Feeling low...

Hello, Just needed to vent a bit. I had a lap done alomst 3 months ago. It took me about 4 weeks to recover from. Also had an ablasion done and some adhesions removed. I for the most part had been feeling pretty good. I still have trouble when I lift heavy things and if I do this for long periods of time ( say at work) I begin to feel sick to my stomache. I am just sick of having bouts of stomache sickness then it seems to go away for awhile and return again. My stomache stills fells tender in some places high right under my ribs. I can tell things are not quite right in there b/c I do yoga and some streching really seems to pull in there as well. Has anyone had this happen? I also have had more moodiness since this, lack of energy at times,night sweats, ect.. The ablasion did not stop my periods I started exactly 4 weeks later. So the doctor put me on Ovcan 35 which made me sick to my stomache EVERY day until about 11 am. I felt pregnant with morning sickness. That seems to be when me nauseous started really. Has anyone had this reaction to the pill? I am no longer on it.
Boy I am sorry I have rambled on but I am frustrated. This was suppose to be a simple surgery and here I am almost 3 months later and I feel a part of my life went with that surgery. Any advice would be grateful.

Hi Amy,
I'm really sorry to hear that you are feeling this way, despite the lap and the ablation. I'm sure it is very discouraging.

You ask about feeling nauseous and pregnant while taking the pill. Yes, this is a common side effect for some ladies, particularly with some types of bc pills. Have you talked to your gyn about trying another type of bc pill? There are a lot of options these days and maybe another brand/dosage would work for you without giving you the side effects.

As for the pains you are having and feeling like something just isn't "right" inside, there could be several reasons for this. One is adhesions. I'm also wondering if the lap surgery might have disrupted your ovaries.

If you haven't discussed all of these issues with your gyn, I hope that you will. Also, be sure to get a copy of your operative report and your pathology report from the lap procedure. Perhaps they needed to do more extensive work "inside" than what you realize. Ask your gyn if it is reasonable for you to be having these problems at 3 months post op ... when should you be back to feeling 100%?

I can tell that you are feeling pretty low. I'm sure this is very discouraging. Please keep asking questions. It's no fun being miserable. Sending gentle hugs your way.

Beth

Thanks so much Beth for your quick responce! I can go many days feeling ok to 100% and then bam I feel like this again.. My stomache feels more bloated than it use to. I dont know if this another reason I feel nauseuos or not. as far as my doctor she doesn't know that I went off the pill. I was only on it for a week b/c of the sickness. I could barely get to work. The doctor had told me that this was the last thing we could do before we talk about a hyst. My endo is back already as well from surgery it is measuring 5 cm already. Could this cause my nausea too? I have tried two Doctor and dont know where esle to turn at this point. I am 33 and I dont fel really for a hyst. I feel 100% that my troubles right now are due to adhesions. But do adhesions grow and cause problems long term?

Just an update.... i have been talking on another board this morning as well as a few doctors and they all are saying that hormones can cause this nausea as well. Is that what you ment Beth when you said my ovaries where not functioning right? This makes sense to me.

Amy:

So much could be going on, from a large cyst pressing up against intestines/diaphragm/stomach, to hormone troubles, to cysts, adhesions, free fluid.

I would second (((Beth))) about getting copies of the lap report and any pathology that was done. When you say

	Quote:
My endo is back already as well from surgery it is measuring 5 cm already.

did you have a cyst? And have you had a CA-125 (blood work) done? This sounds like it may be a bit more than adhesions -- but it's impossible to know without some imaging, perhaps, and knowing what was found before.

Hormones could certainly cause the nausea, but if you're off BCPs it's less likely. I had a lot of nausea from a large cyst pressing on my intestines and up on my diaphragm. And I knew that I had a problem, interestingly enough, because I could not do any forward bending poses without wanting to and without feeling like something was "taking up space" in there.

If you do yoga, you probably know how your body should feel...and it sounds like it's time for C-T, ultrasound, and maybe MRI to make sure that some of this ISN'T adenomyosis (which would explain why an ablation didn't work -- doesn't do much for adeno). That, along with some labs for CA-125 and hormone levels, might help you sort out a bit better what's happening. It's easy to say, "it's just adhesions" and not go through all the trauma of diagnostic tests...but just in case it's something more -- that needs attention soon -- you really should look into it more. Those reports would really help too! And maybe it's something else entirely, like gall bladder or ulcer or something? Those are relatively easy to deal with...

-- gentle, of course. I hope you get some answers soon. You say that you've tried two doctors already -- are they both advising hyst? And what tests have you already had since the lap? Sounds like it's time for some (non-invasive) peek inside again!

Audrey

(((Amy)))

When I said that your ovaries might not be functioning properly, I was basing that on the symptoms you described ... the moodiness, night sweats, low energy level ... those sound like symptoms of not enough estrogen. But your other symptoms - the nausea especially - sound like side effects from the bc pills.

I really think it's time to get another appointment with your gyn where you describe everything that you have been telling us here. I think your gyn needs to examine you and rule out potentially more serious problems (cysts, etc. as Audrey suggests) in order to begin to determine if your problems are the endo returning or possibly adhesions.

You say the endo is back and it is 5 cm ... how has this been determined? Are you referring to what was found during your lap, or are you talking about more recently? I'm not aware of docs being able to definitively say that the endo is present at that type of precision, short of taking another look inside via lap.

As for adhesions, they can have long-lasting effects depending on where they are located. If the adhesions are connecting parts of your intestines to your uterus and/or ovaries, that could cause intestinal problems as well as pain. The difficulty with adhesions is that they don't show up on ultrasound or CAT scan and often can't be diagnosed for certain without a look inside (lap). So most gyns will start by ruling out more serious conditions that can be detected via less invasive means (ultrasound, CAT scan, possibly MRI). Many docs are reluctant to order an MRI since it is a very expensive test. So getting a good diagnosis for things like adhesions and endo can take awhile ... step by step, other things get ruled out first and the more invasive lap procedure is sort of the last step at determining what is going on when nothing else has been found.

Again, I really think you need to make an appointment to see your gyn again to determine what might be going on. I know you probably aren't anxious for another doctor's appointment ... but better to go and get your questions answered instead of feeling rotten and wondering if there is something seriously wrong "in there."

Sending more gentle hugs your way. Please let us know how you are doing and what you find out.

Beth

Beth And Audrey,
Thank you for all your support and helpful ideas on the matter. I will attempt to answer both your questions.... As for me saying the endo is back and messuring 5cm. I know this b/c I had another ultrsound done about 6 weeks ago. I was having terrible pain as I did before surgery on my left side. This why the Obgyn wants to do the total hyst now. I have an appointment June 24th I will have another ultrsound as well that day it is already scheduled. I had a ca125 done before my surgery that scored high but my doctor has not done another after surgery which I thought would be routine. Am I right on this? The only tests I have had is the ca125, and countless blood tests, and about 5 ultrasounds since January. Is there something else that I should recomend having? Yes Beth you are right when you say "it sounds like you have to much estrogen" that is what my doctor said.
I wanted to write you ladies on this all before I went back to the doctor in a few weeks because you are all SO helpful. You have helped me figure out what questions to ask and make me feel like I am not the only one going through this. Which is how I felt yesterday! I will ask for a copy of my report. Audrey, I am not familier with Adendo I have heard of it and will read on this today. I nevr thought there was a possiblity that I had this so I never looked into it ....thank you both! HUGS....