First some history: I've had 2 c-sections (the last was June 2008) and I've had BM problems ever since. I just had surgery to try and heal a fissure.
Beginning about Sept 2008, I have had a pain in my lower right side in my back. It's worse during my period. Sometimes I can have it for 2 or 3 months straight, and then it will skip a month or 2. But it is always present with my period. The last 3-4 months now, the first few days of my period I have been having very severe abdominal pain. It is very painful to have a BM during those first few days. And I get constipated those days. I've been on stool softners and fiber since the fissure surgery and I still got constipated. The pain is so bad it brings me to tears.
My period is not like it use to be. It's really heavy (for me) the first 2-3 days and then the last 2-3 days it lighten almost to nothing. I am constantly tired, sometimes almost falling asleep driving to work.
I've had a CT scan and it showed an ovarian cyst. It was rather small and it went away after 2 ultrasounds. I've had tests for kidney stones or bladder infections and those were negative. I had a colonoscopy while I was in surgery. The doctor said it didn't show anything abnormal. He suggested it could be IBS or Endometriosis. My OBGYN thinks it could be bowel related, with no mention of endometriosis.
I'm not sure what to do at this point. I am waiting for the fissure to heal and see if maybe that's the issue, but I doubt it. This has been going on longer than the fissure. I was pretty confident that it was endometriosis but some signs point to IBS as well. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks.
Thank you everyone for your responses. As soon as the fissure is healed, I will suggest some of these things to my doctor and see. If no response, I will get a second opinion.
In response to the BC pills, I can't take any hormones. I've been on pills and nuvaring and they really screwed me up! I was depressed and my lack of drive really upset my life. Unfortunately it's not an option.
Thanks! Please don't hesistate to shoot me an email for any other suggestions.
Hi C., I 2nd the opinion of Anne to include a good probiotic daily. Again I 2nd not the only issue you have going on however, diet changes will help soon. There is a store at Golf/Busse called Sweet Grass they will help you chose the best probiotic for you. Good Luck!
I had a c-section in 2006. My pain, the same kind of pain that you are explaining, has been going on since November of 2008. I've been diagnosed with Pelvic Floor/Uterine Wall Dysfunction. That basically means I have muscle spasms in both of these areas. I've been to an orthopedic surgeon, rheumatologist (who misdiagnosed me w/ fibromyalgia) & am now working with a pain specialist. The pain specialist (Dr. Dallas - Pain Clinic of Illinois) referred me to a woman's physical therapist (Laura Marzulli in Elk Grove). These two woman have been such a tremendous help to me. Laura Marzulli is incredibly good at what she does. She's informative, explains well, laid-back, extremely east to talk to, flexible & will work with your schedule!!! I would HIGHLY suggest giving them a chance!!!!!! Dr. Dallas has four different locations (Barrington, Elgin, McHenry & Elk Grove). Good Luck to you & I hope everything works out :)
P.S. The reason I ended up at the Illinois Pain Institute of Illinois is because NOBODY else has been able to figure my problem out!
This definitely sounds like Endo. The only way to find out and get rid of the pain is to have a lap and remove the endo. in the olden days so about 10 years ago the best and newest way to remove was to cold coagulate it not laser with a laparoscopy. There are some great drs out there I would research the best way to remove it, can you take bc pills? that helps stop endo but with out them it grows back due to your hormones, hence the bc pills make fake hormones. it sounds like you have it since you had the cyst and all that comes with it too. If you are other wise healthy I would do the laproscopy and have it removed you will feel much better. You can also take lupron but that puts your body into menopause and can make you crazy but it will stop the pain and growth happening. Your best bet if you can do the surgery is to have it see ifyou do indeed have endo, remove it and then take the bc pills to stop further growth. This is not IBS.
good luck let m eknow if yo uhave any other questions i will try to help. you cannot see endo on a CT scan , u/s etc fyi.
J.
Try a good probiotic to help get things moving. I have IBS-D and had luck with Align. It is supposed to be effective for all kinds of IBS sufferers. Took a couple weeks to feel the real effects, but then it greatly reduced my symptoms. My doctor too suspected endometriosis, but it turned out to be IBS-D after I went through all the colonoscopies, colposcopies, blood workup, stool samples...etc. The gastroenterologist is the one who suggested the Align in particular and it seems to be the one they are mostly reccomending nowadays. After getting relief for myself, I decided to try a probiotic with my daughter (she's 3) who has had severe constipation issues since she was born. We're talking numerous trips to the ER after she would spike a 105 degree fever after not pooping for over a week. She gets no dairy (I am sure you have already eliminated this from your diet), tons of fiber, and was on Miralax for over a year. We put her on a kids powder probiotic (1 tbsp a day in her soy milk) and she started pooping every day within a week! It was like a miracle and I wish I had known sooner. I am not saying this is your problem, but it certainly couldn't hurt to try =)
Your story sounds like my SIL. She now has stage 4 of endometriosis. This can cause awful bms and irregular cycles that are painful. I would have it checked out as it can spread to other parts of the body's organs causing fusing and irreversible damage. There is no treatment, but a life style change and meds to help alleviate the problem.
Sounds like endometriosis to me, I'm a physician assistant and have seen plenty of cases similar to yours. Only diagnosed by exploratory laproscopy. Good luck!
C.:
I have had endometriosis for many years and the symptoms you stated you are having are very familiar to me hence the reason I started asking questions. I found out I had endometriosis only after the doctors told me it was 1.) irritable bowel, 2.) Crohn's disease, 3.) Cancer so I would advise you to get a second opinion. The only real way any doctor can say whether you have endometriosis or not is to have a laprascopic procedure done which is outpatient. I was diagnosed before I had my daughter and had no problems conceiving her. I know sometimes doctors like to say that there is lower chances of pregnancy with people who have endo but from experience and research that is not true at all. I have had two procedures done myself. I would recommend a doctor for you but I had my procedures done in MN and have not had any since moving to IL three years ago. Good luck!
Has anyone looked into the possibility of scar tissue causing the problems?
Best wishes,
J.
Get a second opinion, sometimes, all test will show negative but obviously something is causing the pain. Ask them to check all your organs as well. Good Luck!
Wow you are not alone. It's like we are living parallel worlds. I have been going through this for years and years. I finally started tracking my symptoms last May on a calendar. Last year after a procedure in my gyno. office, my symptoms got so bad I was bedridden for over 2 months in excruciating pain. And I am a person who I believe has a high tolerance to pain... If you would like to know things that have been working for me and you want to talk to someone who knows exactly what you are going through you can email me any time you would like....
Take care I will be thinking about you hoping you feel better,
Jane
Double up on those "softeners" until the fissure has healed. If you have to take them the rest of your life, do it. It's worth getting rid of the pain. Have you seen an oncologist? Mom was constipated and nothing would help her "break thru". Drs did exploritory and found a blanket of cancer squeezing the entire intestinal tract. Don't be alarmed. She was 87 and led a very good life but be tested to be sure. MRIs and Car Scans did not show this.
