Reoccurring pelvic pain

[Hannah818]

Has anyone had a tubo ovarian uterus abscess? I've had this for over a year and now it's causing issues with my bowels and bladder and it's interfering with work, worried about taking more time off. I've been hospitalised twice and put on iv drip. Had so many antibiotics this past year both by drip and oral which has caused other issues like reoccurring thrush and constant diareah. No surgery or other options yet discussed, Been told have to wait a month for results of latest ct scan, I'm worried as had to take more time off work due to severe pelvic pain this week. Any advice would be really appreciated , thank you

[Standup808]

Hannah,

I am not a medical professional but I believe abscesses are very difficult to resolve with antibiotics alone (due to the scar tissue arising from the body’s efforts to wall off the infection. Antibiotics have a difficult time penetrating the scar tissue - think of a clamshell). It might be time to discuss the pros and cons of all options with your doctor(s). More information might help you to better participate in decisions concerning your health. Best of luck!

[Hannah818 in reply to Standup808]

Thank you, really appreciate the advice and info

[Mumof2teenagers]

I had a tubo-ovarian abscess back in 2020, the pain was horrendous. They treated it with strong IV antibiotics, which did help but the infection just kept coming back frequently for the next 2 years. I was in agony and barely able to walk a lot of the time. The inflammation could be seen on ultrasound scans and I was regularly on strong oral antibiotics and admitted to the gynae equivalent of A&E in our area. Eventually, I managed to convince the consultant I was under that I really wanted to try surgery to remove my fallopian tubes. In September 2022, I finally had the bilateral salpingectomy which took nearly 12 months to recover from as I had open surgery rather than keyhole. I still get some pain but it is far more tolerable and manageable than it was previously. They have suggested this pain could be due to adhesions or nerve damage but unless I have further surgery, which in itself could cause further adhesions or damage, then we won’t ever know as it won’t show up on a scan.

For me, surgery was the best option and has definitely improved my daily quality of life. But not without further pain and a lot of time off work. It really has been a balancing act and I’ve swapped one pain for another. But the surgery was definitely worth the gamble! Good luck with your journey as it’s very difficult to say how surgery will go…

[Hannah818 in reply to Mumof2teenagers]

Thank you , its reassuring to know what other people with similar conditions have been through. Can I ask what's the pain like now? Do you uave to take painkillers everyday or just when it flares up? Is there anything that triggers the pain or does it come suddenly ? Sorry to ask so many questions.