chronic undiagnosed pelvic pain

[Marissa378]

Hello,
I am a 32 year old femal who has been suffering from chronic radiating pelvic pain for over a year now with no specific diagnosis or help for this pain. Please review my below symptoms and what i have previously tried and advise any suggestions, help, type of dr. to seek next, I very much appreciate any input.
Thank You- Marissa

- Dull Aching Pain started on lower left side of my pelvis in the evening of 1/4/2010. After almost two weeks, the pain started moving back and forth from left to right pelvic sides.

-After the 2 weeks felt sharp volts of pain on my right side of pelvis during work. The pain then made a home on my right side 98% of the time everyday for the next 6-7 months or so.

- Around the end of August the pain starting shifting sides again btwn left and right sides of pelvis, which is what it is still currently doing to this day.

- This pain is everyday on and off throughout the morning, afternoon and night. It comes in waves. Some days are much worse/better than others. Nothing I know of makes it better of worse.

- During this time, pain started radiating/throbbing a lot to my hips, my lower back, down to my groin, and down my leg in different spots to my foot

- Occasionally I also get twinges and volts of pain on both my left and right sides, down to my crotch and in my leg and foot.

-Pain areas move around a lot, but feeling of pain is the same no matter where it is:deep aching, radiating, throbbing, pressure, irritation, & sore describe it

- Trigger like points where pain sometimes feel is stemming from only are really there when I am having a pain wave, when pain wave is not happening these points do not hurt nearly as much

- Also since this pain started, I have been getting a intermittent low buzzing in my left ear everyday that I only get during the pain.

- Have also been suffering from much anxiety and depression from having this undiagnosed pain.

Tests Taken:
- various types of blood & urine tests
- Multiple ultrasounds, CT Scans & MRIs- pelvic, transvag., brain, spine, hips
- Nerve Conduction Test/EMG test
- Colonoscopy
- Cystoscopy
- Exploratory Laparoscopy

Things Found through this testing:
- stage II left side peritoneal Endometriosis- removed June 2010
- Scar tissue adhesions- removed June 2010 (had 3 prior pelvic surgeries for ovarian dermoid cyst removal)
- Functional ovarian cyst, small 0.8cm possible dermoid- both on left ovary
- Tears on both hips
- Low back degenerative disks
- Right side spigelian hernia/hole in abdom. wall
Other possibilities advised:
- athletic pubalgia
- nerve damage or pinched nerve

Things tried for pain- none successful:
     -   Medications: Percocet, Vicodin, Oxycodin, Nucynta, Tramadol, Neurontin, Lyrica (not for long though) Tylenol, Ibuprofen, Seasonale BC pills, Toradol
     -   For anxiety/depression from Pain- Medications: 60mg Cymbalta  Also taking 0.5mg lorazapam when needed for anxiety from this pain. Note when this pain started I was in the process of weening off of Effexor XR 150mg which I was on for over 7+ years. I was weening off slowly for almost a year, I was at 0.25mg and feeling ok outside of some anxiety when this pain started out of no where. I had been weening off the medication as i was trying to get pregnant and wanted to be on the lowest dose if possible. This pain and finds of other things wrong with me has completely side tracked my baby plans.
     -   Alternatives tried for pain: Physical Therapy, Acupuncture, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Yoga, Meditation, Nerve Stimulation (tens uni

[greentypbc]

hello MarissA378 Please let me know if you found any help, I have been going through this for years and no success and was wondering if anyone else is facing this problem.

[nurseaudrea]

Was it an Epidural Steroid Injection they wanted to do? Have you tried to look up dermatone patterns? I would suggest doing this. It will tell what nerve level supplies which parts of the body. If it is nerve related it will give you a better idea of what could be going on.

[nurseaudrea]

After everything you have said it really sounds more nerve related. I know you said you want to try to have a baby first but have you ever thought of what the implications of pain during a pregnancy could cause? I had to go through my pregnancy with so much pain in the last trimester they took her a month early to ease my suffering. It was so bad to the point I could hardly walk and with each step I wanted to cry. I had to get myself to the doctor because husband had to work as I could not. When I got to the doctor I would sit in my car and try to tell myself it was only fifty or so feet before I could sit down again. It would still make me almost cry trying to get in there. That fifty feet could of been a mile and it would of made no difference it was so horrendous. I had sciatica so bad and was bed bound at home. Think about what you might have to go through while pregnant. Have you had any children yet and know what a healthy body goes through? I did not get pregnant on purpose and was actually told I could not get pregnant due to having Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. I had 20-30 cysts on each ovary so I was not too worried about it. While my husband and I used protection it only takes once of not doing so to get pregnant. One would of thought from what three doctors told me that it was absolutely impossible. I actually found out the day I went in to have facet injections. I was shocked beyond comprehension as was my husband, but thrilled and terrified none the less. I was on so many medications and would have to come off most of them. I was terrified until the day my daughter was born thinking that I might just have hurt her for life, if it even got that far. It is not easy carrying a pregnancy when in a lot of pain. They also had to put me on Ativan in the last trimester due to the anxiety of wondering whether I had ruined my baby's life by the meds I had been taking and what was going to happen once she was born due the med I had to continue. Being a nurse is like a double edged sword when it comes to the health of yourself or your children. I can always imagine the most awful things it could be but at the same time what it probably in fact is.
So I say to you now...wouldn't u rather try to find out what it is and have it treated than to live through 9 agonizing months of pain, if it is agonizing, I can not speak for you. Hopefully it is not that severe, but it can become that with additional stress added onto your body, and I don't mean just in weight...
It would not hurt to have that injection done....at least if your pain is reduced you will know it is nerve related and the worry of not knowing will go away and make it that much easier to conceive. They say when you have too much stress it greatly reduces your chance for inception...and I am not talking about the movie either.HeHeHe. Thought I would attempt to be funny.
Hopefully this has helped and I will have more time later if you have any more questions.

[Marissa378]

thanks for your caring words...yes i have been through a lot and have looked down many avenues...i just had a lap in june when the small amout of endo was found and cut out on my left side....the pain did not get any better when this was removed, i have this pain everyday on/off, it doesn't get worse around my period, and the pain is majorily on my right side...so the drs started to think the pain was no endo related. Also the pain i get in not in the vaginal area, it radiates from my side to different places which include the side of my grion area by my lef, but not actually in or near the vaignal area. My tubes,ect were checked during lap and all were clear.
No the small hernia was not fixed, it is something i have had for years and is very small...drs did not think this was the cause of the pain becuase this pain moves btwn sides sometimes and radiates, and hernia pain would be only direclty in that area, atleast that is what i was told.
Becuase i have had previous pelvic surgeries and the pain tends to radiate, it was thought maybe i had some kind of nerve damage...i was suppose to have a spinal injection done blocking L1/L2, but i didn't end up doing it...I have been through enough drs and tests to hope/know that this is not something dangerous...I just wanted to try and have a baby asap since i am not getting any yournger here and since idue to my history i may have fertility trouble. If i could just have a successful pregnancy, i could go back to looking further into this pain after....i can't do pain management and trying for pregnancy at the same time...i am just lost as to what to do....Are you a nurse? Do you know how i can get a dr. on this web site to review my post and adivse their comments as well?

[nurseaudrea]

Wow, you have gone through the preverbial ringer haven't you. I am so sorry to hear about your pain struggles and especially how it has thwarted your pregnancy endeavours. When I first started reading your posts it sounded like endometreosis or something vaginal or fallopian producing pain. Scar tissue from your surgeries or new endometrial growth can also cause those pains. Then you described a pain that sounded like it was nerve related. You have so much going on. How can one guess? Did you have the hernia repaired? Have you had anymore tests since the new symptoms have developed this year? It really needs to be looked into. When did you have the EMG? The symptoms shooting into your vagina is nerve related. I had the same problem after my instrumentation was taken out. My groin and areas near it would go numb for long periods of time. This settled down with time. Apperantly for me I just had a nerve that was irritated due to the surgery I had. You could use some fresh eyes on what is going on with you.