what are endometriosis symptoms?

Do the ladies that have confirmed endometriosis find the following symptoms? Back, flank and hip flexor stiffness, pain and outright movement limitations at times? Stiffness and soreness that loosens up after warming up extensively in exercise, but returns with a vengence after exercise? Do you think endometriosis would increase post exercise (or activity) soreness and stiffness? When I practice the yoga, pilates or ballet I often feel as if I begin with pain that turns into feelings that remind me of dry, brittle hay being pulled apart. Even after decades teaching these disciplins there are days when I just can't seem to warm up and work through it anymore even though I'm real cardio and strength fit. I notice more soreness and stiffness after exercise than ever before, however I am 44 with a high mileage body due to the years performing ballet, teaching, a serious accident and recovery and now housing large, pressing fibroids that have distorted my abdomen quite a bit. Fatigue a symptom? I could swear my flexibility is suffering from this dry, brittle, painful feeling in my back, flanks, hipflexors. It seems hard to bend for the bulk of the fibroids and this tearing kind of back, flank and hip flexor pain I try and soften daily. This pain only alleviates when I'm real warmed up in movement, but returns within hours and, lasts all month, worse around my period. Sometimes after workouts I'm freakishly sore out of proportion to the excellent conditioning I possess and have to hit the bed. (OTC antiinflamatories do not help at all and I take no prescription drugs, although my pain is getting to a level I want to) Knowing I already had that major fibroid problem and was desiring a hysterectomy I didn't sign up for an additional laproscopic surgery to determine other problems that may exist with the fibroid problem, but now more curious as I try and wrap my mind around my upcomming TAH/BSO. A nurse who posted felt that the more you had mentally prepared for prior to surgery the better you could do. I am trying to understand if the symptoms I describe could be endometriosis (so I'm not shocked when/if they tell me post op). Also trying to determine how much of my pain is a remnant of the bad accident I was in, how much is fibroid, what could be endometriosis, and more importantly how much relief I may get from surgery. The sensation feels like dry, brittle fibers, painful in a dull sense, like scabs being stretched, or like I would imagine having sand or broken glass in your muscles would feel like. Sometimes sharp, stabbing, shooting pains that I associate with my fibroids. An achiness or stiffness in the back, flanks and hip flexors that can be lessened most days after hot bath and an hour movement warm-up to prep for dance work. That stiff, dry, brittle ache that returns pretty quickly after exercise and d*****ately worse if I sit around too long. Makes it hard to stand up quickly, causes me to move like a very old woman unless I'm highly warmed up. Never abates, seems mildly better (but still there) for a couple days after my hard periods. Tiring of it, causing me to lay around too much. Is this what endometriosis is like?

I forgot to add I'm usually nauseaus, bloated and only seem to feel close to normal that way after I've really, really sweated hard. Sauna does help my pain described in the previous post I wrote. Noom and Gloom at the moment

dear Noom and Gloom sorry things are so achey!

I have endo. - and guess have for years, but was accustomed to my certain set of "sypmtoms" i guess as have always been very active and never sick etc. so was used to it. (cant say that anymore- it got me)

Lately as endo has been worsening ( which i also ignored and blamed on age, allergies, and a ton of other things -) my answer on the possible endo symptoms u mentioned would prob. be yes, yes, and yes. (but i'm not a doc - just a suffer-er!)

The main thing that makes me think is a possibility is the fatigue and "hitting the bed" comment u wrote. I am still active - only minimalized now ( we have 5 kids and i really like to stay in the mix with them) BECAUSE i tire so so so easily - and have now had to add NAPPING to my day's sked more than i like.
( i've never napped in my life - maybe gone to bed early if was tired). grrrrr.
makes me feel a bit lazy

I was sitting in doc's office w. hubby last week and we were watching a little info-film on his t.v. and an endo clip came on.

"The number one symptom of endo is extreme pain and fatigue."
was the first thing it said. hubby n i looked at each other and i thougt "yup - isnt that lovely?" haha.


so dont worry if you are napping, tired, irritable etc. if u think endo might be the cause (i had smaller fibroids too recently removed and dont know what symptoms larger ones can cause) - u might want to check it out incase. read up on endo maybe. The Resource Tab here had some great info and mini clips on endo as well. There is alsoa great site similar to this one called:
http://www.endoaware.co.uk that gave me alot of info.

My doc has given me pain pills due to endo, which at first i was reluctant to take. now i just take them if i need to. only thing that makes me able to function sometimes.

anyway - good luck!
Jennifer

Dear noom,

Golly, everything you have described sounds so much like me. I suffered with the endo. beast for 20+ yrs. To some extent I think I just got used to having all of those symptoms,but yet I was soooooo very very tired of them and just really tired in general. Looking back it amazes me how I managed to maintain for all those yrs.

I had TAH/BSO 5 weeks ago tomorrow. Endo . everywhere you could imagine. My uterus,tubes and ovaries were all stuck together and the whole darn mess was stuck to my intestines. My surgery went very well...and I remember how much better I felt imediately afterwards. The only pain I had was from the incision...the rest was GONE! No more back pain,leg pain,cramps etc...hehehe buh bye Flo. It took about 2 weeks for my intestines to get back into good working order,but wheeeeee no more issues there either.

I certainly can't say for sure that you have endo. too,but it wouldn't surprise me. Plus,throw in those fibroids and that makes things all that much fun huh?

Best wishes to you. Hope you are feeling better very soon.

Hey Noom,
Don't lose hope.
I don't know if what you are experiencing is endometriosis or not but it does sound like it. I am a massage therapist and study yoga and ballet. I have had one surgery for endo almost 12 years ago.
The pain was not relieved by any amount of warming up for me. It was almost constant and worsened with my cycles. To me it felt like a pulling inside,hard to describe. Very unpleasant. The good news. After the surgery my pain was gone baby.
For a long time anyway.
I have it again now along with some other stuff but I hope to be put right soon. The fact that you are in good physical condition is going to help your recovery if and when you get this taken care of.
Good luck to you.
Judy

My endo symptoms don't follow your symptoms very closely, but who knows? I have severe cramps (feels like my uterus is trying to remove itself from my body) lower back pain, painful BM's, painful sex and an overall feeling of grumpiness. What fun! I was diagnosed by accident...I was having a lap to comfirm the presence/absence of ovarian cancer (absent). When my DR gave me the endo diagnosis and I started reading the symptoms, I realized that I've been suffering from this awful disease for 10 years. I didn't know any different...I thought all women had pelvic pain. Since I never bled between periods, I thought I was normal. Wishful thinking! Best of luck to you, and here's to feeling better!!!!

Murphy Brown