Re: Please read, I am almost desperate.
From: Tara (anonymous@obgyn.net)
Mon Jan 30 20:56:21 2006
I read this and was almost in tears. I want to thank you from the
bottom of my heart for being over there and fighting more than endo. You
are fighting for the freedom to write on this site. I can't believe
that you are going through all of this and are over there in the middle
of a war. I am humbled.
As for endo, you have all the classic signs. You need surgery, a
laparoscopy to at least rid you of some of your cysts and to excise the
endo. I would put money down that you have it from your family history
and symptoms. The IUD may have been causing you some trouble/infection
as well as your bacterial infection. Its hard to say, but a run of
antibiotics may clear up those issues. As for the pain though, you need
more than IBU. It is every medic/doctor's answer, and we all know that
it does didly squat for endo pain. If you can get some other
non-narcotic pain meds like Toradol, Tramadol, or something on that
order it may help you to at least have a night without tears. These
shouldn't make you as sleepy or mind altered as a narcotic either. Your
pain is not in your head. You are in a predominantly male environment
(I'm only assuming) and they cannot possibly understand what you are
going through. They have not had an IUD, do not have ovarian cysts, and
do not have a uterus or growths on surrounding organs. The multiple
cysts that you describe, alone, will put you through a tremendous amount
of pain. Nevermind the endo or any other diagnosis. You do NOT have a
low tolerance to pain. You wouldn't have joined the military if you
were a "wimp"!
Stay strong. I pray that you can get a laparoscopy soon and have all
the answers you need. I think it will really help to have a doctor go
in and take a look, hopefully back here in the states. PLEASE keep us
updated. I'm sending a heating blanket in the form of this post tonight
and hope you get it. You are not alone. Thank you again for serving
our country, from the bottom of my heart.- Tara
At Mon, 30 Jan 2006, mere wrote:
>
>This may be long, but I really need some advice.
>
>I am in the military and currently in Iraq.
>
>Earlier this month I started having really bad cramping, and pressure on
>my abdomen plus a nasty discharge. It felt like Icy-Hot. On the
>outside my skin was buring but inside it felt icy. I went to the medic
>and I was sent to see an OBGYN but none were available so I saw a nurse
>practioner.
>
>A ultra-sound showed several cysts in my left ovary and one large one in
>my right ovary. Also, my right ovary was larger than normal. My last
>pap came back abnormal, but the only licensed person to do the colpo had
>left the day before I came to the clinic so I was told to come back in a
>month. They found a bacteria and gave me a shot of antibiotics-cleared
>up the discharge within a day. They said the cysts could be painful and
>I had endometritis(not endometriosis). Take IB profen(the military's
>cure all) and come back in 8 weeks for a follow-up. They barely gave me
>20 minutes of their time and treated me terribly.
>
>I couldn't wait 8 weeks, the pain got worse. My dr. here suggested
>endometriosis, but since I had an IUD in there was really nothing to do.
>I called my mother and she said that she has endo and had a lot of
>complications with it when she was in her early 20's.
>
>I have also had pain in my hips, lower back, and pain radiating down the
>front of my legs for over three years. I wasn't in any kind of
>accident, it just started one day. I have had MRI, bone scans, and
>X-rays done on them several times and they found no stress fractures or
>slipped disks. Some days I can barely walk, but I am expected to run
>daily. Most nights I cry from the pain and not being able to sleep.
>
>I tried a different medic, and I found someone who will listen and take
>the time to care. He wanted to rule out IBS and slipped disk, but it
>came back to endometriosis. He sent me to a clinic (which requires a
>helicopter ride over a combat zone and days of waiting around) where the
>OBGYN talked to me and did an exam for 15 minutes. He said he was too
>busy to read the 5 pages the kind medic had written and didn't have time
>to perform all the labs that the medic had asked for. He removed my IUD
>because it was upside down, looked and found no cysts in my ovaries and
>prescribed antidepressants because "I have a low tollerance for pain."
>He mentioned endo, and a lapro in passing but nothing more. He said it
>was up to my medic how this would impact my ability to do my job and
>continue the deployment- but I was sent to him to make that decision!! I
>just keep getting passed over because I'm not dying or bleeding. I
>understand that people here are injured, but I'm in pain too. Then I
>was referred to Psych-because "this may all be in my head."
>
>I am no longer able to go to the medic who helped me because they are in
>a different branch than myself (army vs. navy).
>
>I know I'm not crazy. I am in pain every day. I have done research and
>read your threads. I have theses symtoms- so did my mother. When she
>had her lapro they said it looked like someone poured glue inside, it
>was a mess.
>
>What can I do? Is this something that needs to be diganoised and treated
>in the US, or do I have to continue to be in pain and suffer in Iraq? I
>am married and worried how this will effect my abiltiy to have children.
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