Endometriosis

Good afternoon all,

I have been dealing with heavy periods/horrible pelvic pain for the last year or so. My new doctor thinks it is either PCOS or endometriosis. She is starting me on the Pill to see if that helps, and has also taken some blood to test my hormone levels. She says if the Pill doesn't work, we have to explore the option that I have endo.

The first doctor I went to about this was very sympathetic, especially about my pain. I explained to her that, at one point, I was taking 12 Motrin and or 6 Aleve a day, which of course gave me severe stomach aches. Even those meds didn't do much to curb the sharp pains. My second doctor (there have been three) was kind enough to prescribe me Percocet. I am out, and my current doctor doesn't seem terribly sympathetic about the pain... she didn't offer me any alternatives and I think is just waiting to see what my next period is like, pain-wise.

I am terribly concerned; my last period was so painful that I missed work and was physically ill several times during the day. The Percocet was the only thing that helped. How do I go about asking my doctor for this medicine directly, without coming across as "drug-seeking?" I am a young woman and I know there is a bad stigma associated with narcotic pain pills, and don't want to look like I am trying to get high; I just really need to have something that strong in order to function, and she didn't offer it to me at my last visit.

Any advice for people out there with similar pain? I will keep you all posted on my diagnosis,

- Natalie

Natalie

I don't think there is anything wrong in asking your doctor for pain medicines, as long as it is for temporary relief. It won't fix your problem, it'll just keep you going until you find your diagnosis and the fix of the problem. So don't be shy if you think it'll help this time around.

I don't know much about PCOS. I believe most of the people with PCOS doesn't ovulate, while with endo you do Ovulate. At least I did.

And it is not clear to me what your doctor is trying to do. To put you on the Pill to diagnose? The Pill can help if you have endo. I took  the Pill for 7 years, only suspecting I may have endo. And since it worked to relieve my pain, and I was not planning on getting pregnant soon, I was comfortable with it. My periods weren't painful and irregular as they were off the Pill. But even if the pill helps you to not have pain, that doesn't mean you don't have endo.

As I said I took the pill for 7 years and was ok. They I went off of it because I wanted to get pregnant, my periods got painful again, and after 2+ years of infertility I had a laparospopy and the diagnosis of endo was confirmed. I had endo even when I had not painful periods on the pill.

The pill can also help to keep the endo from growing, specially when taken continuously. Since it's the regular hormonal cycle that feeds endo. But the ONLY WAY to diagnose endo these days is Through diagnostic Laparoscopy, what is surgery. The bright side is that most of the times when the lap is performed and endo is found, endo can be removed right there and taken care of.

Please keep me posted on how it goes, and feel free to come back with any more questions you may have

MAR

Thank you for your response. I have since been to the ER for my pain, and seen a new doc. I have a further question, which I am hoping someone may be able to answer.

I have now had a vaginal ultrasound as well as a CAT scan, along with several blood + urine tests. They have ruled out virtually everything. However, the ultrasound I had done was only read by a lab tech at the lab; when I brought it to my new GYN, she claimed "she was not a radiologist, she could not read it". Does that sound strange to anyone else? This woman is a specialist; she does surgery, shouldn't she be able to take a look at ultrasound films and find something abnormal? I go back to see her next week for followup, since I am still in terrible pain, and this time I requested that they have someone present who can re-read my films; if there is a cyst or tumour present, I would like for it to be found; before having to do exploratory surgery to look for endometriosis.

So my questions are, shouldn't this doctor be able to read my film? Also, I understand that generally endo is hard to catch on ultrasound/CAT scans; but can't they tell when the lining is thicker than it should be? Anyone have any advice?

Thanks again,

Natalie