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Would you see the GP about this? Not sure there's any point.

5 replies

lurcherlover · 29/05/2012 13:09

Background: I have endometriosis, which I've had for a few years now. I have patches of it around my bladder and bowel, so when it's aggravated during a period I have horrible pain having a wee - feels like cystitis - and also when doing a number 2. I have a constant dragging pain in my abdomen and lower back too. This all typically lasts for the duration of the period, then another three or four days afterwards before settling down, and thankfully I don't have any other symptoms until my next period. Luckily it doesn't seem to have affected my fertility, and I had DS in 2010. I got pregnant again in March this year but two weeks ago had a missed miscarriage (we only found out at the dating scan - I should have been 14 weeks but the baby had died at 9 weeks). I opted for surgical management and had an erpc.

Since then, I have had bleeding on and off (which I know is normal) but I have had all my endometriosis symptoms. I suppose they have been triggered by the bleeding, but they're not going away - some days they seem to have gone, and other days (even when I'm not really bleeding) I'm in agony. I'm just fed up of being in this pain now - it really is the most miserable pain, particularly the knife-like pains I get through my bladder whenever I have a wee. I'm meant to be going back to work on Thursday and psychologically I feel ready for it now, but this pain is going to be very debilitating (I'm a secondary teacher, so I can't just have a couple of quiet days sitting at my desk). I don't know if it's worth seeing my GP tomorrow or not.DH thinks I should go as the pain is going on for so long, but I don't see what they can do really. I don't think I have an infection - I don't feel ill in myself, the bleeding isn't excessive, there's no odour - I just think the whole process has irritated my endometriosis and it's just a case of riding it out. I've tried the usual drugs for endo - mefenamic acid etc - and they don't do anything for me. The only thing that normally works is co-codamol, but they make me constipated so I don't want to take them for this long (I can cope with that when it's my period as it's only for a few days). I've been taking ibruprofen, but I know taking them for this long isn't ideal. Has anyone got any suggestions? I'm just so fed up of being in pain. I'm also conscious that I'm going back to work on Thursday and then on Saturday we're going to Spain for a week, so if I don't see the GP tomorrow I won't be able to go until the week after next - but I don't know if there's any point seeing them?

OP posts:
fengirl1 · 29/05/2012 13:13

I think you should go.

AttilaTheMeerkat · 29/05/2012 14:22

I would go to the GP and ask for a referral to a gynae. All that you describe symptom wise is well beyond a GPs remit. Bowel and bladder involvement can be seen with endo and surgery will likely have to be done.

Mefenamic acid is next to useless when it comes to ongoing endo; it won't do anything with regards to endometriosis at all.

www.endo.org.uk is a good website. You ideally need to find a cons gynae with bags of experience in handling complex endo cases as well as an actual interest in the management of this disease. Seek help and get a couple of opinions from consultant gynaes.

lurcherlover · 29/05/2012 21:39

Thanks Attila. I have seen a gynae in the past (hence how I have an endo diagnosis) but I was about to start trying to get pregnant so he didn't want to do any surgery before then. Then I had ds and actually since my periods returned they haven't been quite as bad. This new pain since the miscarriage is right back to the bad old pre-baby days though. Tbh I don't want to see a gynae at the moment as I am hoping to be pregnant again very soon - I just wonder if there's anything I could be prescribed in the meantime to ease the symptoms, but I don't think there is really.

OP posts:
AnyoneforTurps · 29/05/2012 22:04

Have your doctors already tried suppressing ovulation using the (combined) pill or progesterone? Obviously these are no good if you are TTC right now but they might give you a few months' respite if not.

Even if these are not suitable options, it would be worth seeing your GP to discuss your pain relief.

lurcherlover · 29/05/2012 22:14

Anyone, yes the combined pill helped a lot - it didn't totally remove symptoms but it made them much more bearable. If we weren't TTC I would be back on the pill for sure, and I'm sure I will once I (fingers crossed) have had another baby. TBH I would quite happily have a hysterectomy once I've had another baby if it would sort things out, but I know it's often not a cure.

OP posts:
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