I haven't been here for ages but am a female PN sufferer. Between botox, osteo, massage and clothing/lifetyle adaptations, I'm keeping my PN reasonably manageable. However, I suspect my 7yo daughter is going to have the same issues as me. Even as a baby she was prone to getting quite red/sore seemingly out of nowhere but worse during teething (just like me my parents tell me). We've also found over the years that if she wears tights/leggings or tracksuit pants that are purely polyester for more than 2-3 days in a row, she can end up with red/stinging/itchy vulva. Also sometimes if we've been out to dinner and she's had to skip a bath because it is late - normally if this happens I'd use baby wipes to freshener her up down there but last night I forgot.
Last night we heard her crying and she was in tears, frantically scratching herself. I gave her ibuprofen and an ice pack for between her legs and read until she calmed down enough to go back to sleep. It broke my heart to see her like that, and to know she may well have a similar path ahead to me.
My husband tries to make me feel better by saying she might not have it, but I used to wake up with burning and itching at the same age. Thanks goodness she doesn't seem to have the muscle spasms yet though, which just seem to trap the nerve more and make my pain more of an issue. And I don't want her to have to deal with this but if she has similiar issues at this stage, how can I not assume she will have PN issues later on? I've tried to explain to my husband that it isn't normal for other girls but it is hard for him to know as she is our only child and he doesn't have the same body parts!So this is partly a vent, and partly a query. Is there anyone on the boards who has seen this in their children? Does anyone have advice on anythign that can be done to help further prevent this? I don't want her developing the same muscle habits I've used to protect myself from the pain, but that have actually made it worse by putting further pressure on the nerve. I'll also speak to the specialists I see about this but when I sounded them out about it once before, they didn't have much advice apart from using soap-free wash (which we always have) and doing the things we already have to ensure good hygiene and not too much clothing irritation.
ANyway, thanks for listening.
Lea