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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    california
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    290

    yet another thread about girl parts

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    i am feeling really shy posting this. i am pretty new here been lurking some. i don't remember when i made my account but i only really have been reading much recently. i have read a lot of old threads but i haven't found anything that is exactly what i am dealing with and i am feeling a bit desperate and so here i am asking for advice.

    first i have been having minor issues with cysts and i read a lot of old threads and not so old threads about cysts. what i get are definitely cysts but they are on the inner labia and a lot of threads it sounds like cysts that are more common are in other areas. so far my cysts have always gone away on there own but i know that they sometimes need to be surgically removed. i currently have a terry butterfly and when i am on my bike riding i tend to feel pretty comfortable but the longer the ride the more often the more likely i am to get the cysts. i have been told that my bike looks like it is at a good height for me and it is pretty level and looks like it is set up right for me. however my bike is way to big for me. i am 4'10 and it is just really hard to get a bike that fits. i am going to be getting a luna orbit! in the near future so maybe that will help i hope that helps

    on long rides (between 20 and 30 miles) i usually wear my Ibex El Fito Wool Knickers and they feel comfortable. i use body glide stuff on the chamois and on myself but not the inner labia area. it usually doesnt feel like any chaffing issues

    ok and then a second question and what has me actually posting here because i am feeling a little freaked out and worried because i really really love riding my bike and i don't want the issue today to keep happening and prevent me from riding the bike. today with all sorts of stuff done in place to prevent chaffing and everything. i rode up over a big tall mountain down the otehr side then back over it to get home. and tonight i realized that the lower part of my labia is bleeding. on both sides. so there must have been some chaffing or something. i don't know what caused the bleeding no pain on the ride. i felt great but i am feeling sore now. my muscles don't feel all that sore. everything else feels great but my girl bits are sore and i feel so shy posting this but i really want to be able to go on another long bike ride this thursday when my husband will be home to watch my son. i would really like to go past 30 miles and break my current record.

    i have read a lot of old posts i hope my questions aren't to repetitive. i really hope someone will reply and have some advice for me! i am very much an amateur with bike stuff and very shy talking about this stuff out loud so this is the easiest way for me to get any advice.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Columbia, MO
    Posts
    2,041
    I don't have any answers for you, but I'm glad you asked the questions, because while I've heard (and experienced) of girl bit pain from saddle position, I haven't heard or experienced anything quite like what you describe. I hope bike fit clears it up for you. It sounds a bit scary! Maybe a visit to a doctor wouldn't go amiss, although doctors don't know all the answers so don't expect too much. Still it's worth a try.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    I'm the only one allowed to whine
    Posts
    10,557
    If you are tearing tissue and bleeding while riding, yet not feeling it while it is happening, please go to the doctor.

    Your poor fit on the bike may be contributing to nerve compression as well as tissue damage.

    Weightbearing on the front of the pelvis is incredibly damaging (as you have experienced!). Do you have anyone who can help you with your riding posture and the bike you have now?
    "If Americans want to live the American Dream, they should go to Denmark." - Richard Wilkinson

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    california
    Posts
    290
    i think the not feeling any pain while riding may be more because i have a lot of trouble sometimes "being in my body" if that makes any sense. got my teeth cleaned the other day and hardly felt anything and last time i had a pap smear i didn't feel anything. i have a um dissociative disorder that makes it so i just am not always super aware of my body. riding the bike helps me a lot though.
    at the bike shop my posture looked good but that was riding around a parking lot. i will see if i can find a friend to go on a long ride with me and pay more attention to what i am doing. today stuff seems like it has already healed a lot.there was almost no bleeding but that there was any is a bit scary.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    I'm the only one allowed to whine
    Posts
    10,557
    Complications from the dissociative disorder makes it all the more important to go to the doctor. Tissue damage and inability to sense it is not something to be trifled with.

    Frank bleeding is generally a sign of a problem. You do not have to accept abuse from your bike. After you check in with your doctor, can you get someone who knows about bike fitting and has some expertise (a fitter, a bike shop clerk, a trainer) to put your bike on a trainer stand and have you spin the pedals while they observe the fit and your posture?

    Sometimes it takes trained eyes and a bike held stationary as you "ride."
    "If Americans want to live the American Dream, they should go to Denmark." - Richard Wilkinson

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    california
    Posts
    290
    there is only one bike shop near me i will see if the guy at that shop can set me up in a trainer and watch. it means having to explain the problem and talk out loud about it which is really really um hard for me to do.

    the dissociative stuff also comes with somewhat sever ptsd and is related to abuse as a child. talking about my body here is hard for me. talking out loud with my really nice female doctor whow as a midwife will be really hard and i will probably stutter a lot. trying to talk to the guy at the bike shop. he seems very nice but he is a guy. i may stutter to much to make any sense. other bike shops are over an hour away. the nearest bike shop just has one guy who works there he is really nice and helpful though.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    WA State
    Posts
    4,364
    Could you write it all down? It might be easier to explain to the fitter that it is hard to talk about and hand them a written description. They will still have to ask you questions, but it might be a way to get started.

    I'm not sure where you are at, if it is a small town it might be harder to find someone, but often physical therapists will do bike fits as well. Would it be easier for you to go to a medical professional and maybe even find a woman?
    "Sharing the road means getting along, not getting ahead" - 1994 Washington State Driver's Guide

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  8. #8
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    california
    Posts
    290
    it is just sort of rural where i am. i think i will just have to make arrangements to drive a ways and find someone i can be comfortable with. writing stuff down would help a lot i will do that. really riding my bike is one of the best things for the ptsd. bike riding and talk therapy.

    i know someone who can probably tell me the very best place to go that will be the least scary for me.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    I'm the only one allowed to whine
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    10,557
    If you are worried you'll stutter to your doctor, write it down. I write stuff down for my doctor all the time. They are used to that.

    For the shop guy, just ask if he can do a fit check and check your posture. Let him know you are interested in fit. Tell him you are getting a custom bike in the future, but you want to make this one fit as best you can now. Expect to pay for a full fit session (which is about an hour), but a quick fit and posture check (about 10 minutes) is not likely to have a charge. Give the guy a plate of cookies as a thank you, and give the shop your business.
    "If Americans want to live the American Dream, they should go to Denmark." - Richard Wilkinson

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    california
    Posts
    290
    ok that sounds very doable. i will find out if local bike shop guy can do a fit check like that. he did sort of do one. but obviously there is a problem. and he is going to be putting my custom bike together and doing tune ups and everything he gets lots of business from me since i discovered his shop. closer to me is a surf shop that does bike stuff but the guy who works there is a jerk and not helpful so i don't go there for anything.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Oslo, Norway
    Posts
    4,066
    Moonfroggy, do you have a friend who could come with you to the bike shop? I'm thinking having someone you're comfortable talking to could make the exchange easier, someone to fill in the gaps, make small talk, ask the little questions you may not think of etc., take the pressure off of you having to handle all the dialogue.

    Any bike shop employees that know anything at all about biking will know all about saddle pain and the importance of a good fit, though, so expect them to take this in their stride. It's essential to both men and women, beginners and veterans alike.

    Re your problem directly - I've never bled, but I have had bad chafing that I didn't notice until after the ride, because of compression I assume. Moving my handlebars closer to me with a shorter stem helped, a saddle with a larger cut-out and the right tilt helped, and changing my riding position around a lot on long rides helps a lot. Standing, sitting, sprinting, change is good.
    Winter riding is much less about badassery and much more about bundle-uppery. - malkin

    1995 Kona Cinder Cone commuterFrankenbike/Selle Italia SLR Lady Gel Flow
    2008 white Nakamura Summit Custom mtb/Terry Falcon X
    2000 Schwinn Fastback Comp road bike/Specialized Jett

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    california
    Posts
    290
    i will see if i can find a friend that can help me. my husband could go but he has so much social anxiety he might not be much help.

    i have another thought about the chafing which is that my bike nickers look like they fit me pretty well but i have been gaining a lot of muscle and loosing a lot of fat and i avoid scales but most of my clothes no longer fit the way they did a few months ago. i am certainly thinner than i was when i got my knickers. if they are to big could that cause chaffing? i have worn them for almost every bike ride since i got them because they are warm when it is cold and drizzly out. i wash them as soon as i can so they will be clean for the next ride and when they have not been dry enough and i had to wear other shorts i have been disappointing. i think though the chamois in one of my other pair of shorts is more comfortable. not sure which one i should figure that out.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Oslo, Norway
    Posts
    4,066
    Quote Originally Posted by moonfroggy View Post
    i have another thought about the chafing which is that my bike nickers look like they fit me pretty well but i have been gaining a lot of muscle and loosing a lot of fat and i avoid scales but most of my clothes no longer fit the way they did a few months ago. i am certainly thinner than i was when i got my knickers. if they are to big could that cause chaffing?
    Definitely! If the chamois is getting a bit "poofy" and loose from a lot of use and you have gotten thinner, I'd say this is the prime suspect for chafing. Do spring for a new pair, you will need them sooner or later and comfort on bike is essential. Rotating pairs will help against chafing in itself.
    Winter riding is much less about badassery and much more about bundle-uppery. - malkin

    1995 Kona Cinder Cone commuterFrankenbike/Selle Italia SLR Lady Gel Flow
    2008 white Nakamura Summit Custom mtb/Terry Falcon X
    2000 Schwinn Fastback Comp road bike/Specialized Jett

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Posts
    3,176
    For the bike store guy, you don't need to give any more detail than "saddle issues." Chances are, this will be enough to make him a little uncomfortable too.

    You did a great job of explaining in your post!

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    SW Ohio
    Posts
    145
    I have nothing more to add to the other reccomendations (get thee to a doctor, get a better bike fit, write things down/take a friend if necessary to help communicate), but I want to say that I'm proud of you being able to write everything out so clearly for us to understand and try to help you. I'm sure it must have been very hard for you, but I'm glad you were able to do that for yourself and get the help you needed.

 

 

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