Fed up of being in pain/ sick

[EsmeSusanOgg]

I have spent the last couple of decades mentioning a range of issues to doctors. Mostly to be fobbed off.

Horrendously painful and heavy periods (bleeding through multiple pads and clothes, and even heavy flow period pants in the first two days since I was a teen. Now nearly 40).

Achey, stiff feeling muscles. That are always right, despite stretching, physio, acupuncture etc. with weird hypermobility in some joints (that has only really been accepted as being weird now that again, I am nearly 40).

Abdominal pain and weird digestion (usually loose). When I report more than usual abdominal pain (always worse after unrelated illness, or in the run up to my period) it shows that have raised ALTs and CRPs indicating inflammation. But never enough to diagnose anything.

A few years ago I had my gallbladder out, not because of gallstones, but because it stopped working properly and they weren't really sure why.

I am plagued by headaches, because my neck and shoulders are always tight and painful.

I get random bouts of pins and needles in my hands, arms and feet. Especially when stressed. But this is always put down to 'anxiety'.

I have had past MH issues, I have had many, many health professionals heavily imply it is all in my head (only to then have blood tests or scans confirm something is wrong).

My family has a history of both rhematoid arthritis, ehlers dahnlos, any kind of diabetes you care to mention. But no doctor is interested in this.

I've had two colonoscopies which showed small internal haemorrhoids and on the second one small benign polyp.

I am just so frustrated.

What do I need to do to get my doctors to take me seriously and actually check the right things?

Could be endo? With deposits in your bowels?

The only way to diagnose that is an operation though.

I paid for mine - my GP wouldn't even put me on the waiting list.

They said I probably had endo when I was 24. They put me on the waiting list for a laparoscopy. But then nothing. I chased, and no one could find the original referral. I was told back then (26) that it would all get better after I had a baby. I was single at the time! Had first kid at 34, and it did not get better.

I have suggested endo. But it doesn't look like anyone has referred me to gynae. I think they're hoping I'll go through the menopause before they have to do anything.

My bowel looks clear. But it hurt like hell in the area I tend to get the worst abdominal pain when they put the scope through that part of the bowel. They said that .the pain would be referred and caused by the colon/ scope pressing on an area where there were nerves.

@Octavia64 do you mind me asking where you were able to get yours done? Rough cost?