Depo-provera only provided temporary help for endometriosis

Carrie was put on depo to treat her endometriosis but it had side effects and later a laparoscopy found she had adhesions and the surgery did not help her pain




This is Carrie’s story …..

 

A typical story from Carrie, who has been badly treated by the medical profession, and says she has got most of her questions about endometriosis answered by reading books or the internet!!

 

I am 29, and I have always had extremely painful periods since they began at age twelve. I was always told it was normal and that I was being a big baby.

 

My periods usually made me sick and I missed lots of school due to cramps, nausea, and fatigue. As I got older they progressively became worse. I saw the GYN several times about it. They tried pills but I couldn't take them because they made me too sick.

 

The doctor offered an anti-depressant and I said no way. SO then they put me on Depo-provera as treatment for my symptoms. At first I had no problems. It was great, I had no pain, no periods, no bloating. I loved my life!

 

Eventually my libido trickled down to almost nothing, it nearly destroyed my marriage, and I ended up on anti-depressants and in counselling. I became so depressed that I never wanted to eat and couldn't get out of bed because I was too tired to get ready for the day.

 

The doctors all thought my problems were "stress-related."

 

On top of that I gained twenty pounds! So, my counsellor and I agreed that I should stop taking the Depo. That was five years ago. The first two years without Depo were pretty good. I had normal periods and minimal cramps. About two and a half years ago, I started to get a sharp pain in my abdomen. It just wouldn't go away.

 

I have been tested and diagnosed for all sorts of things from acid-reflux (?) to UTIs to kidney stones to strained muscles. All of which turned out to be misdiagnoses. Over the past two and a half years the pain symptoms would come and go but it always seemed to be getting worse. It would start to last longer and the level of pain would increase to intolerable.

 

I've been in and out of the ER several times and it seems that all the doctors ever do is give me stronger pain meds, which I really don't want.

 

In December I went in to the Doctor again and this time I went in with a list of all my symptoms and a pain diary. He told me he thought I might have endometriosis and gave me a referral to the OG/GYN. The GYN did a pelvic exam and said okay your options are laparoscopy or Lupron.

 

I told him I wasn't going to put my body into an induced menopause without knowing that I had endometriosis.

 

So, in March of this year I had a Laparoscopy and he found an adhesion that attached my intestine to my pelvic wall, but said he didn't find any endometriosis and left it at that. So, I thought either I didn't have it or I was going to be better now.

 

My first period after the surgery the pain came back. It's been extremely difficult because I'm a teacher. I'll be in the middle of a lesson and pain will shoot across my abdomen, up my rectum, all around my hip and down my leg. I've had to leave my job because it's just too much.

 

I ended up in the ER last week because I nearly passed out from the pain while I was driving. All they did was give me narcotics. I went back to the GYN this last week and they started me on birth control to treat it, but in the form of a ring (so that I don't get sick). I'm hoping that this will improve things a little. They have me on it so that I have a period only once every three months.

 

I am trying to be optimistic but there are so many things that I want to do in life and endometriosis has hindering most of them. I just want to function normally again. If anyone has suggestions, I am open to them.

 

I am starting to look into alternative treatments like acupuncture and diet. I'm really irritated with the doctors I have here because they won't diagnose me, they won't tell me all of the treatment options, but yet they keep trying to treat me for it.

 

I have found most of my answers about Endometriosis online and in books. I wish all of you the best of luck with finding the treatments that work for you :) 

 

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