does endo cause "weird" pains? / post MRI and what to expect..

[Ta2018]

Hi ladies,

I was diagnosed in 2017 after sudden onset of symptoms and an enlarged ovary which turned out to be endo. My final diagnoses was mild to moderate endo with the ovary attached to the pelvis being removed. Since then, I've had a lot of upper left and right side abdominal pains that come and go throughout the month and the past couple of months deep set lower right back pain, hip pain and pain around my belly button... i had the same back pain initially before diagnosis. I feel like i'm back to square one. I had a colonoscopy about 10 months ago which was fine and gastro specialist didn't want to investigate further so I eventually was referred back to gyno. He referred me on to an MRI, which I had yesterday. He also told me that no endo had previously been found on liver, so he reckoned it may not be endo related. I'm hoping MRI will come back okay and also that nothing else is found. He didn't seem to think that it will grow back so quickly... after reading posts on here about others I understand that it can and indeed does. I also understand that endo is often not visible on MRI. What were your experiences with pains in odd places and where did you go after a clear MRI? Thanks so much for any input!

[luthien]

Hey, I can't really help with the stomach pain but it could all be related to the back pain.

I've posted in response to a lovely lady about a similar problem; it seems back pain, hip pain, shoulder pain, neck pain and pelvic bone pain are all linked to our tight lower back and hips, combined with a weak core (abs). I didn't know this until I saw a physio about it. I replied to a lovely lady with a similar problem:

healthunlocked.com/endometr...

In summary our core is weak from endo / surgeries / no focus to strengthen them, therefore our back compensates changing our posture and becoming tight (it can be over the years), this in turn causes all sorts of pains which can be made worse by; periods , endo generally, childbirth, sitting, a long surgery, scans where we need to stay still, you get the idea.

My pain was always lower back, hips, shoulder and coccyx. I'm having regular monthly "maintenance" physio to help with my lower back and coccyx, which is going well, I now only have a slight ache during the first day of my flare ups.

I do core strengthening classes to help my abs and my lower back.

It's not a quick solution; it'll take a bit of time with physio, core exercises and strengthening your back which may mean some at home exercises (google core strengthening). I started to notice improvement after two months. Physio works on the lower back, sacrum, hips and coccyx mobility, as often that whole area can be tight.

I'd defintely look into it yourself, mine costs about £40 per session, which is about an hour, now only once a month. The NHS dismissed mine because it isn't stopping me from sleeping / lying down - silly questionnaire they send you to analyse whether you need physio from them.

My GP just said try steroid injections which seemed a bit extreme, and doesn't actually find the source of the pain.

I know it may not be much help but we do all need to work on our core muscles! xx