Gynecologic Pain

Question: Pain at first pelvic exam? I just had an appointment for my first gynecologic exam. My mom made this appointment but I didn't feel sick at all, and you just had some vaccinations for school and a physical for sports. It was not like other doctor exams, all he wanted to look at was between my legs. I had to take all my clothes off and lie on a kind of gurney. Then I had to open my legs and the nurse put them real high in straps. When the dr came in he said he needed to take a pap smear and he put this thing inside me which hurt so much I screamed and tried to close my legs but the nurse said relax you need this exam and they would nottake my legs down. I hated this exam and it made me bleed. Why do I need this if I am not sick?

Answer: Sweetheart how old are you, and are you sexually active and where do you live? Women do not need to have an internal exam until they are 18 OR after their first sexually contact. I am so sorry you were treated this way. It simply isn't done that way. You should have been advised and told what was happening. You should have had a chat with the doctor before the exam. How horrible for you. Take it from me, none of us like this exam, but with the right doctor, it isn't as bad as it seems. Your mother probably wanted to help you, but went about it all wrong. They next time you go for that exam, make sure the doctor uses a smaller speculum and uses a lubricant. These can help it at least not feel like it is ripping you apart. It is true you need to relax, but my gosh, not knowing what is going on, is worse than the exam. Tell you mother you want a female gyno, no more men. You need to have the exam to check for std's, cervical cancer and many other things we girls get. Keep in mind this is what we go through every year, and hopefully, the next time, you won't be treated so poorly, and the shock will have worn off. I am sorry you went through that, and your nurse and the doctor are horribly NOT compassionate enough for their jobs.

Question: True or False Questions? 1. Doctors who work in sole proprietorships work alone and employ no other doctors. 2. Two doctors make up a partnership, and three doctors make up a corporation. 3. Physicians are licensed to practice nationally so they can move freely from state to state. 4. Doctors of chiropractic medicine work only on the musculoskeletal systems. 5. Acupunturists treat pain and a variety of disorders in the gastrointestinal urogenital, gynecologic, circulatory, respiratory, neuromasculoskeletal and many other systems.

Answer: 1. false 2. true 3. false 4. false 5 true

Question: Can a Pelvic Transabdominal and endovaginal sonogram show endometriosis? My doctor asked me for doing a Pelvic Transabdominal and endovaginal sonogram for checking if I do have a cyst. He didn't feel anything touching. I've had problems with my bowel movements and I thought it was because of antibiotics. Now it is working, but it's still a little painful before, during and after the bowl movements. I'm going to a general doctor to do a check up and see if it's just a bowel problem or something else other than gynecologic . My gynecologist said to do the sonogram right after my next period. I was wondering if I do the Pelvic Transabdominal and endovaginal sonogram, is it possible to find out if I have endometriosis? I've felt something contracting inside when I'm urinating (not cistitis pain) and/or have bowel movements. Now that I'm not constipated anymore it hurts much less, but I'm still bloated and have some cramps eventually, even if I don't eat too much. I'm 27 years old and I stopped my birth control in October, and after that I started to have lots of pain that goes and back. Also, if is something with my intestines, this type of sonogram can find too? PS: I had never felt anything like that before in my periods or whenever, that's why I'm worried. And sometimes I feel something even when I'm sitting or walking. It's is not pain, it's something, that sometimes can be a sharp pain.

Answer: It sounds like you could very well have endometriosis based on your symptoms. However, you cannot know for sure until you have a laparoscopy done, which is the only way to determine for sure whether you have endometriosis or not as no ultrasound, CT scan, MRI or other test can diagnose endometriosis. I was suffering similar symptoms to the one's you are describing, although I experienced the symptoms throughout my entire cycle and when my periods came on, they were so intense and painful that I could hardly get out of bed. I had really heavy bleeding and also feel pain that feels like someone is stabbing me with a knife around my ovaries. I also experienced pain with intercourse, pain with urination, pain with bowel movements, had lower back pain and fatigue. I had many tests done, which included ultrasounds, CT-scan, blood tests, swabs, papsmears, X-rays etc, for months (almost a year) and all of those tests came back "normal" and didn't show anything. I was finally diagnosed with endometriosis last year October by having a laparoscopy done and my gyn burned off all the endo implants and removed a small endometrioma (blood) cyst. If you do in fact have endo then your best medicine is research. You have to be well informed and be proactive in your treatment process. I have done a lot of research over the past year and a half (even before I was diagnosed) and have talked to many women who were told they "may" have endo or that they do have endo. Until you have the laparoscopy done and your gyno says for sure that you do have endo, don't get too concerned yet and don't drive yourself crazy worrying about it. You could have another gynaecological problem all together. Something that is far more treatable like an ovarian cyst as ovarian cysts can sometimes be missed even with ultrasound, especially if a sonography technician is not experienced enough to know about ovarian cysts and sometimes ovarian cysts can’t be seen on ultrasound due to their location behind the ovary for example. You could also have Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), which I also have and which can cause very similar symptoms and pelvic pain to that of the endo. They often are found to go hand in hand. There is no cure for endo and the only major medical treatments treat the symptoms itself not the disease. In other words pain management through drugs etc or surgery to burn/excise the endo implants. For IBS there are many treatments available as well such as changing your diet or your doctor could prescribe some medicine for it, which is what my doctor did for me. I was on 4 different brands of the birth control pill for about a year and 3 months before, during and after my endo diagnosis, however I stopped taking the pill in the beginning of September this year as I also have migraines and were experiencing too many migraines, which my doctor thought was caused by the pill and so I stopped. Ever since then, my periods have become much more painful and unbearable again, although I'm only having the severe pelvic pain and symptoms during my period and not throughout the entire month. The first thing I would recommend you do is to consult with your doctor/gyn about your options to have the laparoscopy or to find a gynaecologist/specialist that knows a lot about and has a lot of experience with diagnosing and treating women with endometriosis. You may want to make a list of questions you have that you can discuss with him/her when you see them (have a look for some example questions at the following site: http://www.endometriosis.org/first-consu… Underneath is a link to some websites where you can find some great information: http://www.endometriosassn.org http://www.endocenter.org http://www.endometriosis.org http://www.gynsecondopinion.com/endometr… http://www.endometriosis.org.au/ http://www.endo-resolved.com/ If you have any further questions you can email me direct, the link to my email is in my profile. Good luck. :)