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Endometriosis?! Help!

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gabby_44662
gabby_44662

Hi all. Over the past 3 years I’ve suffered with pretty unbearable pelvic pain that would only come and go and only last a few days. Suddenly I have been dealing with severe pelvic pain over the past 2 weeks. It’s like a pulling pain in my left side with a severe feeling of inflammation. I went to the Gyno and had them give me every test...to ease my mind- everything all good. They referred me to a GI Dr (to perhaps rule out that) which I see tomorrow. But the more I research and the way it feels I think I may be experiencing endometriosis. I am 34 -no kids- could this be endometriosis?! The pain comes and goes throughout the day and sometimes it’s pretty unbearable. I plan to return to the Gyno after I speak to GI Dr. Any suggestions for pain relief?! Or how to stop this awful flare up. I’m 13 days out until my period...so I just don’t know!!

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2 Replies

  • k51551
    k51551 gabby_44662

    Posted

    I wrote out a reply and lost it!

    To summarize what I wrote before my laptop dumped it:

    You're not alone, Gabby. Many women suffer pelvic pain. I have Endo, Adenomyosis, Fibroids and suffered from painful ovarian cysts several times a year = I understand how frustrating pelvic pain is and I know how it can take over your life.

    The tugging feeling you speak of reminds me of pain I felt with my issues.  The fact that your OBGYN has ruled out other conditions is helpful. Unfortunately Endo is not usually visible on imaging...surgery is the only way to know 100% that a patient has Endo (as I understand it). But before that, your Dr ruled out other conditions and you're seeing Gastro to rule out more conditions. Excellent. 

    Has your OBGYN suggested or RX'd hormone therapy? Generally, Endo responds to hormone therapy and it can greatly reduce pelvic pain that is caused by Endo. Sometimes, it's a trial and error journey to find the right hormone therapy for you. 

    How old are you?

    I'm a bit disappointed your OB didn't address your pain while you are working to get a diagnosis. Advil helped me but I did always have a back-up RX for when I'd have a cyst bursting in my gut. I'm in mid 40s so I recently had a full hysterectomy. Life is sweet now :D 

    Have you tried Ibuprofen?  Heating pad? If you need something stronger that OTC medications, don't be intimidated or afraid to ask your Dr -- a good Dr won't make her/his patients suffer unnecessarily. 

    You'll get thru this and you'll get a diagnosis soon. When you have a diagnosis, then you can make a plan to get yourself out of pain!

    Good luck, Gabby. 

  • katy91676
    katy91676 gabby_44662

    Posted

    Hey Gabby,

    I have been suffering from very similar pains as you. 

    I am about to turn 25 in a few months and I am suspected of having endo as well. 

    The tugging pain you are referring to, I had been feeling that a week before my last cycle, during and after it. It was also only on my left side. It is now a constant cramp on my left side.

    I am on birth control and have been since I was 13 and haven't had any issues up until a few months ago.

    I ended up in the ER twice because of the pain and had a transvaginal ultra sound, which came back 100% normal. I also have blood work done that turned out normal. I am waiting for my OB appointment at the end of the month. 

    The ER doctor and a few other doctors mentioned that it could be endo just tugging on my other organs, such as my bowels, because my bowels were all messed up. 

    One thing that has really eased my pain personally, is introducing probiotics into my diet. It has really helped get my gut back on track and it feels like the inflammation near my left ovary has gone down A LOT because of it. Which in return has caused that tugging pain to go away a lot too. 

    I still get really bad cramps on that side every few hours, but a heating pad has become my best friend. 

    I also started taking super hot bath with some essential oil and bath salts. This seems to not only calm the pain but calm my mind because my anxiety gets really bad when I am in pain. 

    If you live in a state where medical marijuana is legal, they have a lot of TCH oils that are strictly dedicated to endo and chronic pelvic pain that you can rub above your pelvis that work almost instantly. This would be a much better option than sticking with pain medication. 

    If you are not on birth control and your GI doctor has ruled out gut issues, I would suggest try birth control for a few months to a year and see how that works. Again, this is something that worked for me.

    I would also suggest tweaking your diet and removing foods that you notice cause inflammation in your body, more particularly your pelvic area.

    I started working with a nutritional therapist and removed certain foods have really helped the pain I was feeling. 

    I only suggest some of these options because I've had success with it and I know other women who have as well. Definitely talk with your doctor first to see what they think of it because if it's endo there are things you can try to ease the pain before going straight to surgery and that's something I think is very important to explore. 

    I have a few more recommendations and books to read if you are interested! Let me know if you ever need to talk, I know this can be a scary time. 

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