Aa
What do I do?!
In March of 2005 I went to a sexual health clinic and mentioned that I was having minor pain on my right side when sneezing etc. The doctor advised I probably had a cyst, and if I was concerned, to let my family doctor know. I let it go.
In June of 2007, I was finding that the pain on the right side was becoming more persistent, especially when laying down and coughing, or sneezing. My family doctor referred me to a gynecologist to be seen in March of 2008.
In October of 2007, I was working out and experienced an awful shooting pain in my right side. I rested, and let it go. A few days later I was driving, and sneezed. The pain was so incredible that I nearly drove the car off the road. I realized I needed to see someone immediately. I went to the walk in clinic and had an ultrasound done. They said I had a 2inch hemorrhaging cyst on my right ovary, and in six weeks, I should return.
Three weeks later, I found myself in the hospital with horrible back pain accompanied with sharp shooting pains on my right side. They could not find anything (not even the cyst), gave me a shot for the pain and sent me home.
Being alarmed by the severity of my pain, I demanded to see a gyno sooner than March. There weren't any taking patients within the tri-city area, so I was advised to look for someone on my own. Finally, after calling doctors and begging them to see me, someone agreed to see me in Jan. of 08.
After explaining my pain, the gyno advised that she suspected I have endo.
She put me on LoEstrin to take continuously (no placebo week), and told me to come back in May.
The last 16 days I have been discharging black stuff, along with regular menses. I have been in a lot of pain, particularly aching in my lower right back, which sometimes radiates up my spine and down my right leg. When stretching, coughing, laughing, sneezing, during sex, bowel movements, and sometimes urinating, I find myself wrenching over in pain. Even reaching over to get the remote control had me doubled over.
This just passed Monday I was admitted to the hospital for a severe migraine accompanied with high blood pressure (I am just shy of 22, healthy eater and quite thin), and pains in my pelvis. They said that they suspected that I had been hemorrhaging again and was experiencing Toxic Shock from the blood.
The gyno wants me to keep up with the LoEstrin until May. I am getting to my wits end. I have missed 6 days of work this year already (we are given 10 a year!!), and my relationship with my boyfriend is suffering as I rarely want to be intimate, and when we are, it usually ends up with me in tears. My social life has gone to the dogs, my roomie feels like he has to walk on eggshells with me being so moody, and I think I have been denied a promotion recently because I am not 100% on my game. I am not nearly as active as I used to be and am gaining weight, which is resulting in a lowering of my self-esteem. As if that wasn't enough, the pain is horrendous. Getting out of a car puts me on the brink of tears.
I have been using Anaprox for pain, but it really doesn't do anything. I have more recently been taking three 400mg extra strength advils all at once, and even that doesn't completely alleviate it.
I need some advice, and some encouragement. I think this is beginning to send me into a downward spiral that could result in depression. I feel so defeated, angry, frustrated, and upset with this situation, and all I want at this point is for them to remove the entire thing just to end this nightmare.
In June of 2007, I was finding that the pain on the right side was becoming more persistent, especially when laying down and coughing, or sneezing. My family doctor referred me to a gynecologist to be seen in March of 2008.
In October of 2007, I was working out and experienced an awful shooting pain in my right side. I rested, and let it go. A few days later I was driving, and sneezed. The pain was so incredible that I nearly drove the car off the road. I realized I needed to see someone immediately. I went to the walk in clinic and had an ultrasound done. They said I had a 2inch hemorrhaging cyst on my right ovary, and in six weeks, I should return.
Three weeks later, I found myself in the hospital with horrible back pain accompanied with sharp shooting pains on my right side. They could not find anything (not even the cyst), gave me a shot for the pain and sent me home.
Being alarmed by the severity of my pain, I demanded to see a gyno sooner than March. There weren't any taking patients within the tri-city area, so I was advised to look for someone on my own. Finally, after calling doctors and begging them to see me, someone agreed to see me in Jan. of 08.
After explaining my pain, the gyno advised that she suspected I have endo.
She put me on LoEstrin to take continuously (no placebo week), and told me to come back in May.
The last 16 days I have been discharging black stuff, along with regular menses. I have been in a lot of pain, particularly aching in my lower right back, which sometimes radiates up my spine and down my right leg. When stretching, coughing, laughing, sneezing, during sex, bowel movements, and sometimes urinating, I find myself wrenching over in pain. Even reaching over to get the remote control had me doubled over.
This just passed Monday I was admitted to the hospital for a severe migraine accompanied with high blood pressure (I am just shy of 22, healthy eater and quite thin), and pains in my pelvis. They said that they suspected that I had been hemorrhaging again and was experiencing Toxic Shock from the blood.
The gyno wants me to keep up with the LoEstrin until May. I am getting to my wits end. I have missed 6 days of work this year already (we are given 10 a year!!), and my relationship with my boyfriend is suffering as I rarely want to be intimate, and when we are, it usually ends up with me in tears. My social life has gone to the dogs, my roomie feels like he has to walk on eggshells with me being so moody, and I think I have been denied a promotion recently because I am not 100% on my game. I am not nearly as active as I used to be and am gaining weight, which is resulting in a lowering of my self-esteem. As if that wasn't enough, the pain is horrendous. Getting out of a car puts me on the brink of tears.
I have been using Anaprox for pain, but it really doesn't do anything. I have more recently been taking three 400mg extra strength advils all at once, and even that doesn't completely alleviate it.
I need some advice, and some encouragement. I think this is beginning to send me into a downward spiral that could result in depression. I feel so defeated, angry, frustrated, and upset with this situation, and all I want at this point is for them to remove the entire thing just to end this nightmare.
So I went in for my pre-op today. Had ultrasounds and blood work done. I know the woman doing the ultrasounds saw some things because she was highlighting a lot on the screen. I think I might have another cyst.
Anyway, I am going to be taking 2 weeks off of work after the surgery to heal. They have alloted 1 hour for my surgery, so if they need more time, I will have to come back again, which I really don't want. Hopefully they can take care of it all at once.
This whole thing is very daunting. I am pretty freaked out, and don't like the idea that I wont know how the surgery went until much later after. I asked them to tell my mom (who will be there during the surgery)... that way she can tell me after the drugs have worn off.
Funny thing happened... they accidentally put my birth date in for 20 years earlier than when I was actually born. When I was getting registered for my blood work, the woman said to me "How old are you??" and I replied "21", she said "Ohhh, I was just thinking... damn you look good for 41!!" Hahah!
Any more advice or thoughts are really appreciated!
Anyway, I am going to be taking 2 weeks off of work after the surgery to heal. They have alloted 1 hour for my surgery, so if they need more time, I will have to come back again, which I really don't want. Hopefully they can take care of it all at once.
This whole thing is very daunting. I am pretty freaked out, and don't like the idea that I wont know how the surgery went until much later after. I asked them to tell my mom (who will be there during the surgery)... that way she can tell me after the drugs have worn off.
Funny thing happened... they accidentally put my birth date in for 20 years earlier than when I was actually born. When I was getting registered for my blood work, the woman said to me "How old are you??" and I replied "21", she said "Ohhh, I was just thinking... damn you look good for 41!!" Hahah!
Any more advice or thoughts are really appreciated!
So I am getting cold feet. The thought of going under the knife is freaking me out, and part of me wants to bail.
Not to mention, I am beginning to wonder "what if they don't find anything? What if they go in, and there is nothing wrong? Wont I feel like a total jackass!"
I have always been like that... I could be in the worst of pain, and then when it comes down to it, I am worried it wont be anything and that all I will have accomplished is wasting someones time, and making a fool of myself.
I have to keep reminding myself that I AM in pain, and that it is real, and that they will definitely find something because this pain isn't just materializing out of thin air. Sometimes I will deliberately do something just to cause pain (like stretch or something), just to keep the reminder that the pain is "real".
I probably sound crazy.
Am I the only one who has experienced this, or am I out of my tree? LOL! Please, if you do it too, let me know!
Not to mention, I am beginning to wonder "what if they don't find anything? What if they go in, and there is nothing wrong? Wont I feel like a total jackass!"
I have always been like that... I could be in the worst of pain, and then when it comes down to it, I am worried it wont be anything and that all I will have accomplished is wasting someones time, and making a fool of myself.
I have to keep reminding myself that I AM in pain, and that it is real, and that they will definitely find something because this pain isn't just materializing out of thin air. Sometimes I will deliberately do something just to cause pain (like stretch or something), just to keep the reminder that the pain is "real".
I probably sound crazy.
Am I the only one who has experienced this, or am I out of my tree? LOL! Please, if you do it too, let me know!
I get completely jacked up before surgery and you'd think as many times as I've been through it that it would seem like no big deal anymore...not true. I've gotten to where I just go ahead and ask the anesthesiologist for something to calm me as soon as the IV is placed that way I can nap or just relax until they're ready for me. Versed is a good choice, it works quickly but doesn't make you feel stupid.
Good Luck with the surgery.
Good Luck with the surgery.
So my lap was yesterday. They cauterized a bunch of endometriosis on my left side, and apparently there was a patch right where the uterus meets the cervix. They also diagnosed me with "Adenomyosis". They haven't really explained to me what that is, and what it does. I was told that we would discuss it in my post-op appt.
Anyone have any idea what it is? I googled it, but I still don't really get it. Any info would be appreciated!
Anyway, I am sore as all hell. I feel like I was beaten up, and I am bruising up pretty badly. I apparently took incredibly well to the anesthesia. I was eating and drinking no problem after the surgery, and the nurses said they were astounded at how responsive I was afterward. I still need a little help walking around (I feel unbalanced), and getting up and down from bed, and the toilet. Luckily my boyfriend is the sweetest man on earth and has taken really good care of me :)
I am so puffy, I looked like I was pregnant yesterday. It has gone down a lot since, but I still look like I gained 25 pounds. My shoulder pain has dissipated, so that's good... (pain killers don't do anything for that it seems).
I feel like the simplest things are a serious chore. Going from one room to another takes the breath out of me, and it hurts to breathe too deeply.
They have me taking 2 T3's every 4-6 hours. I find that they keep me awake and restless, so I called the doc today and asked if it was ok for me to take percocets before bed as they knock me out. She said that wouldn't be a problem.
Anyway, about the adenomyosis... any advisement on that would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!
Anyone have any idea what it is? I googled it, but I still don't really get it. Any info would be appreciated!
Anyway, I am sore as all hell. I feel like I was beaten up, and I am bruising up pretty badly. I apparently took incredibly well to the anesthesia. I was eating and drinking no problem after the surgery, and the nurses said they were astounded at how responsive I was afterward. I still need a little help walking around (I feel unbalanced), and getting up and down from bed, and the toilet. Luckily my boyfriend is the sweetest man on earth and has taken really good care of me :)
I am so puffy, I looked like I was pregnant yesterday. It has gone down a lot since, but I still look like I gained 25 pounds. My shoulder pain has dissipated, so that's good... (pain killers don't do anything for that it seems).
I feel like the simplest things are a serious chore. Going from one room to another takes the breath out of me, and it hurts to breathe too deeply.
They have me taking 2 T3's every 4-6 hours. I find that they keep me awake and restless, so I called the doc today and asked if it was ok for me to take percocets before bed as they knock me out. She said that wouldn't be a problem.
Anyway, about the adenomyosis... any advisement on that would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!
Hi there,
I'm so sorry that I didn't see this before your lap - I could've also given you advice and encouragement! I'm 24 going on 25 and had my first surgery at age 20. I wasn't really prepared for how it was going to be or how I would feel afterwards. I had the lap, hysteroscopy and cystoscopy in the same procedure and, although I had so many major symptoms, they didn't find a lot of Endo there. Still, they lasered and I hurt like hell. I was in recovery for hours longer than they normally allow for "day surgery". Unlike you, you lucky thing, I didn't take well to the anaesthetic.
Adenomyosis is when the Endo is in the wall of the uterus - I may also have this funnily enough. My literature suggests that a 'troublesome non-cancerous tumour (adenomyoma)' may be present. That's really all I've been told about it.
How you're feeling now is so totally normal - I went back to classes at Uni after a couple of weeks and couldn't sit down for too long because it was so painful, so I stood up but then I was kind of doubled over so that didn't work either. My lecturer (who was a lovely man) was so angry at me for being there and apparently not taking care of myself. Prepare yourself for a possibly long recovery. It is hard for me to know how long it took because I also was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome at around the same time.
Within a year I was having the same symptoms again and so I went back to my gyno. She said that I couldn't possibly have the Endo grow back (which is a lie by the way) and that it was probably just adhesions or scar tissue so we'd have to do another lap. I totally didn't want to go through that again so soon, so I let it go. I ended up putting off that second surgery until now. Yeah, I know, I'm a chicken who put up with awful symptoms for 5 years.
So 5 years later I am scheduled for surgery in September. But this time I am going to be staying at least one night in the hospital if not two if they find more than they thought. I am so happy with my new gyno, who is a guy. I never thought I'd see a male gyno but he is one of the best surgeons in my state and that's great!
I hope you start to feel a bit more human in the next few weeks - and I say weeks, not days. There's no point trying to pretend you'll be cured in a couple of days, because that wasn't my experience, but I sure hope you start to feel better as soon as possible! I think that juliesmom was incredibly lucky!
If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask. I'll be watching this thread now. I hope I haven't sounded too dark and dismal, but every body is different and you cannot expect one to act the same way as another.
Mel :-)
I'm so sorry that I didn't see this before your lap - I could've also given you advice and encouragement! I'm 24 going on 25 and had my first surgery at age 20. I wasn't really prepared for how it was going to be or how I would feel afterwards. I had the lap, hysteroscopy and cystoscopy in the same procedure and, although I had so many major symptoms, they didn't find a lot of Endo there. Still, they lasered and I hurt like hell. I was in recovery for hours longer than they normally allow for "day surgery". Unlike you, you lucky thing, I didn't take well to the anaesthetic.
Adenomyosis is when the Endo is in the wall of the uterus - I may also have this funnily enough. My literature suggests that a 'troublesome non-cancerous tumour (adenomyoma)' may be present. That's really all I've been told about it.
How you're feeling now is so totally normal - I went back to classes at Uni after a couple of weeks and couldn't sit down for too long because it was so painful, so I stood up but then I was kind of doubled over so that didn't work either. My lecturer (who was a lovely man) was so angry at me for being there and apparently not taking care of myself. Prepare yourself for a possibly long recovery. It is hard for me to know how long it took because I also was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome at around the same time.
Within a year I was having the same symptoms again and so I went back to my gyno. She said that I couldn't possibly have the Endo grow back (which is a lie by the way) and that it was probably just adhesions or scar tissue so we'd have to do another lap. I totally didn't want to go through that again so soon, so I let it go. I ended up putting off that second surgery until now. Yeah, I know, I'm a chicken who put up with awful symptoms for 5 years.
So 5 years later I am scheduled for surgery in September. But this time I am going to be staying at least one night in the hospital if not two if they find more than they thought. I am so happy with my new gyno, who is a guy. I never thought I'd see a male gyno but he is one of the best surgeons in my state and that's great!
I hope you start to feel a bit more human in the next few weeks - and I say weeks, not days. There's no point trying to pretend you'll be cured in a couple of days, because that wasn't my experience, but I sure hope you start to feel better as soon as possible! I think that juliesmom was incredibly lucky!
If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask. I'll be watching this thread now. I hope I haven't sounded too dark and dismal, but every body is different and you cannot expect one to act the same way as another.
Mel :-)
I am in so much pain right now it isn't even funny. The incision on my belly button hurts incredibly bad... bad enough to the point that I am beginning to think it might be infected. Last night I stayed at my boyfriends house, and he was lifting me up out of bed, so I wasn't using my muscles, but today I have been at home alone. Getting up makes me feel sick to my stomach and I am getting dizzy a lot. I check my temp, and it seems fine.
This sucks... a lot. People who say they go in on Thurs. or Fri. and go back to work the following Mon. are either superhuman, or just fricken crazy. I think I would die... literally.
Thank god for painkillers... because if the pain with them is this awful, without them I don't know what I would do.
BondyinOz thanks for your reply. So does having adenomyosis mean I have a tumor, or that I could develop one?
Is it normal for the area around the incision to go purple? Should I be concerned that it's infected? Is it normal for it to hurt so much.. even with the painkillers?
This sucks... a lot. People who say they go in on Thurs. or Fri. and go back to work the following Mon. are either superhuman, or just fricken crazy. I think I would die... literally.
Thank god for painkillers... because if the pain with them is this awful, without them I don't know what I would do.
BondyinOz thanks for your reply. So does having adenomyosis mean I have a tumor, or that I could develop one?
Is it normal for the area around the incision to go purple? Should I be concerned that it's infected? Is it normal for it to hurt so much.. even with the painkillers?
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