Nervous for first Gynecologist appointment

[Titchterry]

Hello ladies. I'm new here but I've been reading through all of the posts and slowly all of the pieces are starting to fit together in my own puzzle. My pain first started roughly at 12 years old, a year after I started my period. I would have horrendously heavy periods that lasted for sometimes two weeks and was told by doctors that this was normal for a girl of my age until my body regulated itself. When the pain was still present even when my periods weren't around I was sent for a colonoscopy which proved inconclusive. They suggested it may be IBS so I changed my diet and took the medication the prescribed which did nothing for me. I'm now a 30 years old and luckily have two children which I conceived at the ages of 19 and 20. After trying all of the different contraceptive pills going, the implant and the coil I finally found a pill called Yasmin that seemed to agree with me. After 7 years on Yasmin I developed debilitating migraines and the doctors speedily took me off of it. I've been pill free for 3 years now and had extremely varied periods. Sometimes I can bleed ever other week, others not at all for months. Last year I had no period for a year! Which brings me to the present. Since July I've been in terrible pain in my left pelvic area where the ovaries are located. I took myself off to A&E twice because the pain and dizziness was unbearable and no painkillers were touching the pain. The first time I was fobbed off with a UTI diagnosis and sent away with antibiotics. The second time I was admitted to see a Gynecologist who mentioned only pelvic inflammatory disease, or ovary pain. I was refered for an internal scan which only showed up my PCOS and when the radiographer pressed the probe on the problem area I nearly vomited from the pain shooting through me. But nothing showed up on the screen. I was diagnosed with PCOS 9 years ago after an internal scan to see why a coil I had been fitted with kept falling out. I've had intermittent pain on and off over the years which I have attributed to cystic pain.

So finally after putting my foot down I have been refered to see a Gynecologist! Hurrah! I'm pretty nervous because it's been such a long road to get to here that I don't want to be fobbed off again. I guess I want to know what others experiences are of meeting with their gynaecologists for the first time and the possible things I may be fobbed off with this time? If the endo hasn't shown up with the scan will they take me seriously? I'm so fed up and low I just want to feel relatively normal again. Thanking you in advance.

I guess I should also say that the symptoms I have right now are a persistent pain in my left ovary area, which can also be sharp/piercing. I have irregular bleeding which is also heavy. I have pain during sex and also for days afterwards. I have dizzy spells. The pain wakes me up at night. I have to urinate very frequently. My mood is very up and down. I get a numb/dull ache sensation in my groin to thigh area

[Hidden]

Once I got to see the gynae, I wasn't fobbed off at all. It had been getting there that was the problem, as it had been dismissed as normal. Things got really bad in 2014 and I was told it was IBS, that I was menopausal, and that it definitely wasn't endo (I had asked the GP if it could be - he told me I didn't have the symptoms despite repeated visits for problems with my periods and bowel. Go figure).

The gynae asked what my periods were like and if sex was painful and said straight off that it was endo. My ultrasound at that point had showed hydrosalpinx plus some small cysts, but nothing that was considered sinister or problematic. I also had persistently abnormal results on the CA-125 blood test. He arranged a laparoscopy at the first appointment and said he would laser out the endo and fit a mirena coil to slow regrowth. Unfortunately, he underestimated the extent of the disease and was unable to treat any of it, so I've since been referred to a bsge centre.

[Titchterry in reply to Hidden]

Thank you so much for your reply. I almost cried reading that out of relief that you were listened to. Thank you for sharing your journey. I'm sorry to hear that yours hasn't been fully resolved, but great to know you are being passed to a specialist centre. I hope that the gynaecologist I see will recognise if any of my symptoms are suggestive of endometriosis without having to fight for a correct diagnosis after 18 years.xx

[Lulu_xx]

Hi,

I agree that the hardest part for me was finding a gp that believed my pain and referred me to a gynae. Once referred my first consultant wasn't a specialist and wasn't the greatest but he preformed a lap and found I had widespread endo. My second and current consultant has been great and I feel like I can talk to him. I'd say if you get tongue tied or nervous write this down. I wish I had!

Good luck with your appointment x

[Titchterry in reply to Lulu_xx]

Thank you so much for your advice, I am now writing everything down so that I don't forget a single thing. Doing this has also helped me to trace my 'history' of the pain right back to when I was a teen which I had not really put two and two together with the pain so thank you! You're exactly right, it's the fear of not being listened to and having to fight whilst feeling so poorly. I'm so pleased to hear you have a great working relationship with your Gynaecologist now, it fills me with hope. Thank you xx

[RLW_84]

I am new to this forum too after finally being referred to a gynaecologist today. I am feeling pretty much just like you were when you wrote this post & I hope you had a good experience when having your first and subsequent appointments. From reading this I will definitely write things down and go to my appointment prepared. (It doesn't help me that I have a needle phobia to contend with too mind!) x

[Starry]

Good luck. If you are able to, it may be a good idea to ask for the referral to be to a BSGE specialist Endo centre rather than a general gynae.bsge.org.uk/centre/