Aunt Vadge: sandy vag scratches or something worse?

Hello Aunt Vadge, 

Okay so my friend, who is a boy, and I were at the beach 24 hours ago, it was just us. No one was around. We had a lot of blankets. And he started getting touchy. Nothing I didn’t mind. Long story short. He started fingering me and for the most part it was good, but he decided to switch hands and I felt a scratch and I told him, and when he pulled his hand out of my bottoms I felt another scratch. The feeling did not come from inside my vagina but outside of it.

So when I arrived home I went to use the restroom and when I peed it stung. Very badly. So next morning I wake up and it still stings and is only irritated after peeing.

What do I do? I did shower and flushed down there just in case there was sand, but I still feel that there may be little scratches down there. My friend feels terrible and he’s nervous that if I don’t take care of it that it’ll lead to something worse. Please help.

Sincerely,
Scratched
Age: 17
Country/Area: United States
_____

Dear Scratched,

It sounds like you have good old fingering cuts, which combined with sand has resulted in your vulva (which includes your urethra, where you pee out of) being sore. This will heal on its own and you don’t need to do anything special. What you could do is make sure there is no sand anywhere inside your labial folds – that includes up under your clitoral hood, which can sometimes get little bits of stuff trapped in it and it can get pretty sore pretty quick.

If it doesn’t hurt when you walk around, just when you pee, it probably just means there is a series of small cuts. This happens when you fumble around under a blanket and have no idea what you are doing! He may have had a sharp fingernail or something like that.

You should both read Fingering Basics, but him especially. Reassure him that you are completely fine, but you both just have to do better next time! Learning how to finger is truly an artform, and nobody expects 17-year-olds on a beach under a blanket to do a good job of it. It takes practice and a lot of attention to detail.

Your scratches will heal quickly, so don’t worry. You can read the care instructions for fingering cuts and tears for more help if you need it. Write anytime!

Warmest regards,
Aunt Vadge