adhesions/adenomyosis/endo...post-surgery questions

From: Jen (harris@mynewroads.com)
Sun Oct 16 11:40:00 2005

After 8 months of increasingly severe and debilitating pelvic/abdominal pain (although fortunately not yet as debilitating as I understand they can become), I had surgery not quite 6 weeks ago. The pattern with my pain for the first few months was that I would start to have crampy, pulling pain in my pelvic area and down my legs the day after my period ended...which would get progressively worse for a couple of weeks, then I would have relief for a couple of weeks, then the cycle would start over again. For the last few months before my surgery, the pain continued throughout the month with no real relief. My surgery was an exploratory lap which turned into a surgical lap to remove adhesions and endometriosis. (At the same time, I had a small umbilical hernia repaired.) My doctor had also mentioned that my symptoms sounded like they could be a result of adenomyosis, which I understand can't be diagnosed except by MRI, which I have not had and which I do not think my insurance will cover. However, from talking with a friend who has had quite a bit of experience with adhesions, I tend to think a lot of the pain was from the adhesions...although mine are not as serious as hers, our symptoms have been similar in many ways.

After the surgery, I had no pain for over a month. The surgery itself went great and I recuperated well...other than having a severe headache for several weeks afterward, which was finally determined not to be surgery related. I felt like a human...other than the headache...for the first time in months and I was thrilled.

However, it has been almost 6 months, and when my period ended earlier this week, back came the crampy, pulling pain. Pretty much like it was the first few months before...not nearly as severe as later...but very definitely the same pain.

Now I am trying to decide...is this pain most likely adhesion pain again? Are they developing again? Or is this more endo this soon? Or is this possibly the adenomyosis that was suspected but abotu which nothing was done? I really doubt the adeno...because I *did* have over a month pain free after such awful pain for so long before. But I am trying to get an idea of what might be going on.

Any thoughts or suggestions? I go back to the dr. in a few weeks, but I am needing to sort some of this out in my own mind *now*...after months of being very discouraged about the pain and physical limitations (I have four small children, which makes being *down* really rough), I had really felt *good* about being *better*....so now I am really fighting getting *down* about the cycle starting all over again so soon.

Thanks for any thoughts or advice... 

--
Jen

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