Hello 
I find myself here after not really knowing where to go. I have a very long story and I’m grateful if anyone has any advice or tips for me.
I’m a 24 year old girl who has suffered with extremely painful periods since they started when I was about 12/13yr old. At this age I went to the doctors who put me on the combination pill. I was on this pill for about 6 years, when I would have a withdrawal bleed this would be really painful for me with all the normal symptoms of a bad period but nowhere near as extreme as me having a normal period not taking the pill at all. All the time I was on the combination pill, I suffered with really frequent migraines. I was sent for MRI scans, put on preventer pills and given really strong prescription level migraine tablets with anti sickness tablets. Now looking back I know these were associated with the combined pill.
I then saw a different doctor about my constant headaches who immediately took me off the combined pill and put me on the mini pill instead. She told me that having migraines while taking the combined pill is very dangerous as it increases your risk of having a stroke.
After being on the mini pill for about 2 years, my migraines stopped but I had put on 5 stone in weight and my mental health was awful so I then made the decision to come off it myself. I had done a lot of research into the different types of contraception, and the different effects each hormone can have on your body. I have a family history of infertility, very early menopause, very heavy painful periods and I always thought my heavy periods at 12/13yr old were just because my body was maturing and adapting to having a period.
When I came off the pill I started off with heavy infrequent periods but I put this down to my body getting use to not being on the pill and getting back in sync, however it only got worse. I was then referred to a gynaecologist, I had internal and external ultrasounds which I was told they couldn’t see anything due to me having a tilted uterus. I then had a MRI which told me I have a didelphic/ bicornate womb (I received this information in a letter), I was then waiting for a follow up appointment to discuss my results which I never received. After waiting and waiting for an appointment I called the doctors myself who told me the gynaecologist had discharged me as a patient as I had been sent out my results in the post… regardless of me being in crippling pain every 2/3 weeks and bleeding for 7 days straight. I am now waiting for a laparoscopy, I have an appointment to see the gynaecologist at the end of October and then have been told it could be another 6-12 months after that for my operation. (It is believed at this point that I potentially have some organs fused together, it has been mentioned that they think my bowel and womb may be fused together.)
So now for my symptoms, personally I think that on top of the physical side of my diagnosis that I have something like PMDD as well, my mental health is up and down like a yo yo and it all corresponds with what point in my cycle I’m at. I have very bad anxiety, catastrophizing thoughts, very dark thoughts about life and this can all change from one week to the next, like something that may of been the end of the world for me a few days ago, I now don’t care about at all.
For the physical side, the only way I can explain the pain is that it is literally crippling, I cannot get out of bed, I can’t walk, go up and down the stairs, I can’t drive or eat or do anything that is a normal daily activity. The pain is all in my lower stomach, sides, back and thighs. I cry in pain every time I’m bleeding. I also get things like a fever and cold like symptoms (sore throat, blocked nose ect). During this time and the lead up I’m incredibly emotional with the tiniest of problems being detrimental to my mental health, I hate the world and no one can do right by me.
I hate living like this and the thought of me having to wait potentially another year in this amount of pain is something I just cant do, I have looked in to going private but it is going to be about £5000/£6000 starting price and as a single person with no one to help me that’s just not an amount I have to pay, I can’t have the coil due to the shape of my womb, the implant made me very ill being sick all the time and I have tried pretty much every brand of combination pill/ mini pill going and to be honest, I don’t want to put those hormones back in to my body only for them to mask the real problem I have. I currently have mefenamic acid, paired with 2 ibuprofen and 2 paracetamol every 4 hours (this is what I was told to take by my doctor) and it’s only at this point when I feel drugged up on pain relief that I’m barely able to function. If anyone has any suggestions or anyone is/ has experienced anything similar it would be a big help❤️
