Confused

[bxcx]

Hey I'm new here. I am 17 and started my periods when I was 9. I'm always up and down the hospital but I am confused as to what is wrong with me. I've had various ultrasound scans and am due to have a laparoscopy soon. They believe I have endometriosis but are still unsure. I lose a severe amount of blood as well as get strong cramps which makes me struggle with work and school. Does anyone else near my age have similar symptoms? I hate feeling this helpless

[nicole_44]

Hey,

I really feel you right now- i am in the exact same boat as you!

Im 21 and have been having horrendous periods and symptoms since i was around 14. I have my pre-op this week and hopefully will have my Lap date in the next few weeks. I also had the ultrasound scans so we seem to be at a relatively similar stage in the diagnostic process!

Have you got a date for your Lap yet or have you had your pre-Op? Which hospital are you under, might affect the amount of time you are waiting? What are your exact symptoms?

Take care xx

[nutellabunny]

Hey I'm sort of new, too! I joined like last week actually. I'm 17 as well, so you're not alone on the age thing! I was "diagnosed" when I was 15 but I was never given a laparoscopy because of school and recovery time I guess. I lose a lot of blood too and I always have terrible cramps regardless of if I'm bleeding or not (which I usually am). The doctors (I went to, like, 6) all agreed that there wasn't really anything else it could possibly be besides endometriosis because of all the symptoms I was having. I started my period when I was 11 but it got really bad once I turned 13. I hope you haven't been in pain very long, and I hope you're not in any pain very soon. Just know you're not alone and I've actually seen posts from about four people our age in the last week! Good luck with your laparoscopy and going forward in your journey to feeling good again! I hope it all goes well. xx

[bxcx in reply to nutellabunny]

Thank you so much. Your words have calmed me down quite a lot so thank you! I've always had trouble with the periods but the past two years it's got unbearable! They wanted me to have a blood transfusion nearly a year ago now because of how low my iron levels are. They still haven't given me dates for the laparoscopy, so I'm going to the gynae at the princess royal for them to put me on the emergency list. It's comforting knowing others are unfortunately in the same position as me but thank you so much for being reassuring xx all the best

[Hidden]

Hey, I feel you! I just turned 20 and have had this sort of pain since I was 13 though was only 'diagnosed' last year. I found a low dosage pill, going gluten free and taking women's vitamins has helped reduced the pain and blood loss immensely (not sure if it is one of the three or all of the three or a mixture, but am at a place where I'm not willing to experiment with which it was) so this might be something to look into (particularly the vitamins if there is a lot of blood loss).

I struggle a lot with working full time and ended up quitting university too, but it's important that someone close to you knows, like a teacher, boss etc (even if it's diagnosed) as it gives you a person to confide in and makes you feel less guilty about any time off as they know your reason! Good luck! x

[bxcx in reply to Hidden]

Thank you for getting back to me. I'm definitely going to check that out as me and mum are pulling our hair out in what to do! Desperate really now! I can't thank you enough for offering this recommendation!

The women teachers at my sixth form are quite understanding but because my attendance is so low now they're getting more and more reluctant in letting me go from pain and losing blood so I feel stuck at the moment.

I want my A Levels and had to decline a professional apprenticeship because of this. Can't wait to get sorted

Thank you again for helping me.

I am glad you seem to be on the path to feeling better

All the best xx

[Hidden in reply to bxcx]

Welcome buddy, remember there is more to life than academia too! Dropping out of uni was a really difficult decision but my health was the most important and I was at breaking point. I'm not exactly the healthiest I can be but eating healthy, looking into the endo diet and lots and lots of vitamins are a great place to start!

And it's an apprenticeship I'm on now which is one of the reasons they're so helpful about it as I'm still a student, but it's best to let someone at sixth form know so that they are on your side!

If you ever need to chat or vent just message me and I'm more than happy to help you! xx

[bxcx in reply to Hidden]

Thank you so much for this and I will do! I'm sorry you had to drop out of uni, I can't imagine how difficult that must be for you.

Same for you too! Thank you again xxx

[serencatrin]

hey, i got diagnosed with endo when i was 18, I too bleed a lot and have the worst pain to the point it makes me sick and unable to stand, I had a laproscopy last year but didn't really help me much as it grew right back so now they are trying me on steroid injections before i have another laparoscopy. The procedure is easy and will be able to tell the doctors if you have end which they will remove if they find it. For some people this op can be really helpful and will increase a lot of your symptoms. I hope this helped.

[bxcx in reply to serencatrin]

thank you for this. It should all be fine, I'm just worried about the recovery time? How long roughly would it be?

[serencatrin]

Not long at all, I was back to work after a week and a half but had some complications with my bladder so had to go back in to have a cathita but thats because i have a bad bladder anyway so that took a bit longer, I was up and walking by the second, third day. I've had a laparoscopy a year before this one so i knew what to expect. It's not bad at all and they look after you well and give you painkillers to send you home with. The scars they leave are tiny.

[bxcx in reply to serencatrin]

alright thank you so much for answering that's put my mind at ease. Best of luck with everything going on, again thank you x