Tagged As: Mayo Clinic Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Question:
I hope that I am not mistaken in reading that irritable bowel syndrome is a symptom of endometriosis. My doctor, after a year and a half of diahrea, insisted that it could have nothing to do with Endo, it had to be part of my ulcer problem. He treated me for Endo with the provera shot, pepcid for the ulcer and thyroid meds all at the same time. �After a few months, the diarrhea stopped. �Dr. said it was the pepcid. �However, I was a little late getting my depo shot this month, and have been having the same problems all over gain. Could it be that my wonderful Dr. doesn't know squat? Did anyone else have this problem? It's the most frustrating thing not to know what is going on inside of your own body. Does anyone know of a Dr. around Colorado that might know what they are doing?
Answer:
My biggest problems with endo have always been more bowel related than anything else/ And I currently have endo on my bowel which will require surgery. While I am not going to say that you don't have IBS...bowel endo can cause horrible bowel problems�You are not crazy to think so. I don't know a doc in Colorado...but maybe you would consider Redwine in Oregon. Yes, endometriosis can certainly cause intestinal problems! I had intestinal problems for years. �I saw various doctors, none of whom were able to offer anything helpful. �Their summations of my symptoms ranged from mysterious to all in your head. �I asked point blank if endometriosis could be interfering with my intestinal function, and the doctor said no. �I even went to Mayo Clinic regarding my bowel trouble, was evaluated by all kinds of doctors, and was scoffed at. Even the doctors who were willing to entertain the unlikely possibility of a relationship between my endometriosis and my bowel trouble said that the only treatment available if this were the case would be removal of my uterus and ovaries, a treatment I was not willing to consent to, especially on such iffy grounds. � If only I could have known then what I know now! �The trip to Mayo Clinic delayed my long-awaited trip to Dr. Redwine since I didn't have money for both (for either, actually). It seemed so much more important at the time to have the intestinal trouble investigated, since the intestinal problems were so extreme that I could no longer work and had practically become an invalid. �My dad insisted on taking me to Mayo Clinic, saying that they could find the problem and take care of *whatever* was wrong. � But they didn't. A few years later I was fortunate to hear Dr. Redwine speak about his work with intestinal endometriosis. �Many doctors prefer to remove the ovaries in hopes of suppressing the endometriosis, but they leave the endometriosis hanging around.�Dr. Redwine, however, works to remove the endometriosis, even from the intestines. I was convinced then that the only thing for me to do was go to Dr. Redwine. And, indeed, Dr. Redwine found a large nodule of endometriosis invading the wall of my colon. It was a serious surgery, and a general surgeon had to be called in to work on me as well as Dr. Redwine. And my intestinal trouble stopped. So I wouldn't be too quick to assume that intestinal trouble has nothing to do with endometriosis! Now, unfortunately, even when I have my surgical report in hand, complete with the pathology lab report which identifies the nodule from my colon as endometriosis, I encounter doctors who insist that although that nodule is certainly interesting, endometriosis had nothing to do with my irritable bowel syndrome. So, if you encounter a doctor who doesn't know squat, he is not alone in his ignorance. �It's an area that falls through the cracks. �It's not really covered in medical school - gynecologists are not taught to do bowel surgery, and bowel surgeons are not taught about gynecologic conditions like endometriosis. I'm sorry I don't know of a doctor in the Colorado area who is knowledgeable about intestinal endometriosis. �But I will say that I think it's well worth a trip to a doctor who is. I've been looking online for a couple days now trying to figure out what's wrong with me - and I could REALLY use some advice. I am 23 years old, single, not sexually active - not using any form of birth control. (I feel like I'm filling out a doctors form). I got my period when I was 12, and I don't really think I ever had a pain free period, but who remembers way back then, when I didn't know what the hell my body was doing anyway? But at any rate, the pain became worse over the years. I've tried Advil, Tylenol, Motrin, perafon forte (sp? muscle relaxer), valium, etc. At one point (because a tolerance builds up and because it was so bad) I had to take 10 Advil every four hours for days at a time, just to be able to move (I practically ate a hole in my stomach). And I am anything but a wimp - I was the kind of child who skinned her knee, and simply willed herself not to cry about it. I handle EVERY other pain VERY well. I used to have fairly heavy periods lasting about 5 days. But the last several months they have been very light, short, and RELATIVELY painless. For a couple months now I have noticed that for a few days after these light/easy periods I have started having diarrhea �which is such a dark color it is ALMOST (but isn't quite) black, and I noticed tonight it has mucous (sp?) in it. I have heard that black stool indicates bleeding somewhere. I have always had what I assumed to be massive water retention in my abdomen every month before and during my period. I have always had problems during my period with nausea, dizziness, fainting, rapid heart-rate, general fatigue throughout, and normal looking diarrhea at the beginning of my period. Now I am worried about the fact that I am so tired and weak I can't really function properly for several days afterward. I am pasty white half the month, sometimes break out in cold sweats, and even my gums are pale looking (a friend said that MIGHT mean I'm anemic -- I don't know). All I know is that I feel like hell, it's getting worse, and I'm scared!!!! Does any of this sound familiar to anyone on here? Please give me any advice you can about what I should do. I know - I know - I should go to the doctor, but as a rule, I don't trust doctors to know much about my body, and I prefer to either take care of myself as much as possible, or at the very least have some idea of what's wrong with me, myself - then I know if I need a second opinion, ya know? I just would rather not go scared and uninformed. Sorry to hear of your pain but I can understand I've been like you since day one and already was diagnosed with stage 4 endo when 20. Your problems you suffer with your periods sound very familiar. I went from having severe cramps with diaherria etc and usually heavy bleeding. To having more problems prior to my period starting. Do you suffer any pains any other time of the month? I would call your obgyn no body should take that much over the counter pills and possibly cause some sort of damage. I've always had severe cramps but as I grew older in my late teens and early twenties I suffered many other pains during the month �and when I had my first lap it was very evident why I hurt so much. Sometimes I get dizzy but I usually don't have my heart change rates etc. The bloating etc is a given every month. There is also a support group at alt.support.endometriosis it has a larger following too. Much of what you describe does sound like endometriosis. Of course, it could be something else, or you may have something going on in addition to endometriosis, so it's always important to discuss your symptoms with a knowledgeable doctor. �Sorry, I know that's not what you wanted to hear. But there is little that home remedies can do for endometriosis, and I would expect home remedies to bring about a significant improvement in symptoms for only the mildest cases. It's not necessary to be sexually active to have trouble with endometriosis. �And in fact, women who are sexually active and taking birth control pills sometimes report that birth control pills actually suppress endometriosis symptoms. Over-the-counter pain killers aren't cutting it, and it's not a good idea to take more than the recommended dose. �Let the doctor know that you need some effective pain relief, and be prepared to work with him on this. Your bowel symptoms are definitely something I'd be concerned about. �A black stool usually does indicate bleeding. �It's frustrating that few doctors are knowledgeable about intestinal endometriosis, a possibility I wouldn't dismiss lightly. �You will probably have to check this out with both a gynecologist and an internal medicine specialist or a gastroenterologist - and your problem could still slip through the cracks, with both specialties saying, It's not my area... It's possible that some bleeding is being caused by the over-the-counter medications you are taking. �If so, the doctor can probably work with you on relieving your pain without tearing up your digestive tract. �(If that's the case, some safe and effective pain relief might make a big difference for you!) And if you are having some digestive tract bleeding, anaemia wouldn't be surprising, and anemia would certainly make you not feel well. Ask around about finding a really good gynecologist. Having this checked out by such a doctor would be a good starting point. �And let us know what information you need, symptoms, treatments, etc. We'll be happy to provide what information we can. If you haven't read about the intestinal problems which endometriosis caused for me, look for Susan's bowel story again (let me know if I need to re-post it). I hope that might be helpful. �Let us know how things go! I would have to disagree with this, my home remedies have given me more relief than anything my gynaecologist tried, including surgery! �This includes nutrition, exercise, supplements, etc. �The best thing I have gotten from my new�doctor was the natural progesterone cream. �It's much better than the constant bc pills my gyn. had me on, but I believe that without the support of my home remedies it would not be as much help. p.s. the nutrition article from ERC was absolutely wonderful-I am taking a copy to my new doctor--I know HE will read it! �Everyone should request this booklet. �Most of the stuff I had already ferreted out on my own, though it took MANY times longer than if I had had a wonderful source like that to begin with. �It also introduced a few concepts I hadn't considered, such as liver support. �Crucial, now that I think about it!
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