Posted , 3 users are following.
Hello
My girlfriend has been suffering with abdominal pains for a couple of years now. She's been to the Dr's and she's had scans but they found nothing. She was due for a blood test but we recently moved and now we're registering with a new Dr's.
The trouble is, she's also suffering from severe anxiety and depression so rarely goes outside. This makes it difficult to get her to the Dr's at the best of times. I'm extremely worried about her and I'm having sleepless nights over it. I just want to know what it is!
I thought someone on here would be able to give me a little bit of insight and put my mind at ease? She gets heavy periods (the pain worsens then too ) she can't sit up straight at all, she has to lay on a recliner. The pain sometimes goes down her legs too. I've read many pages on these symptoms and they all point to Endometriosis and I'm just hoping it's not anything really bad.
I'm not getting any sleep I'm worried sick,
Can anyone put my mind at ease whilst we wait to be registered at the Dr's?
Thank you.
1 like, 11 replies
kpar024 tashakawaii
Posted
It definitely sounds like it could very well be endometriosis. I experienced the same thing. It gradually started getting worse over time for me as well. I've always had HORRIBLE periods since I started having them. I thought it was normal for them to be insanely miserable. I had blood in my urine since the beginning of February that put me on the wrong tract and pointless surgeries with a urologist. I went to my gynecologist as a last ditch effort to see if they could figure it out.
Endometriosis and interstitial cystitis are called the "evil twins" because they both have such similar symptoms. I was first diagnosed with IC but a cystoscopy came to the conclusion that I did not in fact have it. My very first visit with my gynecologist to tell them what I was experiencing and they immediately booked me to have an ultrasound done. I read a lot about how they will try to put you on birth control first to see if it will manage the pain. But thankfully they skipped right over that. At the ultrasound he said because of my age, 24, he said it would be uncommon for me to have endometriosis because I would've came in sooner with complaints. I have a very high pain tolerance since I also have a horrible history with kidney stones. He said it could also be scar tissue because I've had a c section.
He ended up scheduling me for a laparoscopy - the only way to diagnose. It will not show up on an ct scans, ultrasounds, etc. I have the surgery done and sure enough, I had stage 4 severe endometriosis that was causing all of my organs on my left side to stick together. It was excruciating pain I had dealt with for months. My periods however would be heavy then some would be so light I thought it was a joke. At my follow up, he told me he believes I've had endometriosis for at least a decade.
There is no cure for endometriosis. In some cases, not even a complete hysterectomy will cure it. If she gets diagnosed, it's all about quality of life and managing pain. Push for a laparoscopy. They will clear up whatever endometriosis they find, if she has it. Then it's a matter of keeping it at bay. I'm currently about to try a plan to manage mine. They've suggested lupron... read up on that... or birth control to keep me from having periods all together.
If she drinks caffeine, cutting back might help. Greasy foods and caffeine really triggered painful symptoms for me. Hopefully it will help a little bit until she can get answers.
Best of luck to the both of you... I hope she gets it figured out soon and gets the pain managed.
tashakawaii kpar024
Posted
Thank you so much.
Your reply has really helped me understand what she's going through.
I will definitely push for a laparoscopy.
kpar024 tashakawaii
Posted
If it helps... the depression and lack of energy are big side effects of endometriosis. I know a few girls personally who suffer from the same things because of the endo. It's so painful that it literally drains your body. For months I would go through hell just to get through my work day then go home.. change into pj's and lay in bed until I fell asleep. I never wanted to go anywhere. Not knowing what was wrong with me at the time put me down even more as well.
tashakawaii kpar024
Posted
Thank you for your reply.
I suspected that her depression is probably worsening due to the Endo. She had it before all the pain, but it certainly isn't helping.
aitarg35939 tashakawaii
Posted
Oh Tashakawii!
If you pray, pray she doesn't have endometriosis. If you visualize, find diagrams of healthy uterus, cervix, fallopian tubes and ovaries, then visualize those into your girlfriend.
We do live with endo, and the drugs and "procedures" and surgeries that go with it, but how well we are able to live with it seems to be a crap shoot because care is so variable and there's so little predictability from one of us to the next. We all suffer.
You must hope it isn't endo because getting doctors to pay attention and do anything is brutally difficult. If your girlfriend has anxiety about leaving the house now, 999 out of 1000 docs she'll see about this will only make her less inclined to leave home.
My suggestion is that you first help her find a psychologist or psychiatrist who helps her feel better, and meanwhile document her pain and symptoms. Get her involved in keeping a calendar. No matter what's wrong, that calendar is going to help with the docs.
You are both in my prayers.
aitarg35939
Posted
Didn't mean to misspell your name, Tashakawaii.
tashakawaii aitarg35939
Posted
Thank you for your reply.
I know for a fact that she would much rather see a doctor than a psychiatrist.
She's not ready for that yet.
aitarg35939 tashakawaii
Posted
I understand her feeling! It was just a thought because the process of finding a doctor who will consider endo - and who knows that a laparoscopy is the only way to find endo - can be years-long and emotionally brutal. Almost all of us have the same experience and emotional scars from this unnecessary part of the journey.
It will help to make that log or calendar of what she goes through, and it will help if you or someone else who knows her and believes her goes into the exam room with her on all appointments. Sometimes docs treat women better if we have someone with us who says something validating about having witnessed our pain & agony. Sometimes they don't treat us better but at least then the person with us can commiserate with us about how awful the docs was.
tashakawaii aitarg35939
Posted
She wouldn't go anywhere without me anyway. She's dependent on me.
kate49131 tashakawaii
Posted
Reference her anxierty and depression I also had issues a few years (could be related I dont know). I was recommended to see a family planning specialist rather than my GP who changed my contraceptive pill and this changed my life! May not be hormone related for your gf but may be worth a try as you dont even need an appointment you can walk in to clinics locally and are not waiting for a consultant appointment.
Good luck she is lucky to have such a thoughtful and supportive bf to help her through this x
tashakawaii kate49131
Posted
Hello
Thank you so much for your helpful answer.
It's really good to know there are people out there who will take the time to write such lengthy replies telling me all about your experience.
I am going to go into that Dr's office armed with all the symptoms she's having and that I am positive it is probably Endo.
Also, I'm her gf but easy mistake lol.
Join this discussion or start a new one?
New discussion Reply