Not heart related, but need some womanly insight...

[debster913]

Hi, all, it's been a while! Things have been busy with work as the school year winds down. We just had our junior/senior prom and the senior slide show ceremony. I'll be back on VR more as school ends and I'm relaxing! Whew! Anyway, I thought I'd ask since there are plenty of ladies here on VR, and although it's not related to my heart, I thought I'd put this out there.

I haven't had my period in three months. I'm not pregnant--no additions to the VR family here! (already confirmed by my doctor). This is unusual for me. Since I started my period at age 10 1/2 (I know, really young, huh?), I have been regular. I haven't been unusually stressed--no more so than I am this time of year, but I have had, and continue to have weird symptoms. I'm bloated all the time, I have lower back pain, I urinate more urgently than I ever have before (I can usually hold my bladder, but lately I've been having to call admin to cover my classes about once a week or so when I REALLY have to go so I can pee) and I'm irritable.

I will see my gynecologist in a couple weeks for a follow-up--I saw him last month when the symptoms started--he said I was probably just under a lot of stress (duh!) and he did a Pap, which came back normal, but do any of you have any insight as to what's going on? Has anyone else here experienced similar symptoms?

Thanks!

 

[kfay]

Debi, I don't have any experiences with what you are going thorough now, but if I were in your shoes, I would push my Dr. for a little more through testing this time around. Maybe an ultrasound of your pelvis and blood work. I think it is very easy to have Dr's, even OB/GYN's put off women's health issues to stress and other emotional issues...it's just ridiculous to me. I dont' want to scare you, but some of what your experiencing sounds like they are similar symptoms to cancer, so make him do everything to definitely rule that out, not just guessing. I might even be tempted to check in with my GP just to have another set of eyes looking at this situation.

Enjoy your summer off!


Kim

 

[AgilityDog]

Yes, bloating can be a sign of ovarian cancer. Or a sign of nothing much.

Fibroids is another possibility. The back pain is very common with fibroids - I had one the size of a small grapefruit, and yet it barely showed on ultrasound. Hurt like crazy, cramps, lower back pain that crawled all the way up my back until I hurt all over, like I had the flu or something. My OB found it during a D&C (for the pain and irregular periods I was experiencing) and said if I hadn't been starting a new job the next week she'd have done the hysterectomy then and there. I only got to put it off 3 months as it was, the pain got so constant, and so bad. Of course, that was pre-warfarin for me. If it is fibroids, they can be embolized/seeded with little to no bleeding.

I'd push. This is not normal.

 

[Marcia58]

Deb,
I don't want to scare you either, but I agree with Kim. My first thought when I read your post was the info I've read on ovarian cancer. I did a search and found info from the Mayo Clinic on the subject. Here's the link.

I'd say the sooner you're seen, the better. And don't stop pushing until you get some answers.

Praying for you....

Marcia

 

[escargome]

Deb,
I would 3rd the vote. Get it checked out as soon as possible. And don't accept the "it's just stress" line. My GP and I fought with OB/GYN (I had Kaiser at the time) for 2 years over my irregular periods and heavy bleeding. Finally, after more ultra-sounds than I care to think about they discovered that I had fibroids so large they had begun to dilate my cervix. Next thing was hysterectomy at 42. So don't let your doctor drop the baton on this.... You as a woman know how you feel and you know when you don't feel right. Follow your instincts.

 

[Bina]

I would be asking for a pelvic ultrasound and further testing. Could be a cyst, tumour, or nothing.
Periods may also cease during athletic training. When I was 23 mine stopped for a year during
the time I was training my young horse.