Is it endometriosis?

[Yasminem]

Hello, I'm 16 and I think I have endometriosis. I look okay and if i tell my parents they'll just think I'm lazy and if I told them how much pain I go through they wouldn't believe me.
It started a year ago or more i seemed to be kind of sad and I started doing unwell in school. I didn't know what caused it i have been to many physiologists but nothing helped. Maybe it was a phase. the minor physical pains started back then. I was diagnosed with ibs. I had a hip pain that when i apply pressure it felt bruised. i remember i would go home on my period due to diarrhea. But i never told my mom the truth that I would go up to my room knowing the pain would strike. Which Would be stabbing pain in my groin like a knife 100 stabs a second in the groin area. around my ovaries near my hips. It hurt so much I could barely walk I was biting my pillow. Its faded now its bearable. When I finish my period I feel as if I haven't really finished from it. I get fatigue some aches. I try enjoying my good days which seem to be decreasing. On ovulation day I feel sick . I have lose stools I feel so weak and  anxious and nauseous. I get leg aches. The real pain starts on day 20 I start feeling I have strong back aches and and like a weird feeling in my legs. They're aching like I got them out the freezer.  I get ovary pain hip pain. I feel stiff and sore. I'm unable to focus and so moody. It's like I'm sick but I can't explain it. I'm not sure if its leg nerve or muscle pain radiating my thoughtout my legs. As i get close to day 35 It gets worse and worse. I reached a point where I thought I was over exaggerating and I wasn't good as other girls in managing pms. The area above my pelvic bone when I stand feels like there is pressure maybe I have a bladder infection idk but it goes after my period. I get anxiety. My friends think im just moody. I want to be alone. I look fine but nobody understands. i cry. I don't do sports anymore, I can't do well in school. I'm staring to think its all in my head. I get terrible lower body pain. Im exhausted I just want relieve. What if it's not endo I couldn't live with this all my life. It happens over and over again. Thank you so much sorry I've wasted ur time.

[Jen12977]

Endo is tricky as some women can have a severe case and feel no pain. And other women can have only a few spots and they experience excruciating pain. I can only explain my case and how I feel. I was diagnosed in 2001, however I experienced symptoms in my teens which my doctor and everyone else said "oh you just have really bad periods it will get better." Well their theories were out the window in 2001 when I was experiencing cramps pretty much every day of the month. When I ovulated it made me sick and my cramps were unreal up until the end of my period. My cramps after my period ended were nagging and through the month with hormone changes the pain would escalate. So, when I finally found a doctor who listened to my symptoms she immediately told me there was a high chance that I had endo but it could only be diagnosed through surgery and biopsy but she wanted to start me on Lupron which is an injection that would put me into temporary menopause however the injections were extremely expensive. After researching the medication I made the decision to have the surgery to make sure that I actually had it bc I didn't want to put my body through the side effects that medication could cause which was alot. So, I had my first surgery and it was confirmed that I had endo and I started the medication. A year later It had returned and had spread. I experienced tremendous pain. My stomach would actually swell and it was so bad that I hated wearing pants bc just the pants would feel like a knife stabbing into me. I had my second surgery and six months later it had returned again and at that point it had spread to my abdominal cavity. At that point I started having the stomach issues as far as diarrhea etc. wherever endo spreads and an adhesion grows that tissue house through the changes just like the lining of the uterus so those areas swell and bleed just like the lining of the uterus does during your period. I went for a while trying to deal with the endo by taking birth control to help keep my hormone level regulate and hopefully slow down the regrowth. During this time my gallbladder started flaring up and eventually it had to be removed well the surgeon said there was endo adhesions on my gallbladder so I know it is as high as my gallbladder. A year later I had pain so bad I couldn't sleep at night and laying down made the pain so much worse. At this point I went to a reproductive endocrinologist who specializes in endo. I forgot to mention along the way my doctors had said the only way I would have full relief was to have a hysterectomy bc my endo was so bad. So when I went to this new doctor? Right off the bat I told him I don't want a hysterectomy and he said toe "I'd never push for that unless there was no hope." He was a godsend to me he knew exactly what to look for and he removed 27 endo adhesions just in my pelvic area. I was actually pain free for a few years and then it grew back. The endo causes alot of pain to the point that I throw up. I have to avoid certain foods such as soy, and fish as they contain such high levels of hormones it will make my endo flare up. I have pulling types of pain at times and there is a stabbing feeling at times. Whenever there is a sudden change in my hormones it causes my pain. Stress causes the pain as well. Endo can effect your autoimmune system making it easier to get sick and have autoimmune diseases. It's kinda hard to explain all of the symptoms. My periods are really heavy and I tend to have large clotting which makes me double over in pain when passing the clots. Sometimes the pain honestly feels like someone is reaching into my lower stomach and grabs my uterus and is slowly pulling my uterus out, over and over again. It honestly can take your breath away.

[Yasminem]

Thanks everyone for the reply means alot. I'm  psychological fine. i was never a sad or moody person before the pain(almost daily now). My mom usually takes me to the doctor. I've never mentioned all this. I have mentioned having lower pelvic pain and back pain. my stools and urine had been tested nothing showed up so I was diagnosed with ibs. I've done an ultrasound for my kidneys and ovaries a year ago, I would feel as though my ovaries would pop and a sharp pain for a few seconds as though I had a cyst.  Strangely nothing showed up.  but my pms like symptoms never seem to completely go. Mom and I are close but We do have an awkward boundary in between us. I'm a private person. School is starting and sadly walking up early means tiredness &makes the indescribable pain worse. Do you mind me asking what endometriosis is like in details? I'm interested thank you again for helping. I've been searching about this for a while now, I thought I had it figured out :(

[Jen12977]

I have had endo for years. It is possible to have endo by the symptoms you have described. Please know the only way you can positively diagnose endo is through laproscopic surgery and biopsy as it will not show up on ct scan, MRI, ultrasound, or X-ray. I'd encourage you to speak to your mom about how you are feeling if it is endo you need to try to find a way to relieve your pain. There is no cure for endo you have to try to manage the symptoms.

[ticked]

I am sorry to hear all that you are going through. To be a teenager period is hard to not feel you can talk to your parents is hard too, but to feel this pain is the hardest and I totally understand.

Some could be psychological as you do sound depressed but that could happen with what you are going through as well so it's really hard to tell .

Do you go to the doctors on your own? Have you spoken to your doctor about this? Maybe they will send you to get an ultrasound to see if you have any cysts. Unfortunately with Endo unless you have an endometrioma (blood filled cyst) or fluid in the cul de sac it's really hard to tell what is going on.

I think some of the symptoms you have are pms and it might benefit you to go on the bcp to see if that helps with the fluctuation of moods. If you were to take it continuously without a break you could potentially get pain relief if it is Endo .

I wouldn't rule out bowel issues as well. Have you been Yates for celiac?

Is your relationship with your mother really bad? Is there an aunt or someone close to you that you could talk to?

Again I am sorry you r going through this it breaks my heart as I feel like you were me 16 yrs go