PAIN!! Almost had to call an ambulance to work yesterday. Anyone experienced anything like it? UTI inflammation potentially?

[Faith27]

So yesterday I had my normal period pains, I took codeine which normally manages it but it was pretty apparent that things were getting worse and I was almost ready to give in and just go home because I was feeling sick, in a lot of pain and couldn't concentrate.

To clarify, things normally have to be horrendous for me to go home from work just because I have a laparoscopy booked next month and were trying for a baby and have been trying for the past 2 years with no joy so I'm desperately trying to save my sick days for operation recovery and potential IVF at the end of the year.

Well .. how things progressed from BAD to unbelievably horrendous. It began with me having to run from my office to the toilet where I thought I was going to be sick. I then rolled around on the bathroom floor for 20 mins unsure if I was going to pass out from the pain. I then had numbness in my hands and legs. I wasn't physically sick but unsure how I was going to get back to my office downstairs to get someone to help me, I MADE myself just because I was so worried I would collapse.

I got to the office and pulled one of the girls into a meeting room. I was sick a few times into a bin and then things just went through the roof. I was screaming in pain, in the middle of my stomach was the most horrendous knife like pain. I was led on the floor with my face all clenched literally screaming. I then went into shock and my body was bouncing off the floor. It was truly horrendous. After about 40 mins of that and a call to NHS direct, I felt fine? It pretty much all just went away!

The pain I was in, I could have sworn that I was having some sort of reaction to the codeine (which I always take with normally no issues) or perhaps I had a stomach ulcer because I hadn't taken the tablets with food.. either way with the shaking and my hands and legs going numb I thought it surely cannot 'just' and I say that very tongue in cheek!! JUST be endo?? The typical endo pains I experience which I'm yet to get a diagnosis for are horrendous but this was honestly something else.. as I say, I normally had to have an ambulance!?!??!?!? Insane.

I went to A&E this morning as my GP surgery refused to see me because of the numbness and tingling and the Dr at A&E said it was likely an endo flare up and could have been heightened due to a urine infection or dehydration. Well I did have to get antibiotics last week for a UTI so just wondering if anyone has ever experienced anything at all like this? Xx

[IFB2019]

Yes - this is what I have been having. Almost identical to how I'd describe my worst periods. Vomiting,numbness, faintness, epic abdominal pain, think you're literally dying, and then it just tails off after a couple of hours. I've even had the ambulance ride to A&E, (and had the paramedic look at me funny because i was basically okay again by the time they arrived).

I had my lap yesterday and they found very mild endo on my ovaries and dotted around my insides. The gynaecologist also thinks adenomyosis might be present (although they can't see that on a lap, but it was logical since the two often go hand in hand). He placed a coil to stop my periods altogether.

What has worked for me as pain management is to pre emptively take mefenamic acid 500mg which GP prescribes. 3x tabs a day starting as soon as my period arrives and it prevents the pain ever hitting that crescendo level. You still feel a bit crampy and shaky but can go to work, be functional etc.

good luck with it - and hope your lap goes well and IVF is successful.

[Faith27 in reply to IFB2019]

Ahh thank you so so much for sharing your own experience!! I'm so glad we didn't call an ambulance yesterday but at one point I did literally feel I was dying as you say!!!! It's insane how much pain you can have?

Thanks for the info about mefenamic acid. They used to work for me years ago But switched over to codeine and this time codeine didn't touch it. A specialist said I should be having mefenamic as soon as I begin my period or even start them days before so I think I'll go back over onto those but get better control of them. Thanks for your well wishes, with that pain I've experienced.. I would be in complete disbelief if nothing shows on the lap.

Hope the coil helps you with pain. My sister had a lap almost 2 weeks ago which found endo and she was fitted with the coil which seems to be helping with her pain so fingers crossed for you . Xxx

[IFB2019 in reply to Faith27]

Yeah it's definitely all in the timing with the Mef. Leave it too late to take it and it does nothing so having codeine as a back up is helpful but obviously not perfect. Hopefully neither of us will have that experience again! xx

[Faith27 in reply to IFB2019]

Fingers crossed!! Honestly you have been a huge help xx

[hm89]

I haven't had this for 10 years since I went on the pill but it sounds exactly how I used to get. I went to the walk in centre maybe 4-6 times and they said it sounded like pelvic inflammatory disease but they couldn't find anything wrong with me through urine and blood test and internal exams. The pain would be so intense for 1 or 2 days that I honestly don't know how I got through it, but then when it was gone, it was just gone (until the next month). I went on Marvelon which worked great for me after a few years of struggling to find a pill that didn't make me super emotional.

[Sophsta]

Hiya, I went to hospital last year as the pain was so intense no concoction of medicine helped me. The pain was so sharp in my stomach, ovary area, back and buttocks it was insane! My body was trembling and I was in a hot sweat, O will never forget it. When I was eventually seen in A&E, 6 hours later, my symptoms has eased a little so I wasn't gasping in pain. The doc suspected appendicitus but I could not bare ronsit in hospital when I knew it was the Endo so I told the doc. All he did was send me off with a prescription for oramorphe!!! To be fair, it did save me for months after, however, due to the side effects of opiate drugs i.e. constipation I have stopped taken them now.

I have only had 1 episode where I've been to hospital in the 4 years ive suffered with the awful condition. I pray it does not happen again...xx