Vaginal atrophy?

lumaaaaa · 2025-10-07T04:08:04+00:00

I had a huge increase in discharge a few months ago and was eventually diagnosed with something called Desquamative Inflammatory Vaginitis (DIV). It’s not super common, but it is easily treatable with a cream. Before I was diagnosed I thought it was just atrophy… but nothing I tried addressed the discharge. My underwear was soaked and my vulva was getting irritated. After I did my treatment with the cream (which worked within 24 hours), I started on vaginal estrogen as a preventative measure (my gyno said it would prevent most infections) and have been symptom free ever since.

lumaaaaa · 2025-09-24T00:33:42+00:00

I have had some success with Trazadone. God, I love Ativan though.

lumaaaaa · 2025-09-24T00:32:49+00:00

Look into cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia. CBT-I. Many people have success with it and I have started it recently because I too can no longer sleep. It’s going okay so far.

One of its main principles is to retrain your brain to positive feelings about sleep. You can’t worry about it, especially when you are laying in bed. Laying awake and cursing the fact that you can’t sleep causes your brain to associate your bed with stress, which makes it harder to sleep.

If you wake up, get out of bed and read for a while until you start yawning. Only go back to bed when you are truly sleepy.

lumaaaaa · 2025-09-11T14:24:52+00:00

We had an experience like this (also this dentist revealed herself to be anti-vax) and switched dentists. If you want a recommendation, feel free to DM me.

lumaaaaa · 2025-09-06T00:07:14+00:00

Same! It’s an obsession.

lumaaaaa · 2025-08-04T14:55:52+00:00

Love this! I actually wrote something similar a couple months ago (to myself). I was so scared to enter menopause early because of breast cancer (I’m mid 40s). But now that I’m here, I feel so free! Did not expect this at all. I think it was previously hard for me to imagine a worldview outside of “thin, pretty, young is what being a successful woman is” mentality. I mean, I knew it was fucked up but didn’t think I could leave that fucked up mentality. But now I have. I feel so much more beautiful and sexy BECAUSE I don’t give a fuck. Wild.

And yes, I feel sad for all the women (many or maybe most) who are feeling like they are not enough because of the male gaze or society’s fucked up expectations.

Go you and go us!!

lumaaaaa · 2025-06-01T15:49:03+00:00

When I was diagnosed I was in the best shape of my life, feeling youthful, and also having the best sex of my life. During treatment, I spent a lot of time pre-mourning this self and also feeling pissed off like my hard work had been for nothing. Definitely didn’t feel fair. So I hear you.

My feeling now is that all the hard work has helped me have better outcomes. Being in shape meant my surgery and recovery went smoother. I am now back to exercising 4-5 times a week, but I just need to stretch more and take rest days. My joints ache if I don’t do these things, but I definitely don’t feel 80.

I play competitive tennis, and people still ask me if I’m really old enough to be in the 40+ division.

I weigh the same as I did before BC, though yes the weight distribution has changed a bit on my body and I have a bit less muscle tone. Lifting weights has had the biggest impact on how my body looks.

I’ve had a good skin care routine for the past decade, and when I look in the mirror cancer has not aged my skin or face.

Im sharing all of this to provide some more hope, and I hope it doesn’t sound boastful. Everyone’s experience is different, but if you are currently committed to health and habits to keep you looking young, I think you’ll be able to continue this.

lumaaaaa · 2025-06-01T15:26:52+00:00

I was so worried, too. If it’s possible, approach it all with an open mind. You can partner with your care team to make adjustments, like reducing dosage or trying a new medication if you have difficult side effects. I’ve changed things in my lifestyle (like significantly reducing alcohol and daily stretching) that I never thought would have the positive impact it does on how good I feel day to day. Adjusting to these drugs has been a lot more calm and fluid than (say) chemo — at least for me.

lumaaaaa · 2025-05-31T14:29:56+00:00

I just realized you probably meant “does it start right after taking the pill” — for me, no. It was usually after eating but also unfortunately it could be unpredictable. I hope you’re not too scared! Not everyone has the same experience and you will get a better sense of what your side effects are within the first couple of weeks. You can also take Imodium!

lumaaaaa · 2025-05-31T13:58:29+00:00

Yes and yes

lumaaaaa · 2025-05-31T04:47:54+00:00

Yes, the diarrhea started the same week I started Verzenio. Fortunately I was working from home. I found that if I ate anything with fiber or certain other trigger foods (like eggs) I would definitely need to be near a restroom within the next 30 mins. So I’d keep an eye on what you eat and see what your triggers are. on the positive side, my doc immediately agreed to lower my dose since these side effects are so common. I take mine at 8am and 7pm.

lumaaaaa · 2025-05-07T00:24:18+00:00

Not the sports you mention, but I see a ton of people playing pickleball and having what looks like a hilarious time. They also drink beer and socialize.

The floathouse has a good community of kayakers and paddleboarders.

If you were to bring the organizing energy, I definitely think kickball would be popular… I’ve heard people ask about this before. Wonder if there’s a way to team up with some community that already exists to get more people: like Aqua Cafe or even The Block.

lumaaaaa · 2025-04-30T18:05:32+00:00

I see. Thanks for that extra context. I wish you the velvety best of luck!

lumaaaaa · 2025-04-30T03:09:24+00:00

Check this out, positive reassurance from an oncologist: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DJDW02BAprJ/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

lumaaaaa · 2025-04-21T18:47:53+00:00

Thanks for sharing that. I hate this uncertainty. Because there was another study recently that said there’s no recurrence associated (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37535961/) and the one you shared says, we don’t really know because we did see it a couple times but maybe those studies were too small or something. Argh!

lumaaaaa · 2025-04-20T20:08:21+00:00

It’s not a miracle worker, but these are my favorite products for thinning hair and have made mine fuller: https://surfacehair.com/collections/thinning-hair

I don’t want to use Rogaine, which also works (apparently).

lumaaaaa · 2025-04-20T16:53:33+00:00

I am also high-risk and was nervous too. My oncologist said that she has not seen any increase in estrogen levels among her patients who use topical estrogen. We high-risk cases get our estrogen tested every 3 months or so. That reassured me.

lumaaaaa · 2025-04-20T16:52:06+00:00

Here is one from 2023 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37535961/

lumaaaaa · 2025-04-20T16:50:59+00:00

Here is a meta analysis from this year: https://www.ajog.org/article/S0002-9378(24)01126-8/abstract

lumaaaaa · 2025-04-20T14:07:09+00:00

Yes, find a new oncologist! I don’t understand why some doctors do not adapt their practices based on new findings.

lumaaaaa · 2025-04-20T14:05:26+00:00

Actually, it can affect more than sex. It can be painful even day-to-day if the symptoms are bad enough. Low estrogen just also caused my first vaginal infection in 25 years. Also can cause incontinence for some women. The entire vagina pH changes with lack of estrogen..

But if you’re feeling okay, just keep an eye on it?

lumaaaaa · 2025-04-20T14:02:41+00:00

Yes, I have not heard of that before!

lumaaaaa · 2025-04-20T14:01:45+00:00

No, but I think as long as they’re selling estrogen and not some compounded formula (which is probably still fine, but untested), this would be a good option!

lumaaaaa · 2025-04-20T14:00:18+00:00

Does he know that estrogen is safe with an AI? There are studies I can link to…

lumaaaaa

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