Worried

[mill2017]

Hi, so I've joined here after finding this godsend of a site a couple of days ago. I'm 16 and struggling immensely with my periods. Both my mum and I suspect endo. I've had an ultrasound and they've found nothing which is not uncommon unless I had a cyst, but it still worries me that if we propose that I want surgery they'll find nothing.

I started my periods when I was 12. They've always been heavy but over the years they've gotten heavier and heavier. I always had cramps but the more periods I had the worse they got. I remember a very frequent event when I was 13 where I bled onto the seat, and as I went to stand up when the bell rang I couldn't physically move. I was doubled over in pain on the desk, but without knowledge that pain like that wasn't normal I just tried to brush it off. The pain got worse from then. I started having a massive (likely unrelated) issue with acne in late 2015 so early 2016 I started the pill to try and sort it out. It helped the acne but if I occasionally missed a pill or took it slightly late then I would bleed an extreme amount for several days. My tracker app told me (when going back through it earlier today) that in August 2016 I bled heavy for three and a half weeks non stop. I stopped the pill eventually because I had a visual migraine. I'm now looking to go on the progesterone only pill, which I have little hope for considering the last pill messed me up.

I have not mentioned yet this other severe issue I have. Since around the time I started my periods I have experienced a very, very tender lower right abdomen (my right) that sometimes flares up and causes severe bouts of pain. I can't put any pressure on the area at all without pain and when I have these attacks it is absolutely horrific. I honestly can't describe a worse feeling, it's like a nightmare. It literally feels like someone has stuck a knife in me and is just twisting it. It comes on randomly at random times, I'll feel nothing for months and then suddenly it'll be happening every day. Luckily these attacks only last 5-15 minutes so when they do happen I know they'll end quickly. I had an incident a few months ago where I was woken up in the middle of the night by the pain, screaming my head off and unable to move. Really the most traumatic experience of my life, I still have nightmares about it happening again.

Alongside all of this I have a ton of bowel and bladder issues (pain when using the toilet, frequent UTI's, bloating issues and pain after eating.) I am always feeling tired in some way - I had a blood test a year ago and they found I was deficient in iron and vit D. I now take iron multivitamins during my period but it's done nothing unfortunately.

I'm still young and haven't been sexual in any way, but tampons cause me cramps and are genuinely uncomfortable to wear. I can't feel them at all (so they're in correctly), but I know when I've got one in because of the pain it causes me. I haven't seen anyone else who has the same issue with them, but I hate sanitary towels/pads because every night that I wear them I soak through my sheets.

Sorry for all this TMI but I don't know where else I can explain this all.

If there's anything you could suggest, that would be nice as I'm really struggling at the moment. One of my largest fears right now is that they'll do a lap and find nothing...sorry for the long post.

[mill2017]

Anyone?

Went to the gyno yesterday and she basically told me I'm too young and there's no chance I have it. She said a lap is out of question and just put me on the pill instead. Feeling really angry, upset and disheartened right now

[sarahh966 in reply to mill2017]

Anyone at any age can get endo so Doctor is bullshitting to you. I’ve had irregular periods all my life and painful cramping everytime before my period comes. I don’t suffer with heavy bleeding like you but the pain been going on for about 5 or more years and doctors have done nothing about it until a last year when I moved from London to cambridge. Doctors in London are dumb and lazy I think haha. In cambridge they’ve given me tests, scans and everything they should have done years ago, they found cysts that come and go before and after my period and they suspect endo. I’m 21 but the pain was bad when I was 16, worse than now tbh.

In London they gave me the pill, worked perfectly period came every month, no pain and no acne but had to stop it due to getting chest pains, they put the implant in for me, DO NOT GET IT! I got the cramping 24/7 and no periods it was the worse thing ever. Took it out after begging the doctors (literally) to take it out. Then they put me on the mini pill (progesterone pill) didn’t work for me, same as the implant never had regular Periods just the pain and I’d bleed once every couple of months and when I did it hurt like crazy.

My best advice is to let ur body take all the hormones u have put in ur body out. May take a couple of months but your periods will start getting better when u hit that 18 mark trust me. Let ur body do what it’s got to do. Keep nagging the doctors about ur pain, make it sound worse if you have too. Don’t ask for a lap, ask for scans (internal ones are best) u may suffer with ovarian cysts and that’s what causing u pain. Keep bugging them! Ask for an MRI scan too.

At 16 u can have endo, anyone that has periods can have endo. Ignore the doctors. GP’s are failed doctors if u think about it so they know fuck all compared to hospital ones, ask to be referred to a gynaecologist! Bug them!

[mill2017 in reply to sarahh966]

Thank you - it was actually a gynaecologist I saw, not a GP, but I think I'll ask for a second opinion. I'm not hoping that someone will offer to cut me open straight away, but it would have been much nicer if she'd actually listened to my concerns instead of ignoring me and saying I'm fine She described my pain as 'slight twinges' even though it is incredibly excruciating pain that keeps me out of school. If I can get a second opinion I definitely will.

[sarahh966]

Also anyone in the family have endo, trouble having kids or ovarian cysts?

[mill2017 in reply to sarahh966]

No ovarian cysts or endo as far as I know, but my grandmother did have issues getting pregnant and when she finally did she miscarried. As a result my uncle was adopted. This was in the 60's so I really doubt she would have had any decent interventions to find out what the problem was, but as far as I can remember she's never mentioned having any pain, just trouble getting pregnant. I didn't mention on the above post (I don't think) that I had an ultrasound a few months ago and they told me it was normal. They could only see one ovary (they said the other one must be hiding?) but as far as they could see there were no cysts. The pain I get is normally on the lower right side of my abdomen, higher than where my ovaries would be - although I do get sharp twinges of pain completely randomly there as well. It's quite minor in comparison to my other pain so it doesn't seem like too much of an issue, but it's still there and I'd like it looked into

[sarahh966 in reply to mill2017]

How is an ovary hiding? That’s a lie. Don’t ask for 2nd opinions ask for a gynaecologist straight away