Pelvic discomfort - Women's Health Message Board

peacecircle · 03-13-2006, 09:49 AM

I am wondering if anyone has experienced something similar to my problem. I am 60 years old, so older than most people on these boards! For the past 4 months I have been experiencing lower left abdominal discomfort pain, sometimes central in the lower pelvis. This goes and comes....some days I am fine. I also noticed I had a swollen lymph node in the right groin. After about two months, I went to the gynae doctor who did a pelvic exam and found the left ovary slightly enlarged and it was very tender in that area. He ordered an ultrasound, blood works, pap smear, all of which came back with good results. The vaginal ultrasound did show a slightly enlarged left ovary but still an acceptable size. Other findings were all good. No thickening of the lining of he womb etc. Another doctor examined the lymph node and said it is nothing "sinister" but put me on 2 weeks of antibiotics. He said we would leave it even if the antibiotics made no difference, which they did not.

In spite of these "good" test results, I am still experiencing the discomfort, with back ache sometimes, leg ache sometimes and no ache sometimes! I realize I will have to go back again but just wondered if anyone else had unexplained abdominal discomfort like mine, particularly post menapausal.

Belle2003 · 03-14-2006, 01:14 AM

You may want to post this question on the menopause section of the boards. There are many ladies there that are post menopause and around your age.

I am premenopause and I experience lower abdominal pain every month for the first week after my period. It is a sharp pain that is fairly consistent for about five days. I have had three vaginal ultrasounds in the past 4 years and they still cannot determine what is causing this pain. I have found that doing regular situps has helped. I don't know if the muscles are sagging or if I have adhesions from two past c-sections.

But back to your pelvic pain. What concerns me is the swollen lymph node. Is there any way that you can get a second opinion on the lymph node? If it were me, I would feel better if I found out from another doctor that it was nothing to worry about.

My guess about your pelvic pain is that with a swollen lymph node and a slightly enlarged ovary that this is causing pain and tenderness in your abdominal area. Perhaps the second doctor can shed some light on why you would have these two problems and how to fix it.

peacecircle · 03-14-2006, 05:43 AM

Thanks Belle, I am going to bring the swollen lymph node to the Gynae doctor's attention. I think the reasoning of the first doctor is that the node is a remnant of pelvic infection of some sort but I do need to get it checked out. Many thanks for your response. I hope your abdominal pain is resolved. I find too that when I am out and about, I do not feel the symptoms as much.