Im 16 and sometimes I find this hard to d... - Endometriosis UK

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Im 16 and sometimes I find this hard to deal with

LaurenMarie profile image
11 Replies

Umm not sure how to start this but im 16 and I dont know how to deal with this yet. I have so far just tryed to forget about it, but when I have really bad pain to the point where i cant move I cant Forget about it. I have listned to many peoples stories and if anything it makes me more scared for what is to come for me. I am currently on the pill and it helps a little but not that much. I have pain in school sometimes and I have had to be carried out of school by a friend and taken home. Sometimes I feel like people think im faking the pain because it can hurt sooo badley and one point and then be fine the next then it could be really painfull again!

I have heard that there are treatments for this and I was wondering what they are, and what i would have to do ?

Thank you for your time :) x

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LaurenMarie profile image
LaurenMarie
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11 Replies
distressed profile image
distressed

Hi Lauren..i feel bad for u and I know how the pain can really be so bad that others dont understand that it is actually true..when a person says she/he is in pain,there is really pain..but u have not mentioned where the pain is..is it like hundred times of a menstrual cramps?is ot before,during or after menstruation?what pill are u taking?have u had it checked?if u were diagnosed of endometriosis just like us,i feel bad for u as u have to face the ordeal at a very young age though this disease doesnt spare no one --except men of course! I suggest see a doctor and have it assessed.it could lead to a more serious problem and pain can really be debilitating.at this time,i can only tell u to apply warm compress on the site,it helps.goodluck and tell us what d doctor says abt it.

LaurenMarie profile image
LaurenMarie

I get the pain all over my stomach mostley in the sides, and its before during and after my period. I am taking microgynan I thinks its called and i have asked the doctor he just said to carry on taking my pill ! yeah it is hard I feel tired all the time, and it affects my school work to. Thank you :)

Pepper1 profile image
Pepper1

Hi, I know how that feels, and my prayers are with you, I suffered at school to, and only got mine diagnosed a few years ago and I'm 40 now! So it is good that you are on the right track for finding out. I would suggest you get a second or even a third opinion , ask to see another doctor or a gyne, if they say you can't this is wrong you can go to any practice now and ask to see a different doc.i would say get your mum or other adult to go with you and push for more investigations , as they can some times make you feel silly, if your on your own. The sooner you get the right treatment, the better it will be for you, the longer it is left un treated the more complications it can cause. The pill isn't always the wright answer, there are lots of other treatments out there, but first you need to get it diagnosed and the only way is through a gyne and a laposcrapy.

As for at school, I would suggest taking in some of the leaflets on endo you can get them from there web site, or in some hospitals in the gyne department, ask one your head teachers if there is a school nurse, or life studies person who could arrange a talk in school about it, so more people are informed , because I am sure there is more girls at your school with it, than you think,who don't realise there periods are not supposed to hurt. Many blessings x

Loulou_92 profile image
Loulou_92

I know how you feel I was diagnosed when last year was I was 19. But I knew there was something wrong when I was still at school, the pain the length of my periods and the fact that no one else I knew had that. I'm on the pill too and its not really doing much and I just had it changed because it was making me so emotional, hormonal and mood swings were out of control.

I don't know what to advice you about the treatments because the hospital wont do anything for me but keep me on the pill because apparently everything else is too radical for my age and is only short term, but getting pregnant was their next option because that isn't radical clearly.

All I can offer you is start doing a pain chart for each day and grade it out of 10 and put down any meds you take each day and where the pain is the worst then every time you go to see any doctor about your pain take it with you, I've started mine back up as my pain as got worse. I'm going to see the hospital next Tuesday so I'll what they offer me as the next stage and I'll let you know. Hope this has helped. xxx

Fletch profile image
Fletch

Hi Lauren Marie,

So sorry to hear how much you are struggling at the moment. You havent yet mentioned though; have you been diagnosed with Endo yet? If you havent, then it is definitely something you should push for at your doctors. You need to see a gynaecologist at a hospital. Get ab adult to go with you to the doctors; whoever you can trust whether it be your mum, an aunty or an older sibling and say you are not leaving until you have been referred because your pain isnt normal.

And that is the main thing to remember. It ISNT normal. You shouldnt be suffering as much as what you say you are. Periods are not THAT bad, so something isnt right with you.

Dont let it get you worried or scared at this stage though. There is help out there, but you have to be quite pushy and insist upon it, which is why it might be best to have someone there with you.

As for school, you need to make teachers aware of how you are feeling and how much you are struggling. There are some leaflets you can print off on the Endo Uk website, and you should take them into school and say "this is what ive got (or think youve got) and this is how it makes me feel". If there is a school nurse, or a pastoral person, or a councillor... anyone like that really.... you should go to speak with them and explain to them that this is something that concerns you, and would they inform your teachers, on your behalf, that you are not coping with the pain.

Make sure you take painkillers to school, like ibruprofen or paracetemol and make sure you take them as soon as you start to feel the pain setting in. Dont wait, because it gets harder to control. And maybe ask the school nurse if the can get a hot water bottle for you so you can apply that as and when you need too.

The main thing to do is to keep talking to adults about this. Somone out there can help you, you just need to keep telling them that this isnt right and you need to see a proffessional. Dont bottle it all up xx

Good Luck xxx

chatterboxcharlie profile image
chatterboxcharlie

Hi lauren,

I know exactly how u feel :-( Mine 1st started wen i was 13 yrs old and gt worse when i got older. i wasnt put on the pill until i was 16 but by then mine was quite severe so it didnt work but if u r on it and all this has only just started then the best advice i can offer u is to run your pill bk to bk as it will slow the growth down and ease sum of the pain as u will not have a period.

If the pill doesnt work then the MIRENA COIL can b a good choice as this too stops ur periods and can slow the growth down. It is also easily removed and your peiods will return to normal once you are older and decide to have children.

Don't believe that having a baby will also cure u as with most women (me being one of them) it DOESN'T. Unfortunately it made me worse.

I know how upsetting and lonely this condition can make u feel, especially in school when u see all ur mates running round in p.e and having a laugh, and u cant coz the pain is so bad. But just remember there are other people out there with this and it wasnt until now that im 21 yrs old i realised that once u leave school and get a little older people will start to listen and possibly understand it more.

Keep your chin up and i hope all goes well for you in the future, and just remember your not on your own and there is people out there who do understand :-)

Charlie xxx

tinker241 profile image
tinker241

is it 2012????? or is it 2011???? as we are not in november in 2012 yet!!

heatherec profile image
heatherec

Hi Lauren Marie

I just wanted to say its like looking back in time with everything that you have said.

I don't want to go over the same points that the other ladies have left for you such as going to the hospital and being diagnosed.

My best bit of advice for coping in the mean time while you go through the process of going to the hospital and being diagnosed, is to swap pills. I was on microgynan and i always felt awful with the pain, but then i was put onto a pill called Yasmin and for a long time my symptoms died down a hell of a lot until i was about 19 and then had to go through the process of laprascopies etc.

Like i said definitely be very very pushy, no one believed i had it at my age until i forced my GP to refer me to gynaecology. It is a bit of a fight and a bit of a struggle. But as soon as you know what your dealing with and how you need to deal with it, it makes everything seem like its possible and manageable and you don't feel as down.

I hope this helps and there is always someone on this site to help!!

Take care and good luck!!

x

JaneHJ_CEO profile image
JaneHJ_CEO

Hi Lauren Marie

Sorry to hear that you are having such a bad time. It may help to get some information to share with the school nurse or your friends or family. The latest campaign from Endo UK is called 'Is is normal?' - trying to get across to younger women that the symptoms of endo are not normal. You can find some leaflets and a poster that you can download on the Endo UK website (endometriosis-uk.org) under the 'News' tab and there is also another blogging site - aboutmyperiods.wordpress.com - for teenagers and young girls too.

Hope this helps.

Helen

LaurenMarie profile image
LaurenMarie

Thank you all for leaving comments, and helping me.. I went to the doctor today and told him that my pain is back since being on the pill for a year. He looked over my notes and said that it is a strong possibility that I have got this. He has refered me to a gynacologyst again soo I can be diagnosed with it. My mum will be attending all appointments with me. I have found alot of suport of close friends in school who have seen personally what the pain does to me. I have told the doctors how it is affecting me emotionaly and well as physically and they are now taking me seriously. The doctor said that in my notes it said that I needed to be diagnosed with it, I dont know why it has taken soo long for them to say something. I am now being seen by a much better doctor. After telling people how I felt with it I have had allot of support

Thank you all soo much for telling me how you dealt with it and What I should do :) xxx

LaurenMarie profile image
LaurenMarie

I am now 19 years old and i have still not had any help for it i have just been messed around by doctors! Been put on lots of different pills and medication! I have been told that if i have a baby it will ho away! I still get the pain really badly but now instead of affecting school it is affecting my work life! I cant take it anymore i just really want the help i deserve! Now that in older i have started to spot more symptoms, for example sex can be painful for me i cant fo as much as i want! I feel like its affecting my relationship! I still feel helpless :\

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