2013 - A Rocky Start
Some year this has been and it is only April. After the end of the last year this was going to be our year. Things could only go up now surely.
At the beginning of January we managed to get in to see my doctor (the one that I wanted to see). We showed her the results of my husband’s test and a note from his doctor saying due to my history it would be better for her to refer us. My doctor said that there was 2 roads we could take one being to the infertility people but because of my history they would more than likely send me back to go down the other road. So that is what she was going to do and refer me to the gynaecologist.
My gynaecologist appointment was around when I was due my period. I phoned them up and said that I was due on the day after and I was likely to have spotting at my appointment. I was told not to change the date as it was my first referral appointment.
Before my appointment I had 3 attempts of having a smear test, normally smear tests are quick easy and do not hurt but this is me we are talking about so naturally all 3 attempts had failed. The first time the nurse (who used to be a midwife) had tried but could not get to my cervix. She tried 3 times at this appointment. She explained that my cervix was tilted and very high. We arranged to try again at a different time of the month. This time I got my husband to drive as I knew it was going to hurt. I asked my husband to wait in the waiting room whilst I had the smear test done. The nurse tried once but it was too painful so she got my husband to come in and hold my hand but I still could not stand the pain. This is when she told me that in all of her days as a midwife or a nurse she had never seen a cervix this far back. She recommended that if I wanted to try again then I should take 1 Diazepam to relax me next time. On the morning of the third and final attempt I took 1 Diazepam. I expected to feel really dozy but I did not. I then took 1 an hour before my appointment just like I was advised to. My husband drove us to the appointment and went in with me to hold my hand. As we entered the nurse asked if I had taken anything to which I replied a Diazepam this morning and an hour ago as well as 2 Nurofen. She looked at me shocked, she could not believe how awake I was. By rights I should be completely out of it but it seemed I was immune the effects. She said she was only going to try once more and said I was brave to come back again and again even though I know it is going to hurt. The pain was too much again as she tried and in the end I had tears in my eyes and was shaking she stopped and said we were to mention this at my gynaecologist appointment.
My gynaecologist appointment seemed to go very well, someone was finally listening to me again. When I was weighed I was just above 8 stone (I was now fluctuating between 8 and 8 ½ stone and occasionally hit 9 stone but I did not like that as it made me made me feel frumpy). I did not see the main gynaecologist I was under but one of the gynaecologists under him she was nice. We spoke mainly about me and about infertility, my pelvic pain and my history of Endometriosis. We spoke about my laparoscopy in 2009 where they found Endometriosis in my left hydrosalpinx (swollen fallopian tube) and adhesions to the left and right ovaries. There was also evidence of adhesions to the terminal ilium (bowel) and pelvic side vault. We spoke about how the pill had worked for me very well. We had a chat about the possibility of PID however all the swabs were negative. We spoke about how I came off the pill in September 2011 but had no luck in conceiving. And that I was now showing signs of e
Endometriosis with a constant right iliac fossa (I told her my right side so I guess that is what this is) and deep pelvic pain. I also complained of deep dyspareunia (pain after sex) and intermenstrual (between periods) and post coital (after sex) bleeding in the form of spotting. By now my periods were a regular 33-34 days and bleeding around 7 days although I had spotting just before and after the periods. They were not particularly heavy. We had a chat about how my periods were very debilitating and have required me to leave work early due to the pain. Other than that I was fit and well and not taking any regular medication apart from when I needed painkillers and that I was allergic to Tramadol. We spoke about the side effects if I was to have Tramadol.
During my examination I had a BMI of 22. My abdomen was soft but there was some tenderness in the right iliac fossa. She wanted to do an internal examination and I explained that I find these very painful and explained about the smear tests but I would let her do it. She told me to say stop if it was too painful and she would be gentle. The internal examination revealed a fixed tender uterus with fullness in the right adnexa and cervical motion tenderness. She was unable to see my cervix as I was unable to tolerate the speculum.
At some point during the appointment she said that she wanted to have a chat with the main gynaecologist about me. He then came in and had a chat with me. He was very nice and understanding I like him and felt that I could trust him from the very first moment that I saw him. I think it is important to get on well with your gynaecologist. He specialises in Endometriosis and infertility. I had blood tests to test for infertility these were LH, FSH, Oestrodial, TSH, Testosterone, Sex hormone binding, Globulin free androgen index, AMH. I was also to have a day 21 progesterone 7 days after I ovulated. We also organised a transvaginal ultrasound to look for possible endometrioma causing the fullness in my right adnexa. I was also put on the waiting list for a hysteroscopy, laparoscopy and dye as well as a smear test (under anaesthetic). I was given information sheets about the laparoscopy and hysteroscopy. A minor procedure where they inspect and sometimes take a sample of the lining of the uterus. A narrow telescope is inserted through the cervix and used to inspect the inside of the womb. After flushing away any blood/debris (what do they think I got up there a tree or something?) with sterile water, the lining of the cavity of the womb is carefully scrapped with a spoon-like instrument and is sent to the laboratory for analysis. I was told of the risks but to be honest I was not paying much attention to them because you never think that they will happen to you. I was told that depending on what they find when they do the laparoscopy they may need to do another operation with the bowel people but we would not know that until I have the laparoscopy. I told him that last time I had suffered from post- op fatigue and asked if I would suffer from it this time round? He said I should not as this time the operation will not be as big as last time.
I left the appointment feeling so much better knowing how seriously there were taking me and that I was now on the waiting list to get sorted out. I would tell work the next day I was in work that I was now on a waiting list for an operation. But for now I was in a lot of pain (a mixture of the internal examination and my period due) so when we got home I went straight to bed with my heat pad and took some 30mg Co-Codamol and curled up into a little ball.
Thankfully the following day was my day off and that was as good as it got the bad news is that my period started. I was off sick for the rest of the week. It was the worse period I had ever had regarding the pain at one stage even my Dihydrocodeine did not even stop the pain. I would even say that the pain was along the lines of 2009 I guessed it was worse since they done the internal examination the day before I came on my period. Not wanting to trouble my GP I went to the pharmacist to see what I could take with my Dihydrocodeine he said that I could take some ibuprofen. On the Friday I thought I was starting to feel better so I sent a text to my supervisor saying that I was getting better and should be back at work on Monday (I was due to work that weekend but I thought that by saying Monday would give me plenty of time to recover).
Saturday 16th February (5 days after my appointment and 4 days after my period started) was my husbands birthday. That morning I went out with my sister for a coffee she said I looked awful and I seemed to look differently to how my Endometriosis has made me before. I said to her I was fine. To be honest I was feeling extremely ill and sickly I kept getting really bad cramps as though they were labour contractions. I said to my husband if it did not ease soon I would go to my GP on Monday. That night we were invited to a friend’s 30th birthday. I forced myself to go because not only was it our friends birthday but it was my husbands as well. But after an hour I turned round to my husband and said I had to go. I insisted that he stayed and enjoy himself. I thought there was no need for him to come home with me as I was just going to dope myself up with tablets for what good they seemed to be doing and curl up with my heat pad. The walk home seemed to take for ever. I text my husband when I got home so that he would not worry.
Well if I got any sleep that night I would be lucky. My husband came home and I said I was still bad but not to worry. By about 12.30am I knew that I had to go to the hospital but I also knew that my husband had had a few to drink so would be over the limit. I decided I should wait until the morning and then if I was still bad we will go up to the hospital. I must admit I am impressed with myself I had hit the I can not cope marker at 12.30am and managed to wait until 4.30am before I had to call it a day I could no longer cope with the contractions and pain. The nausea was awful. I had to wake my husband up. I asked if he was ok to drive if not I would have either called for an ambulance or my dad. He said give him half an hour to wake up, which I did. By the time we were ready to go I was at the end of the bed crying I knew I had left it too late. When we got to Frimley Park Hospital I could barely move. We slowly made our way into Accident and Emergency I was doubled in so much pain. The receptionist took one look at me and said to go into the waiting area and try to get comfortable as possible whilst my husband checked me in. I was given a sick bowl because of the nausea.
Thankfully we were the only people in the A&E waiting room. Of the many times I have spent in A&E I have never seen the waiting room empty especially on a Saturday night/Sunday morning. After talking to a work colleague whose wife is a nurse he said she has never seen an A&E empty either. I am glad that no one else was in there either because within 5 minutes I started to vomit, just as the nurse came out to call me into triage. I remember him asking my husband how long I had been like that. I was taken straight to majors where they gave me anti-sickness and morphine. The gynaecologist (or I think it was the gynaecologist) on call came round and had a feel of my stomach. It is a bit blurry at this point you see I am very sensitive to the effects of morphine they just need to give me 3mg and I am knocked out. They done blood tests and I am sure they done some scans. After a couple of hours I was comfortable and was given 2 options. I could stay in on a ward, however because of it being the weekend not much would be done until Monday. Or I could go home and they would make me an emergency appointment to see a gynaecologist the next day. If I chose the second option if I got worse I could always come back to A&E. I chose the second option the morphine had kicked in and I was feeling a bit better and like they said if I got worse again I could always come back. My appointment was made for 2.30pm on the Monday and I was sent home with Codeine, Ibuprofen, Menfanamic acid and Tranexamic acid (this stops bleeding). I spent the rest of Sunday relaxing on the sofa feeling sorry for myself.
At the beginning of January we managed to get in to see my doctor (the one that I wanted to see). We showed her the results of my husband’s test and a note from his doctor saying due to my history it would be better for her to refer us. My doctor said that there was 2 roads we could take one being to the infertility people but because of my history they would more than likely send me back to go down the other road. So that is what she was going to do and refer me to the gynaecologist.
My gynaecologist appointment was around when I was due my period. I phoned them up and said that I was due on the day after and I was likely to have spotting at my appointment. I was told not to change the date as it was my first referral appointment.
Before my appointment I had 3 attempts of having a smear test, normally smear tests are quick easy and do not hurt but this is me we are talking about so naturally all 3 attempts had failed. The first time the nurse (who used to be a midwife) had tried but could not get to my cervix. She tried 3 times at this appointment. She explained that my cervix was tilted and very high. We arranged to try again at a different time of the month. This time I got my husband to drive as I knew it was going to hurt. I asked my husband to wait in the waiting room whilst I had the smear test done. The nurse tried once but it was too painful so she got my husband to come in and hold my hand but I still could not stand the pain. This is when she told me that in all of her days as a midwife or a nurse she had never seen a cervix this far back. She recommended that if I wanted to try again then I should take 1 Diazepam to relax me next time. On the morning of the third and final attempt I took 1 Diazepam. I expected to feel really dozy but I did not. I then took 1 an hour before my appointment just like I was advised to. My husband drove us to the appointment and went in with me to hold my hand. As we entered the nurse asked if I had taken anything to which I replied a Diazepam this morning and an hour ago as well as 2 Nurofen. She looked at me shocked, she could not believe how awake I was. By rights I should be completely out of it but it seemed I was immune the effects. She said she was only going to try once more and said I was brave to come back again and again even though I know it is going to hurt. The pain was too much again as she tried and in the end I had tears in my eyes and was shaking she stopped and said we were to mention this at my gynaecologist appointment.
My gynaecologist appointment seemed to go very well, someone was finally listening to me again. When I was weighed I was just above 8 stone (I was now fluctuating between 8 and 8 ½ stone and occasionally hit 9 stone but I did not like that as it made me made me feel frumpy). I did not see the main gynaecologist I was under but one of the gynaecologists under him she was nice. We spoke mainly about me and about infertility, my pelvic pain and my history of Endometriosis. We spoke about my laparoscopy in 2009 where they found Endometriosis in my left hydrosalpinx (swollen fallopian tube) and adhesions to the left and right ovaries. There was also evidence of adhesions to the terminal ilium (bowel) and pelvic side vault. We spoke about how the pill had worked for me very well. We had a chat about the possibility of PID however all the swabs were negative. We spoke about how I came off the pill in September 2011 but had no luck in conceiving. And that I was now showing signs of e
Endometriosis with a constant right iliac fossa (I told her my right side so I guess that is what this is) and deep pelvic pain. I also complained of deep dyspareunia (pain after sex) and intermenstrual (between periods) and post coital (after sex) bleeding in the form of spotting. By now my periods were a regular 33-34 days and bleeding around 7 days although I had spotting just before and after the periods. They were not particularly heavy. We had a chat about how my periods were very debilitating and have required me to leave work early due to the pain. Other than that I was fit and well and not taking any regular medication apart from when I needed painkillers and that I was allergic to Tramadol. We spoke about the side effects if I was to have Tramadol.
During my examination I had a BMI of 22. My abdomen was soft but there was some tenderness in the right iliac fossa. She wanted to do an internal examination and I explained that I find these very painful and explained about the smear tests but I would let her do it. She told me to say stop if it was too painful and she would be gentle. The internal examination revealed a fixed tender uterus with fullness in the right adnexa and cervical motion tenderness. She was unable to see my cervix as I was unable to tolerate the speculum.
At some point during the appointment she said that she wanted to have a chat with the main gynaecologist about me. He then came in and had a chat with me. He was very nice and understanding I like him and felt that I could trust him from the very first moment that I saw him. I think it is important to get on well with your gynaecologist. He specialises in Endometriosis and infertility. I had blood tests to test for infertility these were LH, FSH, Oestrodial, TSH, Testosterone, Sex hormone binding, Globulin free androgen index, AMH. I was also to have a day 21 progesterone 7 days after I ovulated. We also organised a transvaginal ultrasound to look for possible endometrioma causing the fullness in my right adnexa. I was also put on the waiting list for a hysteroscopy, laparoscopy and dye as well as a smear test (under anaesthetic). I was given information sheets about the laparoscopy and hysteroscopy. A minor procedure where they inspect and sometimes take a sample of the lining of the uterus. A narrow telescope is inserted through the cervix and used to inspect the inside of the womb. After flushing away any blood/debris (what do they think I got up there a tree or something?) with sterile water, the lining of the cavity of the womb is carefully scrapped with a spoon-like instrument and is sent to the laboratory for analysis. I was told of the risks but to be honest I was not paying much attention to them because you never think that they will happen to you. I was told that depending on what they find when they do the laparoscopy they may need to do another operation with the bowel people but we would not know that until I have the laparoscopy. I told him that last time I had suffered from post- op fatigue and asked if I would suffer from it this time round? He said I should not as this time the operation will not be as big as last time.
I left the appointment feeling so much better knowing how seriously there were taking me and that I was now on the waiting list to get sorted out. I would tell work the next day I was in work that I was now on a waiting list for an operation. But for now I was in a lot of pain (a mixture of the internal examination and my period due) so when we got home I went straight to bed with my heat pad and took some 30mg Co-Codamol and curled up into a little ball.
Thankfully the following day was my day off and that was as good as it got the bad news is that my period started. I was off sick for the rest of the week. It was the worse period I had ever had regarding the pain at one stage even my Dihydrocodeine did not even stop the pain. I would even say that the pain was along the lines of 2009 I guessed it was worse since they done the internal examination the day before I came on my period. Not wanting to trouble my GP I went to the pharmacist to see what I could take with my Dihydrocodeine he said that I could take some ibuprofen. On the Friday I thought I was starting to feel better so I sent a text to my supervisor saying that I was getting better and should be back at work on Monday (I was due to work that weekend but I thought that by saying Monday would give me plenty of time to recover).
Saturday 16th February (5 days after my appointment and 4 days after my period started) was my husbands birthday. That morning I went out with my sister for a coffee she said I looked awful and I seemed to look differently to how my Endometriosis has made me before. I said to her I was fine. To be honest I was feeling extremely ill and sickly I kept getting really bad cramps as though they were labour contractions. I said to my husband if it did not ease soon I would go to my GP on Monday. That night we were invited to a friend’s 30th birthday. I forced myself to go because not only was it our friends birthday but it was my husbands as well. But after an hour I turned round to my husband and said I had to go. I insisted that he stayed and enjoy himself. I thought there was no need for him to come home with me as I was just going to dope myself up with tablets for what good they seemed to be doing and curl up with my heat pad. The walk home seemed to take for ever. I text my husband when I got home so that he would not worry.
Well if I got any sleep that night I would be lucky. My husband came home and I said I was still bad but not to worry. By about 12.30am I knew that I had to go to the hospital but I also knew that my husband had had a few to drink so would be over the limit. I decided I should wait until the morning and then if I was still bad we will go up to the hospital. I must admit I am impressed with myself I had hit the I can not cope marker at 12.30am and managed to wait until 4.30am before I had to call it a day I could no longer cope with the contractions and pain. The nausea was awful. I had to wake my husband up. I asked if he was ok to drive if not I would have either called for an ambulance or my dad. He said give him half an hour to wake up, which I did. By the time we were ready to go I was at the end of the bed crying I knew I had left it too late. When we got to Frimley Park Hospital I could barely move. We slowly made our way into Accident and Emergency I was doubled in so much pain. The receptionist took one look at me and said to go into the waiting area and try to get comfortable as possible whilst my husband checked me in. I was given a sick bowl because of the nausea.
Thankfully we were the only people in the A&E waiting room. Of the many times I have spent in A&E I have never seen the waiting room empty especially on a Saturday night/Sunday morning. After talking to a work colleague whose wife is a nurse he said she has never seen an A&E empty either. I am glad that no one else was in there either because within 5 minutes I started to vomit, just as the nurse came out to call me into triage. I remember him asking my husband how long I had been like that. I was taken straight to majors where they gave me anti-sickness and morphine. The gynaecologist (or I think it was the gynaecologist) on call came round and had a feel of my stomach. It is a bit blurry at this point you see I am very sensitive to the effects of morphine they just need to give me 3mg and I am knocked out. They done blood tests and I am sure they done some scans. After a couple of hours I was comfortable and was given 2 options. I could stay in on a ward, however because of it being the weekend not much would be done until Monday. Or I could go home and they would make me an emergency appointment to see a gynaecologist the next day. If I chose the second option if I got worse I could always come back to A&E. I chose the second option the morphine had kicked in and I was feeling a bit better and like they said if I got worse again I could always come back. My appointment was made for 2.30pm on the Monday and I was sent home with Codeine, Ibuprofen, Menfanamic acid and Tranexamic acid (this stops bleeding). I spent the rest of Sunday relaxing on the sofa feeling sorry for myself.