Pain over a year after having the Mirena coil fitted

[Mo93]

I'm 20 years old and had suffered with very heavy painful periods for about 3 years. I tried various contraceptive pills, the implant, the injection but bled heavily and for long periods of time (7 months at one point) on all of them. I had the coil fitted 1 year and 7 months ago and finally had luck as it has stopped ovulation all together and I don't get regular period pain either, however I now encounter a different kind of pain. It it very intense and completely stops me in my tracks to the point that i've been on my hand and knees in tears. It's in my abdomen and my back and gradually the pains get closer together and more intense then eventually dies off. It really bloats me too and makes me look pregnant. My mum has endometriosis and experienced similar pains but the doctors have told me I'm too young. I've got an ultrasound scan to attend finally but what will they look for? The pain interferes with day to day tasks and is effecting my concentration on my degree. Can anyone relate to this or explain the sort of process I can expect to go through at the scan? I'm a little nervous! Thanks.

[Jofus89]

Firstly your dr is a fool. 20 is not to young for endo at all. It can start from your first period. Secondly demand an MRI as an ultrasound will only pic up big cysts and not endo. I had

countless scans and a few operations before I was sent for a MRI scan which showed I was riddled in the stuff. Including dozens of tiny cysts in my left overy. Iv been in pain since I was 14 and it took them until last year to finally do something about it. I'm 24 now. Also I know a 18 year old who had an overy and bowel resection because of endo so your drs age thing is stupid.

The other day on 'this morning' they done a thing about endo and the girl on there was 19. Look on you tube for it, wS very interesting.

Demand a gyny referral and demand an MRI. Your within your rights to do so. I wish I had earlier because my life wouldn't be such a mess now if I'd done it when I was younger x x x

[Mo93]

Thanks so much for replying! I'll check out the video on youtube. I know, I hate the way doctors always assume you are too young to have things! I have argued for ages just to get this ultrasound scan but I will talk to them about getting an MRI. It sounds bad but I'm hoping that they do find something just to put my mind at ease and so it can get treated rather than just being told nothing is wrong. But you know your own body and when something isn't right you can tell can't you? Thanks again for your advice xxx

[Impatient]

Mo - you are not at all too young.

Have a look at the Polls on the Raspberry Pink bar near the top of the page.

Click Browse to see them all or the link below

healthunlocked.com/#endomet...

Shows just how many have endo symptoms from a much younger age.

There are other polls about how long it too to get the glaring symptoms taken seriously enough to get a diagnostic lap op too.

Might be worth printing that off and showing your dinosaur of a GP and insisting that you want a referal to a gynaecologist.

[Mo93]

Hi, thanks both so much for your advice! I've been diagnosed with ovarian cysts and the ultrasound technician did say that it may be worth trying to get an MRI since she wouldn't necessarily pick endo up. I'm currently awaiting my appointment with a gynecologist now, i'm just happy things are finally getting sorted out. xx

[Hidden in reply to Mo93]

The mirena can cause ovarian cysts!

[Impatient]

Yes the mirena does increase your likelyhood of ovarian cysts - the down sideof the mirena for some of us.

I didn't hve any cysts till 3 years ago,

Had 3 before mirena - all were endometriomas, 1 exploded and 2 were surcially removed.

Since mirena - had one explode and since then either it regrew or another grew and I still have it. Some days boy do I know I have it, lots of grumbling pain, some days hardly a twinge at all.

But of late the calm days are getting fewer and further apart. the painful days are taking over.

I do have strong meds to help with the pain but they do mke me drowsier than normal (which is very drowsy anyway).

On balance it is still much more preferable to have a cyst issue than have the monthly hell of periods plus a cyst issue.

If the mirena is working and stopping your periods then tht's great news for the endo, the downside is that for some not all of us, it does have a tendancy to make us more prone to cysts, but as we can get the cysts even without the mirena it's unfair to blame the mirena entirely.

I wouldn't rely on the MRI to show up endo apart from the cyst. it rarely does.

Shallow endo growing on the surface of organs and tissue is only visible by camera actually looking inside you in lap op.

Hope your feeling better soon, and please speak to your GP for getting stronger pain killers for the cyst pains if you need them.