the ever-popular topic of cramps - when to see a doctor?

[elktooth-chain.livejournal.com]

hello... i’m new, and i have a question that i have not seen addressed in the archive, faq, etc. like many people, i have extremely severe cramps. i am not looking for remedies; obviously the community offers many wonderful resources with suggestions. what i am wondering is whether i should see my doctor about my cramps. last night they woke me up, and i lay in bed writhing and crying for about an hour and a half before i could go back to sleep. i took 800mg (4 tabs) of ibuprofen, and it didn’t even touch the pain. my period is this bad nearly every month, especially since i got my tubes tied. i started when i was 11 (i am now 30), and have had debilitating cramps since i was 12 or 13. i used to be on the pill, and that made no difference, and i may try some other remedies, but i have little faith that they will work. should i seek professional help? i had always thought cramps were just one of those things, and there was nothing a doctor could do other than prescribe a more heavy-duty pain killer (i’ve actually tried stuff like darvocet and vicodin, but they don’t work as well as ibuprofen). but i can’t keep suffering this way. i am consuming tons of ibuprofen and frequently missing work - i’ve got to find a solution. should i make an appointment with my gyno or just keep trying various remedies and lifestyle changes (or both)? thanks!

Comments

[dokuya.livejournal.com]

it sounds serious enough to me to see a doctor about it. if he only prescribes you painkillers then at least you tried.

[grace-is-gone.livejournal.com]

Definitely see a doctor. What you're describing sounds like my period pain, and I have endometriosis. The Pill worked for a while to minimize my pain, but eventually stopped being effective. There are other medications that they can try, like Depo Provera and Depot Lupron. The only way to diagnose endo, though, is with a laparoscopy, which you'll decidedly need an MD for. :)

[elktooth-chain.livejournal.com]

gods, i hope it's not endo... though of course i've considered that before, and it's part of why i've stayed away from the doctor. i really don't want to have a condition that requires surgery just to be diagnosed, and has no sure-fire treatment once it is diagnosed, so i've been a coward about bringing it up with my doctor. but i suppose if i have it, i should find out. the one thing i've wondered about, though, is: wouldn't the doctor who tied my tubes have seen endo if it was in there? i also thought it was somewhat doubtful that i had it because the pill made absolutely zero difference in my level of pain. but maybe... i'll have to try to get my courage up. :)

[chicole520.livejournal.com]

NOTHING worked for my cramps until i tried... the miracle cramp drug...
aleve. naproxen sodium.
sounds like you might have endometriosis or something, go to the doc ASAP... there's no sense in suffering if you don't have to.

[elktooth-chain.livejournal.com]

hmmmm, i didn't know aleve was that effective for cramps - i pretty much thought ibuprofen was the best thing out there. thanks! as far as endo, well, i've done some research on it, and it seems that i would indeed still have to suffer if that's what it is - there is no cure, and not even any highly effective treatment for endo.

[elktooth-chain.livejournal.com]

i was on the pill for ten years, and it made no difference... so if it is a hormonal imbalance, it doesn't seem to be one that is helped by the pill. i am also extremely hesitant to start putting hormones into my body again; i got my tubes tied so that i could stop doing that. but maybe the doc could suggest some other things... i dunno. i've had very negative experiences with the medical establishment and my reproductive health, which is why i am so uncertain about what to do.