# are there lymph nodes in the labia?



## rainbowmoon (Oct 17, 2003)

I'm just wondering..anyone know?


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## ramlita (Mar 26, 2002)

Why do you ask?









Do you have a lump? I had a Bartholin's gland get clogged, and it went from a lump to a very painful abscess very quickly. No fun.








B's glands are usually the size of a pea, on on either side of the vaginal opening.

I'll dig up my anatomy books...


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## homebirthing (Nov 10, 2002)

I had a cyst im my labia once that felt like a swollen node. I just had it removed.


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## Full Heart (Apr 27, 2004)

There are lymph nodes in the groin, could be possible to have one on the labia. If you have one does it move around, like if you push it? Usually a very good way to figure out if a lump is a lymph node (we are like a family of swollen lymph nodes over here its ridiculous!).

Michelle


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## rainbowmoon (Oct 17, 2003)

nope I don't have one. a conversation on a birth list I'm on just had me curious.


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## amethystrse (Dec 4, 2004)

It's actually because of me that she's asking (I don't mind luv).

I gave birth (UBAC) on Saturday and I have this weird thing going on down there. I had asked on a bithing list if anyone had any idea of what could be going on.

Basically there is this weird bump thing on the left rear part of my vaginal opening, where the lips are. It kind of looks like a blister or something. So weird. It's very painful and sore. I don't know if it's normal or if I should go see a gyn.


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## homebirthing (Nov 10, 2002)

I would at least call about it.


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## rainbowmoon (Oct 17, 2003)

Jessie I hope it subsides for you soon


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## Lula's Mom (Oct 29, 2003)

Could it be a swollen vein? I know with both pregnancies toward the end I got a few lumpy varicose veins on my labia.







They were tender. I've also had the clogged Bartholin's gland many years ago. It sounds like that would be more like where your... thing is than the lymph node.


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## amethystrse (Dec 4, 2004)

Thanks Kristi. After taking another look today it does sort of look like a cyst of some kind. I've decided that if it doesn't get worse than I'm going to wait for my bleeding to stop before seeing someone. If by then it hasn't started to get better I'm going to make an appointment. If before then it gets worse, however, I'll schedule an appt. sooner.

I would rather not go to the doctor unless I have to (slight phobia).


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## Lula's Mom (Oct 29, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *amethystrse*
I would rather not go to the doctor unless I have to (slight phobia).

_Word._ :LOL


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## Breathless Wonder (Jan 25, 2004)

Is it bluish, or purple? Maybe a varicosity?


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## ramlita (Mar 26, 2002)

Would it be too off-topic to ask Kristi how her Barth's gland clog got resolved?
I'm still struggling with mine, about to try something a little drastic... I'd love to hear about your experience, if you don't mind, Kristi?

When mine flared up for the first time, my backup OB went and jabbed at the abcess with a scalpel to drain out all of the blood and pus, then put in a little tube thing to encourage it to keep draining. The very poorly-designed drain popped out that night, so the hole healed over, creating a thick scar where there was once a tiny opening. (Bartholins glands make fluid that helps with vag. lubrication) Naturally it's become a recurring problem, since it's a body part meant to create and drain fluid, and there is no way for it to drain naturally.







ANYWAY- I'm sharing all of this in case that's what's going on for you, new mama, (Congratulations!!!) because my acupuncturist says that if I had seen her before I let the OB create all of this scar tissue, she may have been able to help get the gland to drain through its original, natural duct. (without me having to remove my pants, either, by the way...) So I wanted to put in a word: if you can, try soaking in sitz baths, and/or seeing an acupuncturist before you see a surgeon!

I do hope this isn't what yours is! Though it seems to be something that often comes up for the first time when a woman is pregnant- all the extra blood flow/congestion in the pelvic area...


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## amethystrse (Dec 4, 2004)

This wasn't my first pregnancy but was my first vaginal delivery (my son was born via cecerean).

It's actually a peachy kind of color. Like skin. That's not a normal color for the area. It's just really weird.

I will take your advice and maybe see an acupuncturist before going to a gyn. But, first I'm going to see if it'll just go away if I keep the area clean and whatnot.


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## doctorjen (May 29, 2003)

Also try hot compresses and sitz baths - they help promote drainage of fluid. If it does drain, you can try gentle compression of the area - preferably while sitting in a nice warm bath.
If it is more blister-like, with a then layer of skin over a fluid filled area - I have seen this happen several times when mom had a lot of swelling with pushing. It usually resolves on it's own with no therapy.


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## Lula's Mom (Oct 29, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ramlah*
Would it be too off-topic to ask Kristi how her Barth's gland clog got resolved?
I'm still struggling with mine, about to try something a little drastic... I'd love to hear about your experience, if you don't mind, Kristi?

No you probably wouldn't.







I, um, decided to incise it myself to see if I could fix it without a doctor. As noted above, I have a slight phobia too... I had a scalpel blade; I made a little cut; made another one because the first wasn't deep enough; stuff came out! It didn't come back, and the little incision healed quickly. So satisfying and worth the discomfort! I am one of those people who just loves popping a good zit or opening a cyst... if it's icky I'm fascinated! I do not officially recommend this method. It takes a special kind of sicko.







:


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## ramlita (Mar 26, 2002)

Oh, last summer mine was getting quite large again, and I elected to go back and have my GYN poke it and try again with the idiotic drain thing... after days of misery, the improvised drain came out, the hole sealed up, and the gland got more swollen than ever, this time with blood clots. So I sat in a tub of warm water for a while, then squeezed it as hard as I could, and, Viola! I'm sitting in a tub of dark red water swimming with clots.







Disturbing and satisfying, all at once.
How long since you drained yours?
Did you cut where the original hole was, or a different spot?

My troubles with this began when I was pregnant with DD five years ago, and it still haunts me, getting frighteningly, painfully large, gradually over time...
I'm about to have a horseshoe-shaped piercing put in it, once my GYN and piercing-expert people get a chance to meet and plan it out with me... I'm getting desperate!


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## Debstmomy (Jun 1, 2004)

Ok, anatomy question here. Where exactly are these glands located? I get what I called, boils on my labia, not necessary on the inside, more or less on the outside. Ane was just on the inside ridge. Are these them? I usually let them get to a good size & then in a really hot shower or bath, I squeeze until they burst. I have had 2 or 3 this pregnancy. Is this the same thing, or something else? I forget to ask the MW about them as it seems they are gone by my next appt. Thank & sorry for such intense discriptions.


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## doctorjen (May 29, 2003)

If they are on the labia majora (the part generally covered with hair) then they are probably sebaceous cysts and not Bartholin's glands. Those are just outside the vagina, where the skin is still more mucus-membrane like.


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## mwherbs (Oct 24, 2004)

sitz baths with epsom salts can help resolve them as can a paste of epsom salts-- it brings down the swelling . You can add something like lavender to the sitz bath too smells good and promotes healing.

I should have added that this has worked many times- there are other herbs that I might add depending or even refer for abx but the epsom salts as a pack placed on a pad really draws and works wonders. Just this week this has come up and the results were quick.


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## amethystrse (Dec 4, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *doctorjen*
If they are on the labia majora (the part generally covered with hair) then they are probably sebaceous cysts and not Bartholin's glands. Those are just outside the vagina, where the skin is still more mucus-membrane like.

No, they're on the inner one...the one without hair...on the inside. I looked it up and there is a gland around there somewhere (B-something...can't remember the name. I think someone here mentioned it before...it's early and I'm sleep deprived. lol). My thought is that it could be that.

I was going to soak in a hot bath last night but then the baby decided she wanted to go on a nursing marathon. lol By the time she was done it was late. So, I'm going to try again tonight (I like the water too hot to bring her into the tub with me).

What exactly goes into a sitz bath? I've never needed one before.


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## amethystrse (Dec 4, 2004)

*Cross posted to the yahoo UBAC group and to my livejournal*

Ok, for those of you who remember me talking about that weird bump thing. I think I had found out what it was and I had decided to wait and see if it would just go away. Basically, I think that perhaps it was my Barholin's gland that had a clogged duct or something.

Anyways, it seemed to get smaller and didn't hurt so I thought "YAY!" and decided not to go to a doctor about it.

This morning it was hurting and when I went to the bathroom there was blood. It didn't look like new blood though it was too bright to be the menstrual stuff I still have a bit of. So, it had me slightly concerned and I took a look. The blister/cyst looking thing is gone. There's a slight crater (for lack of a better term) where it was. Either that or the area around where it was is slightly swollen (which it also looks to be). It's very sensitive.

Basically, it looks like whatever it was has drained on its own. From what I've been able to read about this, that sort of thing can happen (which is why I decided not to go to the doctor about it). I'm going to continue keeping an eye on it and continue to keep it as clean as I can. Make sure it doesn't get infected and all of that fun stuff.

Thanks everyone for helping me when I was trying to figure out what was going on.









*hugs*
Jessie


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## rainbowmoon (Oct 17, 2003)

Jessie I'm so glad to hear you are healing!


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## amethystrse (Dec 4, 2004)

Thanks hon.


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## ramlita (Mar 26, 2002)

Hey Jessie! did it heal well, or did you have any problems after that?

The "gross out for the night" thread in TAO got me thinking...
thought I'd share what I've learned about Bartholin's Gland cysts since then.
There is much more support and information online now than there was then, and I found this:
http://www.aafp.org/afp/980401ap/hill.html
and learned that the Word catheter is supposed to be inflated with liquid, rather than air! My sOB had been trying to do it with air, and simply complained to me that it was a poorly designed device.









I found a new, competent doctor, who did the same procedure, but actually knew what he was doing!







It was much simpler, and he knew how to give the shot so I wouldn't feel anything. (after the shot!







) So I had that thing in for six weeks, and when he took it out, I had a normal gland again!
















(we did the piercing, but as we feared, it only created a tube of scar tissue and did not solve the problem







)

So I want to spread this information- I suffered off and on for six years before finally getting it resolved, and want to help others get competent care.


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