If you’ve been lucky enough to stumble upon this blog, you’re probably wondering what on earth it is about. So, before we go any further with the boring necessities, (Who I am, my age and what on earth I am doing here), let me introduce you to the title of this blog and cover the facts of this awful condition I have unfortunately found myself living with.
Vulvodynia, a term I have come to love and hate over the past three years, is a chronic pain condition that affects (yes, you guessed it) the dreaded V word – the VAGINA. If you read that word and felt uncomfortable, embarrassed or just found it absolutely hilarious, I beg you to keep reading because I think you need this blog a lot more than you think you do. So, what does Vulvodynia feel like you ask? Well, imagine sitting slap bang in the middle of a nettle field for hours on end. The stinging, and the itching you would encounter would be NEXT LEVEL. Now imagine all this pain and discomfort, however just confined to the most private part of your body, your vulva. This sensation, added with the feeling of being stabbed a million times an hour with the sharpest knife, 24/7, is exactly what Vulvodynia has felt like for me. (Sounds delightful, am I right?) These symptoms are brought on by damaged or broken nerve endings in your vulva, which could be for many reasons, (which I will later discuss in this blog).
Now, you may be asking why I have decided to write this blog, what it will involve exactly and why now? Well, as I am sat here currently typing this post, I am finally at a stage where I am comfortable with this condition and more importantly comfortable within my body, and I could not be happier to no longer experience the awful pain I have endured for YEARS. I am writing this blog for two reasons. Number one being, I want this blog to be a safe space for me where I can learn to overcome the embarrassment of this condition and track my progress. Secondly (Of course I am no doctor), however I do believe I have many tips and a lot of advice to give to other sufferers. (Hell, if this blog reaches just one other person and can help them in anyway, then my job is done). I just know that if there was a blog around at the time that I first started this journey, it would have really helped me.
So, let’s get back to basics. If you haven’t come over to this blog from my Instagram (@tiff_rochexo), then let me introduce myself. My name is Tiffany, (yes as in, breakfast at Tiffany’s, no as in, I am not an aspiring porn star and that is the name my mother blessed me with), I am 21 years old, a dance graduate (you’re circling back to porn star aren’t you?) and most importantly, a sufferer of Vulvodynia. As you can probably tell, these blog posts are going to be incredibly open, super intense, a whole lot uncomfortable, (especially for me) and hopefully hilarious, as my vagina becomes the star of the show. I will be sharing how this condition has completely changed me as a person, my relationship and my lifestyle (some of it for the better you’ll be glad to hear, before I lose readers for being so depressing).
If you’ve made it to the end of this first post (well done and thank you). I am hoping to keep this website light hearted and funny because for me, laughter has really helped to open up and not feel so embarrassed about what it is that I am dealing with, however, I have had the WORST couple of years and it wouldn’t be honest if I didn’t portray that. If you are reading this post as a sufferer yourself, or just as somebody who would like to learn more, please please, do not hesitate to drop me a message via my social media (which is listed above), I am more than happy to answer any questions you may have.
Tiff x
(This is me for anybody wondering what being called Tiffany actually looks like in the 21st century)