what helps the pain....

[MrsBee1996]

Hi Ladies,

I am a 28 year old female who suffers with a lot of daily cramping and more due to endo.

I am just wondering, what have you ladies found helpful for the pain? I am currently on tramadol but the pain is still very bad.

[JEWM]

Baths, heat pads and tens.

Clean eating (avoiding sugar/booze/caffeine/processed food) helps a little I think as well, but I’m inclined to reach for a drink on bad days anyway.

I also have my prescriptions - naproxen, amitriptyline and codeine. I’ve never tried tramadol, but dr has suggested it as codeine makes me v sleepy.

Been reading lots about lifestyle impacting the potential for endo to be more reactive so eliminating stress, getting outdoors more, gentle exercise, other self care activities.

I find the fatigue and stabbing pains the worst as they’re so hard to predict and it’s difficult not letting them get you down.

[MrsBee1996 in reply to JEWM]

Hi lovely,

I dont have a bad sadly and I am doing hot water bottles. do you know where to get a cheap tens?

Tramadol is good for when its not in the "throwing yourself in bed or the floor stage".. does codine help you?

[Hooplove00 in reply to MrsBee1996]

Sorry to chime in, but do you take tramadol daily? I’m on tramadol as well.

[MrsBee1996 in reply to Hooplove00]

hi lovely,

its ok and I do 2 tablets twice a day maybe 3 times if I am in terrible pain. what about you? does it work for you? x

[Hooplove00 in reply to MrsBee1996]

Really appreciate your reply😊I do 2 tabs twice daily, and 3 if it’s bad as well! Very relieving to know I’m not the only one. I’ve been self conscious about taking it daily. It works for my everyday pain, but it doesn’t really touch my flare pain😕 if the pain gets terrible, I take it along with Tylenol and celebrex. Sometimes azo.

Xx

[MrsBee1996 in reply to Hooplove00]

your not alone at all.. I am pretty sure more than us take tramadol like this.. same with it not touching a flair up pain tho xx

oh and your welcome xx

[Hooplove00 in reply to MrsBee1996]

So reassuring 🫂 People (especially family) who don’t understand, make it seem like I’m an addict or something

[JEWM in reply to MrsBee1996]

I think I got my myoovi for about £60 …. Known others who have bought knock offs for slightly cheaper. The effect was the same, but don’t know yet if they wear out faster or not. I’ve only had mine for about 5 months, but going strong!!

[x_emily_x in reply to JEWM]

Just to add to this really great advice, adding specifically anti-inflammatary foods help. There's a lovely woman on here that drinks a lot of decaff green tea which helps her, I eat a lot of ginger because thats what I enjoy most. I find that anything anti-inflammatary you can add to your diet on a regular basis is really going to aid your body in managing the pain. CBD as well, is a godsend. Oil under the tongue or topical balm x

[MrsBee1996 in reply to x_emily_x]

which is better lovely, oil or the balm? x

[x_emily_x in reply to MrsBee1996]

I got a free balm with an oil when I got it from here. Honestly, both, the combo especially makes such a big difference for me. Even muscle pains, headaches, its my favourite thing. thecbdshop.co.uk/collection...

[MrsBee1996 in reply to x_emily_x]

might have to give this a go thank you lovely xx

[Bellebell]

am not a fan of medicine so dietary changes really helped - i.e. cutting out food groups, dairy for me (was practically vegan for a long time) and found that it greatly reduced the pain. I think it is different things for different people but to get back so much of my life and strength was worth the change.

[MrsBee1996 in reply to Bellebell]

hi,

is there certain food groups we should avoid? or did you make that choice?

sorry by asking, I didnt mean to offend you

I am just willing to get out of this pain

[VeraPG in reply to MrsBee1996]

Please check my reply down for avoiding specific food

[Bellebell]

Not offended, I basically did the kind of elimination diet people with allergies do, after I read something about trying this approach to pain relief. I don't drink and I am vegetarian so I had less to eliminate (but not prepared to compromise on caffeine). The results were interesting - no dairy, gluten (and already no meat of any kind or alcohol) - and the thing that made a real difference as soon as I had my period was the dairy. I think a lot of people find gluten harder and some people find multiple food types affect them so play around with it and look into "elimination diet" online and also about diet around here. It's all very individual. It was hard; the huge fall in my sugar and processed food intake was hard to deal with as well... Also, I have been vegetarian for a long time and if you (or anyone else) do this sort of thing, be careful with eliminating meat (if you eat that) to ensure you still have sources of protein and other nutrients that you would otherwise have in your diet that you probably need.

[MrsBee1996 in reply to Bellebell]

thank you for letting me know lovely

[VeraPG]

Eat a lot means a lot of veggies daily and 4-5 types of fruits daily for whole year every day. Also include variety of dry fruits and berries in diet on daily basis.

Stop eating food with gluten i.e. wheat and rye related food items. Also stop eating fried food, chips and junk food like burger or pizzas. Or you can opt for gluten free options. But avoid fried food and different sugary sodas and soft drinks.

Trust me there will be no need to have painkiller at the first place. Also if you trying conceive you will be able to conceive naturally.

I had stage 4 endo. Last option told by 7 different doctors was to remove my uterus to save my life as I had become anemic due to 20days long period coming after each 28days. Also they use to give me painkillers either through anal or through injection. Tablets were not working anymore for me. My lower body use to paralyse and I use to vomit with the intensity of the pain.

I did research on me. Framed diet for myself focusing on such food like beetroot and brocolli which helps removing access of estrogen out from the food. And eat fruits and vegetables in very large quantity. My weight always remained under 50kg, inspite of having 3- 4 times more quantity then normal. Also plant based protein was part of my diet daily. Animal based food increases more estrogen level in the body which is not good for endometriosis.

From the first month of that heavy diet my periods came without pain and I conceived naturally within 6 months. Now i have 5 year old girl and now again pregnant after trying to conceive only for two months. Without any endometriosis related medication.

Just go natural and eat organic is the key. There can be cheat days once a month or twice a month if you can't resist eating something junk.

[x_emily_x in reply to VeraPG]

Wow, just 👏 👏👏

[x_emily_x in reply to VeraPG]

This really inspires me. Im making slow changes in lifestyle in order to settle into them and maintain. I was vegan for four years before this but not health conscious one. I am transitioning back with a rice allergy so its tricky to do as tapioca is in a lot of vegan replacements and in pretty much all gluten free products. Its hard for me to prepare food because of pain and fatigue but I will get there. This gives me so much optimism, especially conception. Thank you for sharing 💛

[Behind_Hazel_Eyes in reply to VeraPG]

Hi VeraPG, Your story is soo encouraging! Congratulations on your pregnancy! I also have stage 4 and have been following a very similar diet to yours since last June. It took a number of months but since November my periods have been pain free. I used to suffer with pain for half of every month until ovulation. I would tend to eat a lot of spinach, kale, cabbage, tomato, brussel sprouts and mushroom. Is there anything else you would reccommend besides the beetroot and broccolli you found that helped with fertility? We have been trying for 6 years, no luck yet and are about to start IVF.

[OlgaSz]

The best painkiller I found (after a long time struggling with pain) is a 0.25 teaspoon of ginger powder added to tea, 3 times a day. Nothing that I tried was ever as effective as this one.

[16yearsofpainsofar]

I don't think diet makes a difference. I am 27 and I've unknowingly followed an anti inflammatory diet for years (eg. Avoiding gluten as I'm coeliac, meat, fizzy drinks, alcohol etc). I'm still in chronic pain mid cycle and during my period. The odd gluten free biscuit here and there isn't going to ruin my otherwise anti inflammatory diet. I take codeine but it's not great.

[VeraPG in reply to 16yearsofpainsofar]

It is not just eliminating. It also means including lots and variety of vegetables, fruits and dry fruits daily including plant based protein. Key is give body all kind of micronutrients, micronutrients, vitamins and protein supply only through food in more quantity. Then the healing will start. I have one 5 year old girl and now pregnant only bcs of diet. Even one month before conceiving when i went for general scanning as I wanted to know my internal condition, everything was perfect but doctor said you will not conceive naturally bcs of endo and will need a IVF. And prescribed medication to stop periods for 12 months.

I listened to her and came as I had never gone for consultation. I just wanted to know my internal stage. And bhoom i conceived naturally in the same month. As I had gone just after my periods to scan.

Yes, but I followed occasionally elimination of gluten related food (I use to eat once in a week or two weeks pizza or burger). And also eat some dairy products.

Ya but before my first pregnancy I had eliminated gluten and dairy fully.

That time it was worse. Stage 4 endo. After starting healthy and quantity full of vegetables and fruits my endo period pain vanished from last 6 years.

Before that I use to get hospitalized during each period bcs of unbearable pain and heavy bleeding. Doctors (7 doctors) last advice was to remove uterus. But I am living a healthy and painfree life now.

[16yearsofpainsofar in reply to VeraPG]

My diet is plant based and healthy. I don't eat fast food. My diet has been like this for years. I have a baby daughter and I still don't know how I conceived naturally after being told this wouldn't be possible. You're extremely lucky to be pain free from your diet, but many of us still need codeine.

[VeraPG in reply to 16yearsofpainsofar]

Ya. May be depends on person to person. I wish you good painfree future ahead.

[16yearsofpainsofar in reply to VeraPG]

I truly am happy you're pain free now because I wouldn't wish this on anyone. However, diet hasn't helped me at all. My pain is worse than childbirth

[Littlepeax in reply to 16yearsofpainsofar]

Sorry to hear diet didn't help you. But it helped me. It might not work for you but it could work for someone else x

[Washington1]

So sorry to hear the pain is so bad for you. One of the greatest things I learned was to take painkillers correctly. I used to take them when pain was already ramping up, but a friend of mine, who is a nurse, explained they don't work like that. She told me it was best to take the painkillers at the first little twinge, or if you are like clockwork, than a few hours before. That way, they have a chance to work on the brain pain signals. This may be obvious to you, but I thought to mention it, as I spent many years in unnecessary pain. I still experienced pain, but it wasn't as bad.

Next thing to mention is looking after your stomach. Tramadol is an NSAID medication that can eventually cause gastric problems.

Natural ways to help and protect it that I know of include things like Manuka Honey (MGO) or Slippery Elm.

And then there is a Tens Machine. I used an Ova Tens for years, which again works on the principle of putting it on at the very first small twinge to work on the brain's pain signals. They now have one which includes heat, which would have been no good for me, as heat always made the pain worse.

Lastly, diet can help. It can be beneficial to keep a food diary for a few months to see if there are patterns of worse pain after certain foods/drink. I found any more than 3 cups of green tea a month, I'd be in agony. I cut out red meat the week before my period and cut out unnecessary sugar. Some women find that after going gluten free for a year, that the pain gets much less.

I hope something here will be of help to you. I pray you find some relief soon. X

[DarkStar85 in reply to Washington1]

Some good advice there, but please note Tramadol is not an NSAID its an opiate. People like myself with gastro issues can take it.

[Washington1 in reply to DarkStar85]

Hi. Thank you for pointing that out. Doh. I know they're an opiate, so I will blame meno brain, lol. Just to say though, I've ended up with gastric issues. I may be unfortunate or maybe there's another reason why, but I'm now dealing with stomach problems.

I have also now read that opiates do slow gut motility and can cause gut dysfunction, which is a side effect often not picked up on with opiates. Maybe worth checking out.

Hope you are having a pain free day x

[Bubble-z]

hey!

I reduced my sugar intake and don’t eat red meat and dairy products anymore and it helped me a lot.

[Lovethemoon]

just jumping on this one as been reading some of the replies. I would honestly love to know how we are meant to manage our pain! I agree with removing dairy from the diet as that really helped with my gut issues associated from my endo/adeno. However everything else I just can’t give up on! What a bloody miserable life we would have living on broccoli and lettuce and most likely still going to be in pain! We have to have some kind of enjoyment in life.

Painkiller wise I’ve always had codeine for the bad days. But was wondering about amitryptaline(?) and whether to ask the gp about that.

Xx

[Littlepeax]

Diet changed my life completely when it came to endometriosis. I know most people don't want to hear it, as changing your diet isn't easy but it worked wonders for me. I did the AIP diet and it was amazing. Stage 4 endo, 2 surgiers and years of intense pain. Constantly taking pain killers. Until I dramatically changed my diet to help with both pain and infertility (ivf) best thing I done. Not a quick fix but worked well for me and some others on this chat. That's how I heard about it. Try starting with cutting foods that cause inflammation in the body, like sugar, alcohol, processed foods. Good luck ♥️

[Littlepeax]

P.s red meat is so good for you and your health, especially needed if you have heavy painful periods like me. Just try eat organic if possible. Avoid refined carbs. And look out for foods like potatoes and tomatoes, as they can make inflammation worse. Fact

[Bubble-z in reply to Littlepeax]

hey,

Red meat is not good for endometriosis, it increases inflammation. Chicken and seafood are fine.

[Littlepeax in reply to Bubble-z]

How does it cause inflammation exactly? very good for endometriosis. Very high in b12 and protein is what is needed for endometriosis fact. I eat loads on low carb diet and it was the only diet that helped with my pain. Just make sure it's organic/grass fed if you can afford it 😘

[Bubble-z in reply to Littlepeax]

You can find the answer with a quick search. Red meat can increase estrogen levels in the body. And high estrogen increases endometriosis pain.

[Littlepeax in reply to Bubble-z]

You can also find arm amputation if you have a rash with a quick search and that broccoli is bad for you because it contains isothiocyanates which can mess up your thyroid .. quick search

[Whydoesittakesolong]

Hi all, Sorry to just jump on, but what if you can't take ibuprofen or any NSAIDs? I'm currently on codeine during the day at work and the tramadol when I get home. Is there anything else that would be good?

Thank you

[Bubble-z in reply to Whydoesittakesolong]

Mefenamic acid along with paracetamol is good as it reduces inflammation significantly and Paracetamol helps with the pain. But you need to take Mefenamic acid first and about 2 hours after take paracetamol. I’ve been given Cocodemol but it was a disaster, it made me so sick!!

[Whydoesittakesolong in reply to Bubble-z]

Thank you for this. Codeine works well, but makes me feel a bit spaced out, and isn't good for the work environment. I will look up mefenamic acid