trying to figure out what is wrong with me

[anita_marie]

I have been having mild to severe pain in my pelvic area which will radiate in my sides, and my uppper abdomen, from right to left.  this has been going on for over 6 months. i went to the emergency room 3 times. the first 2 times they found cysts on my ovaries, the 3rd time nothing showed up. but i have still been in pain since then. My question is coul d it be something other than just cysts. my periods are irregular, heavy and very painfull. I just got insurance so i made an appointment with a ob/gyn, before i went to a state funded clinic and because nothing showe dup on the last ultrasound, that nothing was wrong. Its like they didnt believe i was in pain. the pain will also shoot into my legs at times. And then will radiate all over my stomach. And sometimes even with pain meds,. it barely takes the edge off. My husband says its all in my head. Well it sure doesnt feel that way. and sometimes pain shoot through my back too. I just dont want to go to another doctor and be told they cant find anything. Right now the pain is concentrated on my right side from my upper right side down in to my hips. I feel like i am goign crazy cause it seems to be all over the place. Any thoughts ? I am so tired of being in pain. thanks anita

[ticked]

it might be that the cysts are bursting and that is the pain that you are feeling.  You might want to go on the pill so lessen the pain. Is this all the time you are feeling this or is this a couple times a month?

[Francesanne]

Hi, I've got similiar symptons to yours but I'm going through the menoupause plus I've got under active thyroid and high BP. You really have my sympathy because how do you convince people the pain isn't all in your mind. Think my husband is a little like yours. Just because I look OK doesn't mean I'm not in pain. Wish you well and hope you discover what's causing the problems.  

[anita_marie]

This has been going on for over 6 months, the pain never actually goes away. Thats why i am thinking it maybe something else. And the pain can be severe for 15 or more and then calm down, but no never goes away completely. And my last few periods were like i was in labor again. I know cysts can come and go. But whatever this is, its not going away. And like i said it radiates thourghout my whole abdomen. I was told i should be put on birth controls pills to regulate my periods. but something other than cysts seems like is wrong, i dont know what endometirios is. or what sypmtoms are either. My doctor told me cysts are normal. but when its been going on for this long, doesnt seem normal to me. Sometimes it feels like i am having spasms also in my stomach. i even had blood work done, to check my liver and that was normal. i do though have underactive thyroid. my last period was so painful i was in tears. And even the last doctor i saw, said its normal to have irregular periods. But mine are early, late, couple times a month. I just hope when i go to this new doctor they can find something. Doesnt help that i have  chronic back pain from breaking my back either. my husband pulled a muscle in his side and acted like a big baby. but that was ok. i cant even say anything to him anymore. And i am just so tired of bein g in pain. thanks for answering me. I have no one to talk to about this. and its hard.

[PMoon]

I've had the cysts and severe endo as well. Pain in my legs, irregular periods. I've been trying alternative therapies. I have been going to an acupuncturist and at some point had a normal period - I just cried. I'd never had "no pain" before. Now I am having problems again. Trying magnesium - read it helps. I'm getting ready to try another alternative medicine doctor now. Have you ever thought about a Traditional Chinese Medicine doctor/acupuncturist?

[Tree618]

Your story sounds exactly like mine, other than the broken back. I dealt with the pain and ER visits for 2 1/2 years before my mom told me about endometriosis. I had several different ob/gyns during that time and they all acted like I was crazy and making up my pain. They quit giving me pain killers after a while and I got so fed up. I couldn't keep my house clean and be there for my three kids like I wanted to. I finally went to a new ob/gyn in a different city. Before I went, I got online and read up about the symptoms of endometriosis. I realized I had all of them. I told my new doc that I wanted him to do an exploratory laproscopic surgery of my pelvis to look for endo. I didn't let him try and talk me out of it. I let him know how long I had been dealing with the pain, and that I had read up on the symptoms and that I had all of them. He said OK. 2 months later I had the surgery and I was right. He put me on lupron depot for 6 months. It is a monthly injection that basically shuts your periods and hormones down. We did that to see if my pain got better. It did, so after the 5th month, I told him I wanted a partial hysterectomy. I was in early menopause, the hot flashes were bad, and the mood swings, and the night sweats, but I was able to be a mom! He said because I was so young and my ovarys had no endo, I could keep them. So I got the hysterectomy, my uterus and cervix gone. Its been three months now, and I feel great! I had forgot what no pain felt like! I feel for you and what you are going through. My best advice is to read up on endo, and if you are pretty certain its what you have, tell your doctor to do the exploratory surgery, that is the only way for them to know if you have it or not. Good luck!

[juliesmom]

Welcome to the world of endometriosis...I had almost gotten used to being told that I was crazy for acting like I was in so much pain.  It unbearable and interferes with many aspects of your life.  I have pain that goes from my navel down almost to my knees, its like clockwork, when I start my period I'm going to be in horrible, debiliting pain for days.  Not to say that the rest of the month I have no pain, that would be a lie but I've learned to live with the daily pain.  I work at a hospital and my husband is a paramedic so we have many friends in the medical field...lucky for me one is an ER doc who has a wife that suffers with endo, he's very compassionate and gives me non-narcotic pain meds that I can take and still function.  There are days that I reach for the narcotics and take whatever I have to ease the pain, I hate that I have to depend on medicine to survive but have come to realize that for me there is no other alternative.  I also did Lupron Depot injections, once for 3 months and another time for 6 months, it did help the pain but since it puts your body in to a menopausal state you have to deal with all of the normal side effects of menopause, night sweats, hot flashes and moodiness.  I suppose it was worth it though to do without the constant pain for a little while.  I do sympathize with you and understand what it's like to have no one to talk to, my husband does understand that I'm in pain but I don't think that he realizes just how bad it is.  Working in EMS, he's grown a little cold to that kind of thing.  There are so many drug seekers that scream that they're in pain just to get the drugs that paramedics, doctors and nurses are beginning to assume that's what everyone is doing.  

You should definitely go to a doctor who specializes and insist on a lap, that's the only way to be certain that it is or isn't endo.  Once you know for sure if that's what you're dealing with you can choose your course of action and hopefully find a treatment that's right for you and will give you some relief.  Keep us posted and good luck!

[leaneG]

I would go on a pill to see if it helps but I would plan to get a lap done. When you get a lap done they will be able to see if you do have cysts and/or endo. Ultrasounds are not the best way to see endo and can miss it all together. I went for tons of ultra sounds internal and external and was told i was fine and they couldn't find anything. I would have pain off an on in my lower back and in my lower ab. I was tired all the time, sex hurt, and my flow was crazy. I would cramp up out of no where and most of all I was tired of talking to people as if I was crazy. I felt like I was talking to a wall. I finally urged to get a lap done and BANG I have endo. They found it every where and I am one of the worst cases my doc has seen ina  long time. So I can tell you from my events that a lap is the best way to go if they can't see anything in your ultrasounds.