I'm new and please help me x

[Roz77]

Hay you lot. I don't know if I have emder....what's it. But I've not been well for a few + weeks now. I have this, as good as, constant pain. It feels like its in my right ovary, I have terrible constipation with it too. I have had pre cancerous cells twice after my son, seventeen years ago, and I'm really worried and scared. The pain worsens before and after bowel movement of any kind and intimacy is quite uncomfortable.......sorry to be frank....but the more the pleasure the more the pain and the longer. I don't know what is wrong with me but I am getting a bit freaked out now. Can any body help me or give me some advice please. Thank you all of you. Xxxxx

[Klive]

You have all the sighs and symptoms I had.

I advise you go straight to your doctor or hospital.

Endometriosis and ovarian cysts cause bleeding in the abdominal area. You don't want these to get an infection in your body. You should never experience pain during a period or after this is not a normal thing.

My whole life I have been told the pain is normal till I received my diagnosis, that I was told you should never experience period pain there is always a reason. 12 years ago I was fobbed of with a miss diagnosis of PCOS. Now I am 30 and the affects on my body have not been good.

[curlyjo]

Dear Roz77, what you're describing all points to endo symptoms (that I have read).. and other girls on here can tell you about the link with painful sex (I'm not in a relationship so haven't got any experience of that) but this and the pain and bowel problems all point to possible endo. But as we all know, until you have a laproscopy and they actually put a camera inside you they are only guessing. I, too, was concerned that my endo might be ovarian cancer because my mum died of this 18 months ago, but there is no conclusive link between endo and ovarian cancer. However, I was told by my registrar that if I wanted them to take a biopsy of my cyst in my ovary and there was enough tissue to do so they would do that to put my mind at rest. In the end, the so called cyst was a membrane caused by endo and there wasn't enough tissue. The surgeon also reassured me it wasn't cancer. However, ovarian cancer is very hard to detect and the best way is to insist on treatment for possible endo involving a lap and then they can check your ovaries at the same time. I assume you have been to your doctor and they have started your treatment. I guess the first thing is to rule out anything else it could be and then start thinking about surgery to remove any endo etc. By the way, some of us on here have had to push quite hard to get surgery so as you embark on this journey do stay in touch with people like chatter chops for support and keep putting your questions up. I've been overwhelmed by the support on here and good advice. There are folk on here who have been through a whole LOT more than I have and they've been great. Take care x

[Blondedia]

It sounds as though you do have endo. I had the same symptons as you. It's best to move forward in the direction of a laparoscopy,it's the only conclusive way of finding out for sure and getting treatment. I had one 4 weeks ago. Xx

[Impatient]

Hi Roz,

It might be endo - but then again it may just be that you have an ovarian cyst developed on that is grumbling.

Probably nothing at all to do with cervical smear results whatsoever.

Your fist step if to visit the GP, who will feel your tummy for signs of a cyst , and should then refer you to hosp for scan to check if there is one or indeed anything else obvious that can cause gynae pain like fibroids.

An ultasound scan cannot see endo, but it can spot organs that are out of place, which usually means stuck with adhesions or gluey scar tissue and again tht would possibly point to endo - but could simply have been growing since the trauma caused by a pregnancy.

Your ovary may have become twisted or cyst growing on the ovary might have become twisted too.Sometimes the cysts grow on stalks like a balloon tethered by a piece of string so it doesn't take much for those types of cyst to twist about.

In the event there is a cyst found, depending on the size, you may be referred to gynecologist at the hosp for further testing with a view to possibly having surgery to remove the alien.

Because many cysts can come and go - they often wait a few weeks and re-scan you to check if it is still there and if it has grown.

Not all cysts are anything to do with endo. Only cysts which are giant blood blisters are endo - these are called endometrioma. They can get large without showing any symptoms at all, or they can give you discomfort even when they are only very small.

If you are taking pain killers for the unknown gynae pain - that could account for being constipated and being constipated and straining to go to the loo can cause anal tears or fissures in the lining of the bowel, which really hurt if they are not given a chance to heal up.

The 1st solution is to take laxatives (oral liquids like lactulose or tablets) or/and using suppositories containing glycerine which you insert up the bum and try hard to hold on to even though it will only take about 20 mins before you want to go to the loo- resist as long as you can bare it. Try for 45 minutes first time then an hour next time. Once a day is enough to cope with.

What the laxatives do, is tell the digestive pipe work (intestines, colon and bowel) to absorb much more water than usual, this breaks down the poop making it much easier to pass through.

With the suppository up the bum, if you go to the loo too quickly, all you do is pass the water out before it has had any chance to soften up the poop which is a waste of fluids and time, so holding on as long as you can, helps a lot.

I know it sounds icky, but disposable gloves in multi-packs are sold in all supermarkets in the nappy section, and you will soon get used to the process and fesl so much better once things are moving again.

The notorious Diet Gummi Bears sold on Amazon - (have a laugh at the comments on the website about those) also do the same thing because they are made of glycerin too, and if the thought of using a suppository doesn't appeal -then a session of scoffing the Diet Gummi Bears will have the same outcome but is a bit more expensive because you do need to scoff a few of those to get the same result.

You would have to do this once a day for at least a week, as that will give any damage to the bowel caused by a tear or fissure time to heal without being stretched and the wound reopened each time you go for a poop.

That would be the first thing to try for yourself, bowel pain wise. It may be all that is required and get you back on track again.

IF the laxative remedy doesn't solve the pain by allowing any injury in the bowel to heal up, then see youe Doc about it. Some tears may need surgical intervention - if there is a tear, so you Doc would then arrange for a colonoscopy to check if there is a wound in the bowel that would account for the pain being more intense as poop is passing by it.

A colonoscopy will probably not pick up any actual signs of endo either any more than a scan would, but if you have developed endo and it is bleeding the tummy area that blood has no where to escape to and tends to collect in a pocket between the womb and the bowel which is called the POD, (short for pouch of douglas )

As blood collects there is forms a coagulated gloopy mass and if you also develop adhesions blocking the area in, this mass of old blood can push in to the bowel walls causing a considerable dent in the pipework making it hard to pass poop, it can mean having a poo is painful but also difficult and you could end up having to wriggle and jiggle about on the loo to get the poo out of the final few inches of its journey.

some scans will show up any such obstructions. This is called rectovaginal endometriosis.

But because the mass of blood is stuck to the outside of the bowel, and also same with any cysts or ovaries stuck in the wrong place, these need investigating with a keyhole or laparosopy - camera through an hole just under the belly button.

It will allow the surgeon to have a really good look round for any signs of endo too which are a bit like blood blisters (various colours though) which can grow anywhere on anything inside you, ligaments, tissue, organs etc.

They can also look for the glue like adhesion strands and cut them back if they are causing a problem too.

Any endo found is assessed - shallow endo lesions on surfaces can be lasered off or burnt off with diathermy.

Deeper endo lesions need to be cut out or excised to make sure that all the cells of a lesion are removed.

You could have just one or two, or hundreds and hundreds, so it may be possible that the op is a fairly quick one- or may not be possible to get all of it out in one short session in theatre and you may need follow up surgery sometimes with surgeons other than a gyanecologist - depending on where the endo has been found.

So at this point in time, your symptoms having only been there a few weeks is not a strong enough case for this to be endo right away (I can't rule it out) but there could be other much more likely reasons for your pains.

See your GP about the cyst as one health issue.

And mention the painful bowel movements too as a separate issue that might possibly be connected but then again may be completely separate. Give it a go with the laxatives and carry on deliberately having the runs for a week or two - remembering to drink plenty of extra water to top up what is being diverted to the bowel. This will give any bowel injury, time to recover and may solve the painful bowel issues without any medical intervention.

It's the 1st aid response - next if that doesn't work is to see GP and get the bowel checked internally - then if that doesn't show up anything on the inside surfaces, is to ask for referal to a gynaecologist with a view to having a diagnostic laparoscopy to check for endo on the outside surfaces of the bowel tube.

The reason I am thinking Cyst rather than endo - is the fact the pain is constant. Endo is active with the monthly cycle - the cells are the same as those found in the womb - so when you are on a period - any endo cells elsewhere in the body also have their own little period, causing pain. Where as a cyst that is leaking or twisted will niggle you with pain all day every day, increasing if the cyst is still growing.

Hope you manage to get some relief and explanation soon. Don't leave that aching ovary pain to long - you don't want it to get to the point where it bursts as that is wowzers paralytic pain and in the event it happens, you need A&E asap for pain relief if nothing else.

It is distressing not knowing why you feel in pain and worry about previously cell results - however in this instance your symptoms probably have a much more rational explanation.

Best of Luck getting to the root of the problem, and getting well again.

And hopefully it isn't endo - but even if it does turn out to be endo, surgical intervention can give a huge relief from pain.

[Xenadog in reply to Impatient]

What a brilliant descriptive reply this is, i wish I had discovered someone like you giving answers when I first started on the Endo journey, well done and thank you on behalf of everyone reading your reply.

[Katrina13]

This could be endo, or it could be any number of other things. Don't try to get a diagnosis on the internet, just go and see your GP, ASAP.