When you start to address the oxalate problem, by starting the low oxalate diet and related treatments, it’s like you’ve stepped on a roller coaster. You will have better days and worse days and feel like you are taking one (or three) steps back for every two steps forward. Detoxing means that some days you will feel better, and other days, when your body feels it’s time, you will dump oxalate out of your personal storage places and it will course through your body causing all kinds of crazy, and sometimes awful symptoms–often worsening your presenting symptoms (the ones that drove you to start the diet) or causing new ones (which may actually not be new, but you never connected them to your other symptoms before). So, yes. The diet may have helped your vulvar symptoms and has yet to help your anal ones. This does not mean it won’t. You might find that in another month or two the anal burning is gone, then a week later have pain come back to the vulva, then have it disappear again. It really can be crazy. But this is a typical healing process. Most women with oxalate-related vulvar pain, report a gradual up and down healing process over months (and occasionally years). Not all women heal completely, but most heal enough to enjoy a high quality of life. So yes, there is lots of hope!

For now, I’d suggest baking soda baths or Epsom salt baths (if you can tolerate the salts) in lukewarm water. You can also get one of those “baths” that fit onto the toilet, so you can soak many times a day without getting into the bathtub (something like this). You also might want to carry a spray bottle in your purse to rinse your skin after urinating (pat dry or air dry). You might also try putting emu oil on the burning or raw areas at night before bed. And finally, wear loose, cotton underwear and don’t use soap (or irritating laundry detergents). The baking soda soaks will keep you clean enough.

Take care and hope this helps,
Heidi

I found you on a posting thread and went to your site. Then signed up for your blog. I really appreciate how you present low oxalate information. You have a lot of heart and that is why I am reaching out with my concerns. I feel so alone with what has happened to my health and well being trying to eat lots of greens and food that turns out to be in the highest oxalate category-nuts, legumes, quinoa, sea salt, green smoothies etc. I assure you, I will definitely use your Amazon link for any orders I place and have shared it with my friends who use the site more than I do. I believe in spreading the good word. I also intend to make a small donation.

I hope you can help me with a burning question.literally. I would like to ask you about the reference in the Avocado post that acidic food sensitivity is a common problem for people with oxalate-related bladder, genital or anal symptoms. Three weeks ago today I had raging burning in both the genital and anal areas. I was screaming in discomfort to where I was taking ibuprofen by the end of the week to sleep. After 4 days of feeling sick from that (don’t handle medications at all) I had a urinalysis to make sure I had no UTI which I didn’t.

Finally, when I googled burning vulva, I first learned about oxalate toxicity and vulvodynia. I joined the Yahoo low oxalate diet group and read everything I could. I have followed low oxalate diet and found relief with genital burning. No real change in rectal/anal burning and pressure feeling as if a stick is inside me.

Can you tell me if this is part of oxalate toxicity? Is it common for some symptoms to clear and not others? I have not found much about this nor any suggestions for calming down the rectal membranes which seem very inflamed once I am up and moving or sitting. When I wake up, things are calm.

I don’t have medical insurance so letting a doctor run me through costly tests without any answer is not an option for me. Not sure how much credibility they give this sort of thing. As I mentioned above, I have been eating the above list of foods for years. More recently I might have gotten carried away. That’s when everything exploded.

I don’t expect over night change. Just need some assurance that “this too shall pass” as my mother used to tell me.

Thank you so much for your time to read and hopefully respond. Talking to a female who has been there is encouraging.

With blessings and appreciation, Cheryl