Transvaginal US for excessive bleeding

[kitsu.livejournal.com]

Hi everyone, I'm a bit nervous about an upcoming trans-vaginal ultrasound I have scheduled for Monday.

A few weeks ago I started to suffer heavy vaginal and rectal bleeding and cramps while on BCP. It had gone on for 14 days before I had a chance to see a doctor. At first he thought it was just breakthrough bleeding until I mentioned the rectal bleeding. He gave me an exam and didn't see anything but suggested I get an ultrasound and see a gastroenterologist as well.

My first question is, will a trans-vaginal ultrasound show endometriosis? I've had a problem with heavy bleeding, cramps, nausea and rectal bleeding since I was 14 but due to lack of insurance and rude doctors I've never been tested.

My second question is, what should I expect during the ultrasound? All they've told me is to drink lots of water and come with a full bladder. Is it a long procedure?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Comments

[fallconsmate.livejournal.com]

i'm not sure if the trans-vaginal ultrasound will show endometriosis, since i dont have that. but it isnt painful, it may very well be uncomfortable with a full bladder.

my last one took all of 20 minutes, with the external ultrasound and the probe. i had pain because well, that's why i was HAVING the ultrasound, to figure out why i had pain. the proble of the trans-vaginal ultrasound is not exceedingly large, the size of maybe two fingers together. if you arent a virgin, it shouldnt be any big deal at all.

the ky gel is a mess, but the external gel is normally warmed, so that's nice. they put a condom on the probe, so if you have latex sensitivity, you need to speak up about that.

when i had mine, they found the two fairly large cysts on the left ovary, one on the right, and two "oh goodness, how do you have no pain from those!" fibroids on my uterus. as far as medical procedure pain, i'd give it a 3 out of 10, most of the discomfort is having someone rooting around in there when you have a full bladder. (and they let you go to the bathroom right after you're done.)

[starry3yedgrl.livejournal.com]

Not to be nosey, but why did they do the transvag US with a full bladder? I've had several US, both TV and abdominal and they want a full bladder for the latter, but they've always made me pee after the abdominal but before the TV.

[fallconsmate.livejournal.com]

They did both at once with no pee break in between because I was in so much pain that they wanted to get it done as fast as possible to stop making the pain worse. My final report was "there isn't anything here that should be causing you so much pain!"

What ended up happening was me in the hospital with referred pain from pancreatitis, and lots of good pain drugs, and a diagnosis that ended up being cirrhosis of the liver. We're still working out how to treat that.

[nickelshoe.livejournal.com]

I'm trying to remember when I had them both at the same time, which they did first, because they also had me pee in between. I'd been in the ER all night holding it like they asked me to, and the tech said he could see that my bladder was full.

Either way, I think a full bladder moves the uterus up a little bit (I know it does my giant pregnant uterus, at least) and makes a clear backdrop for the imaging. Hopefully someone who works in diagnostic imaging will stop by and help clarify.

[sparks37.livejournal.com]

Ultrasound can't see through air, so all of the gas in your intestines really hinders image quality. We have you come with a full bladder since it sits right on top of uterus, if its full it pushes all of the bowel out of the way and makes a clearer picture.

A transabdominal pelvic ultrasound (done from the outside) you have to have a full bladder for. Unless you weigh 100 lbs and are 15 yrs old, they're usually pretty useless without the full bladder. The transvaginal ultrasound on the other hand, needs an empty bladder. Not only is it uncomfortable for the patient, but the full bladder can shadow over your uterus and make it more difficult to image.

[nickelshoe.livejournal.com]

Thanks!