It's both sides, generally.
I used steroid cream for awhile for the vulvodynia, and am still on amitriptyline. The IC and vulvodynia started around 4/5 years ago.
I've never heard of pudendal neuralgia. Is it another one of those wonderful incurable problems?

Pudendal neuralgia is the inflammation of the pudendal nerve.most commonly seen after trauma during chidbirth,chronic constipation.excessive cycling,fractures,blunt trauma.vulvodynia can sometimes cause rectal pain.amitriptiline is very effective for vulvodynia.
you should see a crs soon.it is true internal examination may not be possible in most of them with fissures as the muscle goes into spasms.they could never do one for me.it is a good idea to put you to sleep so that they can examine properly when you are relaxed.but i would advice you to get it done from a crs.even i had to be examined under anaesthesia many times.
anal dilatation definetely has a higher risk of incontinence and not many do it.botox is another option before surgery.hope you will feel better soon

Yeah, it is another one of those incurable problems though it can be somewhat controlled with steroid injections and sometimes surgery. I wonder if you have some of that going on.

I have taken amitriptyline and haven't found it very useful for my pain but it is a first line defense against nerve pain and other chronic pain problems.

Well, I finally saw a real colorectal surgeon last week. He did a quick exam and within about 10 seconds saw a fissure. :roll: Geeze. That other guy was a complete idiot - he examined me three times and told me I didn't have one!
The surgeon prescribed me nitroglycerin and told me to try it and see if it helps. If I don't think it's doing anything after a few weeks/a month, though, he said that I can have the surgery done over my Christmas break.
I am curious about something, though. My nitroglycerin says that it's for external use only (in big, bold, highlighted letters!). So I've only used it externally these past few days. However, I know people here use it internally. What's up with that?
Also, does anyone know if an increased heart rate is a side-effect of using it? I haven't gotten any headaches or dizzyness yet, but my heart kinda feels like it's beating too fast...

crimeofpassion wrote:Also, does anyone know if an increased heart rate is a side-effect of using it? I haven't gotten any headaches or dizzyness yet, but my heart kinda feels like it's beating too fast...

I have that, and I feel dizzy.
I use the Nitro on the inside, I use a syringe to get it in.... Maybe they mean that you are not supposed to eat it???
Good for you that you finally got help and have a plan!!
Good luck :)
Corsica

check out my post on levitor ani syndrome, it could be that.
erik.

It's just that the form you have it in, for one thing, is not a measured dose like a pill. It's approximate. And the type of chemical you don't want to take too much of by accident, as you can see how strongly the cream impacts your circulatory system, e.g. fast heartrate.
Dissolvable nitro pills are used sublingually for angina.

Kim - does that mean it shouldn't be used internally?
I wonder if my fast heartrate means I applied too much... I only used a very little bit, but maybe I should have started out applying it only once a day.

Kim, can that be dangerous? I have used a lot...

No, it's not dangerous for healthy adults! But it can really have strong side effects, and you should use it sparingly at first until you see how you're affected. I have never used the cream, but I assume you only need to apply the stated dosage to just inside the anus. In a few days or a week, you should see your tolerance to the increased heart-rate get better, and if you use more than you're used to, you may get headaches, etc.
Sensitive people will get headaches with the required dose regardless. Just like the pill form gives angina patients a headache.
I think we have a few current/former nitro users around on the board?