MRI or transvaginal ultrasound advice?

[Alij86]

Hi guys, I’m new here and have had a rubbish past month with being poked a prodded by gp’s. Been told I may have endo, a summary of my past health is pcos, recently had a (very painful) smear which came back negative and after another check I have nabothian cysts on my cervix and cervical ectropy which means it bleeds very easy. On top of this, I’m dealing with vaginismus and anxiety. I’ve got to the point where I feel like I just cannot have anything more put inside me. I’m not really sexually active as I haven’t had a stable boyfriend for the past ten years and am happy that way.

The reason I first went to to doctor was because I had been experiencing pelvic pain and brown discharge/spotting for a few weeks in Dec. The spotting and discharge has stopped but the pain remains. A very dull ache but spreads around to my back as comes and goes most days. The pain is never bad enough to stop me from doing things, but occasionally at night it will flare up on my right side and I assume it’s related to my PCOS, as the cysts were always worse there.

I’m exploring private MRI’s instead of a TV US on the nhs, and am happy to pay. I know I’m being a big baby but I can’t dismiss the pain or anxiety it’s been causing. I have a normal ultrasound booked too on tues but in my experience they don’t show up much.

Has anyone explored any similar options? Feeling very down and anxious. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you.

[Rainbow2468]

I had a transvaginal ultrasound on the nhs and they discovered cysts, fibroids adenomyosis and endometriosis. But i gather mri's are very good for picking up things clearly. But you could go to your Gp and ask for an ultrasound on the nhs. Hope you get things sorted out soon sending you a big hug 🤗❤️

[Alij86 in reply to Rainbow2468]

Thank you ❤️ I have an ultrasound on Tues but will not be having a transvaginal now as it’s just too painful. I’ll be requesting an MRI on the nhs and if they refuse then I’ll go private.

[BloomingMarvellous]

Many feel your pain too and totally get what you’re saying. Endo will cause pain and it can burrow its way around and into nerves. The tissue with endo is also nerve rich ( cheers folks…) which will make it far more raw and inflammation sensitive. Deep joy. This makes it both more reactive and subject to nociceptive pain that in turns makes the pain more felt and acute over time so over time we can escape it less and feel it more . Directed by the brain we can end up with more spasming, more sensation less blood flow, immune system suppressed etc etc which makes one feel grim , depressed and in severe pain. Unraveling the processes involved with your pain isn’t a quick fix but it’s worth seeing it as a broad field and a proper mash up.

It’s worth exploring using a central pain relief with your GP at low level to get some respite to get ahead while you bring other support online and maybe wait for surgery. A lot of GP’s try Amitriptyline as first port of call but it’s pretty heavy on the side effects it’s close kin Nortriptyline works better for some. The lowest dose is 10mcg but I found 5mcg did the trick. It’s better for the liver overall and has the bonus of not undermining the Omega 3 levels as paracetamol, ibruprofen do or the complete gut screwing of the opioids, gabapentrins etc. They aren’t magic wands either and not everyone finds them useful.

My GP gave me a six week free trial of the Curable App which I’ve found a godsend. Let’s be clear it doesn’t cure but the control of pain is so much better with it and to be freed of the physical tension that can be so unwelcome is fabulous. I couple it with a nutritional programme and particularly find Omega 3 ( high quality EPA/ DHA dense) key to neural pain management and gut healing. If your unclear as to how to navigate this try reading Katie Edmonds book Heal Endo for well researched studies and how to figure your situation out. She understands how important is maintaining pelvic floor health too and has some great advice on how to get the spasming pelvic floor back in line. Her referrals on that are well worth following up.

It’s so common for us to live truncated lives because of the pain and keep lopping bits off in trying to accommodate it. It’s not really okay ultimately choices aren’t really that if there’s a metaphorical gun to your head now are they ? There is a high correlation between pain levels experienced with endo because of poor thyroid function but also with past trauma held in the muscles. Somatic pain is a real factor not just a brush off. Every layer of tissue trauma and inflammation adds to the whole, til eventually the whole is unmanageable. Obviously, not every endo sufferer fits either picture - but it’s important to have the information to make the choice for yourself. I was recommended by my specialist endo physio - NHS - to read The Body Knows The Score. It’s taken me a long time to digest and use the information but I know that she made the right call.

[Marcia71]

both tvus and mri depend on who does it. Whether endo seen or not. Both are considered first steps to diagnosis now. And v good at seeing deep endo or if organs stuck and out of place. You maybe worth looking for a private tvus with someone trained to spot endo. There are a lot about. There are a lot more on nhs now but it needs to have been requested properly by gp and so often isn’t.