Kate Spade Vulva Dress / Skenitis #4

Do you see the vulvas?

$428 of them.

My appointment with Dr. Howard is less than a week away.  I have six more doses (three days) of doxycyline left to take and I've seen no change in my pain.  I also have not (knock on wood) gotten a yeast infection this whole time, three months of antibiotics!, which makes me think I'm on a placebo.

Then I think I'm experiencing an anti-placebo effect, because certainly something at SOME POINT should help my pain, right?

I've been weathering the flopocalypse, aka menstrageddon, aka eternal period

since my visit in May.  First it was weeks of spotting, which ended with a real period.  Then I got another real period.  And another.  And another.  Four in six weeks.  And I'm not falling over from anemia yet?  Anti-placebo effect?

I think the repeated real periods might be from a new psych med, not from the steroids.  Or maybe my body is sending out egg after egg trying to catch up with where it left off before the steroids took over.

Anyway, the intensity of the flopocalypse has kept me from using the valium suppositories or the lidocaine as regularly as before.  I'll have to admit that to the doc next week.  Both are theorized to have a cumulative effect, but I didn't see anything big happening during the weeks that I was able to use both consistently.  Again, anti-placebo...

I'm guessing that the doc will try steroid injections at the Skene's glands at this upcoming visit.  Apparently he can do them without a simultaneous CT scan.  He said he's only performed surgery to remove the Skene's glands three times in his whole career -- and he's retiring this year -- so that's an unlikely future step.

I'm trying not to get to revved up ahead of the appointment, but I will inevitably freak out the day before, as I've done for every appointment at Rochester.  There's just so much at stake with each appointment.

The following Wednesday, October 2, is my seven-year vulvodynia anniversary.  I looked up what the gift is for a 7th anniversary.  Hallmark says:

Traditional: Wool/Copper

Modern: Desk Sets

The image of copper wool underwear flashed through my head, but then I couldn't stop laughing at desk sets.  Desk sets!  A bizarre anniversary gift to begin with.  Buying one for my vulva??

= = =

Happy to be linking up with the Yeah Write Moonshine Grid this week.  First time in a long time!  Click through to read other Moonshiners' blogs.  Probably none about vulvas, though, sorry.