post-ablation syndrome

Hi,
I am 41, and also had an ablation. Mine was about a year and half ago, and although I don't really have periods anymore (just a day or three of spotting) I do have increasing pain each month. I had the procedure to help with heavy periods and painful fibroids. Like you, i really don't know when i am cycling, but I will have agonizing, disabling pain that wipes me out for at least 2 days. I'm headed in for an exam, expecting it to be a bigger fibroid but after reading your post, I wonder if its this stupid syndrome. I'll be sure to ask.

also, I forgot to say that my bowels also seem to be oddly connected to the pain...pain, feels like i will have diarrhea, but really ends up being a skinny soft stool, gross.

Hi. I actually came on here to find out information about a post ablation pregnancy (which I am experiencing) and came upon this. I have not, until recently, noticed any issues with bowel stuff and now that you have mentioned it, I want to ask more detailed questions. Sorry if TMI asking....lol.


So, I feel like there is a burning way up in my bowel area when I need to use the restroom and when I do actually go, its usually very soft, but hurts so bad coming out and I almost shake in pain. I just dont get it. Anybody else have the same feeling? It almost scares me because I am afraid of everything right now anyways with this pregnancy. I am just about to 32 weeks. Scared to death!

I am 44 and I had an ablation about 6 years ago due to pain and heavy bleeding, it got better for a while then the pain started. I still had a cycle but only a day or two, not bad. Then the pain started to get worse with each cycle until I passed out from it and ended up in the ER. Went to see my Dr. and she sent me onto the web to see what postablation Syndrome was while she was booking me for a hystorectomy. Yea!! Remember Ablations are a first step to avoid a hystorectomy, sometimes it works and sometimes you have to take the next step. Good luck to you all and be your own advocate.

In 04, I had a tubal while i had my son during a c-section. Two years later, I started to get heavy periods. So bad that on my second day of my period, i couldnt go anywhere. I would have to change my pants 2-3 times a day. In may of 09 had an ablation. Now almost a year later, I am having the worst pain that occurs on my left side where my ovary is. Had 2 ultra sounds and everything looks normal. Doc wants me to go have a colonoscopy, laparoscopy and a possable d & c. I said no. Its not my bowls. The pain only occurs when I am having my cycle. The worst pain in the world! No pain killers touch it. I feel that because this is such a new procedure, doctors arent educated enough to warn women the bad side effects. Or, I feel they are too busy or dont care about these symptoms. Its frusterating! No one told me anything about what could happen. Only positive things. I felt lied to and I feel like a labratory rat! Women need to be told up front of all the side effects. Including tubals. I was lied to about that too! Now I have pre menopalsal (sorry about spelling) symptoms that started when I was 35! We need to spread the message!

I agree with the other posts we need to alert women about this issue.
I had a thermachoice ablation 5 weeks ago. I'm only 32 so I didn't want to
Do a hysterectomy. I regret that decision so much, ever since I had the procedure
The pain has been horrible it starts in my lower abdomen and lower back
And pain killers don't touch it. I have been taking motrin like candy went for blood
Work today and having ultrasound on Friday. I'm really scare
When I went for f/u and told my doctor the nightmare my life
Has become she failed to mention the post ablation syndrome. I
Think the only solution for me is hysterectomy. I'm now I'm afraid
Of other complications.

I am SO SORRY that my husband and I COMPLETELY trusted when my ob-gyn make the ablation procedure seem like a "cake walk" and a "must do." All I had was a polyp in the uterus that needed to be removed. I had a polyp removed 5 years ago with absolutely NO side effects or pain and I was back to work full time within a week. This time around, we allowed my dr to convince us that we could avoid having to worry about polyps growing the future by submitting to this simple and effective Novasure ablation procedure that could be done right at the same time the polyp was removed. THREE WEEKS LATER I am STILL incapacitated from pain and can't function normally. The pain is unlike any previous period cramping and feels like it radiates from the back of my spine to front of my abdomen like a ping pong ball bouncing around inside me with sharp spiked metal edges. I almost had a serious medical emergency caused by the narcotic pain pills the dr originally prescribed and I now am freaked about about side effects from pain pills and have stuck with just alleve twice a day that doesn't even come close to taking care of the pain, and it entirely wears off at least 3 hours before I am due for another dose. I am not fun to be around at that point! Sleeping with a heating pad and blanket does provide a little bit of soothing, but if I try to have a normal day, I get wacked back down with pain. I now COMPLETELY understand why Anna Nicole Smith begged for relief from pain and why she used up her alloted pain pills early and had someone get her more pills under another name!!! I am not going to let this happen to me so I am DEEPLY TROUBLED. I am 52 years old, I am a highly intelligent professional woman and have always had a very high tolerance for pain, but that has changed after the ablation. I feel so stupid that I can't find answers, I am distracted by the pain, and I see no end in sight. It did not escape my attention when I got the "explanation of benefits" from my insurance carrier that this extra simple ablation procedure was billed at an extra approximate eight thousand dollars!!!! In this economy it now seems like it was certainly in the dr's best interest to "sign me up" for this supposedly miracle procedure, but when I called his office about the pain he acted shocked and said he would be happy to prescribe valium to reduce my anxiety, like I'm some kind of overreactive broad. When my pharmacist insisted that I go into the office to be tested for UTI instead of submitting to the valium, LO AND BEHOLD the test came back positive and I needed to add antibiotics the mess. Even still, the dr seems flabbergasted that I am still in pain and he swears that he has never heard of such a thing with any previous patient. REALLY????? How can that be after what I've been reading on all these post ablation posts by other women!!!!! Has ANYBODY out there found answers and information that helped? Or am I now doomed to have the hysterectomy I didn't need i order to get relief from the ongoingpain. I would LOVE to have some help with this dilema!!!

After reading all of these post, it is a comfort of some sort to realize that there are others out there who have or are experiencing the same symptoms that I am. I had my tubes tied back in 1988.. no problems.. I am now 45. Back in Oct. of 2009 I had a ablation performed due to my irregular and heavy periods. Not long after having the ablation I started having severe pain, mostly in my lower right side and lower back, that seemed to come when my cycle is/or would be. First time I had the pain I thought my appendix was going to burst I was in so much pain.. but I think I passed out in my bed instead. These happen every month and the severe part last about 2 days and I have several days of being very tender. Laying down with a heating pad seems to help, and I do take a pain pill, but most of the time that does not touch it. I started one of these attacks at work on day..how embarrissing.. all I could do was lay down in the bathroom until I could stand to sit up and drive home... Sitting up as you probably all know not easy when this is going on. Anyways.... so here I am waiting on my Hysterecomy scheduled Mar 2!!! Hoping this is the last attack I will have to endure. Good luck to you all and hope that you all will feel better and get the help you need.

I am so sorry to hear all these....but in a way glad too. I was honestly starting to think I was crazy. I had an ablation 1 year ago due to painful and irregular periods. Since then the pain subsided well until recently. The pain was on my left side and was crippling. The first time I was at work and oh my god I couldn't even walk!!! I am scheduled for my hysterectomy the end of April..... Until then I have to take painkillers about every 2weeks for 2-4 days? The pills don't touch it most of the time though. My bowels actually do the same thing too.... I was starting to wonder if the problem was related to that and not my cycle, but time just proves me wrong .... Just think it's odd that bowel problems happen at the same time as this. If I would have known this was this common I would have reconsidered the ablation and maybe just opted for the hysterectomy in the first place...... I would of missed less work! With the pain now I had to file for an intermittent FMLA so if it was crippling I could leave not and not be disciplined for it. ***this post is edited by moderator *** *** private e-mails not allowed **
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Good luck to everyone

I am so glad to find this post - I just had my annual 3 days ago and the pain ever since has been worse than any d&c, or ablation post surgical pain / cramping that I have EVER had. Nurse Prac (trust her implicitly) sent me for a intra vag ultrasound today - I just about made her pull out and quit before she was done - I was literally dizzy with pain when I walked out of there... I had my tubal after childbirth 2004 and ablation a year later 2005 when things never got back to manageable - I'd be lucky to get from home to work (30 minutes) without soiling my clothing. This procedure was new enough to my area that I was actually a training session to show another GYN how to do it... I had an easy recovery and post surgical results - gentle shopping the very next day, and only about 1/2 day of spotting after the initial 2 months for the past 5ish years. Now I'm wondering if I have a mass of trapped matter... this makes some sense to me that it was aggravated by the palpation portion of the pelvic - she may have just hit the right spot with the right pressure to cause it to move or something... In addition this would be about the time I'd be ovulating which if I remember right is when the portion of the lining that wasn't completely destroyed would start to thicken... NP was thinking cysts when she scheduled the u/s - if that comes back inconclusive I am definitely going to bring this possibility up!!!

I am so happy to know I am not alone. Ablation 4 mos ago and now increasing lower abdominal pain each month that is debilitating. Haven't even talked to the doc yet as I thought perhaps it couldn't be related. It is almost as bad as active labor! I know have the motivation and knowledge I need to step forward and advocate for myself. Thank you!

I am also glad to find these posts. I am 45 years old,  I thought I was going crazy too.  I had an ablation about 8 years ago and the pain is getting worse.  I feel like for 2 days I can hardly walk, and my bowels too are completely affected.  I take 800 ibuprohin and it barely touches it.  I kept hoping it would go away but no such luck.  I have to look at the calendar to plan things around the horrible 2 days of pain.  I recently had to go on a work trip and didn't know how I was going to make it.  Luckily I was at the end of the pain by the time I had to go on the flight, but the night before I thought I was going to have to go to ER.  The only place I get relief is a hot bath!!

The doctor just told me this happens after an ablation some times, (there is a name for it and I have to ask him again.) Its benign, but will continue to cause significant pain. The only cure is a hystarectomy, or menapause. 

 

 

 

I am 32 1/2 years old, and I have had 2 children (now 12 and 9).  I have had TWO ablations since 2003.   I had my first ablation procedure in Nov 2003, and this was done via the "rollerball" type of ablation.  My heavy bleeding and anemia continued and four months later, in March 2004, I had yet ANOTHER ablation procedure.  This time it was done via the "ThermaChoice Balloon".  Even after having both of these ablations, I have continued to still have a period with bleeding...albeit, the bleeding is FAR better than it ever was.  Now that it has been about 7 years since my last ablation, I am considering repeating the procedure as my bleeding is increasing again (which I knew there was the possibility of uterine regrowth after 2-5 years), and I am having bleeding about every 2 weeks, horrible cramping, and clotting (quarter to silver dollar sized).  

I am the "guest" who wrote 11 months ago about the blinding pain I was experiencing after the ablation. I can't really give you specific advice, but I can share my experience with the hope that there might be some helpful "nugget" for you. In the last year, I have had physical therapy to my back, massage therapy to my whole body (I spent a whole day at a resort type spa in my area, relaxing after having a massage or facial once per week when the pain was the worst and now go once per month for "maintenance") and thoroughly evaluated all food and supplement intake to make sure I was receiving nutrients specifically good for me and to help me heal. I found that the following things worked for me, and I am NO LONGER IN PAIN. Yaaaaa!!  I am actually physically, mentally and spiritually healthier than I was before the ablation!!! Maybe some of these things will work for you: I found that my acid/alkaline levels were off and I needed to increase foods that would make my system more alkaline since I was too acidic (the web is great for this info). I started using the natural supplement Fish Oil to reduce the inflammation in my body (the DHA/EPA type as recommended by Dr. Oz), a CoQ10 supplement, Vitamin B complex and Vitamin B12, a gluten free food list (to further reduce inflammation in my body and keep the inflammation from recurring in the bowels which were close to my ablation area), I am very careful to eat balanced foods so I don't have too much of this or that, I have almost totally eliminated sugar and caffeine from the foods I eat and drink, I started Yoga breathing and Yoga stretching exercises which greatly helped calm my anxiety and stress and reduce the pain in a natural way. The following resources have provided amazing revelations as well: "You Can Heal Your Life" by Louise L. Hay, "Anatomy of the Spirit" by Caroline Myss, Ph.D., "A Handbook of Chakra Healing" by Kalashatra Govinda. And the information in "Detox Solutions - 14 plans to detox your life" helped my body detox from all the medications I had taken. I really hope some of this helps you, as they did for me. It is an individual process - you'll find the things that "speak" to you and they'll work for you. I believe we were brought to this place to become better wives, mothers, women, and workers in the long run. You have to look at this positively and find the good in it or you could make yourself nuts!