Ovarian Cysts - Chronic Pain
Posted , 5 users are following.
First of all, my apologies if I am posting in the wrong community. I am just reaching out for a little help as I feel like I'm reaching the end of my rope. I am so scared and feeling like I'm all alone at the moment. I am from the UK and living in the States. All of my immediate family are in the UK. This is my first time posting. I am 45 and have been suffering from chronic pain now for the last 2 years. I currently do not have health insurance. The only help I am receiving currently is via charity care at a local university hospital. I first visited the women's clinic there in June of this year. Prior to that, all I could do is visit the emergency room each time the pain was at its worst. I have only been getting a period every 2 months or so. The first time I visited the emergency room ( almost 2 years ago) they gave me a CT scan and told me I had an irregular 1.4 cm left ovarian cyst. At the emergency room a couple of months later, an ultrasound showed that the cyst was no longer there. The next scan showed 1.2 left paraovarian cyst. The most recent 2 ultrasounds showed that the cyst was 3.5 cm, then it appeared I had 3 cysts on the left (2 small simple cysts and one 1.5 cm complex cyst). I know that they can come and go. The pain is constant and is now affecting my lower left back and left hip. The pain doesn't feel like it's affected in any way by my cycles. My uterus and cervix appear normal on the ultrasounds. I do sometimes feel the pain in the left side of the uterus, and I also get sharp shooting pains in my cervix. A hot bath seems to be the only thing that relieves the pain for a few hours. I recently had a yeast infection. I treated it with matronidazole. The next day, the pain in my back was unbearable. I called the clinic, and they told me that it was impossible for the cream to make the back pain worse. I have had 2 normal smear tests last year. I just feel like I'm going round in circles. The women's clinic have given me a hormone test, to which they told me that my hormones were normal. I know that they're not, as I just feel different with no sex drive at all. They prescribed me birth control, but that just gave me visual migraines. I am now taking progesterone, but the pain is still there every day. Not sure what to do at this point. I can't get an appointment at the clinic until January 3rd and I am constantly in pain. I am thankful for the university hospital, but every doctor I speak to is a student and it's also really hard to get an appointment. My bowels were also affected for a little while. I had a colonoscopy, which came back normal. A recent emergency room visit showed blood in my urine (5). I don't know what to do or who to turn to. So sorry for the long post. Any help or opinions would be greatly appreciated.
3 likes, 3 replies
shannon98753 gunnysmum
Posted
Hi! I am so sorry to hear about all you've been going through. Maybe you should try another form of birth control and see if that helps? I know sometimes the first one they put you on isn't always the right one. I hope you get relief soon!
Vita63640 gunnysmum
Posted
I have had severe pain for the last year, but before that I had chronic pain in my back (right side). I know what you are gong through, you are not alone. I went through spine doctor after spine doctor, each one telling me I had some desiccation of the spine, but nothing that would cause "that kind of pain." Finally, after doctors were telling me it was in my head (grrr), but also giving me spinal and hip injections, I went to a pain specialist which in the US you can see because most will accept Medicaid (sign up for that, it is free, dependent upon income!).
I have been on narcotics for the last year / year and a half and it was only a few months ago that they found (during another surgery of the abdomen, ironically) two huge multicystic ovarian masses and 20+ other cysts on my ovaries! I am with a gynecological oncologist now, with a total hysterectomy date on Jan 8th -unsure if it is cancer or not.. I am freaking out. Also, I have 7 MRIs of my lower lumbar and pelvic area and the spine docs / family docs never even saw a large cantaloupe-sized ovarian tumor! When i went back and looked at those MRIs, it was right there, clear as day. (grr again).
But the PAIN... you really need to see a doc about just the pain because it is real, and it can be horrible.. I know! And it affects the back, the leg(s), and the pelvic area all at once. I have been to the emergency room a few times, simply because I needed stronger medication than Oxycontin (which is what I am on now).
I am worried that you have not gone to a regular gynecologist, but are seeing students / clinic doctors instead. It sounds as though you may have polycystic ovarian syndrome and if it is causing that much pain, it certainly needs to be looked at further! Especially if it is lasting a long time, causing the chronic pain you are describing
Please do sign up for the Medicaid insurance, it will help you so much to get into a gynecologist and a pain specialist and have all of this looked at.
katy91676 gunnysmum
Posted
I am so sorry to hear about all of the pain that you have experienced these past few years.
I would definitely try to get into a health department if you can't afford to go to the doctor. They will almost always perform pap smears/tests for free or at a much lower cost.
I am currently in the same boat where hot baths and heating pads seem to be the only thing to stop the pain I am feeling from a possible cyst on my left ovary.
I would also try a different brand of birth control. Many of them have different levels of hormones and it would be easiest to go to a doctor and see what they recommend for your hormone levels.
There are many different ones that can hep with these issues.
It would also be smart to do some research on holistic remedies if you don't want to go down the birth control road. There are some great remedies that help women.
I know for me personally, during my last two periods I have experienced the most painful cramps on my left side and my bowels were also affected. I couldn't push without it feeling like my ovary was going to explode. It also made me feel like I was going to throw up and pass out. Now that I'm off my period it still cramps but I no longer feel sick from it.
I am going in for an ultrasound in a week to see what's going on but I think you should try to go to a health department. Or if you can go to the ER tell them you would like a pelvic ultrasound where they insert it into your vagina and can get a better look at what's going on.
If you are in pain and over the counter medication isn't working, they need to give you something that is stronger until they can figure out a game plan for you.