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A bit of background about my health (gynecological)
Sometimes I think I gripe about this too often, and then I forget there are also folks who don't know my history and are curious about it. Feel free to skip this if you've heard it before. Backstory here.
I've had severe monthly pain since I was twelve. I tried all the remedies that seemed to help other folks: vitamin B, heat, exercise (fitness seemed to make it worse actually), weird herbs, etc etc. I developed a pretty strong resistance to most OTC painkillers and almost all anti-inflammatories. (My record is 17 Aleve in a day. It keeps me walking, although slowly. I don't remember how many aspirin I was taking, back when there weren't OTC anti-inflams. It was a dangerous dose.)
Exploratory surgery in early 2002 finally ruled out endometriosis. (I have the video. Hee!)
I went to a specialist. She diagnosed me with herniated nerve bundles along the sides of my pelvis. The nerves are pinched, basically. I sometimes refer to this as sciatica in my belly. [EDIT: This is most likely caused by body fat working its way into the channels in which the nerves run. Some women can lose 15 pounds and get rid of this kind of pain. The doctor agrees that I don't have fifteen to lose.] We have tried various nonsurgical things.
I am now on continuous monophasic birth control (which makes most people quit bleeding) AND a Mirena IUD (which dispenses progesterone and by itself makes some people quit bleeding). The result is the hernia pain is greatly reduced and I now bleed every single day. I also have cramps -- moderate ones -- every other day or so. (Two days ago I had to call for someone to give me a ride home. I could get in the car under my own power, though. That's on the high end of what I mean by moderate.) I believe the cramping is because my uterus is retroverted (it has a strong bend in it), and thus there's very little room for the IUD. Interestingly enough, I have never had "cramps" before in my LIFE. Only after the IUD did I discover what "cramps" felt like.
As soon as I qualify for FMLA (unpaid leave from work for medical reasons) I intend to ask for hernia repair surgery. Recovery is very long and apparently quite painful. [EDIT: Repair involves pulling out anything that doesn't belong in the channel, tightening up the channel itself, and putting a little screen in the way. Unsurprisingly, this hurts. Unsurprisingly, I've stopped believing doctors when they say something hurts. They have no IDEA how much I ALWAYS hurt! But if everyone who has this surgery already has my basic pain level to start with, and THEY say it hurts, then I bet it actually does hurt.] If insurance will help pay for it, I'll ask for a partial hysterectomy too. However, since the uterus is likely not the problem, this might be denied.
I've had severe monthly pain since I was twelve. I tried all the remedies that seemed to help other folks: vitamin B, heat, exercise (fitness seemed to make it worse actually), weird herbs, etc etc. I developed a pretty strong resistance to most OTC painkillers and almost all anti-inflammatories. (My record is 17 Aleve in a day. It keeps me walking, although slowly. I don't remember how many aspirin I was taking, back when there weren't OTC anti-inflams. It was a dangerous dose.)
Exploratory surgery in early 2002 finally ruled out endometriosis. (I have the video. Hee!)
I went to a specialist. She diagnosed me with herniated nerve bundles along the sides of my pelvis. The nerves are pinched, basically. I sometimes refer to this as sciatica in my belly. [EDIT: This is most likely caused by body fat working its way into the channels in which the nerves run. Some women can lose 15 pounds and get rid of this kind of pain. The doctor agrees that I don't have fifteen to lose.] We have tried various nonsurgical things.
I am now on continuous monophasic birth control (which makes most people quit bleeding) AND a Mirena IUD (which dispenses progesterone and by itself makes some people quit bleeding). The result is the hernia pain is greatly reduced and I now bleed every single day. I also have cramps -- moderate ones -- every other day or so. (Two days ago I had to call for someone to give me a ride home. I could get in the car under my own power, though. That's on the high end of what I mean by moderate.) I believe the cramping is because my uterus is retroverted (it has a strong bend in it), and thus there's very little room for the IUD. Interestingly enough, I have never had "cramps" before in my LIFE. Only after the IUD did I discover what "cramps" felt like.
As soon as I qualify for FMLA (unpaid leave from work for medical reasons) I intend to ask for hernia repair surgery. Recovery is very long and apparently quite painful. [EDIT: Repair involves pulling out anything that doesn't belong in the channel, tightening up the channel itself, and putting a little screen in the way. Unsurprisingly, this hurts. Unsurprisingly, I've stopped believing doctors when they say something hurts. They have no IDEA how much I ALWAYS hurt! But if everyone who has this surgery already has my basic pain level to start with, and THEY say it hurts, then I bet it actually does hurt.] If insurance will help pay for it, I'll ask for a partial hysterectomy too. However, since the uterus is likely not the problem, this might be denied.
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By the way, I'm going to ask about the Mirena based on your posts. I don't really have a birth control issue, but can't use the pill and would love to skip periods. (Age + prone to yeast infections makes the pill a bad choice).
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Mirena seems to be really good for most of the women I've talked to who've used it. I've heard very few people gripe about it. Hopefully you have room for it. (I suppose if you had room for Alan...!) There's also something called, I think, NuvaRing, which dispenses hormones locally too. It's shaped like and is placed like the ring of a diaphragm. I think some women stop or slow bleeding on that too. Worth a look.
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