Hello all,
On September 6, on the fourth day of my period, I started having cramps in my lower abdomen again. I normally only get cramps on the first 1-3 days. I’m 39, with regular periods every 26-27 days, lasting 5-7 days.
The past five days, the pain moved around, at first from the abdomen to the rectal area (sorry for the TMI), then into both my hips and into my lower back, back to the lower abdomen again, it kept moving between those areas and radiating to the nearby ones. It’s currently around both my groins and hips, radiating into my lower abdomen, lower back and buttocks.
I had hard to pass stool on day one of the pain (like I do at the end of my period sometimes), then on the following days large, mucous-y stool once or twice a day, every day (3-4 times a week is my normal otherwise). Once there was also some fresh blood, but it could have been coming from the front, as that was the day after my period.
After every bowel movement though, I had excruciating cramps lasting anywhere from ten minutes to several hours, depending on the day, that left me doubled over in pain. Plus, I get sudden urges to go like a dozen times a day, but nothing, just gas.
Again, sorry for the TMI.
The pain has often been a level 6-8 on a scale of one to ten, 2-5 when I was resting. It was dull at first, but lately it has become a griping, almost contraction-like cramping (which feels super weird when it’s e.g., in my hips) that comes in waves and leaves me breathless at times. It feels like colon spasms that make the nearby areas spasm too, if that makes sense. It also feels similar to my period cramps. Eating something or resting makes it a bit better.
I feel weak and generally unwell, I get all sweaty from a 15-minute walk and have to sit down.
I don’t have a fever, I’m not bloated or nauseous, and my stomach isn’t tender to the touch. I can jump on one leg/flex my right leg backwards while lying on the side (I read that you can’t do those if you have appendicitis for instance).
My period is now gone, lasted a normal six days, and I have no other symptoms related to that (like unusual discharge, breast pain etc.)
Not sure if any of these could be relevant, but just in case:
• I ate some meat earlier this week that had expired 2 days prior, but tasted, looked and smelled just fine. That may not have been one of my brightest moments.
• I’ve been taking ibuprofen for covid related sore throat last month and for period pain last week. I had stomach problems from ibuprofen once years ago, but the pain was higher up in my stomach and I was also very bloated. Back then I mistook that pain for period cramps at first. I was given omeprazole and it went away.
• I had covid starting from Aug 23. I had stomach symptoms then, but no cramps. I had a negative test on Aug 29, but some respiratory symptoms lingered beyond that.
• I just finished treatment for disseminated Lyme disease, so my immune system is a bit weak right now. I used to have joint and muscle pain with that.
• I had a pelvic ultrasound in April, it showed a polyp, which was removed the following day, and a 4 cm fibroid, for which my ob-gyn recommended watchful waiting, she didn’t mention anything about cysts or other issues.
• My periods have always been painful to some degree, so endometriosis is a real possibility, although I’m still a bit overweight, which could also cause them to hurt, idk. I lost 38 kgs in the past couple of years and it did make my period pain much more bearable.
• I’ve been hauling heavy stuff while traveling/moving, and doing vigorous exercise too, but I have no bulges on my groin or abdomen that could indicate a hernia.
• I have a family member with IBS.
• I take magnesium, vit D, zinc, vit B complex, vitex, and wheatgrass powder.
If anyone has any suggestions as to what this could be, or similar experiences to share, I’d very much appreciate it.
I’m not in the UK, the healthcare system is a bit of a mess here, so I really don’t want to go to the emergency room unless absolutely necessary.
There’s an option of going to a private clinic, but it’s expensive, and I would much rather wait to speak to my GP next week. I don’t know if he’s supposed to refer me to an ob-gyn or to a gastroenterologist, I’m scared, either way.
In the meantime, I’m stuck in a foreign city, I don’t have any family or friends here, I also don’t want to worry them, but my own anxiety is not doing me any favours.
Thanks in advance, sorry for any mistakes (English isn’t my first language) and also for the novel length, I just didn’t want to drip feed.