Pain relief?
Hello, im new to this forum and I'm suffering for sever endo pain.
Im at a loss, I used to be able to manage the pain pretty well however over the last 6 months it's become so bad that it leaves me immobilised on the couch for days.
Im struggling to open up to my friends as I don't know how to ask for help - its impacting my life so much and I dont want to keep feeling like this.
Does anyone have any pain relief tips? I've tried wheatbags/heatpacks, panadol, codine, chiropractors, physiotherapists, hot baths, stretches and changed my diet!
I'm sorry to hear that your pain is impacting you so greatly now. You didn't mention anything about who you've seen to help address your symptoms, but if you haven't seen your gynecologist, I would recommend making an appointment (or seeking out someone who is an endo expert in your area). This kind of pain is not normal and is likely going to need greater intervention than you're able to give yourself. I was also in debilitating pain and I tried all the things you mentioned to no avail. I personally needed surgical intervention. Not saying that will be your journey, but being immobilized from pain, which I was, is not sustainable. I did find some support from incredibly gentle yoga, meditation, and pelvic PT, but the only thing that helped me in the end was surgery. I have stage 4 endo. ~Katrina, Endometriosis.net Advocate thank you for your comment and your support 😀 I'm seeing gynaecologist and pain specialist as they're unsure as to why my pain is so severe. I've had surgery before, around 5 years ago or so.
I havent tried yoga, but it has been on my mind - thank you for sharing your thoughts.
I’m so sorry to hear that you’re not able to manage you pain on your own. Like Katrina says, it’s obviously not normal to be impacted so much by pain. Personally, I’ve had to have several surgeries to mange pain. In the past few years, I’ve had excision surgery that’s helped with pain with sex and exercise pain. It also helped shorten my pre-period cramps for a while. I also had to see 3 different physical therapists, one to address pain from interstitial cystitis and another sports medicine doc for hip/leg pain, and yet another to address pelvic floor tension. Those were all post my surgery, and they all helped in their own ways.
Like you, I’ve also changed my diet. I’ll admit that going gluten-free helps my joint pain. But for serious pain associated with my period, I take a prescription medication. Nothing else helps. The most helpful is an anti-inflammatory called a COX2 inhibitor. Here’s some info if you’d like to know more about that: https://endometriosis.net/living/period-pain-treatment
Definitely tell your doctor that you can’t manage pain. They should help you come up with a pain management plan, which may include surgery, medication, pelvic floor therapy, or lots of other things. Wishing you well! - Keri (endometriosis.net team member)
