Ladies: HELP! Saddle injury question!

[Brandi]

Oh Man! That all sounds awful. But I understand not wanting to pay$300. for something the dr said you could do yourself. Besides you can spend that money on cute bike stuff instead!
I have had similar stuff down there and the hot compresses really help and patients. You must have a huge pain threshhold?

[Nanci]

You must be very flexxible- how could you even see down there???

Nanci

[Dianyla]

Beth-Ro - that totally kicks ***!

[Beth-Ro]

I'm not that flexible...I used a magnifying mirror.
(talk about up close and personal!)

[Rudie]

Beth-Ro,
You just PERFECTLY described my current problem, exact same spot, same medical response. I had an enormous bump over the summer and went to the gyno. I assumed it was an ingrown hair. the gyno was at a loss, positing that it may be a staph infection, a Bartholin's cyst, etc. She sent me to a specialist who said it was probably just an irritation due to my job and would get better over time(I am a bike messenger).
Using hot wash cloths along with a medication prescribed for the alleged staph infection the problem went away but my labia stayed swollen MONTHS later. (Did this happen to you? It is very distressing to see my body change and not know if it will go back to ever being symmetrical)
Now, once again the large bump has reappeared. I am going to try your method because I don't have health insurance and can't afford not to ride. but I have a few questions first:
You said you inserted the sterile needle into the vein. Could you actually see the vein or did you just insert into the bump?
What came out? When you used the needle was it simply a matter of draining a liquid (pus), or removing an actual clot?
I am so glad you posted your experiences. Although I know other female messengers I do not feel comfortable discussing this with them.

Thank you.
- rudie

[Brandi]

Do you have a health dept you could go to? Like family planning or something tey sould be able to see you. I am worried about you taking care of tis yourself.

[doc]

Beth-Ro,
You just PERFECTLY described my current problem, exact same spot, same medical response. ......
but I have a few questions first:
You said you inserted the sterile needle into the vein. Could you actually see the vein or did you just insert into the bump?

I am so glad you posted your experiences. Although I know other female messengers I do not feel comfortable discussing this with them.

Thank you.
- rudie

Please don't try this at home without a little professional help. Jamming a needle into a vein can cause thromboses (clots) and/or infection. Clots can then get infected and since they're already in your blood stream you become incredibly ill. These can also break off and travel. Travel to where you ask? Well they become lodged in the lung - called a pulmonary embolism (can be fatal) or if you have a not uncommon hole in your heart, they can travel to your brain giving you a stroke, or anywhere else in your body. Plus, having treated many a drug addict who jabbed stuff into his veins, the infection and other complications are too numerous to list.
Hot compresses and soaking sound great while you're waiting to see someone...

[Beth-Ro]

Beth-Ro,
You said you inserted the sterile needle into the vein. Could you actually see the vein or did you just insert into the bump?
What came out? When you used the needle was it simply a matter of draining a liquid (pus), or removing an actual clot?
- rudie

Yes, the vein was clearly visible, just under the skin. It was about an inch to an inch and a half long, and a bluish purple. The doc said the clot was close to the surface and it was a very benign situation. The "bump" was a visible lump in the vein...it was the clot. There was also some irritation just slightly "south" of the bump and a pore had opened up and was draining a small amount of clear fluid, much like a pimple might have. (that's why I thought it was a batholin's glan). I used that pore to insert the needle through the skin and into the vein. After I worked the needle around in the vein, a small amount of blood came out, but I had to try several times before I pulled out the clot with the needle. It was actually a small little thing to have caused so much trouble. It looked much like a clot I might have during my period...a dark clump.

The labia was never involved and no other part of my nether regions was swollen or irritated beyond the vein itself. It was a vertical vein that ran underneath my panty line.

Have you been to your ob/gyn? That is who diagnosed this for me. It took her less than two minutes to figure out what it was. I used the needle method because she recommended it, and because she said "here's what I would do if it were me". She's an active lady, and her husband is a cyclist. Perhaps she is familiar with cycling injuries. She said she had seen the batholins glan problem before, but had never seen a vericosed vein in that area. "I would not want that on my bottom" was what she told me.

I was also back in her office two weeks later to have it rechecked, along with having a physical, so I was under doctor's care the entire time.

Having a problem like this really took the joy out of my ride, but I am hard headed and hate going to the doctor, so I let it go on for a while before I relented and made the appointment. I regret that. I trained for, then rode a 63 mile, mountainous, hot, humid ride contending with soreness that got so bad I was riding out of my saddle to avoid the pain. I could have avoided that had I gone to the doctor earlier. If you are contending with a situation like this, I would encourage you to be to seek medical attention. Your problem may need an antibiotic again. If you've had a staph infection, that can be very hard to be rid of. My best wishes to you.

At the risk of turning this long post into something of tome proportions, I would like to insert here that I value this board for just this sort of thing. Where else could I be comfortable enough to share incredibly personal information like this? You ain't gonna find this stuff in regular cycling magazines. Thanks to all you ladies who have made this a comfortable place to share ALL of cycling's side effects...not just the good stuff.

-beth

[yellow]

I had an ingrown hair that turned into a nasty lump last year. Mine was not a vein like Beth-Ro's (Rudie: are you sure it's a vein and not a follicle?). I had mine surgically removed. I was only off the bike for 5 days, I think. I have a little scar but it doesn't bother me anymore.

I'm with doc. Better to have it done by a professional (that also requires follow up to make sure everything is OK). My health is too important to me. Even if you don't have insurance, I'll bet you could still find someone to work with you, as Brandi alluded to.