Is it pelvic/back pain? If so, It could be Pelvic Congestion Syndrome, which I suffer from. It is estimated that 40% of all women will experience chronic pelvic pain during their lifetime. If a physical exam, Pap smear, routine labwork, CT scan and/or x-rays are all normal and the symptoms are those of chronic pelvic pain which is worse when sitting or standing, pelvic congestion could be the cause. It is varicose veins in the uterus. Because these veins are often not visible externally and during imaging studies like ultrasound, the symptoms may be overlooked or ignored. They can t be diagnosed during a regular pelvic exam because when you lie down for the exam, the pressure is removed from the varices. The pain can be debillitating-- mine was. I couldn t even get out of bed most days. There are only a couple fo treatments for it; you can either have a hysterectomy or embolization of the veins, but neither is a guarantee of pain relief. My doc wouldn t consider the hysterectomy due to my age, and no docs in my area do the embolization therapy. PCS can be diagnosed via laparoscopy or by catheterizing select veins in the uterus and injecting them with contrast (a venogram). Talk to your doctor about it; it s very difficult to diagnose but like I said, a large number of women have it, and of those 30% have severe pain that effects their quality of life. If it is PCS, you can talk to your doc about going to a pain clinic. My pain doc has given me my life back. I went through all the non-prescription NSAIDS, herbs, prescriptions NSAIDS, hormone therapy.... now I m on a combination of Lodine, birth control, Oxycontin, and OXy IR. My pain level is at a 1 on a BAD day. Good luck, and if you have any questions or just want to talk to someone in the same boat, feel free to e-mail me.
I would suggest you see a Rheumatologist. They can assess your knees and also scribe the pain medication you might need. With Lupus or Lupus Tendencies, you need to be seeing a Rheumy anyway. Be prepared... they do not hand out pain medication like candy, it s often a process of elimination. If you go in and say, you know I had some percocet once and it really helped me, can I have some more? The doc will believe you are a med seeker . So please.. remember to be patient, and try to develop a repoire with your doctor and help them to understand that you are in really bad pain.. go through all the things you have tried to help yourself. I would also check into fibroids. Naproxen is a very good anti-inflammatory medication. It works very well on Fibroids and other conditions. I totally understand the cycle stuff.. as I have Fibromyalgia. Good luck, and just be willing to try a few diff things the doc suggests before you bring up the big drugs like Vicodin and Percocets :)
You certainly have more than your share of problems. I agree with Wendy V ,you really need to see a gynecologist, just in case it is something serious. If that draws a blank, then you can get relief using EFT It often works when nothing else can. Go to my website below. When you reach the home page click on the quot;official EFT websitequot; link . Explore all the options and find a practitioner if you want.
There is the possibility of three things going on. But without having a Gyno look at you, you won t be sure. The first is Endometriosis. It s where the endometerium that lines the inside of the womb, ready for preganancy, starts to grow outside. It only takes a few cells and then they multiply. When you have a period the extra cells outside the womb also bleed causing EXTREME pain in some cases. The amount of pain you have has no signifigance in relation to how bad Endometriosis is. Some women are riddled with it and have no symptoms. Some have only a minute amount and feel as if they are getting ripped apart. It can cause severe back ache, cramps, headaches, abdominal pain and tenderness, vomiting, nausea and diarrhea. The second could be that you have Endo but also adhessions (scar tissue) from the C sections. Very common. They can tighten and pull and really hurt. Having Endo makes adhessions worse. And makes more adhessions by aggrevating your insides every month. Having a Laproscopy to have a look around can confirm the diagnosis easily. And remove any Endo, adhessions or cysts at the same time.Time it if you can when you have bad pain as it shows much better. But a Laproscopy can caused more adhessions also. The third could be PID Pelvic Inflammatory Disease caused by either an infection inside the womb or from untreated chlamydia. Your depression can be a symptom of your pain or that you may still have some Post Natal Depression. Which is very common after a C section. You need to go see a Gynocologist and not a normal Doctor.
Definately be examined for a fibroid. I had one the size of an orange (not so bad, my girlfriend had one the size of quot;her headquot; according to her gynecologist). you describe the exact pain I went through before my hysterectomy. I am 42 and had the hysterectomy almost a year ago. I was not a candidate for the other methods of fibroid size reduction due to a past blood clot so the hysterectomy was my only option. I must tell you to ask your dr. to prescribe to you some Naproxin (I took 500 mg) when needed, for cramps. I would not have survived without them, they were the only thing that took the pain away. It used to be so bad that I couldn t even walk from my desk at work to the bathroom (which by the way, used to be every 30 minutes on my heavy days) I would have to tip toe, yes, it hurt to walk because each step, no matter how light, caused a terrible pain / cramping! Good luck.
If the pain you have every month is that severe, I m wondering if you were ever checked for endometriosis or fibroids, which can cause very bad pain! One cause of your depression can be situational (such as pain, just as my depression is). Your body can take only so much pain before you get depressed. Have you thought of seeing a different OB/GYN to be checked for endometriosis and/or fibroids? Both can cause pain, and fibroids can cause excessive bleeding. Loosing weight wouldn t hurt either - it would take some pressure off the abdominal area. As far as pain management, moist heat (from either a heating pad or just very hot washcloth) always worked well for me. When you get your periods, remember to elevate your feet higher than your heart as that eases the flow and, thus, will help with the pain. A last resort would be having a hysterectomy if your doctor finds endometriosis or fibroids. If you re done having children, that could be your last hope of no pain every month. Good luck to you!
No comments:
Post a Comment