I Can't Cope With This Every Month

[ClicksArse]

Once again I am laid in bed curled up round a hot water bottle barely to move because of such bad period pain. The only time I am moving is once every half an hour to go and change my sanitary towel because I have flooded another jumbo night time towel.

I have taken maximum doses of ibuprofen and paracetamol and I am still in agony. I can't taken codeine because it makes me vomit so I really don't know what else to do now.

I have seen my doctor about this more than once and she has told me that because the cramps and flooding only last 48 hours this is not classed as heavy periods and so there is nothing I can take or that she can do to help me. I cannot take any form of hormonal contraception because I am 2 stone overweight (I am trying to lose it) and because I have not had children of my own I cannot be considered for a hysterectomy despite the fact that I am very clear in my own head that I do not want children.

Sorry for the rant because I know that in the grand scheme of things this is a very minor problem but I am at my wits end and I can't see how I can cope with this happening every 21 days anymore.

Endo does not always cause problems with fertility.

Endo can also get onto the intestines; I always wonder to myself when I read about women who write about IBS particularly if it is cyclical in nature. Some women who have been told they have IBS actually have endometriosis instead so are misdiagnosed.

My periods are also very heavy for only the first 2 days but my gp does take it seriously. Tranexamid acid really works for me. I have very low iron ferratin so I am prescribed ferrous fumerate . I have endometriosis too so it is worth looking into all of this with another gp.

Does anyone know if endo can go on the bladder as I am going to the loo every few hours all day and wonder if it could be related to endometriosis?

If it is endometriosis, then you can have laser reduction (ablation) of the extraneous uterine lining (which is what it is), which will reduce the amount of bleeding and pain. If you have endometriosis, a lot of the pain comes from bleeding into the abdominal cavity - blood where it shouldn't be hurts. It can contribute to infertility if the extraneous uterine lining covers the ovaries or blocks the fallopian tubes but certainly isn't a given.
PCOS is definitely a possible factor as well in the weight issues.

Frankie - I suppose it's possible that endometriosis might be affecting your bladder in that way but it could be other things - have a read of this thread and see if any of the suggestions (further down the thread) sound as though they might be relevant to you.

I don't know why some doctors are so backward with checking for and diagnosing endometriosis - I have at least 3 friends who have waited years for theirs to be diagnosed, one of whom was told in her 20s that it was a problem for older women near the menopause!

So - go and see a different GP and ask about mefenamic acid for the pain, transexamic acid for the flooding and investigation for both endometriosis and PCOS (Polycystic ovary syndrome).

Thank you to everyone for your messages and advice.

Just to update, I am going back to the doctor's in an hours time having been awake and in pain for a large part of the night. I am seeing a different doctor through luck as when you make an on the day appointment you have to see which ever doctor they offer you. I am going to be requesting better painkillers and an referral to gynae so wish me luck.

To the poster who mentioned endometriosis and hearing women mention IBS that is connected to their cycle, this is something else that I have suffered with for years so you gave me something new to think about and I will be mentioning that to.

So, wish me luck and to all of you who have taken the time to reply to me.

Clicksarse, if you haven't already gone, good luck and I hope you get a far better response than you have had so far. No doctor should have let you get this way for so long - it's abysmal practice.

if you haven't already done so, may I suggest you write down all the relevant terms that have been mentioned on here, including drug names? Just as a reference for yourself.

I had the laser treatment about 9 years ago, so I suppose the endo may have come back. It is unfortunate that the only way of knowing if I have endo is by having a laparoscopy as it is a big thing to do, with general anaesthetic.

Clickarse. - good luck with your appointment. Just tell the doctor that you think you have endometriosis or something else wrong, don't wait for the doctor to tell you. I always self-diagnose before an appointment!

Just got back from seeing the doctor and she was absolutely lovely

She agreed wholeheartedly that I should not be putting up with this every month and has prescribed me both the "acids" mentioned in so many of your helpful posts.

She has said that it may well be endometriosis or it may just be that I suffer badly because I am a woman that has heavy periods anyway and for some reason my body has decided that it has to try to do in 48 hours what most women's take about a week to do.

She has referred me to the gynae department at my local hospital for further investigation and they will arrange for me to have the lacaroscopy (sp?) to find out for definite one way or another.

Finally she has recommended that I have a coil fitted. She has given me loads of leaflets to read about it so I can make a decision so I am going to have a read through and then make a final decision but I think I am going to give it a try and see what happens.

Am feeling so much brighter now than I did before. Thank you again to all of you for giving me the push that I needed to start getting to the bottom of this.

Thank goodness! a doctor in your practice with sense. Depending on how long it takes to see the gynae, you might want to defer making a decision about the coil until after you've been assessed properly for endometriosis.

Frankie - if your endometriosis ablation was done 9y ago, you might need it doing again by now - friends I have who've had it done have needed it doing every few years (one has just had her 3rd lot done and she's 31)

Also, clicksarse - if it turns out that you do have endometriosis and so on, you might consider making a complaint to the practice manager about your previous GP - she should not be allowed to continue in her appalling attitude that you should just suffer extreme symptoms like you have being.

Hurray! This doctor sounds like a good 'un :) Well done, OP, on realising you deserve decent healthcare. I bet you do feel more positive now!

clicksarse,

Glad to read the new GP you saw today was far more helpful. I would certainly put in a letter of complaint to the practice manager about the previous GP particularly if you do receive a diagnosis of endometriosis.

Re this comment made by Thumbwitch:-
"Depending on how long it takes to see the gynae, you might want to defer making a decision about the coil until after you've been assessed properly for endometriosis", I would certainly second this comment made.

What you have been prescribed also by the GP in terms of tablets and the coil is basically a short term solution which will address the symptoms but not the underlying problem. You need a diagnosis and asap too.

Frankie4 - endo can certainly appear on the bladder as well. Unfortunately endo can recur post surgery.

Aah, well done! You won't look back now, I promise.

So glad that you've been listened to at last!

I know it's only a simple thing, but have you tried using a mooncup?

Since DC3 was born 10 years ago, I had the most horrendous periods; not able to leave the house for the first couple of days, due to the pain, sickness and needing to change tampons and towels hourly. I was sleeping on old towels as I always leaked in the night, even though I got up to change a few times.

Heard on MN about mooncups, tried one 3 months ago, and it's changed my life!
I seriously don't understand how it helps with the pain, but it does. No cramps, no leaking, no constant changing of tampons. I can stay in bed all night, even on the first night. I honestly forget that I've got a period.

That's just my experience though - thought I would share it in case it helps.

I hope that you get your gynae appointment v soon, and find out what is causing you such problems. Glad you're feeling happier now anyway.

That's great news, OP. I'm so pleased you went back. Onwards and upwards!!

I suffered with this for years and years and then a gynae prescribed tranexic acid which really helped.

Tramexamic

Clicks, I have just found this thread while looking for answers to my own menstrual pain issues. I have had a horrendous time with pain and heavy bleeding since I was 14, but gained relief for the 13 years I was on the combined pill per TTC DD. i went back on the pill a few months after she was born because the heaviness and pain returned with a vengeance. Came off it to TTC number 2 and am in a mess again. My entire pelvic region and right up to under my ribs started hurting a week before my period this time, and on CD2 I had to come home from work because I was in so much pain I couldn't stand up, and was having shakes, sweats and chills. The only way I can see to get away from it is to have a hysterectomy. I have IBS type symptoms too. My GP appointment in this afternoon, and this thread has made me see that I really need to push for a referral. Thank you all. I hope you get the answers from the gynae,OP.

Great Clicksarse glad to hear this gp is going to get something done for you (I bet your first gp was a man) only someone that doesn't have a clue about what us females have to suffer would give you that advice. Onwards and upwards ..x

I had a diagnostic lap today and found out I have endometriosis after suffering since my teens. IMO you should at least have been offered an ultrasound to check fir fibroids. Have you had any investigations? Poor you. I find naproxen and co-codamol taken together offers the best relief, along with hot water bottles and hot baths. X

Sorry just caught up with whole post! Glad things are finally being sorted. I can't speak for tranexamic acid, but I have always found that naproxen is more effective than mefanamic acid. It is in the same class of drugs (NSAIDs). You can buy it over the counter as feminax ultra, or get in in prescription. But please push for a lap or an ultrasound first maybe to rule out fibroids. X

I have fibroids, lots of them. I'm very shocked that the first suggestion for treatment was a hysterectomy! I'm 35. It is possible to get medication to shrink them, if this is what you have. The side effects are not great though (sweating, mood swings etc).

Can I hijack the thread and ask if anyone on here has had lap treatment of endo and how long they took off work?

realhousewife - in the absence of anyone else answering just yet, I can tell you that my friend who had hers done last week is still in agony from the wounds and the bruising - if she was working she would still be off, she can't drive yet. It can take days for the CO2 gas to leave your abdomen completely and it's extremely painful while it's in there (like needing to do the biggest fart EVER, apparently, or trapped wind) - another friend here said it took about 2 weeks to feel ok-ish again.
So maybe 2 weeks? You could ask the doc how long they recommend you take off.

Twiggy there was no need for that misandrous comment, especially as the OP clearly states that her GP is a "she".

Thanks thumbwitch, and sorry about the hijack op, hope you get it all sorted. I put up with nasty periods for years and wish I'd just kept going back so I got something done sooner. Be a squeaky wheel and you'll get oiled!

realhousewife I hope you recover quickly. My (male) GP yesterday did what you said, and referred me for an ultrasound in the first instance. I know everything was very clear during my pregnancy (2009-10, and a private sonographer had a good look around in there, for health as well as baby) so it will be interesting to see if anything has developed since. It it right though that endo will only show up in a lap? (sorry to hijack OP - maybe we need a thread specific to this topic?)