Over The Years Its Only Gotten Worse - Women's Health Message Board

KristenLynn · 10-19-2006, 11:29 AM

Ever since I started my menstral at age 11 Ive had bad cramps. Ive always thought maybe it was normal cause I knew girls "cramped" while on their period. Starting about 13, I guess, Ive had extreme pains while on my period. Nothing worked it seem'd. I was put on so many differant kind of pain meds, nothing too extreme tho, typical pain meds, but nothing worked.... it may have worked for a period or two, but it always started not to phase me. Sometimes Id pass out from the pain, throw up, have cold sweats, but most the times I couldnt move. Well my Docter started on the birth controls that never worked out (I was terriable at keeping up with them) or they made me gain weight like mad and did nothing for the cramps. Well Im now 18 and things are still tough every month sometimes before, during and after..... for like weeks before and after. Ive since have visited many differant docters but one of the last I visited she diagnosed me with PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder) and put me on fluxitine (not sure if its spelt right).... Im suppose to still be taking it, but Im not. I took it for a few months and it made me feel weird, I didnt like it at all, I was a zombie. It helped a little though, but I still cramped (bad). It seems like nothing has helped me. I just want to know if anyone has had the same thing or similier happen to them and what they found out in the long run. I just want something to help it. So if you know anything, Id be more then thankful.

Oh I forgot to mention Im also on Ortho Evra BC patches, have been for about 3 years.

Bracelet · 10-19-2006, 11:38 AM

When I had really bad cramps, my new doctor (since my old one took the same approach as yours with throwing pills at me) immediately assumed I had polyps. So she scheduled me for an ultrasound, and sure enough she found one via the ultrasound machine.

She reccommended a procedure called a hysteroscopy, where she went in with a telescope type thing and found that my entire uterus was filled with polyps. She said, No wonder I had such heavy bleeds and cramping, because my uterus was cramping to try to expel the polyps!

So she removed them and did a D&C and now I'm waiting for my first period sicne I had them removed. I'm supposed to get it Monday, we'll see how it goes.

Anyway, extreme pain like what you are describing is typically due to other problems, which, although you're young and maybe it's not as often in younger women, can happen. Your pain can be due to polyps, or cysts, fibroids or even endometriosis. But you will never know until you get it checked out via ultrasound first. If your doctor refuses to do an ultrasound, I highly suggest you find another one who WILL perform the test, because it's necessary to try to locate the cause for your pain. Throwing a bunch of pills at you is not going to treat the root cause of your pain, it's just going to mask the problem.

It's your body, you need to be insistant about how it's treated by the doctors. And if this doctor won't test you for the things I listed above, then you need to find a new doctor. Don't give up until you find a caring doctor who will explain these things to you and try to truly treat the root cause for your pain. Because it sounds like you're in agony and there's no reason for you to have to live like that. You're too young to have to put up with that kind of sh... I mean, stuff.