What is happening????? Any advice is appreciated!

Posted , 3 users are following.

Hello everyone! I've lurked on this site, and many like it, for months. But I am at my wits end and need answers. Please buckle in and bear with me because it is a very long story!! 

Okay so. This all started back in November of 2016. I was having a cramping/burning pain in my lower right abdomen. It lasted about 10 days before I went to the hospital, convinced it was appendicitis. Blood work and ultrasound (abdominal and transvaginal) showed that I am completely healthy and they don't know what is causing the pain. I followed up with my doctor who suggested IBS and recommended I take more fibre. I also spoke to him about the many symptoms I was having pointing to PMDD, to which he said PMS is common, and prescribed me Zoloft (which I did not take because I am not comfortable with taking antidepressants, and he didn't seem to understand that what I was experiencing was worse than PMS). The pain went away a few days after my hospital visit. 

Flash forward to March 2017- I cleaned up my diet significantly, I went back to school so my mental health was vastly improved as well (prior to this I was working a job that I hated, which was causing a lot of depression as well as the inability to care for myself because I was working 10+ hours a day and 3 hours of commuting). The pain returned! This time a little more sharp, severe, and consistent. It appeared to hurt the most when I would be up and moving. Walking for more than 3 minutes would bring this pain on. I called my doctor again, but the earliest appointment wasn't for 5 weeks.  Within those 5 weeks I got a nasty sinus infection and was on two rounds of antibiotics. By the time I saw my doctor, the pain was gone. They did a blood test for H-pylori which came back negative. It was suggested that it could be an ovarian cyst that has since gone away. 

Flash forward to July 2017. The pain is back! Same kind of pain, same place, same trigger (being up and moving). At first it seemed as though it hurt when I was hungry, and sitting down to eat would take the pain away. However now I am thinking it was the act of sitting down that took the pain away, not eating. After about 3 weeks of having this pain, I went to the hospital. Blood work and ultrasound were normal, and there was traces of blood/infection in my urine. It was such a small amount that one doctor said my urine was fine, another doctor mentioned the trace infection. They gave me antibiotics for a kidney infection, which only gave me terrible side effects and did nothing to take the pain away. 

I had a CT scan in September, which showed an ovarian cyst about the size of a large egg on my right ovary. I should mention that I have been on oral birth control for seven years, so an ovarian cyst is an odd occurance since I shouldn't be ovulating. I was referred to a gynaecologist, scheduled an ultrasound and a CA 125 test. Before any of these appointments could be conducted, I returned to the hospital about 3 weeks after finding out about the cyst due to extreme pain, vomiting, dizziness, profuse sweating, and fatigue. I legitimately felt like I was going to die! I told them I have an egg sized cyst, however after the ultrasound they said that I do not have one, nor is there any evidence (debris, trauma, etc) of ever having a cyst that large. Blood work was normal, and urine had trace blood/infection. I would return to the hospital two more times within 6 weeks for the same symptoms, only to be told that I am perfectly healthy. My CA 125 test came back normal. When I saw the gynaecologist, he told me that an ultrasound would've shown the cyst, so I do not have one. 

I mentioned to him that I was experiencing a lot of symptoms of estrogen dominance (mood swings, brain fog, tender breasts 24/7, weight gain in my stomach/hips, cystic acne on my cheeks), so he suggested taking my birth control consistently with no breaks to prevent the cyclical ups and downs of my hormones during the week that I am off the pill. I began doing this in December 2017. 

Between July 2017, to now (April 2018) the pain has never truly gone away. I began seeing a naturopath to determine ways to reduce the pain/figure out the source. I have worked on my gut extensively to rule out/improve IBS symptoms. I can confidently say that my gut is in good health, with me taking a variety of supplements and significantly cleaning up my diet. I have noticed a great improvement in my gut health, and can say that this lower abdominal pain is not gut related. I do have an appointment with a gastroenterologist in May, just to be sure, as I have a family history of colon cancer. 

About 11 days ago, I began having more odd symptoms. I started having black discharge, which turned into full bleeding two days later. As I am taking birth control continuously, I havent had a period since december, and should not be having one. The bleeding has continued for 9 days (which is longer than my 4-5 day periods- when I was getting them). I have also been passing clots/chunks with this bleeding. Since it started, I have been extremely dizzy, I feel like there is a water balloon sitting in my pelvis, and I have had a lot of vaginal and rectal pressure. It feels like I am trying to pass a softball in the area between my vagina and anus. Yesterday at work, I was experiencing a lot of pressure and urgency to urinate. This is exceptionally odd for me because I drink a lot of water and am usually able to hold off urinating for long periods of time if necessary, but this time I was dancing after drinking maybe two cups of water. Suddenly felt like I was going to pass out; I was sitting at a desk and suddenly everything was going spotty and I couldn't hear. I began shaking and sweating, and was immediately sent home. I went back to the hospital, sure that they would find something this time.. but what do you know, I am in perfect health! 

One other thing I will mention; my periods were always normal and started like clockwork every month. However, starting in the spring of last year, I began having a "new normal". I would begin my period on a Thursday, and end by the Monday. I would be period free Monday and Tuesday, but on the Wednesday my period would come again just for the day. This began happening every month, so like I said, it became my new normal. Would anybody consider this abnormal? It isn't something I mentioned to my gynaecologist because by the time I started going to him, this had been occurring for 8 or 9 months and was no longer abnormal or irregular to me. 

I have an appointment with my gynaecologist at the end of April, but I am so frustrated with this whole situation, and that I keep being told I am healthy! There is nothing healthy about being in pain every single day. I have learned to live with it, but that is not something that a person should have to do.

Another side note- the nature of the pain changes all the time. Sometimes it is dull and full, sometimes it is sharp and stabby, sometimes it is burning. There have also been times when I feel like my organs are being pulled on or held in place. There are times when I notice that if I am upset or stressed (particularly if I am having an arguement with my boyfriend), the pain will flare up. It will go from being a dull/full feeling to the excruciating burning pain, and will move up a bit higher and sit in my side. 

Has anybody ever experienced something coming up on a CT scan and not an ultrasound?? My naturopath suggested that whatever is in there is hiding and can't be seen on an ultrasound. But the doctor at the hospital yesterday said that ultrasounds trump CT scans (which I don't think is true....) 

Thank you to whoever took the time to read my whole story! I feel like I am this big mystery/phoney person who complains of these symptoms but is obscenely healthy on paper. It has been incredibly frustrating and takes its toll on my mental health. If anybody has any answers, suggestions, or stories of their own, please send them my way!

0 likes, 2 replies

2 Replies

  • Posted

    Hi

    So sorry to hear your suffering, there's nothing worse than feeling unheard.

    I would  insist on a CT scan, ultra sound is first line then MRI then CT. CT can pick fine detail as they inject you with a mild  dye to show up all the small areas particularly in the abdomen and pelvic area. It certainly sounds like something's going on and you should not be left to suffer. Be your own advocate and push for what you need don't be fobed off. Believe you me I know and I ended up with a huge 20cm ovarian cyst.

    Good luck, with it and I'm sure you will sort it if you push in a nice way

    Xx

  • Posted

    Hey

    I did read your whole story. And girl you must feel so fed up 😔

    I can understand you lack of people listening to you. It can be very frustrating being told it's nothing when you yourself are suffering everyday. As the other poster said take control. Demand a CT/MRI. Tell them you need answers. Ultrasound isn't showing anything so you want it investigated further. You NEED it investigated further. Living everyday with pain is not fun and I know that from personal experience. And I bet you felt even a tiny bit better writing that all down here on this website. And get help from a family member or friend. Tell them everything get them to help you to. Sometimes when your feeling low and not heard. It can be very hard to speak up. Get support. Writing everything down prior to a doctor's visit to make sure you know what you want to ask. These are things that can help. Keeping a diary of your pain everyday. How it felt. Then you can reference back.

    I really hope you get heard and helped.

    Thinking of you

    -Vicky

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