So I've done a lot of reading this past week since I started experiencing my first case of Lipshutz ulcers!
I am 30F and in my first trimester of pregnancy and I believe my weakened immune system has allowed for a (currently unknown) virus to take hold, resulting in now having these horrendous fucking ulcers.
Mine started out one morning as a tiny white fleck on my labia, but over the next 9hrs then developed into about 5 small ulcers (similar to a mouth ulcer). No pain on day one, but freaking out obviously as this is my first pregnancy and I've never experienced any STIs before. I went to the hospital ED immediately where all my swabs were negative for STIs.
It wasn't until day 3 of my ulcers that they changed from being white, to having a black surrounding and causing frequent discomfort (although nothing compared to the future pain!!). And it was this colour change that put the doctors onto Lipschutz.
For any pregnant women reading this, so far the news is good that there should be no impact to the baby as it's only an immune response. However, blood tests will soon tell what the virus is (I was negative for EBV) and those results may possibly have a negative result for my pregnancy (hopefully not though).
I'm currently on day 9 of this horrendous journey, and here's some things I've done.
# Vagisil
To start, I was using an over-the-counter called Vagisil and that was helpful in the beginning to ease discomfort as there is a light numbing agent in it
# Lidocaine
As the pain progressed (day 4 & 5 was particularly agonising, I spent a lot of time crying here) I had an urgent appointment with my Dr who prescribed me Lidocaine, with 2% gel. The first few hours of using this I didn't feel any difference and it stung a lot. HOWEVER, Lidocaine is now my god. After a few hours of application my pain level went to almost nil, and I have applied it every few hours for the past 5 days. Fair warning, it does sting for about 5-10min each time I reapply, but offers approximately 4-5hrs of relief afterwards which in my opinion is 100% worth it. Enough pain relief to forgot these ulcers exist, which is amazing.
# Get help!
Luckily my husband it a patient man! But we had to call in reinforcements and my lovely mother-in-law offered to stay with us. This really requires a full time helper to avoid getting up and down, and for emotional support. Having someone to talk to and get anything you need (such as a trip into town for prescriptions or company at the hospital) has made this experience significantly more manageable.
# Warm heat pack
Something that really helped at the start was using a heat pack and placing it in my crutch. Once I started on Lidocaine though, it became less necessary. But I use it infrequently if the pain gets really bad
# Panadol
Being pregnant Panadol is the only choice. Taking it every 5-6hrs also supported pain management
# Warm Salt Baths
I didn't attempt this until day 4, where the pain was so severe that I was in tears for an hour (prior to Lidocaine). Definitely found relief in this! But as the days have progressed I've done this less as I'm trying to avoid washing the Lidocaine off
# Antibiotics
Unfortunately on day 6 I noticed a bit of an odour coming from the ulcers (my nose is particularly sensitive due to pregnancy). My poor husband had a sniff but didn't think it was too offensive. However the smell persisted into day 7 and with a phone convo to my Dr they were worried about a bacterial infection. I returned to ED where they did swabs, however on inspection the Dr believed there likely was now a bacterial infection so put me on pregnancy -safe Antibiotics. I've noticed a significant change now since starting them one day ago! The swelling has begun to reduce, the painful red borders around my ulcers have shrunk and the odour has gone completely within 24hrs. I am curious if I had been on antibiotics earlier if it would have reduced the severity of these ulcers....
# Peeing in a towel
This last one is my newest development. Originally my ulcers were in that shiny, deeper part of the labia and therefore were not impacted when I peed. However on day 7/8 they spread right under my urethra and it became impossible to pee without being in 10/10 agony. Like, crying, shaking legs, heavy breathing. Just the worst pain. I tried peeing in the shower and have running water but it still stung, and so did peeing in a bath. I read a lot of posts saying to drink more water to reduce acidity but the pain was so intense that I couldn't bring myself to do it.
On day 9, I tried a new solution and it has brought peeing down from a 10/10 to a 1/10 in pain - hopefully this helps if you're reading. I squat over a low tub (or bucket) and hold a wash cloth/hand towel right up and under where my pee comes out. I then lean forward and hold the towel tight against my urethra and the pee follows the towel and does not spread across my ulcers at all. This has been a huge game changer and taken a lot of anxiety out of my day. I then rinse the area lightly still and reapply that beautiful, beautiful lidocaine. Obviously it's not glamorous, but if you're reading this and have Lipschutz, you already know it's anything but glamorous.
# Keeping it dry
The Dr also recommended trying to keep the area dry, so after I pee I stand in front of a fan heater and dry myself off (discomfort of 2/10). I then apply Lidocaine and again dry it also.
Anyway, hopefully my experience can help others just like all of the reading and research I did helped me. The fact that only "time" is a cure is an absolute bitch and completely unfair.
Hoping to be one of those people who heal in 2 weeks and not 6!