I have been having health problems for years. A number of surgeries in my early 20s for a stubborn ventral hernia and had my gall bladder removed. (I am 33 now) I have had a history of bladder and bowel problems (all the test come back negative though) and horrible periods. About 7 years ago I started having a heavy, pinching, tearing pain in my low right abdomen. After the doctors couldn't find anything else wrong, they took my appendix out 6 years ago, but it only helped the pain a little bit. I guess that my appendix was actually a solid ball of scar tissue. I went o my doctors for a year after that complaining about the pain. Finally they said it is probably just adhesions (JUST adhesions) and I was going to have to learn to ignore it. So I started doing yoga, which really helped and I just ignored the constant pain. My periods would hurt extra bad on that side.
About a year ago I started having more severe pain in my lower right side (like it felt like ovulation pain that went on for 6 weeks) the pain went my side and under my rib cage and around to my back. Sometimes it would go down my hip and leg. I also started having constant diarrhea and was constantly fatigued. I went o the doctor and they did an ultrasound that showed some fluid filled mass right were the epicenter of my pain is. They did a CAT scan the next day and found nothing. A couple months went by and I lost weight and my part time job and I went back to the doctor. I went to a GI and he did a bunch of test. A colonoscopy to rule out Chrones (which he really thought I had) or any other inflammatory bowel disease. He said I had IBS (like who doesn’t) and sent me home with fiber pills (which do help). I went back a couple of months later because the pain in my side and upper abdomen was still really bugging me. He ordered an MRI and found that I still had some stones in my main bile duct left over from my gall bladder surgery 13 years ago. I had surgery a couple of months ago to remove them (the surgery was done through an endoscope tube) and now I can eat and seldom have any diarrhea. I am happy that he found that (A good DR, makes ALL the difference in the world). But I am still having all the pain. My Gynecologist and my GI think I should have a diagnostic Lap to look for endo of adhesions and lyses them off. They think it may be endo because I had the CA125 test and it can back slightly elevated (49). Also I have pain after sex for a day or two. Mostly the pain is just constant and nagging, then every once and a while I will get this pinching pain in the same spot (about 1 inch right of my belly button) that will hurt for hours if I breath in or out to deep and will make me dizzy.
I am having all kinds of money problems because of medical bills. I have med insurance but I have a $4000 deductible, so if I am going to have a lap I should do it before the end of 2003. Also I deal very poorly with surgery. My last outpatient surgery, I had a reaction to the Demoral and vomited about every 15 minutes to 30 hours.
Here is my questions (thanks for being patient): 1) How are the symptoms different between adhesions and endo? 2) Has any of you had success with surgery for either ( I keep hearing stories about women only feeling better for a couple of months after surgery)
Any advice, ideas would be so appreciated!
Thank you