Hey,
I have not been well for a while. It started off as cystitis, turned into bacterial vaginosis and finally PID (pelvic inflammatory disease) which after months of pain and misdiagnoses was caught as inflammation on an ultrasound and treated with antibiotics.
The pain subsided slightly, but never fully disappeared. The last few weeks the pain has been increasing and it's got to the point where I can barely walk around without wincing and needing to sit down. I'm 23 years old and I can barely function.
I now have extreme constipation. (I alternate between constipation and diarrhea) I feel like I have a blockage, my abdomen feels hard and I get sharp twinges and stabbing pains. I feel generally very unwell, flu-like symptoms. I had blood in my stool this morning for the first time. I keep going to the doctor but they never do anything. I am starting to believe that this may all be in my head, and I'm amazed that anxiety can cause all of these problems. I also feel very nauseated and the stomach pains are horrendous.
I recently had a pap smear and I'm waiting for that result to come back. I also just developed genital warts, so I have to go and get those removed. (I have never had unprotected sex and was in a monogamous relationship for six years until recently)
I am extremely fed up, and I feel like I am never going to feel normal again.
So far I have self diagnosed: recurring pelvic inflammatory disease, irritable bowel syndrome, endometriosis, cervical cancer, bowel cancer, colon cancer, ovarian cancer, appendicitis, GI issues, gynecological issues... I have both. The whole area from my chest to the tops of my thighs are in pain. All the time. HELP.
I think it's time to search for a new primary care physician who can really help you look at all your symptoms and come up with a plan! Do you have another physician (i.e. gynecologist) that you like a lot and perhaps can get a referral to a new PCP.
I had a doctor who brushed off my neck pain and arm weakness. Then my husband had to have his tonsils out and while in the consultation with his Ear Nose and Throat surgeon I was rubbing my left arm. The ENT asked me what was wrong, I gave him a 2 minute run down and he said "I think you have a cervical disc problem. what has your PCP done?" When he heard not much of any treatment he asked if I was open to a new PCP and referred me to a new doctor that my husband and I have now been seeing for 6 years. Who knew my husbands tonsillectomy would lead me to neck surgery to fix one of my medical problems?
I'm sorry about what you're going through and it definitely sounds like you need more tests run! For one thing at this point (if you haven't had either), you should have a colonoscopy and an upper GI endoscopy- these tests would reveal what is going on with with your GI tract. It sounds like you have quite a time, but at this point if you're PCP isn't willing to order those tests, then it's time to seek out a Doctor that will order the necessary tests to get to the root of what is causing your symptoms.
It's sounds like you've been dealing with quite a bit. I hope you get answers soon. Please keep us posted on how you're doing.
I would have to agree with the other posters that it is time to see a different doctor, specifically primary care doctor who can refer you to other doctors like a gynecologist, urologist, or gastroenterologist. It does sound like you need a full work up and only you can be your own best advocate.
I am thinking that you are not a hypochondriac, that what you are experiencing is real. The pain is definitely real, it is being caused by something and only a doctor can figure out what it going on. Now you can make your pain worse with worrying and stress. Stress is the enemy of pain but it can also cause stress in itself. I know this from having chronic pain almost 7 years now(wow, it doesn't seem possible that I have lived that long with chronic pain). However, the one thing I can say is that I have had to see quite a few doctors and at least I know what my pain is caused from, that I will probably have it for the rest of my life. I am only 35 years old and it does keep me from doing some things. However, it is so much better now than when the pain first started and I had no clue as to what was causing it. The worst part is in the NOT KNOWING. Please find another doctor that actually cares and will do the appropriate tests.
brian
p.s. keep us posted and I pray that things get better soon
If you don't feel like your doctor is listening to you, find a new one. It's that important. This is your HEALTH we're talking about. You know your body best!
hello. hurry up and get a colonoscopy. If your doctor refused get a new doctor. good luck to you.
The blood could very well be from straining or if the stool is very hard and to pass as this happens to me when I get badly constipated. I found that Miralax has done wonders for me. I've sufferered from constipation on and off for over 20 years. Miralax is the ONLY thing that has helped dramatically!!
Definitely find a different doctor!! I've actually had doctors tell me that it's in my head. Another comment another dr said to me was "you don't look like your in pain, you don't dress like your in pain" Little does that jerk know how hard it is everyday just to take a shower and get dressed in the morning. Because I put a little make up on and put more than a pair of pjs on before I walk out the door doesn't mean I'm not suffering every single day of my life. The ONLY reason he believed me some what was that he was new to the practice and saw everything documented in my charts since I was 18 yrs old (16yrs of documented pain).
Definitely go elsewhere. I still suffer from unexplained pain in my stomach too. I've had laparoscopies to search for endo and various other tests to rule out other gyno related problems, everything came back as normal but I still have bad pain in the area, intercourse is unbearable too.
You know your body!!
Another quick story...
a friend of mine had 3 c-sections, during her last c-sect a few months ago she complained of pain NOT near the incision/opening. The dr says "what do you expect, you had 3 c-sections" She knew it was unrelated but the gyno dr wasn't listening and blew her off. Two more office visits, both times complained of the same pain, how her stomach has a bulge and its very painful. She presses on it and it moves and hurts a lot. Again, says she had 3 c-sections, what do you expect!! The male dr makes these remarks without even touching her/examining her. Finally she says "I'm telling something isn't right, the bulge moves!!!" He decides to "shut her up" and check pushes on her stomach. He says "oh wow, you have a hernia that is between your stomach muscles, glued to the muscles, don't move it, if it moves the wrong way you can die since it's toxic!!" He continues to say "you need surgery ASAP!!!!" Well, if the jacka** would have listened to her from the start she wouldn't be in this predicament since the hernia grew from the first time she complained. It's now the size of a grapefruit!!! So much for trusting doctors to take care of your health so so seriously!! My friend could have died!!!!!
I just wanted to tell you that you are not a hypochondriac...you are just plain miserable. Bless your heart! It is extremely common to wonder if you have all sorts of horrible diseases when you are in constant intense pain.
You most likely do not have anything fatal like cancer. It sounds like an auto-immune disorder...which may be painful, but at least isn't immediately fatal, right?
You definitely need to ask friends, do some research online, & ask any of your doctors for a referral for both gastroenterologist & gynecology...figure out for yourself who you should go to. But, you definitely need someone who will take these symptoms seriously.
No, you don't need a colonoscopy at this point! The blood was likely from hemorrhoids. Your doctor can have you do a stool sample card test to check for blood and see if it's possibly coming from your GI tract. A hard abdomen could be from constipation, but not always.
If you have so much pain walking and need to sit down, along with pelvic pain, that's exactly what PID sounds like. Go to your OBGYN and tell them those symptoms. Tell them it feels exactly like the last time you had PID. Even if your imaging tests are negative, a good doctor would treat you with antibiotics anyway, since PID can cause serious problems. The flu-like symptoms along with the PID symptoms means something is seriously wrong. If a bacterial infection causes flu-like symptoms, it means it's getting into your bloodstream. This is not good. Go to your OBGYN, not your PCP.
Do you know what type of infection caused the PID before? Like gonorrhea of chlamydia? Do you know who gave it to you? Do you still have the same partner? Do you use condoms?
BTW, I don't think you have cancer, endometriosis, or appendicitis. Sometimes PID can cause changes in your bowels.
