Lower Left Abdominal Pain for almost a year

Hi,
I just turned 22 in this month and I had this lower left abdominal pain, bloating, tired and reduced appetite since last Nov. 06. I went to see doctor right away when I had that pain. They did an Ultra Sound, urine and blood examinations and everything is normal no cysts or anything. So my primary care doctor sent me to have a CT scan on 01/07. They found some free fluids in the pelvic area and stools in my large colon other than that everything is normal. My GI specialist concluded that it was IBS. I have the pain everyday, especially when I drive I can feel there's a tumor in that lower area. So, I went to see doc again and told him to feel the area and he couldn't feel anything. He said he would be able to feel it if it’s there. He suggested me Barium Enema and Occult Blood exams and everything is okay and fine. Later my doc told me to change to a different primary doc for a second opinion. So, I did and the new doc thinks my sickness is IBS and not an ovary problem. She said you are too young to have She didn't even give me a second opinion and told me to see a psychiatrist. The pain is constantly there and it didn't go away. I am worried so I went to see OBG and he told me to do US again. I did US in September 2007, both regular and vaginal Ultra sound. They technician told me that I have follicles in my both ovaries other than that no cysts or anything. Again, I seriously don't know what is causing these pains. The OBG said if I want further more investigation he will send me to do a laparoscopy. Since the beginning of October, my upper left abdominal area and liver area start to hurt. Are the cancer cells mesmerized my body or something? I have those red dots under the skin which appear very often and go away on my leg, thigh, chest, back, arm joint, belly and sometimes on my neck. I think I'm dying of some kind of disease which I don't know what. I'm very stressing out and crying everyday. Please help me to find out what is wrong with me.

[Annekathryn Goodman, M.D.]

hi there,
thank you for all your words of comfort to Anna.
i would agree with everyone. Anna - you have had a good evalaution. You may have endometriosis, irritable bowel, or both. You need to feel comfortable with your doctor or nurse. when you have pain, it is important to start working on strategies to making it better. that requires teamwork with your health care team
best wishes

[Ms_Makita]

Hi,I really feel for you.I've been having chronic  pelvic/abdominal pain for a year with 100lbs weight loss,I'm 29 yrs old.I've had appedectomy,laparscopy,and gallbladder removed,colonscopy (so many test and all are normal) and still continue pain but I also do have ovarian cysts  and possible endometriosis. I do have IBS and experience daily pain,and it can be very painful and mimic other disorders,and stress/anxiety ,poor diet will worsen IBS symptoms I wasr ecently in hospital for small bowel obstruction from adhesions.
        Here is another thought,I'm not a dr,but do you have painful periods? has any dr mentioned endometriosis? that is easily confused with IBS,and no x-rays can detect it so it might be wise to do a laparscopy to rule it out.I know its hard but try to relax..its a good sign your ultrasound is normal...hope you get an answer soon.Take Care

[Anna777]

Hey Ms_Makita,
Thank you for your reply. I really appreciate that. I'm so happy that I found someone who I can discuss about my issue. I do have painful period especially on the first and second days and it hurts when i make love with my bf. May I ask you something questions regarding to IBS symptoms? I have back pain everyday and whenever I woke up in the morning my lower left abdominal area started to hurt but after I woke up for a while and walking in the campus the pain ease away. But I still can feel the tension around my belly area when i drive to school. I have bowel movement almost everyday and it's very painful when I tried to squeeze my stools out but after the bowel movement I feel better and yet the pain is still there. It's weird to say that the pain is usually there all day long. I went to see my primary care doctor and still the same answer..IBS. So, he gave me some IBS medication to take but i didn't get it because I know it's not going to be useful. So, do you think I should ask my OBG doc to perform a laparoscopy exam very soon so that i can clear my mind out? Oh by the way, I keep thinking that i have ovarian cysts and the Ultra Sound didn't do a good job to capture the cysts in my ovaries......do you think that is possible to have such a mechanical mistake? My doctor said, if there's one the machine will catch with the UV light. I don't know I'm going crazy and very depressed. Thank you for answering my question Ms_Makita.  

[lindle]

Hi - I am the 53 yr old lady who posted under CA125 and endometriosis. This is a long post but please read on as there may be just one thing in my story that hits a familiar note with one person. Mine is a rare case but if my experience could help just one young woman prevent what I went through...

Against the background of terrible symptoms in response to ovulation (described in my other post) I started having obvious gynae problems in my mid 30's. My cycle was very short at just 21 days which was bad in itself as symptoms came round so quickly. I'd have all the mid and second half cycle horror then my periods, although only short, got very heavy, intensely painful as though my insides were being pulled out downwards, with huge clots. This would then be followed with what I called 'brown sludge' (a bit like a normal thick discharge but brown) for several days after and was followed by severe back pain across the lower back at the level of the 'hollow' and into the hips. This was positional in that it was reasonably OK if I was in one position, but moving was extremely painful and for a few days I would crawl rather than stand if it was possible. This was diagnosed as probable endometriosis and I was given Danazol but no lap at that time.

I generally felt so ill by then, though, that we decided to try for a baby and then have a hysterectomy and BSO which my doc said would finally make me well. Unbeknown to me, I discovered years later, on inspecting my records, that he had secretly already diagnosed me as having the worst case on PMS he'd ever come across!   At 40 yrs old I conceived immediately and had a fantastic pregnancy, felt unbelievable well for the first time in adult life - extremely high energy levels, no pain and most importantly for me - no mid cycle symptoms. But the symptoms returned after pregnancy with a vengeance. We decided to go for fertility treatment and I went on Clomid when my symptoms mysteriously vanished temporarily (I have now discovered that this drug 'tricks the body into thinking its oestrogen levels are very low'). Then we went for IVF. I had a lap to check the tubes were OK and a thorough search was made for endometriosis but I was 'clear'. Finally after unsuccessful IVF I had the hysterectomy and BSO that my doc said would cure all my problems. Before surgery I asked the surgeon to again have a thorough rummage in my insides for any endometriosis and again was declared clear with uterus and ovaries completely healthy. I then went on HRT being pumped full of oestrogen which grew the huge and most advanced possible endometriosis on my bladder, intestines, bowel and back in a very short time. Interestingly, even with all of this going on down there, my main symptoms were those connected to the apparent extreme brain dysfunction rather than pelvic related. I did develop severe cyclic back ache in the same place as all those years before but only for 3 days or so at a time and constipation was very bad for about the same length of time (had to remove the stuff manually with the old latex glove!) but was completely pelvic-pain free in between. It wasn't until just about 4 months before it was all discovered that I got persistant burning on my back all the time (couldn't wear a waste band or bear bed clothes on my back) and what were four episodes of sudden, absolutely excruciating cyclic abdominal pain which had me completely immobilised with my abdomen rigid as a board, that it was obvious there was something pretty bad going on in my lower half. This was the cyst (the size of a melon) rupturing. The path report proved the tumours were entirely non-ovarian in origin.

The message in all of this is that a lap will not necessarily pick up endo, it doesn't have to start on your uterus/ovaries and it seems what must have been a tiny 'dormant' lesion hiding somewhere on my back, so small as to have not been discovered either at laparoscopy or open pelvic surgery, can give severe endo symptoms like those I had previously (severe pain, clots, brown sludge etc) which were apparantly classic signs. There is no doubt that this tiny scap was triggered into aggressive growth by HRT and I am absolutely convinced that my immune system considered oestrogen a toxin which just happened to be the food these tumors needed. I now know the symptoms I experienced under elevated oestrogen levels are exactly the same as for an allergic reaction to chemical poisoning which usually act on the brain.

I am in the UK and the docs and gynaes here are out of their depth with my case and don't have any ideas as to how this happened. I was given Lupron to shrink the remaining tumour and basically that was it - case closed. But I have now found this drug would only work if I were still producing oestrogen via the brain to ovary route which obviously I'm not. So I may have reduced my bone density considerably for no good - am arranging a bone density scan myself and taking loads of calcium and vit D - and the symptoms continue as I'm seemingly still producting oestrogen. This could be from fat cells so I'm now dieting to try and shed 2 stones as I'm currently 12.

I am taking charge of my own health now and researching what happened with the help of the hugely valuable info available from top researchers in the US. Research is currently going on by endo specialists in there into links between endo, the immune system, allergies, frequency of infections, intolerances to chemicals INCLUDING A WOMAN'S OWN HORMONES and other possible predisposing factors. I know it's difficult when you are in pain and you feel like giving up, and fully appreciate the valuable work gynaecologists do, but I would urge you and other young women suffering unexplained pelvic symptoms to be be proactive in trying to throw light on your condition so as to not go down the road of horror I did. This is a very specialised field in which the jury is still out on how endo is caused, but without a doubt there must be a strong link with oestrogen, not only as the food it needs to grow, but as a toxin in some cases - a very potent combination.

If you want a lap it seems the man in the US to see is a Dr Redwine whose record so far for searching a woman's pelvis for every scrap of endo was apparently 15 hours. It seems he is one of very few who can operate laparoscopically to do this with absolute precision so as not to cause too many adhesions and is probably likely to find endo if it is there somewhere. Don't have a lap done by someone who might, through no fault of their own, miss it. Take charge, keep diaries of ALL your symptoms whether or not they seem to be connected (without being too obsessive - ignore transient aches and pains that go away), realise that what goes on in your pelvis (if it's gynaecological) is controlled by your brain so note any strange neurological symptoms and see if they are cyclic. Have you discovered other strange changes not related to your pelvis? I just stopped being able to tolerate alcohol and my hay fever tablets which made me more dizzy and nauseous. Do you feel peculiar mid cycle when you ovulate? (Do home ovulation tests to pin down the hormone surges). Do you have a lot of colds and infections that won't seem to resolve after antibiotics? Do you have allergies? Are you aware of strange smells? At ovulation I used to suddenly be completely overwhelmed by a smell that I couldn't recognise and that no one else could smell. Examine your medical records (if you are allowed to in your country) to see if your doc is supporting you. But most of all DON'T GIVE UP! There is so much more to this that a pain in the pelvis.

Sorry to go on but I feel so passionate in trying to put my terrible experience to some good in helping, if I can, prevent any other young girls who should be in their prime from losing their reproductive years as I did.

[Ms_Makita]