Hi Ladies, I can't believe that so many of us are suffering with this and doctors can't fix it.. I have 3 children, oldest 18 and youngest 11 years old, I'm 41 years old and I have never had any problems with my periods, light and hardly any pain what so ever till about 6 months ago. Talk about painful, can't believe it can happen just like that. I have an appointment with my doctor in a few weeks and will let you know what she says. I've been trying to drink alot of water leading up to my period, which can help sometimes, Fibresure - to make sure that I don't get constipated and my bowels move easily, and if it's really bad, i take DE-GAS and Buscopan which also helps. Hope this helps someone out there and ofcourse, don't forget to drink Peppermint Tea cause that can calm the bowels. Doesn't really fix the problem but can ease the symptoms.
I am 21 years old, have 1 child (who is turning 4 soon), and have been having significant abdominal/pelvic pain, cramping and discomfort since shortly after she was born...I saw Dr after Dr and no one could figure out why I was hurting so bad, and why my periods were always so incredibly painful...finally was referred to a gastroenterologist who found that I had an inguinal hernia which may be responsible for the pain...so I had an inguinal hernia repair surgery, but afterwards was still having the same symptoms...so I was referred to a urogynecologist...she diagnosed me with having endometriosis, and due to the significant amount of it and how long I'd been having the symptoms, I was in surgery that following day to remove the endometriosis. It has been about a month and a half since my last surgery, and I'm still hurting terribly and can't seem to get any relief...my urogynecologist mentioned that I may possibly have Interstitial Cystitis (IC), and all the symptoms are there...some of you ladies might want to look more into this and ask your Dr's about it...the only downside is that this is a chronic condition, and there is no cure...the only FDA approved medication to treat it is very expensive (no generic form available), even with insurance for me it would be $200/month. My Dr told me to take Prelief, an antacid, to see if it would help with the symtoms...still no change, but I'm willing to try just about everything right now.
I had posted previously on this blog, and at the time had know idea what was going on. I believe that I now have the answer. This is called PCS or Pelvic Congestion Syndrome. It is a vein issue. After childbirth many women experiece issues with internal varicous veins. It can be treated in an outpatient capacity. I have had ultrasounds, a colonoscopy, many internal exams, multiple opinions from various dr's. I finally found out about this through another woman who was suffering from this for much longer.... This is often misdiagnosed as possibly endo. Please take this syndrome name to your dr. I hope we can all get some relief. God Bless.
:-D I am so happy to have found this thread, too!
I am 21 now and have had this excruciating pain in my lower back since I was 15ish. It always gets much worse when I poop--but I can't NOT poop because the poop comes on suddenly and makes its way out whether I want it to or not.
Pain medication barely helps. I wish that doctors were more helpful. I don't think that this is "normal" period pain. I can deal with some pain and go about my business, but pain makes me throw things and scream. Rather, I try very hard not to throw things or scream, but it has happened.
All doctors do is suggest pain medication (which doesn't help) or birth control-- but I don't want to go on this and will that really help? I think something weird is wrong that needs to be specially addressed. What is this lining growing on bowels you all are talking about? Can this be lethal (besides the pain being lethal :-P ) ?
Addressing another user's comment-- exercising and eating right doesn't help for ME. I've been running miles every other day and weight-lifting for a few months (and I've been athletic all my life) and I eat fairly healthy--apples, carrots, plenty of water, etc. So I don't think that alone, at least, will fix the whole problem.
If anyone has any other ideas, please let me know. I'm so tired of this pain and I just want to be able to not miss school and stuff :-(
I am 21 now and have had this excruciating pain in my lower back since I was 15ish. It always gets much worse when I poop--but I can't NOT poop because the poop comes on suddenly and makes its way out whether I want it to or not.
Pain medication barely helps. I wish that doctors were more helpful. I don't think that this is "normal" period pain. I can deal with some pain and go about my business, but pain makes me throw things and scream. Rather, I try very hard not to throw things or scream, but it has happened.
All doctors do is suggest pain medication (which doesn't help) or birth control-- but I don't want to go on this and will that really help? I think something weird is wrong that needs to be specially addressed. What is this lining growing on bowels you all are talking about? Can this be lethal (besides the pain being lethal :-P ) ?
Addressing another user's comment-- exercising and eating right doesn't help for ME. I've been running miles every other day and weight-lifting for a few months (and I've been athletic all my life) and I eat fairly healthy--apples, carrots, plenty of water, etc. So I don't think that alone, at least, will fix the whole problem.
If anyone has any other ideas, please let me know. I'm so tired of this pain and I just want to be able to not miss school and stuff :-(
i have been getting these stabbing pains up my backside when im on my period too, but its been ever since i had treatment on my cervix for pre- cancerous cells. i think its probably scar tissue? my sister also gets these pains but she hasnt had the treatment on her cervix.
I am feeling the same, and I've been suffering this since my son's birth and he's now years old. A day before my menstruation starts I would feel a little bit of pain while farting or while having bowel movement, the pain is like having a big sharp wood biting my anus inside. When my menstruation starts and I would fart or have bowel movement the pain would really hit me severely, it's unbearable, but after farting or having bowel movement the pain would go then whenever I fart or have bowel movement again it aches painfully again. I notice while the time goes longer I’m having many pain all over my body such as muscle pain, lower back pain especially every morning while waking up, head ache/migraine, and I am bloated.
This feeling started when I conceived my son. I am cesarean and the feeling is the same when I still have the stitches on my tummy only when I fart or have bowel movement. I don't know to what doctor should I consult to, OB or internal medicine?
This feeling started when I conceived my son. I am cesarean and the feeling is the same when I still have the stitches on my tummy only when I fart or have bowel movement. I don't know to what doctor should I consult to, OB or internal medicine?
Thank you so much for posting this update.
More on Pelvic Congestion Syndrome here http://www.veins1.com/care/condition20.cfm/14
I posted earlier too, with doctors telling me i most likely have endometriosis, but i believe this may be what i have. Im in my mid twenties and havent had children, but do have a tilted uterus and some vein issues in my legs, so this sounds more fitting. Will investigate further with doctors.
Thanks again for posting this info!! :)
More on Pelvic Congestion Syndrome here http://www.veins1.com/care/condition20.cfm/14
I posted earlier too, with doctors telling me i most likely have endometriosis, but i believe this may be what i have. Im in my mid twenties and havent had children, but do have a tilted uterus and some vein issues in my legs, so this sounds more fitting. Will investigate further with doctors.
Thanks again for posting this info!! :)
SO glad someone knows what I'm going through! I am only 13, so I was kinda freaking out. :$ I feel so much better about this now! :-D
I am experiencing similar symptoms right now. It's sharp, excruciating, severe pain mainly in my bowels and inside my... lady area. It also feels very swollen in there, like it's almost impossible to get a tampon in. The pain comes and goes on its own and is also made much worse (to the point of being unbearable) by gas or feeling the urge to have a BM. I am having a hard time standing, walking, etc. This is not the first time this has happened, but I think it's the worse time. I am not a crier, and inbetween gasping for air (the pain literally took my breath away), I was sobbing. I'm married and sex is out of the question right now. When the pain has been less severe (but still the same type of pain) and lingered on shortly after my period, sex has made it worse or triggered it. Usually it happens in the first couple days of my cycle, when the cramping is really bad and I'm bleeding extremely heavily... so I don't have to worry about the sex part.
I am 25 years old, never had children or been pregers, diagnosed (and had surgery for) endometriosis. They didn't find any adhesions, but who knows what has developed since then, it was 2 years ago. I also have IBS and interstitial cystitis (IC). One word for those of you with endometriosis and IBS; I went to see a doctor who does research on IC, and he's under the impression that if you have endo and IBS, you have IC. IC is a very painful disorder of the bladder (look it up). Symptoms are very similar to endometriosis and IBS (bloating, pain, discomfort). Eating fruit makes it much much worse. Vitamins, coffee/tea, chocolate (everything wonderful in life), also makes it worse. Anything acidic. I just thought I would mention that since some people posted eating fruit on here as potential intervention. It can also lead to blood in your urine because it basically ulcerates the wall of your bladder over time.
Anyway, I'm not really sure what do to. I think a combination of all of these problems is causing this since they all exacerbate each other (how lovely). Benadryl really helps IC so I took some of that earlier when the pain was pretty bad, thinking maybe the IC was making things bad, but it got much worse. Intuitively, I feel that maybe it got worse because the benadryl dried up my membranes. I am just terrified to try laxatives as those usually make me bloaty and make me go whether I want to or not. I've been trying really hard not to go to the bathroom because it hurts so much, I get stranded on the toliet because it hurts too much to stand up and I can't bring myself to push past the pain anyway. It literally feels like something is under tension and might pop or rip in the base of my pelvis. Heat applied to my lower abdomen seems to be helping some as I think my cramps are making it worse (pretty much any internal movement like gas, my stomach growling, or whatever, makes it worse), but every now and then the pain still rips through me randomly.
The problem for me is that I can't use birth control because it makes my IC real bad. One time when I was on pregesterone only to try to treat the endo, I had an incident where I couldn't urinate for a day. Not pleasant. My IBS used to be severe, but it's mostly gone away now, however, I may try taking a mild laxative daily now like my husband (he has IBS too) in hopes of preventing this in the future. I usually try to start taking 400mg of advil 4 times a day about a day before my period and then I have to keep taking it for the first couple days because my cramps are incapacitating otherwise. So even with that much ibprophen in my system, it does nothing to dull this pain.
That's all I can think of. If someone has any other remedies to try, please let me know!
I am 25 years old, never had children or been pregers, diagnosed (and had surgery for) endometriosis. They didn't find any adhesions, but who knows what has developed since then, it was 2 years ago. I also have IBS and interstitial cystitis (IC). One word for those of you with endometriosis and IBS; I went to see a doctor who does research on IC, and he's under the impression that if you have endo and IBS, you have IC. IC is a very painful disorder of the bladder (look it up). Symptoms are very similar to endometriosis and IBS (bloating, pain, discomfort). Eating fruit makes it much much worse. Vitamins, coffee/tea, chocolate (everything wonderful in life), also makes it worse. Anything acidic. I just thought I would mention that since some people posted eating fruit on here as potential intervention. It can also lead to blood in your urine because it basically ulcerates the wall of your bladder over time.
Anyway, I'm not really sure what do to. I think a combination of all of these problems is causing this since they all exacerbate each other (how lovely). Benadryl really helps IC so I took some of that earlier when the pain was pretty bad, thinking maybe the IC was making things bad, but it got much worse. Intuitively, I feel that maybe it got worse because the benadryl dried up my membranes. I am just terrified to try laxatives as those usually make me bloaty and make me go whether I want to or not. I've been trying really hard not to go to the bathroom because it hurts so much, I get stranded on the toliet because it hurts too much to stand up and I can't bring myself to push past the pain anyway. It literally feels like something is under tension and might pop or rip in the base of my pelvis. Heat applied to my lower abdomen seems to be helping some as I think my cramps are making it worse (pretty much any internal movement like gas, my stomach growling, or whatever, makes it worse), but every now and then the pain still rips through me randomly.
The problem for me is that I can't use birth control because it makes my IC real bad. One time when I was on pregesterone only to try to treat the endo, I had an incident where I couldn't urinate for a day. Not pleasant. My IBS used to be severe, but it's mostly gone away now, however, I may try taking a mild laxative daily now like my husband (he has IBS too) in hopes of preventing this in the future. I usually try to start taking 400mg of advil 4 times a day about a day before my period and then I have to keep taking it for the first couple days because my cramps are incapacitating otherwise. So even with that much ibprophen in my system, it does nothing to dull this pain.
That's all I can think of. If someone has any other remedies to try, please let me know!
To the person above - doctors are very quick to say you have endometriosis (which is a controversial disease - some doctors think the lesions are just there in most people (and animals!) and doesn't actually cause this pain)
I advise you see other doctors and be very assertive. They will just say its endo, or IBS and also try and get you on the pill to regulate things. Keep seeing different doctors until you find one who has a good solution
I advise you see other doctors and be very assertive. They will just say its endo, or IBS and also try and get you on the pill to regulate things. Keep seeing different doctors until you find one who has a good solution
Hi Nadddia
Unfortunately, I am quite sure I have all 3 dxes. The endometriosis, as I mentioned, I've had surgery for where they removed endometrial tissue from areas in my abdomen. And I've had excruciatingly painful and heavy periods since I was a teenager (which is part of the reason why they did the ultrasound that showed a cyst on my ovary... that ended up being an endometrial glob). So yeah, definitely experiencing pain, and definitely have this particular problem. Not to mention, it's pretty well known that people with endometriosis have fertility problems... so I'm sure something is going on there and not normal. Part of the problem is when the endometriosis adheres to and damages ovaries, fallopian tubes, etc, but even when it is in a different part of the body, it can still correlate to infertility.
Also, the IBS was diagnosed by a GI guy after a colonoscopy (where they can see bowel spasms). I was having neon green (the color of a soda bottle) bowel movements. This is raw bile, which is secreted up near your stomach on the opposite end of your GI tract from where your BMs are eliminated. This meant things were moving incredibly quickly through my system, a classic sign of moderately severe IBS. Medication helped a lot. Now, thankfully, I am mostly symptom free as things improved a lot (I think it's because I dumped the guy I was dating at the time... haha).
The interstitial cystitis, also usually swamped with controversy, was diagnosed by a urologist who I might of mentioned, is breaking into the research in this field. He did a pelvic exam, poked my bladder, and I pretty much saw white for a few seconds, the pain was so bad. The pill also makes IC a lot worse. Not to mention, I am completely intolerant to the pill; it makes me pass out/throw up. I tried progesterone only, and that's what caused the IC to flare up so bad that I was diagnosed and had to completely change my diet to seek relief.
Anyway, thanks for the suggestion as I know some doctors are quick to misdiagnose or blow you off... which is the reason why I sought specialists in all these cases (specialists who weren't jerks and actually listened to me), but I'm 100% sure that I've been accurately diagnosed.
Unfortunately, I am quite sure I have all 3 dxes. The endometriosis, as I mentioned, I've had surgery for where they removed endometrial tissue from areas in my abdomen. And I've had excruciatingly painful and heavy periods since I was a teenager (which is part of the reason why they did the ultrasound that showed a cyst on my ovary... that ended up being an endometrial glob). So yeah, definitely experiencing pain, and definitely have this particular problem. Not to mention, it's pretty well known that people with endometriosis have fertility problems... so I'm sure something is going on there and not normal. Part of the problem is when the endometriosis adheres to and damages ovaries, fallopian tubes, etc, but even when it is in a different part of the body, it can still correlate to infertility.
Also, the IBS was diagnosed by a GI guy after a colonoscopy (where they can see bowel spasms). I was having neon green (the color of a soda bottle) bowel movements. This is raw bile, which is secreted up near your stomach on the opposite end of your GI tract from where your BMs are eliminated. This meant things were moving incredibly quickly through my system, a classic sign of moderately severe IBS. Medication helped a lot. Now, thankfully, I am mostly symptom free as things improved a lot (I think it's because I dumped the guy I was dating at the time... haha).
The interstitial cystitis, also usually swamped with controversy, was diagnosed by a urologist who I might of mentioned, is breaking into the research in this field. He did a pelvic exam, poked my bladder, and I pretty much saw white for a few seconds, the pain was so bad. The pill also makes IC a lot worse. Not to mention, I am completely intolerant to the pill; it makes me pass out/throw up. I tried progesterone only, and that's what caused the IC to flare up so bad that I was diagnosed and had to completely change my diet to seek relief.
Anyway, thanks for the suggestion as I know some doctors are quick to misdiagnose or blow you off... which is the reason why I sought specialists in all these cases (specialists who weren't jerks and actually listened to me), but I'm 100% sure that I've been accurately diagnosed.
hello everyone,i am 20 years old. i have been suffering with this problem also. i was on the contraceptive pill and decided to have a break, and have discoered that the pains have become worst, also i do not eat gluten anymore since 6 weeks ago and i noticed a very slught difference with the pains. i have a gynacologist review tomorrow to see what the problem may be. the pains are excruciating.
For 40 years I have had a pain in my lower back that stabs me right before my period. In fact I can tell it is going to start by that pain. When i have a bowel movement, after I start, the paid goes away. I haven't had a period in a year as I am going through menapause. Two days ago I had the pain and it reminded me of my old periods. Guess what!! I started the next day. After a year...the same symptoms. Weird.
OK< So, I'm an RN and beyond thrilled to find this info. I went through such pain, second day of my period, yesterday that I thought it would kill me. All trying to have a BM! Remember, I'm a nurse, so even talking myself through it, trying to stay calm it was so bad I blacked out twice. All in a library restroom. I could not believe the pain. This happened to me a few times before, but not to the point of actually passing out. I never want to go through that again. It just wouldn't stop, went on for almost an hour, possibly becuase I was afraid to let myself have the BM. I have two children, medicaion didn't work on one and was too late for the other labor, and even experiencing child birth twice all natural, no pain meds this was much worse! I don't know the cause, but will investigate and try to come up with something. All my muscles in my lower body are crampy today like after a major workout! If anyone has ideas on how to prevent...
I, too, have had a lot of the symptoms mentioned. I started having horribly painful bowel movements directly after the birth of my 2nd child about 5 years ago. This pain would go away between periods but would come back during my next period, and so on. I tested positive for blood in my stool, I get frequent yeast infections, my periods have gotten heavier with large clots and I urinate frequently and urination is painful during menstration. I also was told I have IBS due to cramping and bloating, but I lack some of the main IBS symptoms as I am never constipated, don't have loose stools and I'm regular as clockwork. This makes me wonder if I have endo however I have no fertility problems. In fact, I just gave birth to a boy (my third pregnancy) as a surrogate. My question is, I had many tests done to qualify to be a surrogate, including a hysteroscopy and had to have a c-section with this last baby (my children were vaginal births). Wouldn't my OB have seen endo when he was elbow deep in my guts?