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Endometriosis?
Hello everyone. My name is Melissa, I'm 24, and I've been struggling with a lot of symptoms that point towards endometriosis. I was wondering if I could get some guidance because I'm currently without insurance and the doctors I have seen aren't even a little bit helpful.
It started last December when I noticed I was pretty constipated. Constipation has been an ongoing problem for me through the last decade or so. When I was about 13 I went to see some specialists who did a few tests and didn't find anything. When it happened in December, it had been a while since it was a problem but I assumed it was connected to my hectic schedule and the fact my diet was kind of poor.
Fast forward to March when I admitted myself to the hospital because I hadn't gone to the bathroom in about three weeks and I had just gotten my period, which was heavier and more painful than most in recent memory. At one point I tried to use a tampon (which I very rarely do because they've always been uncomfortable) and it hurt so severely I had to remove it almost immediately. The pain lasted for hours.
I explained to the attending physician that my periods were painful, I had an intense sharp pain localized to my ovaries-usually only in the left but sometimes on the right-that my bowel movements were few and far between for months and that I was also experiencing a lot of fatigue. They ran a CT scan and an ultrasound and they didn't find anything. They sent me home with a prescription for something that was supposed to stop "colon spasms," which I didn't take because I wasn't having much discomfort in my stomach itself and I felt the medication was unnecessary.
After this I decided to try a healthy diet and started eating macrobiotic. I assumed that a high-fiber diet full of nothing but natural foods would help and it did to some degree. I noticed that the urge to go to the bathroom was now there but the ability to actually go still wasn't. After a little less than a month of this I gave up because it was starting to get too painful.
I carried on with painful periods and frequent constipation, which loosened up every now and again but was usually never much better. Sometimes I would go as frequently as every four days and sometimes I'd hit the four week mark before I went. I took laxatives when the discomfort got bad or when my gas got really offensive but I tried not to take laxatives too frequently.
In July, I got a very painful period followed by a full week of diarrhea. Every time I ate I'd be in the bathroom within half an hour. When I returned from work from the 4th of July weekend (which I spent most of on the toilet), I projectile vomited at work and decided to go to the hospital again. I explained that, like last time, I was just off my period and that my bowel habits seemed connected somehow. They ran blood work, determined that I was "too young to be tested on so much in one year" and sent me home with a diagnosis of dehydration. Before dismissing me, the doctor mentioned in passing that my white blood cell count was high but didn't seem phased.
In early August, I reconnected with an old friend and we ended up trying to have sex. I say "trying to have sex" because the pain was too unbearable for us to continue. It was the first time I'd had sex since my bowel habits changed dramatically, although I know that sex had in the past been uncomfortable. This was on a different level than I remember. It hurt for days after and caused some light bleeding. This was also right after my period.
After this I got serious about figuring it out, because I was more convinced than ever that all of this was connected. I also threw up again about a week after my period and had to miss work, which has been a problem throughout this whole year. If it's not nausea or bowel problems or hospitalizations, it's oversleeping because of the intense fatigue that I experience despite getting 7+ hours of sleep.
Over the weekend I went to Planned Parenthood for an exam. I mentioned everything I mentioned above and they didn't seem concerned. The nurse practitioner I saw told me that my bowel problems were normal and not concerning. She said that the reason for my intense period pain is because "some people have lower thresholds for pain than others." She told me that sex only hurt because I haven't been having it frequently enough for my vagina muscles to be used to it.
When I mentioned I've been doing research into endometriosis and that I was worried this might be the cause she agreed that it was possible, but she did absolutely nothing else. She didn't offer me resources, or explain how to go about getting it diagnosed. I've done a lot of research and I believe that this is the most likely cause for my problems considering the fact that they all flare up around my period and my periods are heavier and more painful than they used to be. The sharp pain on the left side of my pelvic region is also something relatively new.
I'm just wondering if I should keep pursuing endometriosis as my diagnosis and if so, how to do this without insurance. I appreciate it that you took the time to read all this and look forward to your help!
It started last December when I noticed I was pretty constipated. Constipation has been an ongoing problem for me through the last decade or so. When I was about 13 I went to see some specialists who did a few tests and didn't find anything. When it happened in December, it had been a while since it was a problem but I assumed it was connected to my hectic schedule and the fact my diet was kind of poor.
Fast forward to March when I admitted myself to the hospital because I hadn't gone to the bathroom in about three weeks and I had just gotten my period, which was heavier and more painful than most in recent memory. At one point I tried to use a tampon (which I very rarely do because they've always been uncomfortable) and it hurt so severely I had to remove it almost immediately. The pain lasted for hours.
I explained to the attending physician that my periods were painful, I had an intense sharp pain localized to my ovaries-usually only in the left but sometimes on the right-that my bowel movements were few and far between for months and that I was also experiencing a lot of fatigue. They ran a CT scan and an ultrasound and they didn't find anything. They sent me home with a prescription for something that was supposed to stop "colon spasms," which I didn't take because I wasn't having much discomfort in my stomach itself and I felt the medication was unnecessary.
After this I decided to try a healthy diet and started eating macrobiotic. I assumed that a high-fiber diet full of nothing but natural foods would help and it did to some degree. I noticed that the urge to go to the bathroom was now there but the ability to actually go still wasn't. After a little less than a month of this I gave up because it was starting to get too painful.
I carried on with painful periods and frequent constipation, which loosened up every now and again but was usually never much better. Sometimes I would go as frequently as every four days and sometimes I'd hit the four week mark before I went. I took laxatives when the discomfort got bad or when my gas got really offensive but I tried not to take laxatives too frequently.
In July, I got a very painful period followed by a full week of diarrhea. Every time I ate I'd be in the bathroom within half an hour. When I returned from work from the 4th of July weekend (which I spent most of on the toilet), I projectile vomited at work and decided to go to the hospital again. I explained that, like last time, I was just off my period and that my bowel habits seemed connected somehow. They ran blood work, determined that I was "too young to be tested on so much in one year" and sent me home with a diagnosis of dehydration. Before dismissing me, the doctor mentioned in passing that my white blood cell count was high but didn't seem phased.
In early August, I reconnected with an old friend and we ended up trying to have sex. I say "trying to have sex" because the pain was too unbearable for us to continue. It was the first time I'd had sex since my bowel habits changed dramatically, although I know that sex had in the past been uncomfortable. This was on a different level than I remember. It hurt for days after and caused some light bleeding. This was also right after my period.
After this I got serious about figuring it out, because I was more convinced than ever that all of this was connected. I also threw up again about a week after my period and had to miss work, which has been a problem throughout this whole year. If it's not nausea or bowel problems or hospitalizations, it's oversleeping because of the intense fatigue that I experience despite getting 7+ hours of sleep.
Over the weekend I went to Planned Parenthood for an exam. I mentioned everything I mentioned above and they didn't seem concerned. The nurse practitioner I saw told me that my bowel problems were normal and not concerning. She said that the reason for my intense period pain is because "some people have lower thresholds for pain than others." She told me that sex only hurt because I haven't been having it frequently enough for my vagina muscles to be used to it.
When I mentioned I've been doing research into endometriosis and that I was worried this might be the cause she agreed that it was possible, but she did absolutely nothing else. She didn't offer me resources, or explain how to go about getting it diagnosed. I've done a lot of research and I believe that this is the most likely cause for my problems considering the fact that they all flare up around my period and my periods are heavier and more painful than they used to be. The sharp pain on the left side of my pelvic region is also something relatively new.
I'm just wondering if I should keep pursuing endometriosis as my diagnosis and if so, how to do this without insurance. I appreciate it that you took the time to read all this and look forward to your help!
I have just read everything you wrote and yes it does sound like Endo if not bowel and/or rectovaginal Endo. Here is a link to my blog in regards to what I went through before I was diagnosed. Let me know if you feel you are walking down the same path.
http://endendoforever.blogspot.ca/2013/10/bowel-pain-and-endometriosis.html
http://endendoforever.blogspot.ca/2013/10/bowel-pain-and-endometriosis.html
Clearly your constipation's a major issue, solve that and I think you'd be more than halfway home. There's a site called endo-resolved (came up first when I googled endometriosis and constipation, maybe they paid google to be first?), anyway it seemed to have a good suggestion to try: probiotics.
I know from my family's experience (not for your condition though) that a really effective probiotic is (the regular version which is all we've tried) Enzymatic Therapy Acidophilus Pearls (blue white package), which might be worth a try. They're also on amazon.com, so there's handy user reviews to check out on the product.
I know from my family's experience (not for your condition though) that a really effective probiotic is (the regular version which is all we've tried) Enzymatic Therapy Acidophilus Pearls (blue white package), which might be worth a try. They're also on amazon.com, so there's handy user reviews to check out on the product.
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