My young altered life

Almost a year ago, I had major pelvic reconstructive surgery. The surgery was an attempt to diagnose and cure my symptoms. However, the only answers I received were that my fallopian tube was ruptured and my abdomen was filled with adhesions. The tube was repaired and a majority of the adhesions were delicately removed. I was sent away with the “wait and see” instructions.

The pain from surgery was excruciating, but worth it if, after recovery, I would be pain free. As the days went by, my post-operative pain began to subside but that pain I felt before surgery started to rear its ugly head. Since I had surgery out of town, and I was never going to see my old doctor again, I needed to find new health providers.

I can’t even count the number of times I had to go to the emergency room before I could get in to see a new Gynecologist. When I finally got into one office, the doctor ignored my surgical reports and insisted on an ovarian cyst and endometriosis diagnosis. About a week later, I met with a new doctor who took the time to listen to my story. He was very sympathetic but never commented on the ruptured tube ordeal. He is considered one of the best and I liked that he believed in conservative treatments first, so I stayed with him.

My main symptoms were, and still are, constant pelvic pain and bleeding (sorry…kind of graphic). I had been bleeding constantly since my pregnancy, so my period never returned. The doctor put me on continuous birth control which somewhat controls the bleeding. Nobody seems to understand why it continues. I was referred to a General Internist and a Pain Management Specialist for my chronic pain. I will discuss this later.

So now I have a team of Specialists, all treating different symptoms; yet, not one definitive answer.

My doctor told me I would need to return in a few days for a second injection, and possibly a third. After the second injection, things went terribly wrong. I began to feel pains that no words can even begin to describe. I was literally paralyzed. My gosh…the agony! Thankfully I was able to minimize the pain with medicine, enough for my husband to drive me to the hospital.

We were taken back into the emergency room almost immediately. I was given pain medicine which helped a bit, but the tests they ran voided the relief. The major concern on everybody’s mind was my tube rupturing, but the tests indicated that it had not. The pain was still unbearable. I was admitted to the hospital for observation and later released after a nurse administered a third injection. However, the pain continued and we made two more trips to the hospital. I was admitted both times, but no rupture (so they said).

The excruciating pain lingered. I was unable to straighten my body for about two weeks. My body stayed in a hunched position when I stood and while lying down. I lived on the couch with pillows propping up my knees. My husband slept on out air mattress next to me so he could give me my medicine and help me to the bathroom.

Over time, the intense, debilitating pain started to diminish; however, I continued to have pain and bleeding. I talked to my doctor about this and he told me that it could last for up to six month. He seemed positive that everything was fine.