I agree with Michele, Amy. I suffered from endometriosis for many years and had all the symptoms you do -- long periods, extreme cramping, heavy bleeding, sometimes clots. I also had cysts on my ovaries, but it was the endometriosis that caused me the most trouble.
What happens in endometriosis is this: During the month, when your uterus is building up its tissue in case you become pregnant, some of the tissue starts growing elsewhere, in places where it shouldn't. You didn't do anything to cause this; it just happens in some women. That endometrium tissue swells and grows just like the uterine tissue, which means your cramps can be very severe. Cramps as severe as you are having ARE caused by something. They are not normal. That's one thing my specialist taught me. He was amazed that I had had pain that way for years and that my normal doctor had not caught it.
Do you like your current gynecologist enough to stay with her and push through the time it takes to see her? Or are you more in favor of starting over with someone new? Sometimes there's a real advantage to that; they'll check your charts and tests from your previous doctor, but since they take a brand new history when you start with a new doctor, they often start from the beginning and do a thorough job of trying to figure out the situation. You need to feel like your doctor is a partner in your health care, and that she or he is working with you, not against you. That's really important.
When you say you were put on medication, what kind was it and what was it for?
Comment Reply
I agree with Michele, Amy. I suffered from endometriosis for many years and had all the symptoms you do -- long periods, extreme cramping, heavy bleeding, sometimes clots. I also had cysts on my ovaries, but it was the endometriosis that caused me the most trouble.
What happens in endometriosis is this: During the month, when your uterus is building up its tissue in case you become pregnant, some of the tissue starts growing elsewhere, in places where it shouldn't. You didn't do anything to cause this; it just happens in some women. That endometrium tissue swells and grows just like the uterine tissue, which means your cramps can be very severe. Cramps as severe as you are having ARE caused by something. They are not normal. That's one thing my specialist taught me. He was amazed that I had had pain that way for years and that my normal doctor had not caught it.
Do you like your current gynecologist enough to stay with her and push through the time it takes to see her? Or are you more in favor of starting over with someone new? Sometimes there's a real advantage to that; they'll check your charts and tests from your previous doctor, but since they take a brand new history when you start with a new doctor, they often start from the beginning and do a thorough job of trying to figure out the situation. You need to feel like your doctor is a partner in your health care, and that she or he is working with you, not against you. That's really important.
When you say you were put on medication, what kind was it and what was it for?
July 10, 2009 - 8:26amThis Comment
Reply