Maybe You Can Help Figure Out What Doctors Cant

Try stopping the depo shots and see what happens. Is the pain just when you ovulate, or all the time? I know that as I get older, my ovulating times are more painful than they used to be. I have pain in my ovaries, my hips and lower back. good luck

I AM NOT A DOCTOR.. or any other kind of medical person..

Maybe you have cystic ovaries? I do and sometimes the pain gets a little intense. I've always carried my pms pain in my lower back. Mind you, the pain just last a minute or two and then it's gone... I once went to the ER (as a teen) and was told I was ovulating.

It does take a toll so I'll be tired, too. And a friend would get nauseous.
Just a though.

Hope you feel better soon.

N.,
Everyone else had some great suggestions, but here is one that hasn't been mentioned. Have you looked into celiac disease. It is an intollerence to gluten a component of wheat and other grains. It is a blood test followed by a biopsy of the intestinal lining if the blood test is positive. Don't stop eeating wheat before the test, because you can get a false negative. The solution is simple, you go on a gluten free diet. I'm gluten free and the freedom from stomach pain etc is well worth it.
Best of luck to you!

Wow Nichole!

Its C. H, Mother of 5 & EMT, this was a tough email to respond to because there are sooooo many different variables. I will narrow this down to one suggestion: consider Candida. Candida is a type of yeast and its overgrowth causes many of the similar reactions you've had. Have you considered pulling back on the sweet foods you are eating? Perhaps green stuff and lean proteins at every meal would be your best bet until you can get your hormones on an even keel. Of course this is a totally random shot in the dark.

Kidney stones are possible, have your gall bladder & ducts checked out and Stop- the Depo shot- Immediately!

In the interim, consider a Nutritionist, they are able to help with withdrawal from sugar and help to introduce more bitter foods into your diet. But with your kidneys and bladder both passing out this infection, it sounds like it may not be completely gone. Also consider a colonic, this would completely clean you out and help your body reset itself.

Good Luck! Keep serching for more answers. Char

wow - that sounds really terrible. It could be that the symptoms are separate. If you are having fatigue and forgetfulness then I would have your thyroid checked (simple blood test). Pain in your ovaries could be ovarian cysts which can come and go (or at least the discomfort can come and go). And if the discomfort has started since the Depo - I would consider getting off of that. I know a few women who had problems with that. As for the UTI's and kidneys - I would suggest you drink 100% cranberry juice (mix into your water bottle) every day - NOT like ocean spray - STRAIGHT cranberry juice - you can find it at Trader Joe's or in the health section at Shaws/S&S (or take cranberry supplements). and Finally - the ibprofen can be hard on your kidneys - so if you are taking it regularly I would stop unless you really need it!

Hope this helps - good luck!

I was also going to suggest having your gallbladder looked at if they haven't already done so. Good luck!

My sister went through something fairly similar. She had pain on one side and it was cyclical in nature. Do you find that the pain happens much like your cycle? Have you talked with your gyno doctor about it? She ended up with endometriosis and a few other things related to her system. She's doing better now but sorry to say she had to have a few operations and it was a lot of frustrating visits to the dr. before they figured anything out. Perhaps if you haven't already talk with your gyno and see if this is a possibility. Thought I'd share since she's been going through unexplained issues for about a year now. Just starting to get past it.

Hi N.,

You poor thing. I can't imagine what you must be going through. This is just my opinion, but at this point after all of these doctors don't have an answer for you, I'd try to see a natural doctor. I'm not saying to give up on medical doctors but to get the opinion of a natural doctor at least. They tend to get to the root of a problem and not just deal with the symptoms. I know several people (my husband included) who have been helped at the D'Adamo Institute in Portsmouth NH. Here's the info:

44 Bridge St
Portsmouth, NH 03801-3902
###-###-####

The downside to this is that most insurance companies won't cover natural doctors so it ends up coming out of your pocket. But it might be worth looking into anyway.

Best Wishes

Jen

Make sure they check your thyroid. It sounds odd- but some of those symptoms can be attributed to thyroid levels. Hormones can really mess with our bodies!
Good luck,
S.

My childcare provider recently discovered that she has a large kidney stone. She had months of back pain, several kidnesy infections. The stone was not seen on an ultrasound because of its location. Her doctor was trying to do a CT scan but insurance wasn't approving. She ended up in the hospital one weekend (vomiting, back pain, etc.) and the ER doctor ordered the CT scan where the 7 mm kidney stone was found.

Hi there,

Try having them test you for Lyme disease. My mother was just diagnosed with it and from talking with different people it can wreak havoc on your body.

Hope you get better soon!

A. W.

Try some OPC3. It's a super charged antioxidant. Antioxidants fight free radicals. The first thing your immune system does is fight free radicals so if you are taking the opc3 it fights the free radicals for your immune system and frees it up to fight sickness and disease. It will help you feel a thousand times better however it will not cure what you have. Here is a link for you to check it out. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.

http://www.marketamerica.com/nicoleryan/topproducts-13009...

N.,
In addition to going to a natural doc, as another suggested, you might also try a chiropractor. Sometimes the adjustments they do will also help alleviate some of the problems you are having.
Good luck.
I am sure your boy will love school.

Have you been tested for lyme disease?

have you had your pituitary checked? been checked for lyme disease? and gallbladder? Another thing is endometriosis I have it and get the worst back and pelvic pain ever I have been admitted a few times when I've had periods because they were so painful they thought it was my appendix but it can go undiagnosed depending on where its located. A few moms on here suggested taking extra calcium and vitamin D and it has helped a lot with the pain. The ibuprofen could be upsetting your stomach on top of what is already upsetting it so you might want to ask them for something else.

short on time so this will be a quck response...
stop the depo...stop the ibupro. that dont help your kidneys at all just a suggestion.
soooo have you got your gallbladder checked out i had mine removed i was in all kinds of crazy pain and odd symptoms, it is something docs will miss as well as fybromyalgia which is way out in left field but its a though im no doctorbut it is and hard to diagnose and causes alot of odd discomfort. but my guess is gallstones best of luck to you.

HI N.,

Have you had your Gallbladder checked out yet?

D.

I think you need to get off the Depo, ASAP, and see how your body is doing on its' own, without the interference of artificial hormones. Whose to say that's not the culprit of all these issues?

YIkes, N. - you are going through SO MUCH. I feel really badly for you. I also note your extreme frustration in being sent from physician to physician. It sounds like you are getting shuffled around, and you are getting a lot of ibuprofen which can have a real effect on your organs. It does sound like the problems are concentrated in your reproductive organs and your urinary system (kidneys and bladder). I agree that the cranberry juice might help, and it certainly won't hurt. You could consider SoySentials which is a balanced product for women which helps with all manner of women's issues. I can give you more info - if you're interested, I'll give you my direct email.

The E. coli is another issue I think. If you want to talk further, I can probably help you more directly but would need more info.

I agree with another mom that treating symptoms is not getting to the root of the problem. I'm more concerned with addressing the cause.

Let me know.

Your symptoms may be caused by any number of conditions which is why you have had several responses so far with different suggestions and why the medical doctors have been running so many tests. The good news is that the medical doctors have not found anything really bad so far, and most times they will find the scary things right away. The frustrating thing is that you still feel horrible and don't know what to do or what is going on yet. There are a few common conditions that may occur together that could be causing your condition. However without getting a full health history, I couldn't say for sure. I often see patients with a weak immune system, pains in abdominal areas and back pain and getting brain fog when they are developing conditions like fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue. The cause is sometimes what is called a leaky gut syndrome. If you had to take a lot of antibiotics for the prior infections and are now having to take non-steroidals like ibuprofen, that could cause and worsen a leaky gut syndrome. The symptoms of a leaky gut sound a lot like yours. I use a program of nutritional and diet changes along with chiropractic adjustments to help patients with this condition and have had good results with it. If you are near the Peabody area, you can contact me by phone at ###-###-####, If you live near Cambridge, there are some natural health doctors in that area, or is you live near the NH doctors that one of your respondents mentioned, you might consult with them.
Dr. E.

I agree with Melinda - stop receiving the DEPO shot!

It might or might not be the source of your discomfort, but by removing the injection of hormones into your system (at least for a little while, while trying to sort this out)you might better understand how your 'true system' feels. I was on the pill for 12 years - during that time I also suffered severe nausau and GERD (it didn't come on right away, which is why I never associated it with the pill). I had years of dr visits and upper GI's and endoscopies; not to mention perscriptions. When I came off the pill in 2007 when my husband and I decided to try for a baby I discovered how much better I felt...my symptoms diminished by 70% and I was able to stop taking my meds!
I now continue to feel sooooo much better and am the proud mom of an adorable/funny almost 10 month old daughter. I decided to NEVER go back on the pill and opted instead for MIRENA due to the lower level of hormones - it's worked well for me for the past 6 months; I have no ill side effects...I love it!

silly to ask but have you been tested for lymes disease?

I'm certainly no doctor, but I was on Depo for 1 year and when I went off it to try for another, it took me a while to get my period back. The nurse commented that it was probably because I had been on Depo for "so long." If 1 year can be considered "so long," then I wonder what 5 years could do to your system. Just a thought from someone who's been off birth control ever since and feels great about it. (I also took off the weight that the birth control put on me.) Of course, I now have 4 kids and still want more.

Hmmm, sounds uncomfortable! The lower extremities (gyn, digestive, lower back) can often be VERY interconnected.

For about 5-10 years I had periodic pain that was terrible--abdominal bloating, severe cramping, burping, lower back pain, slow bowels. It would usually pass within 6-8 hours. We went down the digestive path, thinking it was connected to that, but nothing particular was found. We went down the chiropractic path, which helped for the back, but arch inserts ultimately helped work preemptively with that and I rarely need a chiropractic adjustment any more. I've also had a history of ovarian cysts.

Then about a year ago, I had a particularly severe case that put me in the hospital because a fever was also included. It turns out it was an abscess of my fallopian tube and ovary. Who knows if this was it all along, and it finally just got really bad. But it explained many of my symptoms.

When you are having gyn issues (cysts, abscess, etc.), it can slow down your digestive system. Slower digestive system can cause digestive upsets and back issues. The stress of all of those can cause headaches. All of the above was disruptive to sleep, leading to forgetfulness and tiredness. Amidst all of this, my thyroid levels started to go off, further contributing to tiredness, forgetfulness, and my hair even began falling out. After my hospital stays, at least the thyroid corrected itself.

For you, it sounds like the digestive and gyn issues are all wrapped up together to complicate things. Lots of fluids and cranberry juice can help flush your system. Lots of yogurt can help build up healthy flora in your digestive system, especially after a bout with e coli. Careful tracking of your periods, and/or changing off of the Depo shots, may lend some answers to your gyn questions. But trust your gut. If it hurts, something is not right. Your body is not supposed to hurt on a regular basis.

I began to feel like I was a hypochondriac because nothing was ever found. But I ended up in the hospital finally, lost the right ovary and tube that was severely abscessed. And six months later, the left side became abscessed as well. I didn't lose any parts on the left side but ended up with a three-day hospital stay and two weeks of home IV antibiotics, followed by three more weeks of oral antibiotics. But a whole host of my problems now seem to be solved.

I think my right ovary has been problematic for decades and we just could never peg anything specific on it. Personally, I'm glad to be rid of it. We were never able to have a second child anyway, so be gone!

This may not be your situation at all, but please be aware of how interconnected our body regions can be.

My husband was frustrated to have one doctor question whether we were a monogamous relationship--often the cause of some gyn issues. We had a couple of good discussions and arguments over that one. But we realized we each were saying to ourselves, "I know I'VE been faithful, what about you?" This whole mess has brought us much closer together. Nothing like a long-time health issue being resolved! It takes a toll on a relationship, even when both have been faithful, when one is always feeling awful physically.

So, good luck and be persistent. It's your body and hopefully you will find some answers some day.

P.S. I'm no doctor, but my gut says a lot of your issues are related hormonally. I'm nearing 50 and my brain is useless as I near menopause. (My mom said she lost her brain from 45 to 50, then she went on to get her masters and doctorate.) But my best friend from childhood was in the throes of menopause in her early 30s, after many challenging years with endometriosis. So, who knows? Anything is possible when it comes to women and hormones.

Good luck!