Severe period pain...

[jemimavintage]

Hi Forum!! I'm 47....and for about 18 months...I've been experiencing very severe period pain, lasting 5/6/7 days... Prior to this I could easily blow the pain off with a couple of paracetamol...but now....no over the counter meds even come close to touching it....paramol, solpadeine max...ibuprofen inbetween.....nothing. I went to my dr and she sent me for an internal ultrasound. All fine (I knew it would be!). I asked her for stronger pain killers, due to the fact that I have a full time job, run a business and travel loads - I NEED to be able to function!! She offered zero - only mefanemic acid/naproxafen - both of which I tried and both of which do nothing at all other than give me heartburn. This pain......I'm not kidding, it's extremely bad!!!

The dr offered the coil - I'm not interested in that. I don't want surgery because of side effects/and or symptoms stemming from having things removed...

Am I unreasonable/unrealistic to expect that prescription pain killers would help me out with the pain of this? I've recently moved and have a new GP - so I can go see them again and maybe be more forceful. I just rolled over with the last one - but after another couple of months of it, I'm way past being overly polite now..

Having 7 days of every month taken up with pain and nausea.....I've been completely blindsided by it....

thanks in advance!

J

[pinkfrocks]

This is not 'normal' period pain and I wonder if you could ask your GP for referral to a gynae - or pay for a private appt if she refuses? Might be worth it. You could have endo that has been activated by your hormones going up and down- assuming that you think you are peri meno, having posted here and not on General Health? Heavy periods can be part of meno but pain is not so common. TBH I don't know if pain killers would be the answer- some of the strong ones have side effects which may mean you'd be drowsy and couldn't drive etc.

One option if you are otherwise healthy is the Pill which would zap the whole thing.

Why are you averse to the Mirena? If it's a solution is it not worth thinking about it?

[jemimavintage]

thanks pinkfrocks..

I've heard some real horror stories about Mirena but yeah, maybe the pill itself...

When I had an ultrasound internal thing, I assumed that that would rule out endo....cos they never said they'd seen anything... they said everything looked normal. I'm pretty clueless about these things tho. I just never imagined I'd be in such a mess!! I had a blood test and that showed some level or other was 'right on the border' of being menopausal.. Again, I didn't ask what the level actually was... and am now kicking myself now for that.

I might go drs and ask about the pill.. I cannot cannot take the pain any more..

thanks again,

J

[pinkfrocks]

I don't think TVS always show endo- you sometimes need a laparoscopy.

It also depends on who does your scans. If it was not a radiologist (dr) and 'just' a technician, they are not necessarily that experienced. I have had many scans (for ovarian cyst) and a consultant radiologist did them and found evidence of all kinds of things that I never knew could be seen.

Go back and ask for more tests.

[pinkfrocks]

p.s- remember that women who love the mirena tend not to go on forums and shout about it! The ones you read about are the ones that have issues.