Chronic Pain - what should I do?
From: wendi.shepherd@uhl-tr.nhs.uk
Sun Dec 11 20:09:21 2005
I am 24 years old, single, VERY active (or was until this started), and
have just started a demanding new job.
Following removal of my right ovary (large cyst cut off blood supply) in
Dec 04, I have repeatedly been readmitted to hospital with severe pelvic
pain. Initially this pain would subside after a few days and I would be
discharged - told it was infection, or another cyst that "might've"
popped, etc.
6 weeks ago, the pain did not go away so they did a laproscopy and
discovered a number of adhesions which they separated out. I was
discharged the next day and given a course of antiboitics.
For the first couple of weeks, I was fine and actually began to feel
like my old self again. Then the pain restarted. Just twinges at
various points in my pelvis to begin with but then got so bad that I was
admitted to hospital again. I spent a week in hospital where the only
treatment that they could offer was pain relief. I was discharged by a
female GYN who said that it seemed that I had chronic PID, needed to
have kids as soon as, only real treatment option was pain management and
hysterectomy.
A few days later, I had a check up with the male GYN who performed the
adhesion operation who said that he did not agree with the PID diagnosis
but was not prepared to diagnois anything else either (the laproscopy
had shown some endometriosis, but not a lot and as my pain is constant,
not related to periods, it is not likely to be this anyway). I felt
that I had to argue to get referred to the pelvic pain management clinic
and was then sent away with the helpful advice of to continue taking the
painkillers that were not working anyway and to come back in a year.
My GP has changed my painkillers (which are still not working) and put
me on antibiotics (which are making me feel spaced, nauseaous & tired).
basically, I don't know what to do. I really don't think I can cope
with this at the moment and I want a diagnosis. I am falling behind at
work becuase of the amount of time off I have had and the impact of this
on my lifestyle is immense. It is impacting on my friendships and I
just dont know what to do. I don;t know when the pain management
appointment will come through and in the meantime the pain is getting
worse and my GP is telling me that my only option is to change onto
stronger painkillers (opiates) which are likely to make me feel even
worse because of the side effects.
Has anyone else been through this? What should I do? I am not in a
position to have children at the moment (although would like them in the
future) and just feel like I cannot cope... I don't want this to go on
forever - I just need some answers!
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