to want more advice! more traffic here. my dd is 10, started periods 3 months ago at 9. Has had ten days of severe cramps but no bleed.

[piratecat]

original thread in preteens

her first period was 10 days of heavy bleed, clots, the lot, with the same pain.

the next two were lovely normal periods, 28 day ones. No Ponstan or painkillers(Mefanimec acid) required.

Was taking the Ponstan when these pains began as they were so bad (this is day 41 ish), later told by 2nd gp we saw a week ago, this in itself may have stopped the bleed. Stopped the Ponstan one week ago, but same cramps and still no bleed.

Pain is crippling at night, at bedtime and i have had to lie down with her for ten nights now to soothe her to sleep. Has had every painkiller going to no avail.

How can there not be any blood. Where has it gone??!!

Sorry to post here, but i thought there would be lots of ladies out there who may have had this type of period, or irregular cycles, with no bleed just pain, to help me understand that part. thanksx

that's a good idea thanks.

My cousin is 14, has had 5 or 6 a&e admissions to since age 8, each time it has been an ovarian cyst (pain developing towards the mid cycle, getting worse over days or a couple of weeks).

The medics tend not to think "ovarian cyst" in someone that age - even when told she has had more than one already! Maybe is worth asking "could it be an ovarian cyst" next time you see the GP, ask for a referral?

i asked the gp last time and today about cysts, she said prob not, and she had never come across one in someone so young. Also that alotof u have cysts and they don't bother us.

I can only think that the ultrasound is better at diagnosing that than the gp!, thanks for your information.

Arghhhhhhhhhhhhh but that's the point probably not in someone so young - but it does happen and if it does they tend to be at the onset of starting to menstruate!

I think I'd be down and A&E to get an ultrasound if she doesn't start to improve something is causing that much pain and a week is a long time to wait.

i will do that randommess. it's frustrating beyond all things.

Hmm have read around about ovarian cysts - they are really really common, it's just unusual 1 in 25 of those with cysts to cause problems!

i had a letter thru saying the ultrasound is for the 18th July. omg. that's at our local hosp (tiny visiting ultrasound unit which comes here)

do i ring the gp for a call back, and say look this is no good please get us into the big hospital asap?

do i just go to the big hosp, and go thru the A+E system, no point going now as they won't be able to scan her till daytime, so thinking tomorrow morning?

do i not go to A+E becuase the gp thinks there's fuck all wrong and no urgency, despite seeing her 3 times over the last two weeks with poorly dd.

Is she still in loads of pain?

Then yes I'd rock up early tomorrow morning at A&E this could be a bowel blockage or anything else you can't just assume it's bad period pains.

Does she have any other symptoms at all? Is she taking pain relief that could be masking a temperature, is she opening her bowels normally etc? Is she managing to eat and drink?

eating normally, drinking no prob. just the pains, the sharp ones come and go, and she says the period pain is constant. going for a poo normally.
has been out in the car today for a trip to garden center. if she was squirming on the bed non stop then wild horses wouldn't stop me travelling into city to hosp.
I just know the drill there, wait about 6 hours, then go up to childrens area, wait there for more hours, you don't just get an ultrasound cos you ask for one. Mind you at least i can say it's two weeks now, has had all the anti spasmodics, and pain killers. I just don't want to be sent home with more Buscopan, least we've done that. sorry just rambling through possible convos i would be up against.

sorry, havent given her any pain meds that would mask fever. not for 2 days, as nothing helping. x

I would go 2 weeks is a long time and far too long for normal ovulation or period pain, 18th July is way too long to wait under the circumstances. It's one of those what if situations, what if it is cyst and it burst or something

agreed. thankyou. will reassess in the morning. i would be annoyed with myself if she's still like this another 5 days from now. we cannot risk waiting till the 18th.

thankyou for taking time out to advise me. xx

If this was me I'd be going straight to a&e, regardless of the wait time. Honestly, your poor dd has been through enough, she is in real pain and it isn't fair for your GP to be fobbing you off with 'health shops'. Piss off. This needs investigation, and if you need to have a bit of a stamp about to get it, then so be it.

I had acute appendicitis which actually masked itself in my periods when I was a teen. I was fine in between my periods. It almost started out as feeling hungry. Then the pain grew and moved lower, I remember the nurse pressing my abdomen and it hurt, then she released the pressure suddenly and my world just exploded in pain. It was second only to childbirth, and the GP gave me 3 pregnancy tests on 3 separate occasions

My appendix burst and I got septicaemia. It was horrific. Go to the hospital. Paracetamol, cocodomol, whatever you're giving her; if it's her appendix I promise you she might as well be having m&ms.

I'd go to A&E too as it sounds like your GP just isn't taking this situation seriously at all. If she really has been in crippling pain for 10 nights then it really is not acceptable to have a referral for investigation in almost a month! It's also a bit strange to suggest that a specialist would not have more treatment options than a GP.

slatternly, thanks for your post. didn't mean that the wait times bothered me, just i have experience of being fobbed off there too, on two occasions, and have been belittled by nurses and the pain management woman, when in the end a specialist a few weeks later was able to diagnose dd's hip problem.

I really felt like an overbearing mother, and was never able to run back in and say 'look, look i was right!!'

ok. 18th is too late. we agree. good!

I will ring surgery at 8 when they open and ask to speak to a doctor, to ask if they can ring ahead to hosp. if not i will just go anyway. pack a bag and go.

nook, yes, the gp was referring to pain relief, as in what could be given orally.

she i so positive it's not anything else but a dodgy period cycle. and me not wanting to doubt a doctor has gone along with it. but, as you say it's 10 nights of pain now. it's bad when she lies down.

appendix can rumble away for months and months and not actually be in the area where it is - often gives referred pain.

Endometriosis (sp) can cuase this level of pain and i think (not 100%) that it can start as young as your DD especially if she has started her periods.

I am sure i remember being told that appendicitus is worse lying down .I would go to A and E in the morning and refuse to move without a scan.to be honest this has gone o too long to be period pain

Your poor dd.

I know it could be so many things but it sounds very similar to my endometriosis pain. I agree with above poster, although I've never heard of it in someone so young there's no reason why not if she's started her periods.

It took a long time (10 yrs) for mine to be diagnosed. A laparoscopy at 18 didn't identify it. In my late 20s I called an ambulance due to pain in the night, they admitted me and wanted to take out my appendix (thank god i put my foot down!). Endo pain comes in waves and can be terrible stabbing pain and 'normal' period pain. Pain can be anywhere really depending where the endo is. Eventually diagnosed by scans which showed endo cysts.

The very best of luck tomorrow, be strong!

thankyou. i will. it's got to be done. xx

Really feel for you and DD, OP.

Have read this somewhere, may not be accurate but worth a try. To check for appendicitis, put thumb in tummy button and little finger on hip bone and press with your middle fingers. If it hurts then it's appendicitis. Disclaimer: I read this in a novel and I can't remember off-hand which way around you put your thumb and finger! Try both ways.

just did that and no pain. poked her in the womb gently and she burst into tears.

i don't care what they say, i know my kid. isn't it crap how bad medical people can make you feel, when you are trying to do your best. i was made to feel like dd was making it up last time we had to be admitted. if was awful.

Pirate cat , i do realise you have no diagnosis yet but this website link has accounts from women with endo on there , its pretty shocking how many of them were made to feel they were lying or "wasting NHS time" only to be later diagnosed.
If nothing else some of them have no dianosis as yet just similar symptoms to your DD so it might be worth checking out just for support.