will help.

You need to be using vaginal oestrogen cream every single day both inside and externally asap

Send DH out for vaseline. It doesn't sting and is an excellent barrier cream.

I had the absolutely terrible idea once, when I had a chafed nose from a cold, to put moisturiser on it. Oh my. DO NOT recommend. It stung so bad. I used paw paw ointment for a bit, which would sting at times, before trying vaseline. It's perfect. Slather it around my nose and lips and zero chafing or stinging.

I also used to use it on the horse in the paddock for greasy heel. Great to stop the skin getting damaged from being permanently wet from grass.

Yep, you are right, and as I said above, once this little episode is over I’ll be requesting this from either my GP or gynae oncologist. Thank you.

Wee in a warm bath.

Abandon the sanitary pads until you’re less sore. Just put a load of towels on the bed and sleep naked on them.

Vagisil might help tomorrow- contains local anaesthetic?

Good luck. Hope all the advice helps.

This was going to be my suggestion. Drink +++ to keep urine diluted.

I don’t have any advice so hope others here have helped you but just want to say I’ve been recently diagnosed with a grade 1 endometrial cancer so if you needed someone to chat to over that side of things I’m here! I’m on the app which doesn’t have PM but I can sign in on my laptop if you let me know.

It’s a fucking shit thing to be going through without all the additional stuff you’ve had. My hysteroscopy was actually fine but I know the stress from everything else at least.

The cystitis sachets are good. Even Rennies will help in the short term to make wee less stingy

Great suggestions. The bath one might be deployed tonight.

The bleeding is too heavy to take your very good suggestion about bed up, I fear. I am a very wriggly sleeper and we have all white bed linen 😬

I used to try and fail to sleep on a pile of towels before I had my ablation when I was going through a super plus tampon and a maxi pad every hour, and the bleeding tonight is like a very heavy period, so I don’t think I’d manage to sleep. I hope it works for someone else though!

DH is laughing his head off at my current conversational gambits and non-sequiturs and the way I am talking to him as if he can hear the thoughts in my head but haven’t actually said out loud. He’ threatening to turn off the WiFi unless I start going to bed to try to sleep off the effects of the GA now.

Sleep well, all, and thank you all.

Was just about to say witch hazel!

If you have a water bottle with a sports cap it's easier to aim at the right area. A jug of water can be tricky.

@MangledNethers they advise peeing in shower in the NHS leaflet I’ve got, if you’re in discomfort when peeing …!

Also @MangledNethers - period pants are way better than the pads, which always gave me some kind of monstrous itching swollen histamine type reaction 🫣🫣🫣🫣 “aarghhh”

Germaloid cream: zinc with lidocaine. Use just eat or deliveroo - you’ll find a garage open with it!

I s cond cold rather than hot. After my first and a retained placenta I had many stitches and the midwife gave me packets of saline solution and told me to freeze them and pop them iny knickers, was honestly the best thing.

Sounds awful but I’ve got raging LS and I use Vic works a treat once you get over the burn - good luck for the future and ask for a paediatric speculum in future and local anaesthetic.