November was gone in the blink of an eye, but while it WAS November, it felt slow! And this was my most painful month since last year’s excision and bowel resection.
I still get mild staple discomfort if I eat too much. And my bowels still react if I have too much cheese or alcohol.
On November 2nd, I started feeling some pain in my lower right abdomen area, but I figure that was bowel-related since I had some diarrhea that day. November 4th, however, brought pain to my lower left abdomen and the same mirrored location on my left lower back. Not pain at my uterus! That pain started as a 3 out of 10, but escalated to a 6 out of 10 as the day progressed. Heat didn’t help. I wasn’t allowed to take any Naproxen or other NSAIDs (Aleve, Advil, etc.) because of a colonoscopy I had scheduled for November 8th.
Why all the pain? November 5th: I started my period. Great. And the pain progressed. It now hurt when I went pee, the pain never ended the night before and interrupted my sleep, and the pain levels of that same spot in my lower left abs and lower left back spiked to a 8-9 out of 10. So, I popped Tylenol when I could, I used herbal pain spray, my Livia unit, my heating pad, and even hopped in the shower. Nothing really worked, but the pain fluctuated between a 6-9 throughout the day. A day that I took off work to be miserable at home. I had to drive to a pre-planned appointment with my excision surgeon to discuss some ultrasound results. My pain during that visit was an 8-9 out of 10 and I couldn’t help but do the usual bend-myself-in-half trying to choke out the pain and I cried in the lobby like a boob. He gave me a referral to a pain management doctor (which I’m still trying to set up the appointment), and we had “The Talk” about another excision surgery and hopefully a hysterectomy. I will see Dr. Kurtulus again in February to give my body a few months to see what happens with my pain and the pain management referral.
On the 6th, I woke up NO pain! I was so excited, but it all flooded back (once more only on the lower left side of my abdomen) by 8am when I drove to work. It fluctuated between a 0-7 out of 10 throughout the day and I took Tylenol when the pain was too intense.
The next day, driving once more to work brought my pain from a 0 to a 6 out of 10, once more only on that lower left side of my pelvis and back. But I didn’t take any Tylenol because of the colonoscopy scheduled for the following morning.
On the 8th and 9th, I had some residual pain on that lower left abdomen, but that was it. I didn’t have any further pain until I started my period…again…on November 29th.
An interesting note, sex hasn’t been painful (we avoid doggy style, though) all year. But on November 27th, we couldn’t do it because I was in severe discomfort with insertion, even well-lubed and aroused. I suspected my period was looming. Two days later: she hit.
November 29th: I woke up with uterine cramps (yay, not in the lower left like last time!). The cramping was about a 4-6 out of 10, but I had been dreaming of period cramps. A hot shower didn’t help. I took a few Naproxen that day (the pain fluctuated up to an 8) and helped reduce my pain.
November 30th’s cramps were between a 0-7, and again I had to take Naproxen a few times.
Day 3 of my period (December 1st) brought small cramps throughout the day (0-6/10), but they were quick pulses that came and went, rather than a constant pain. I’m now on Day 4 and have had even less cramps.
I’m glad that my pain appears to only be when I’m on my period, but am extremely disheartened to I think my Endometriosis is back. Especially with how intense my early-November period was. But am pleased to wait for the pain management doctor and February’s consult. If you’d like to watch my daily food, beverage, poo & pain tracker, here it is:
The good news? It still doesn’t hurt when I poo. 😀 Although the bowel prep was lengthy and violent: I poo’d 32 times on November 7th after I drank the prep, and another 43 times on the morning of the 8th before my procedure! But…NONE OF THAT HURT.
Speaking of poo, here’s my poo-chart! Would you look at that “Diarrhea” chart during my bowel prep?!!?? OHMYGOD, may it never be that high again!
December is here. I’m already on my period. And, if my counting is correct, I’ll be on it again for Christmas…we’ll wait and see how that one does!
