So I had my first appointment yesterday, and for some reason, I was hoping for a clear diagnosis. With vaginal pain that is rarely the case. Unsurprisingly (but somewhat disappointingly) I did not get a clear diagnosis.

The doctor pretty quickly ruled out STIs after a brief but quite uncomfortable pelvic exam. One unexpected question they asked was “are you experiencing any back pain”. After making a quick surprised face I told them that I do have lower back problems, sometimes to the point that I can barely walk. This is a newer problem, but looking back I’ve had the vaginal pain about the same amount of time. As far as my back pain goes, there’s the monthly aches and pains that come with menstruation, but I’ll get this stabbing pain pretty close to my tailbone, and that’s the pain that really gets me.

I’d thought of my pelvic pain as a stand-alone symptom of something like vaginismus, vulvodynia, etc. or even possibly endometriosis (given how bad my cramps are off birth control). The doctor thinks that it could be nerve pain, and said the only real “treatment” is numbing shots. No thank you! The other option would be to strengthen my abdominals, back muscles, and kegels. Now I’m not really one for workouts, but the thought of having shots in and around my genitals does not sound appealing. I have a follow-up appointment in three months, and in the meantime, I’ll be posting my workout routine soon.

 See my firsts posts in this series right here: Introduction to Pelvic Pain: A Testimonial Toward Healing Written by Dani and Journal Entry Day 1: Talking about Pelvic Pain with My General Practitioner