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Phil 😻 | Vulvodynia patient advocate 👄 BA Oxon

@painsdownthere

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Vulvodynia • thrush-induced vestibulodynia • chronic pain 🔥 Getting women & doctors to take thrush seriously 🔥Award-winning women’s health campaigner

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@royalcollegeobsandgynae @rcog_womensvoices @dr.sarah.jenkins @bssvdinsta @bashh_uk @nhs_voices @nhsengland

Please listen to me so that other women do not suffer my same fate.

#thrush #vulvodynia #womenshealth #vestibulodynia by @painsdownthere

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8 months ago

Vulvodynia awareness post. Thrush prone women deserve to be warned. #thrush #yeastinfection #candida #vulvodynia #vestibulodynia #takethrushseriously by @painsdownthere

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a year ago

Here I am, telling my story in an Instagram native way. Thrush is dangerous and can derail your life #takethrushseriously #candida #yeastinfection #cytolyticvaginosis by @painsdownthere

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a year ago

Every woman deserves her thrush infection to be taken seriously.

Gynaes, GUM clinicians and GPs should be aware of the causal link between thrush and vulvodynia - this info shouldnt be the reserve of vulval clinicians.

Thrush support is here to help end the gender pain gap by informing thrush prone women of the risks and to get them to the right specialist doctors to resolve their problems.

I’ve been self funding so far but am hoping women I’ve helped can help me cover costs for next 2 years.

Donate link in bio 💕

#Thrush #candida #vestibulodynia #vulvodynia #yeastinfection by @painsdownthere

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8 days ago

Before my SCS was fitted I had to cancel 3 flights as I was in so much pain I couldn’t move.

But with my trusty implanted cyborg identity - I’m off.

If you have questions about travelling with an SCS drop em in the comments 👇 ❤️

#spinalcordstimulator #vulvodynia #vestibulodynia #chronicpain #pelvicpain by @painsdownthere

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14 days ago

Hello friends, spinal cord stimulator life update. Things are good. Most of August I was in less than 2/10 pain. I could turn down my stimulator to parasthesia free - I.e no buzz or tingle. It was incredible.

Recently I flared though, woke up at 5am with intense burning. The flare maxed at 4/10 pain and I was able to still work. I just get tired pushing through the pain so each evening was like a wipe out. It lasted 2.5 weeks and now I’m back down to less than 2 out of ten pain. Just in time for my holiday to Madeira. I found a vulval statue here, it was beautiful. I’m having a nice time relaxing and swimming and hiking.

Hold on neuralgia friends things get better. #vulvodynia #spinalcordstimulator #vestibulodynia #neuroproliferativevestibulodynia by @painsdownthere

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a month ago

Research has found that vulvodynia can affect working life, with women reporting missed work and a negative impact on their ability to work.

So what happens when your workplace isn't designed around a condition that people can't see?

Chronic pain shouldn't have to be visible before it is believed.

The petition calls for gynaecological conditions to be explicitly recognised in the Equality Act 2010 Guidance as impairments with fluctuating or recurring effects, helping to improve awareness of the potential impact of these conditions and the support people may need.

Let's make workplaces more understanding of women's health.

Sign the petition before 27 September 2026.

Link in bio 😊

#Vulvodynia #AConditionADay #SANJU #WomensHealth #EqualityAct #EndoTheInjustice by @painsdownthere

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a month ago

My story featured in the advertising industry press.

Shouting loud and proud about the things that matter to me: work and health, campaigning, creativity — and hopefully inspiring a few ideas along the way. 📣

#womenshealth by @painsdownthere

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a month ago

Highlights from the @abortion_rightsuk protest this weekend #rightochoose #prochoice #abortionishealthcare by @painsdownthere

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a month ago

Yeast infections are often treated as a minor inconvenience. Something you buy an over-the-counter treatment for and move on from.

But it’s sometimes not that simple and there’s a lot we don’t talk about.

That’s why @mysecretlifeofpain_ and @painsdownthere @thrushsupport pooled this knowledge together.

From recurrent infections and treatment resistance to misdiagnosis, persistent symptoms and the potential impact on vulval health — there’s far more to the conversation than most of us have been taught.

Here are some of the things everyone deserves to know.

What do you wish you’d known? 👇

#yeastinfection #candida #thrush #vulvodynia #vestibulodynia by @painsdownthere

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a month ago

Well big start to the week! First TV appearance and getting vulvodynia in the news.

All healthcare is connected - if you don’t tackle vulval pain, there’s knock on effects for cervical screening and cancer.

This is a perfect example of how medicine can change for good - listening to patient experiences and finding better solutions.

So exciting - except for my cat Janet she just snoozed through the whole thing.

Books in the gmb spot are

Optimising recovery from vulval pain by @heather_coppard | super helpful for those diagnosed and finding their way towards feeling better

A woman’s choice by Natalie @awomanschoice | an incredibly moving account of vulval pain related to early menopause

#vulvodynia #vestibulodynia #cervicalscreening #cervicalcancerawareness by @painsdownthere

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2 months ago

Mum I’m on TV! 📺

Sky News ran a piece on the NHS’s new at-home HPV testing kits — genuinely good news, details below.

I was on air talking about it, which means I can finally say: that was my first time discussing vulval pain on TV.

I’ve talked about it plenty elsewhere, but there’s something different about saying it on camera — and I’m glad Sky gave me the platform to do it 🙏

On the story itself:

Women aged 30 to 65 who haven’t attended cervical screening can now be sent a free at-home HPV swab kit via the NHS app.

It’s simple to use, gets posted back to NHS labs, and only leads to a full appointment if high-risk HPV is detected.

A real step towards removing barriers to screening — so if you’re eligible, it’s worth ordering one ✅

And if you’ve been following what I’ve said about vulval pain before — thank you for listening.

Getting to talk about it somewhere as visible as this feels like real progress for how openly this stuff gets discussed 💛
#vulvodynia #vestibulodynia #cervicalscreening #smeartests #cervicalcancerawareness by @painsdownthere

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2 months ago