possible wrong diagnosis???

[momwth3girls]

I am 32 with 3 children. A few months ago I talked to my doc about my periods being very heavy and lasting longer (10-12 days) than they did before I had my last child (who is now16 months). He put me on a birth control pill to regulate them. I was 2 weeks into my pill pack and my period started....and wouldn't stop. I had heavy bleeding for almost 3 weeks straight. I made an appointment with a new doc after 2 weeks of this. She ordered an ultrasound and it came back saying that my endometrium was thickened (didn't say how much) so she then did a biopsy. When it came back I was having a new symptom. I was having a lot of pressure kind of like you do when you're pregnant. The doc said I have endometritis and put me on an antibiotic. This was a week ago and I am still spotting and cramping every day several times a day and today I even passed a clot. I am in my second week of my second b/c pill pack. I still have more antibiotics to take, but I am thinking I was misdiagnosed. Everything on the internet that I have read about endometritis says symptoms that I don't have. Any one got any ideas? Should I get a second opinion?

[steph2197346]

i'm guessing that he gave you the antibiotics incase there was an infection because they won't cure endo. did he say why?

endo is a tricky one, there's so many symptoms (all of which are only known by suffers). The heavy bleeding and clots could deffinantly be endo. endo pain differs so much that i don't think anyone can pin point a description. I've never been pregnant so i don't really know what you mean but i'd often describe my pain as pressure.

you may be right and i would investigate it and rule out other possibilities but i've heard so many stories of women who aren't diagnosed early and they really suffer for it. The sooner thay can treat it the easier it may ben to manage.

hope that helps in some way.
goodluck

[momwth3girls]

Do you think it could be endometriosis? Wouldn't they have been able to see that on the ultrasound or detect it with the biopsy? If not, how do they diagnose it? I really don't know much about it besides what I've looked up. I've never known anyone with it. I may get a second opinion from a friend's doc (she had a hysterectomy 3 years ago). By the way, I'm still spotting (with small clots) and cramping every day for most of the day. I don't know whether I should wait to finish my antibiotics or not. Any opinions?

[Beth56]

Endometriosis is very difficult to diagnose.
http://www.endometriosis.org/diagnosis.html

Here is a link to Frequently Asked Questions
http://www.endometriosis.org/faq.html



Endometriosis can also attach to another organ such as the bowel. This happened to a friend of mine. Back pain and pelvic pain were symptoms she had for years along with bleeding. She also has been unable to conceive a child, even after surgery to correct this.


I would not discount any other possibilities. But I would finish the antibiotics.

[steph2197346]

like beth said it's very difficult to diagnose and deffinatly wouldn't be seen on an unltrasound. the only way is via key hole surgery (a lap) or some docs say by MRI scan. an unltrasound would pic up cysts etc that can be caused by endo so it may be a good sign it was clear.

try writting a pain diary and see if the pain gets worse nearer your period, whether it ever goes away etc. it won't deffinatly show endo but it will help if you go for further tests or a second opinion.

although endo can be fustrating in many cases it is controllable or even lessen with time. Don't worry about it just make sure you don't get fob off by the docs with 'o its jst an infection etc' if you know its not.

stick with the antibiotics for now but don't give up until you find the answer.

any questions just ask.

[momwth3girls]

If I do decide to get a second opinion, should I see a GYN or someone else? The docs I have been seeing are small town family practitioners. I don't know how to go about this with the least amount of medical bills, since I'm uninsured.

[acuann]

If I do decide to get a second opinion, should I see a GYN or someone else? The docs I have been seeing are small town family practitioners. I don't know how to go about this with the least amount of medical bills, since I'm uninsured.

Okay, please, if you can, find a qualified acupuncturist/Chinese herbalist to help you with your gyno problems. Visit www.acufinder.com to find a qualified practitioner near you. Please try to find one who specializes in women's health.

I cannot recommend this highly enough! Acupuncture and chinese herbal medicine can really help endometriosis, and help regulate your periods.

Antibiotics for endo? This sounds crazy to me, and your current doc seems very uninformed about endo.

Antibiotics combined with birth control - first of all, know that if you are using birth control to prevent pregnancy that taking antibiotics completely negates their effectiveness, so you need a back up method...

Second, both these medications cause candida overload in the body, further contributing to endo and other hormonal issues! Please google the candida and endometriosis connection. You will find that taking bc can actually make this worse.

Again, please explore acupuncture. I have successfully treated endo (sometimes severe cases) with Traditional Chinese Medicine. You may be able to find a practitioner who offers a sliding scale fee, but even if you have to spend a bit it is WELL worth it - especially for the herbs.

Best wishes
DOM

[momwth3girls]

Thank you for your advice. I am not on the antibiotics for b/c, I had a tubal right after I delivered my last child. My doc put me on them to try and regulate my periods. I have not been diagnosed with endometriosis, but with endometritis. Which to me, the symptoms don't match. I don't have foul-smelling discharge, I don't have fevers, the only thing that I have is the pelvic pain in the form of cramps. The pain is tolerable now that I am not bleeding heavily.

[Tootsie]

Thank you for your advice. I am not on the antibiotics for b/c, I had a tubal right after I delivered my last child. My doc put me on them to try and regulate my periods. I have not been diagnosed with endometriosis, but with endometritis. Which to me, the symptoms don't match. I don't have foul-smelling discharge, I don't have fevers, the only thing that I have is the pelvic pain in the form of cramps. The pain is tolerable now that I am not bleeding heavily.

Another thing maybe u should consider is PID (pelvic inflammitory disease) it kind of fits ur symptoms......although PID can be caused by STDs it can be caused by other things also.

I got it after pregenacy which i carried for 16wks but had stopped developing around 9wks......i then had to have it aborted, i took ill after this........but was left untreated even when i kept going back to docs they did not pick up on it or do any tests.

PID if not treated can be life threating.......I ended up seriouly ill & spent 4 wks in hospital fighting fo my life.

Im not telling u this to scare u but to insure no-one goes through this again.

So finish ur antibiotics & if problem still continues make sure u get help go to Gyne docs.

Hope u feel better soon

[momwth3girls]

Thanks, I will keep that in mind. I will definitely finish the antibiotics and will start looking for a GYNO.