mild symptoms - diagnosis
ok so this might be long. I am currently in the process of finding a doctor who will hopefully help me with a diagnosis or rule edo out. I am 41 years old and have always had painful and heavy periods but they have been getting progressively worse the last few years.
However, I have been looking at symptoms and so many seem to fit
Heavy period
painful period
rectal spasms
fatigue (have seen a doctor for this, no results)
constipation (once a week if I'm lucky) have seen doctors for this
severe UTIs few times a year - always bleeding when they get bad
painful sex (not super painful, always thought it was when he went too deep, might be that instead)
very bloated tummy during and around period
problems conceiving - have two children - tried for a year with both and resulted in Pergotime - that worked first try.
so these are my symptoms. When I first looked up endometriosis I was stunned to see how many symptoms seem to align with what I am going through -
However, I do not suffer from as severe pain as I see many going through. I am not fainting or throwing up and I never take a day off work for the pain. I do, however need strong pain medication to get through the day and I have problems walking upright and I avoid anything physical because it does hurt. I have pain all around my pelvic area, down my thighs and in the lower back.
In addition to that, in the nights leading up to or during periods I tend to wake up with rectal cramps that are so painful I cannot go back to sleep.
In your opinion, do you think these fit with endo or am I just overreacting? I am very afraid of seeing a doctor and being told that I am making this up and there is nothing wrong with me other than period pains, constipation and tendency for UTIs
You are absolutely not overreacting, and based on what you've said here, I would highly recommend you see a doctor. If a doctor tells you that this is in your head or caused by anxiety, or anything else like that, find another doctor. Although you said you don't have severe pain, the fact that you need pain medication to get through the day tells me that perhaps you actually do have severe pain. The rectal cramps that wake you up and keep you up are another red flag for me. I have that as well. Please feel free to reach out with other questions. ~Katrina, Endometriosis.net Advocate Thank you so much for your reply, I booked an appointment with gynecologist next week. In addition to they symptoms I listed, my mom and two of her sisters had trouble conceiving, my mom has had a hysterectomy (not sure what the cause was exactly) my mom and I have a complicated relationship so discussing with her is not really an option.
Also pain wise I guess I have a rather high pain tolerance when I think about it - I did have a 5mm kidney stone and didn't want stronger pain meds than a parkodin because I was afraid that it would turn out to be nothing - which of course it wasn't - later I passed the stone without any intervention.
what's mostly driving me to have it checked now is that my daughter is 13 and has had her period for over a year and has very painful and heavy periods (she has an extremely high pain tolerance, so high we thought she might have some sort of syndrome) and she regularly breaks down crying due to the pain. So I wanted to check myself out so the process might be easier for her if it turns out that I have it.I'm glad to hear that you've got an appointment booked, and if you feel like sharing with us how it went, we'd love to know. I'm crossing my fingers for you that you feel empowered after your visit. I appreciate how you are thinking about your daughter as well, and hoping that your experience with the process will make it easier for her should she have to go through it. ~Katrina, Endometriosis.net Advocate
Thank you for sharing your symptoms with the community, which I wouldn’t describe as mild! All of this sounds pretty life-altering, and I’m sorry you’re dealing with it. The only way to diagnose endometriosis is through a surgical laparoscopy, which is definitely worth a conversation with your doctor if they can’t pinpoint another cause for your symptoms.
And if you can’t walk upright or do things because physical activity hurts your body, that’s a definite red flag that something is going on and you might need medical help to get to the bottom of how to treat it.
If you haven’t already, might I suggest you visit a pelvic floor therapist to see if you might have some pelvic floor tension? The rectal spasms you describe are something that used to happen to me a lot, as did painful sex. And those symptoms have pretty much gone away after several rounds of pelvic floor therapy for muscle tightness. Here’s a story about that, in case it’s helpful: https://endometriosis.net/living/rectal-pain
Please let us know how your doctor visit goes! - Keri (endometriosis.net team member)
