I started taking the contraceptive pill when I was 17/18. Took Ovranette, a combined Estrogen /Progestogen on and off until I was 30. I smoke, so when I hit 30 I tried a Progestogen only pill. It made me bleed continuously, so I stopped taking it. Started taking Mercilon in 1991. I had always had heavy, painful periods, bad cramps in my lower back and down the fronts of my thighs, as well as bad depression for 2 weeks out of every 4. Being on the pill relieved these symptoms.
After about two years on Mercilon, I started getting cramps again with the monthly bleed; this didn’t bother me too much. The actual bleeding was really reduced, only a really tiny amount.
Two years ago, in July ’95, I was on the week off, and was due a bleed. I started to feel quite ill, no fever, just queasy and tired, then I got bad back cramps for 5 days, then a very small bleed just one showing of blood, and then the cramps turned into a really bad pain on the left hand side of my back, just above my hip. It wasn’t movement related, I felt like I had the ‘flu, and after a few days went to the doctor. I don’t and didn’t have good doctor, just one I went to for the pill prescription. She gave me some anti-inflammatories and sent me home to bed. The pain didn’t go away, so I went back to her. She sent me for a back X-ray.
That night, I had really severe diarrhea and cramps in my stomach every 20 minutes, with blood in the diarrhea. I called the doctor at 8.00 am, and my husband went and picked up some Lomita (anti-spasmodic). That stopped the cramps and diarrhea.
I went for the X-ray, no problem with my back. She took a urine sample and a stool sample. She sent me to a physiotherapist. The physio said it wasn’t muscular or skeletal. She suggested some kind of pelvic inflammatory problem. The doctor found blood in the urine, sent me for an ultrasound. No problem. Sent me for an IVP – she insisted that it must be my kidneys – no problem with IVP, noted some small areas of opacity on my pelvis (rear), kidneys just fine. The doctor was really horrible, so I decided not to see her again. She wouldn’t believe me when I said it was gynae. She refused to send me to a gynecologist. Went to another doctor who agreed I should see a gynecologist. Saw the gynecologist who said there was nothing wrong with me, and it must be my kidneys.
Doctor sent me to an urologist. Urologist was the only doctor I met during this entire business who listened to what I said. As he asked me questions, I heard his questions and my own answers – by this time I had been sick, with constant diarrhea and pain for nearly 3 months. I was also severely run down. As we talked I realized there was something I could do to help a bit, which was to start taking a multi vitamin! He said that he didn’t think it was urological, but he’d do a cystoscopy just in case. Did it, no problems. Sent me for a CAT scan, because he suspected something ovarian.
No result, other than a retroverted uterus.
I got the really bad, flu like sickness and back pain a second time after a bleed, couldn’t get out of bed. I stopped taking the pill. The sickness passed after about 10 days, and I got a bit better. Diarrhea didn’t stop. Went to another gynaecologist who did a laparoscopy.
Had suspected possible endometriosis. None found. Only result of note, the retroverted uterus.
I started going to the physio for pelvic strengthening exercises, the bad pain came back with the next period. Went to the gynecologist again, with letter from the physio, he put me onto Depo-Provera to stop the cycles.
In between all this, there would be days when suddenly, my back would be okay. I also saw another 3 back specialists, who insisted that my back was fine, and that where the pain was was not back pain. Anyway, went on the Provera in Dec 95. OK for about 2 weeks, then back came the pain – lower back, particularly left side, above hip. Pain not worse with movement or position. No actual position helped to alleviate it. In late January I started a bleed, with cramping and back pain – this went on for 2 and half weeks. The gynecologist was away and his replacement was the first gynae I’d been to see, and I never wanted to set eyes on her again!! So when he came back, decided I would be better on 8 week shots rather than 12 week shots. In addition to the back pain, I now had one in my groin, like elastic being pulled from the front. Diarrhea had begun to settle down, and I didn’t have the sickness any more.
I stayed on the Provera until Dec 96. No improvement with the pain, still having 6 weekly bleeds, and bad cramps continually. Back cramps, like when menstruating.
The last bleed I had was in the middle of Nov. 96. Between the middle of Nov. and two weeks ago, I had no bleeding, but frequent back cramps and pain.
In Mid-February and again in Mid-June, I had terrible PMS. Sore breasts, which I never used to get, weepy, cramping, back pain. I started on the Atkins diet six weeks ago. Two weeks into the plan, and just after the induction phase, I had some Chinese food. I got back cramps. I realized I hadn’t had them for two weeks, thought about it and realized that a lot of the time when I had cramps it was after having Chinese food. MSG!!
The following week I felt a stirring in my uterus as the pain moved from the lower to the middle back – sort of a rising upwards – got the usual menstrual constipation, followed by some bleeding, for 6 days! Not terribly heavy, but real bleeding. No cramps. Some back pain, but not too bad, and no sickness afterwards. Whilst I was researching low carbohydrate stuff on the net, some of the articles mentioned Aspartame. I used to drink gallons of the stuff. Three days before the period started, I stopped taking any at all. I don’t know if that’s long enough to make a difference.
My back is quite good now; I’m getting some disk pain – like when I walk the sciatic nerve is getting upset, so it feels like my back is trying to put itself back to normal. I have some pain still in my groin, but its discomfort rather than pain.
I think I have mixture of several different allergies. I’ve been lactose intolerant for years, and totally allergic to full fat milk since I was 3 or 4 years old. Right now, I think I have to let my body clear out all the stuff that was poison to me, like gluten, and get my hormones into some sort of balance as well. I think it will be a while, but I feel well, and can cope with the pain a lot better, particularly when it feels like “good” pain, repairing rather than damaging.