"Biopsy aftercare (VACO 4 pages)" PDF

www.vaco.co.uk
Vulval Biopsy Aftercare Information & Advice
Written by Patients, for Patients!
If you have are going to have a vulva biopsy there are a there quite a few things you can do
to make help make this procedure more comfortable for you and help with your healing.
A lot of them are practical tips and which you should find very useful and the list has come
from Ladies who have experienced this procedure and what has helped them may also help
you. If in any doubt any health concerns, please seek medical advice
It can be painful when you have a vulva biopsy especially if you are awake for the
procedure, some Ladies are given a general anaesthetic for this procedure and some are
give a local one in clinic. This depends on how much your Consultant wishes to remove and
how many biopsies they wish to take. A punch biopsy is usually done with a local
anaesthetic in the clinic.
Whichever you have, knowing what has helped other Ladies will be a great help for you and
also a great source of support.
If you do have a local anaesthetic the worse part is the injection to administer the
anaesthetic and very few, if any ladies are offered numbing gel to apply prior to the injection.
I have listed what has helped us all, and if you would like to take a look at The Aftercare
Booklet which has been written for vulval surgeries, there are also a lot of tips in this booklet
which may also be useful for you. You can access this at the following link.
http://www.vaco.co.uk/vacofrontpage/AFTERCARE_BOOKLET%20PDF%20JUNE%202006
.pdf
If you do not have access to a pc ask the nurse in clinic or a friend to access the website for
you where they can print the relevant pages for you or print off the whole of the Aftercare
Booklet which has a lot of information on which will aid you in your recovery.
We hope the following tips will be useful for you and help your recovery less painful.
If you have been booked in for your biopsies, as opposed to having them done at your clinic
appointment as some Ladies do, you will have time to ask for some Instillagel which you can
apply about 30 minutes prior to the injection which will numb the area and help prevent any
pain when they inject you with the local anaesthetic. Ask your Consultant about this or the
nurse in clinic and do not let them put you off saying “you will not need it”.
Having injections in you vulva can be quite a painful procedure and is certainly an eye
watering one, so anything which makes this experience a lot easier for you is worth
doing. Regardless of the fact the injection does only last a few seconds, it will make a
difference to you. Only Ladies who have has this done know how painful this can be. You

can also speak with your GP or your practise nurse about getting some Instillagel prior to
the biopsy.
Take some pain killers beforehand so they will be in your system - the numbness soon
wears off and the swelling starts quickly.
Rinsing with tepid water after passing urine and then drying on the cool setting of a hair
dryer, or with soft swabs, (particularly ones that do not shed lint which can inflame the area)
apply a soothing cream afterwards, whichever one you have found that suits you best.
A mixture of Epsom salts and warm water put into a squeezy bottle and used when you
pass urine will soothe the area for you. It also helps soothe the area when it feels irritated
Also, bathing in a warm tub with baking soda helps.
Dermal lotion is one to be sure to have in for bathing in after the biopsies. This is a really
soothing lotion and is dermatologically tested and as yet, none of the Ladies have had a
reaction to this, but always do a test area before applying to the whole of the vulva. It is very
soothing and you can also add this to the bath water, and use it to bathe with applying this
on warm damp soft swabs. It also keep the vulval skin feeling very supple which will be
more comfortable for you.
Feme Pads will also help numb your vulva and these can be purchased at Mothercare you
just need to pop them in the freezer for approx 45 minutes, then apply the disposable gauze
sleeve and place over the vulva. “Do not apply a Feme Pad without the gauze sleeve or
you risk getting a freeze burn which will be very painful”. This will numb the area for
you so you will not feel any discomfort they are very flexible and soft and contour to
the vulva area. They are also useful to apply after the biopsy as keeping the vulva numb will
help keep you pain free.
If you have had stitches after your biopsies there are a few things you can do to prevent
these feeling uncomfortable.
Have a bath every day which will help keep the edges of the stitches soft so they do not dig
in your skin and cause discomfort. If you do not have a bath, use the shower head for a few
minutes on a cool and low setting every day, anything higher will aggravate your vulva as
you could be sore for up to 2 weeks depending on the size of the area removed and the
stitches you have in. Always check the temperature of the water to be sure it is not too hot.
If you can purchase a sitz bath this will be a great help for you to pass urine in (this fits
safely over your toilet and you pass urine in this water, which will dilute your urine and will
guarantee no pain ot discomfort when you do). If you have a problem finding a sitz bath in
the UK, please email vacouk@yahoo.com and put Sitz Bath Query in the subject line as this
will help us to easily identify your query, Thank you. I will put you in touch with a supplier in
the US as it is very difficult to purchase one in the UK, although I am still trying to find a
supplier in the UK.
Try not to wear any underwear as the stitches will catch on this and can be quite painful if
you do catch those stitches.
Most stitches used on the vulva are dissolving ones, unfortunately they do not always
dissolve and they may have to be removed by a district nurse or your practise nurse or
sometime in back in clinic.
You can make this procedure a lot easier if you know in advance when the stitches are
being removed.

Have a soak in a warm bath prior to them being removed as this will soften the stitches and
make them a lot easier to remove.
You can also apply some Instillagel prior to them being removed, this will numb the area and
you should not feel anything.
If you go back to clinic and they find any stitches and they tell you they have to remove
them, ask that some Instillagel be applied to numb the area which will make this procedure a
lot less painful and much more comfortable for you. Again “do not allow them to fob you
off and say, there is no need”.
Only ladies who have had this done can say whether this is painful and we can’t all be
wrong!
It takes a few minutes to work and anything which makes this procedure less painful has to
be worth doing.
Wear loose fitting clothes, i.e. long skirts preferable with no underwear as underwear will
also irritate you. Avoid jeans and any tight fitting trousers till the area has fully healed.
Take a sanitary pad with you the ones they supply in the hospitals are not as soft as the
ones you would usually use yourself.
Ask how long will the results take and find out if they will contact you or you will have to
contact them. If you have not heard by the date you have been told, call the hospital and
have them check your records to see if the results have come back.
As one Lady said: The Doctor referred to it as just being a "bad bee sting" so she wishes
that Doctor could have that "bad bee" sting him just once! ☺
We hope your procedure goes well, and your results are good ones and we wish well with
your recovery.
The VACO Ladies
Website: www.vaco.co.uk
Email: vacouk@yahoo.com
Tel No: VACO helpline 0161 747 5911
Copyright© 2008 VACO.
All rights reserved
Revised July 2011