# Endometriosis Questions



## StephyMay (Apr 27, 2011)

A little information on me.. I have always had painful periods. I got my period first when I was 9, and I've had terrible periods every since.. to the point where I was going to the gyno by 11 and being on Ponstell and birth control to try to help relieve some of it. HEAVY flow, terrible cramping, and it would last anywhere from 7-11 days. Nothing helped but I just lived through it, chalking it up to bad luck. When I was 17, I had severe abdominal pain to the point where I had to go to the ER on two occassions. I went to my gyno, they did laporoscopic surgery to check for endometriosis - which I didn't have. I went through a gastro doctor next, and they had no answers although at that age I refused to do a colonoscopy. I missed half of my senior year at home in bed with stomach pain. At some point my symptoms resolved themselves. It was like one day I realized I no longer had pain.At 20 it started all over again. I went to a doctor who told me it was IBS or Endometriosis. My husband is in the military, so I was at a military hospital - and that doctor ended up getting deployed shortly after. Since then I've seen two GI doctors and a number of regular doctors. I just went back to my primary care physician and told her I would like to get checked for endometriosis again, as NONE of the IBS treatments have helped me AT ALL. I do have an ultrasound scheduled for early June and an appointment with a gyno.(Edit to add some of my symptoms: SEVERE abdominal pain, pain after bowel movements, pain during and/or after sex, and painful periods even though I am on the Mirena IUD)My question is... is it possible to have a negative laporoscopic look for endometriosis, and then later on the line to develop it? Or could they have just missed it back when I was 17?


----------



## Tiffers (Jul 6, 2011)

StephyMay said:


> A little information on me.. I have always had painful periods. I got my period first when I was 9, and I've had terrible periods every since.. to the point where I was going to the gyno by 11 and being on Ponstell and birth control to try to help relieve some of it. HEAVY flow, terrible cramping, and it would last anywhere from 7-11 days. Nothing helped but I just lived through it, chalking it up to bad luck. When I was 17, I had severe abdominal pain to the point where I had to go to the ER on two occassions. I went to my gyno, they did laporoscopic surgery to check for endometriosis - which I didn't have. I went through a gastro doctor next, and they had no answers although at that age I refused to do a colonoscopy. I missed half of my senior year at home in bed with stomach pain. At some point my symptoms resolved themselves. It was like one day I realized I no longer had pain.At 20 it started all over again. I went to a doctor who told me it was IBS or Endometriosis. My husband is in the military, so I was at a military hospital - and that doctor ended up getting deployed shortly after. Since then I've seen two GI doctors and a number of regular doctors. I just went back to my primary care physician and told her I would like to get checked for endometriosis again, as NONE of the IBS treatments have helped me AT ALL. I do have an ultrasound scheduled for early June and an appointment with a gyno.(Edit to add some of my symptoms: SEVERE abdominal pain, pain after bowel movements, pain during and/or after sex, and painful periods even though I am on the Mirena IUD)My question is... is it possible to have a negative laporoscopic look for endometriosis, and then later on the line to develop it? Or could they have just missed it back when I was 17?


First of all, you seem to have my exact symptoms. It sucks, I feel your pain. Now I have endometriosis and they found it on the first try. It is definitely possible to develop it later on, but then you wouldn't have exhibited symptoms early on. It's quite possible they may have just missed it. That being said, all of the symptoms you mentioned, severe abdominal pain, painful bowel movements, pain during sex, painful periods? From my personal experience, when I have my period, all of those symptoms worsen and make me feel like ####, and it's not just because of the endometriosis (as mine has been cut out in the past), it's because of IBS. IBS makes periods hell, for me at least. Talk to you gyn about having another laporoscopy. It sounds like endometriosis. Mine has recently been growing back and worsening the symptoms more, but it's all tied in to IBS. If you need someone to talk to, I'm here and know what you're going through.


----------

