Severe menstrual cramps after endometrial ablation

Yes, I did go to Mayo but the diagnosis was confirmed in Minneapolis by an OBGYN.
Post Ablation Syndrome is the diagnosis.

It seems the more research I do, the more I am finding that the "death pains" are more common to those who have had ablations and tubal ligations as well.

 

Hope all of you out there who read this are doing okay these days!

severe abdemonial pain after ablations to the point were I need morphine shoots to calm them during cycle time I eat vicodin and nacros like there candy and sometime they give know pain relief.

Hi my name is Niecy and were twin sisters

Yes,i had this ablation,in 2003,since 2012,and now,march of 2013,my pain is so bad i have to put a heating pad on all the time,warm clothes,blankets,take lots of advil,because thats what my doctor told me to do,i dont bleed,but the pain,is getting so bad lately,i cant sleep,the cramping wakes me up in the middle of the night,i get it at work,i dont know what to do....,i stretch eat lots of greens,take vitamins,anyone have any answers??????

So-called NSAIDS (non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs) if you are without ulcers or kidney disease and drink a lot of water. Naproxen is the strongest but do not exceed recommended doses. These cut the contractions, and also inhibit the pain pathway and also relieve the inflammation of the blood that is stuck in local tissue and not getting out.. These are the best first line drugs (ibuprofen is a little milder but both require you to take food and stay hydrated) for menstrual cramps for these three reasons.

Anyone needing regular narcotics beyond this on a monthly basis is better off having a vaginal hysterectomy or laparoscopic hysterectomy if there is endometriosis. Ablations are a good treatment for bleeding that last years for some. They are not a good treatment for severe and disabling menstrual pain, and hysterectomy is the best option.

Jim Smeltzer, MD

I had a Nova Sure ablation in Sept. 2011.  Mine was pretty pain free done in an outpatient surgery center where I was knocked out.  Minimal bleeding with periods now and shorter cycles....BUT I read a lot of message boards like this and was aware that sometimes the lining can grow back or fluid/blood trapped in the uterus.  I've had 2 episodes of the so called "death cramps" since the surgery with very little bleeding.  Also read that the uterus still contracts like it's trying to shed the lining every month and this can cause the severe cramping.I describe them as the end stages of labor, one huge constant contraction or a minute or so apart. I've had 3 kids natural, the last one I had an epidural.  I've been told I have a high pain tolerance but this is crazy.  I joked that I went through the labor pains with no sweet baby to show for them.  My doc wanted to schedule an ultrasound to see if the lining had grown back, but I was fine the next month until now.  I was 42 when I had my ablation with no other polyps, cysts, or female problems other than one month of severe anemic bleeding where I was going to have to be hospitalized.  I chose to try the ablation before a hysterectomy - less evasive.  Out of 3 of us in my bunco group - one lady in her 50's the ablation worked, the other was early 40's and her heavy bleeding returned after the first year.  Myself, this is the 2nd time with the severe pain.  The first time I went to Urgent Care doing my childbirth breathing exercises.  I was doubled over and my 19 year old son drove me.  It was horrible!  This time they started at 2am and by 5:30am when no other meds helped I pulled out the pain meds from my ablation that I never needed and within an hour they had subsided.  I'm very sore afterwards, both back and my uterus from contracting, and was told at the urgent care my blood pressure was through the roof.  Mine tends to also radiate by the right hip and ovary.  Cramping returned with nausea and severe chills around 1:30pm and I took half a pain med and sat in the tub for 45min. to try and relax.  I'm nauseated, wiped out from the meds and sore....hoping the pain doesn't return.  I have my annual well woman exam next month so will let my doc know.  I'm sure I'll need a hysterectomy down the line.

 

I had the ablation in 2006. It worked great and lessened my flow and horrible cramps. For about a year now...the cramps and heavy flow are back and get progressively worse each month.  I promised I would call my doctor today as my husband and I are worried at this point . I am glad I found this post....I am not crazy! The cramps now are just as bad as they were before the ablation and that was horrific!!!  I do not want a hysterectomy because that will throw my hormones even more out of whack, but will settle for that if we cannot fix this. I don't reccommend the ablation to anyone at this point because it is a very temporary relief that brings on other problems later.

Hysterectomey usually will not mess with your hormones if ovaries are left. If the cramping is disabling suggest it as the best solution., as menstruation may give you endometriosis if out the tubes.

May have embolization or repeat ablation (If endometrium is open enough) as an option.

I had ablation two years ago. everything was fine until three months that I started having unbearable non stopping cramps. I went to my GYN , he did an ultrasound and reported to me that everything looks normal. However, I have three days with these horrible cramps, therefore, I will go back to my Doctor because this is scaring me. Thanks for your feedback.

To the Dr who replied..... I know myself, and a number of other women on this forum suffer from POST ABLATION TUBAL STERILIZATION SYNDROME. Those of us who had a tubal ligation and then the ablation eventually end up needing a hysterectomy because the pain with PATSS is unbearable! Not many docs know what this is so I would suggest you becoming familiar with this problem, as I believe this will be a wide spread issue for those who had both procedures done. I was diagnosed by a specialist. Unfortunately for me, because my pain was so severe for so long, after the hysterectomy I continued having pain and it has been deduced to nerve damage from everything... And this could be forever. I have been on pain medication and to multiple pain clinics now over the past year. Terrible that a procedure that was sold to me by my OBGYN as the answer to all my prayers, the next best thing to sliced bread, has now virtually destroyed what my life once was!!!!!

Ended up have a hysterectomy a few months later… my uterus had stuck together and they found fibroids at the top end..

I'm in the same situation now as you were when you wrote this. My dr says the pain I'm having is blood in my uterus. I wasn't given any option other than a hysterectomy. I opted for a partial. Surgery is 6 days away, I'm terrified. What complications will this surgery cause.

I had an ablation and my tubes tied two weeks ago. When I woke up from surgery I was in serious pain but after the 2nd day of surgery it got a little better everyday. But as of the last two days its been worse, doubled over cramping. I've had to go back to pain pills for relief because nothing else will touch the pain. Is this Normal? How long will this last?

I had the Novasure a few years ago and now Im going threw hell, its been 3 weeks and the pain comes and goes, It was so bad I ended up in the ER, they thought I had some gastro problem so I had a colonoscopy which showed nothing . Now my OBGYN says I have dead blood pockets in my uteras above where the ablation was.... im scared of what might be next... I just had to put this out there