Women Only! Need some Woman problem help

[purr]

I had the ablation also and 2 weeks later was transported by ambulance where I had an ultrasound that revealed a tumor the size of my dr's fist on my uterus and he told me his words that he pi$$ed it off by cutting off its blood supply. He told me it would take about 3 weeks( if I could stand the pain) for the tumor to die.I waited the 3 weeks and the pain never stopped.I had an emergency hysterectomy and he told me only 10% of that tumor had died. When he did the hysterectomy my uterus was filled with another tumor he took glossies and sent my uterus to california,where it sits in a jar I guess.
I feel soooo much better, no more blood transfusions , no more pain!

 

[Parrotchick]

It is definitely worth seeing a doctor, several if you have to until you find one with whom you're comfortable and don't feel blown off. I grew up thinking it was normal to be out of my mind miserable, bent over double, nauseous and totally out of commission at least one day a month since I was eleven years old: My mother and sister went through the same thing. Before Motrin and other NSAID's could be bought over the counter, my sister and I would fight over them like a couple of crackheads. I easily did 20 a day just to get out the door-fortunatley I must have had guts of steel as I never had any problems from that.

Turns out we all had endometriosis. My sister had a hysterectomy for other reasons. I had the laperoscopy and they found lesions through my back and lower intestines but my ovaries and tubes were miraculously decent. Unfortunatley, even after the surgery removed the lesions, I continued to have cramps; bleeding was never a bother compared to the pain. Once I had IV morphine after ankle surgery-my foot felt fine but I still had cramps. I had Lupron for 6 months as an artificial menopause inducer (it was oh so cozy when I went skiing) and now I take BC for 4 cycles straight then one week off. That's theoretically when a period should come but I seldom do it on schedule (you could set your watch by me before I was so regular). I get odds and ends of very light periods and the cramps are managed with a bunch of Aleve. Yoga helps too. I have never had children nor tried (I'm 44 now) so I can't say if I've mangled my system, but I really don't think I have. Nothing was as miserable to me as the cramps though.

There have been cases of women with the lesions on their lungs! The rationale behind BC is that the fewer your periods or the lighter they are, the fewer the side effects and problems with endometriosis. True, there could be trade-offs with any medicines, but it was one I was willing to make. YMMV

Many places have women's health clinics that charge on a sliding scale. I do not have insurance now, but my health is stable so I pay for BC out of pocket-$25 a pack (it sucks that I have to pay for 7 of 28 pills that are inert but Big Pharma thinks women are too inept to remember to take their pills without the bubble pack). All the OTC pills, teas, heating thingers, et al would probably add up to more than that. I'd say watch what you eat and exercise anyway, since it'll make you feel better in general, but if you have other gyn. issues, it may well take more than that. Don't assume you have to live with it. Good luck!

 

[nuchickontheblock]

I am a nurse, in my 60's who had terrible periods for almost 40 years. Gratefully, I am blessed to be in menopause now. I had bad cramps, headaches, leg and back pain, but the worst was that I turned psycho for about 2 weeks a month. Luckily, I was quite regular, so could anticipate when I would start with symptoms. I couldn't take advil, or other pain medications like that; but found that there were a few things that could help. 1. regular exercise, 2. having someone massage your low back with lots of pressure, 3. careful diet - eating lots of fruits and vegetables to avoid constipation which makes cramps worse, and minimizing the caffeine and sugar especially just before and during my period, 4. using a heating pad, and 5. having sex just before my period. I also had relief for a number of years when I took BC pills continuously (never had a period). I know that there are prescription medications that can be helpful and that often severe cramps are caused by endometriosis. If your Dr isn't helpful, try to find one who is. Nobody should have to continue to suffer for years -- it's not right.

I also have used an acupressure point on the back to relieve menstrual cramps -- it lightens the pain for those who have severe cramps and gets rid of them for gals with mild to moderate pain. I have been a school nurse for 30 years, and done this on many women of all ages -- it works!
I'll describe how to do it:
The woman lies on her abdomen. Place your hand on her right right hip bone and follow the hip bone around to where it connects to the vertebrae (back bone). When you have found that place, move your thumb up one vertebrae. You should be able to feel that you are going up from one bony prominence to the next one. Then move your thumb over about one inch to the right and press in. If you are in the correct spot, the cramps will stop immediately. If they don't, move your pressure point slightly up, down, right, or left, until you find the right spot. I ask "is the pain gone now?" and move my pressure until they say "Yes"! sometimes if you can't find the place, you might need to try starting with the hip again, especially if the gal is a bit heavy. When you find the correct spot, hold the pressure with your thumb for 60 seconds. Then release slowly and rub the area in a circular motion for another 60 seconds. That should do it. Sometimes the cramps come back within about 30 minutes, but if they do, repeat the acupressure and the cramps will be gone and not return.

I hope this helps. God Bless, and remember to look for a Dr, midwife or nurse practitioner who will help you. They are out there, but sometimes you really have to search. Ask questions on the phone before making an appointment. In my experience, any medical office that won't give you some time and attention on the phone, won't be helpful to you in person either -- so forget them.

 

[HeatherLynn]

I don't think I have ever hurt that bad but I take coconut water and drink soy drinks right before and during. I am not a big soy person so this is the only time I do this. The coconut water I heard about in prevention I think. It seemed to help a lot though.

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

Isn't there estrogen in soy? Perhaps that helps.

 

[Illia]

Quote:
Don't those things hurt?! They always creep me out. . .

 

[muddyhorse]

no they don't hurt, not a bit. I have mirena www.Mirena-US.com It is tiny about an inch and is T shaped like your uterus. It last 5 years !!!! not having to think about it is great several of my friends have them and love it too. You might have a little cramping the first couple of days, NOTHING as bad as my actual period. .

 

[SpringChickens]

Quote:
I had a mirena too, and think they are the greatest thing since sliced bread! I'm sure I will be getting another one after this baby

 

[Rainstorm]

Quote:
First off,

Many of us know what you're going through. Many good pieces of advice here. When I was in my late teens/20s my periods were epic. I ended up in the ER several times because my mom had no idea what to do for me. I was irregular to start with, skipping several months at a time but when I had one I wanted to die. Heavy, clotting bleeding with stabbing pains. I didn't sleep, I would curl up in a fetal position and pass out from pain and the exhaustion of screaming and constant crying. The doctors would just shrug and say 'you'll grow out of it'. They acted like I was some little wimp which I wasn't, I actually have a huge tolerance for pain but not like the pain I was getting.
I was 21 when I ruptured a huge ovarian cyst while out running. I never knew I had them. During the laproscopy to fix it, they found severe endometriosis. I went on birth control and that helped, as did having a regular period. I found that if I took meds before my pain actually started (which is hard to do if you are not regular), then the meds helped dull the pain (it gets a head start dealing with the pain pathway since once massive amounts of prostaglandins are released during the pain cycle, it's almost too late. Most pain meds inhibit prostaglandin release. It's like closing the barn door after the horses have already run out if you are in such massive pain and then try to take OTC pain meds). I took massive dosages of motrin...800mg every 6-8 hours. Exercise helped too. No caffeine. Warm compresses. I might get censored for this

....but an O helps too. It quiets down the uterine contractions. A nurse gave me that bit of advice. I did eventually 'grow out' of my severe pains...they are better but I still feel bad for a day or two. Back pain, crampy, headache and I am a cranky-puss! [URL]https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/40731_kitty.gif[/URL]
See a specialist if you can. These things are taken a lot more seriously these days. You could have something like cysts, fibroids, endometriosis....you need to know what is going on. A ruptured ovarian cyst can be very, very serious. Trust me, I nearly bled half to death before they figured out what was going on with me. It was a mess.

This is the price we pay all because of some stupid snake and an apple.

Hang in there!

 

[EweSheep]

Quote:
First off,

Many of us know what you're going through. Many good pieces of advice here. When I was in my late teens/20s my periods were epic. I ended up in the ER several times because my mom had no idea what to do for me. I was irregular to start with, skipping several months at a time but when I had one I wanted to die. Heavy, clotting bleeding with stabbing pains. I didn't sleep, I would curl up in a fetal position and pass out from pain and the exhaustion of screaming and constant crying. The doctors would just shrug and say 'you'll grow out of it'. They acted like I was some little wimp which I wasn't, I actually have a huge tolerance for pain but not like the pain I was getting.
I was 21 when I ruptured a huge ovarian cyst while out running. I never knew I had them. During the laproscopy to fix it, they found severe endometriosis. I went on birth control and that helped, as did having a regular period. I found that if I took meds before my pain actually started (which is hard to do if you are not regular), then the meds helped dull the pain (it gets a head start dealing with the pain pathway since once massive amounts of prostaglandins are released during the pain cycle, it's almost too late. Most pain meds inhibit prostaglandin release. It's like closing the barn door after the horses have already run out if you are in such massive pain and then try to take OTC pain meds). I took massive dosages of motrin...800mg every 6-8 hours. Exercise helped too. No caffeine. Warm compresses. I might get censored for this

....but an O helps too. It quiets down the uterine contractions. A nurse gave me that bit of advice. I did eventually 'grow out' of my severe pains...they are better but I still feel bad for a day or two. Back pain, crampy, headache and I am a cranky-puss! [URL]https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/40731_kitty.gif[/URL]
See a specialist if you can. These things are taken a lot more seriously these days. You could have something like cysts, fibroids, endometriosis....you need to know what is going on. A ruptured ovarian cyst can be very, very serious. Trust me, I nearly bled half to death before they figured out what was going on with me. It was a mess.

This is the price we pay all because of some stupid snake and an apple.

Hang in there!