What Doctors Don't Tell You About Tubal Ligation and Post Tubal Ligation Syndrome by, Susan Bucher © 2006 Buy a copy for yourself or for someone you know   click here for more information

PTL and Endometriosis (long)

by Leigh Ann

I can't see any doctor trying to tell me that I am coincidently going through menopause. Here's my story. I am 36 years old and had a tubal ligation 1 year ago after the birth of my 4th living child. Before I got pregnant I had regular normal periods. I did however as young teenager have very painful periods with terrible cramping. That stopped when I was around 14-15 years old. Anyway, I was told having a tubal was very easy, and I would feel a little uncomfortable for a day or two. Immediately upom awakening in recovery, I was in excrutiating pain. These were terrible cramps that felt as bad as labor pains. I was also bleeding heavily. I just assumed everyone bled after a tubal. I was given Vicodin and sent home. For two days I laid and writhed in pain from terrible cramps, and I was flooding. I had to lay on towels to keep from ruining my sheets and mattress.

After two days I started feeling better. I went for my check-up and told the nurse how I had felt those two days. She tells me that you don't bleed after a tubal, and that I must have just started my period. Yeah right. I supposedly coincidently started my period, and had the worst period of my life. Like I believe that. She acted like I was over reacting or lying.

Anyhow, I saw the doctor, and he showed me some pictures he took while performing my tubal, and said that they had found that I had Endometriosis. I never knew I had it, and had no symptoms of it at any time before, except if you count the painful periods I had as a kid. He asked for my permission to use the pics in lectures or something like that, I said sure.

But now, I'm wondering what is up? Is he saying I have Endometriosis to cover up some blunder he made during surgery? Or did the tubal make the Endo start showing symptoms full force? Because now I have very heavy periods every month. The first 3 days I am flooding. I can't even sit on furniture unless I lay a towel down. And I am using the largest sanitary pads I can find in the store. I can't hardly keep in underwear, they are ball getting ruined. And of course, you can imagine the mess upon waking up in the morning. And the cramps are bad, though not as bad as those two days after the tubal. Sometimes I will have severe cramps when I'm not even having a period, They will come on suddenly and I have to go lie down. They don't stop for hours unless I take a Vicodin and a Motrin both. (luckily my mother takes Vicodin, so usually I can have access to one if I need it.)
I also want to mention that I suffer from severe incontinence now. If I get a cold, I have to make sure I have some of those Depends pads. Because whenever I cough or sneeze I wet myself. So it's really bad if I happen to have a cold and on my period at the same time. Then I have a real mess. I also don't always make it to the bathroom

My husband is a jerk anyway, but now he is saying I am old and broken down because Never mind that he is 12 years older than me. He doesn't want anything to do with me anymore. Which I could care less, except for the fact that he has a girlfriend now, and financially my kids and I are hurting. Which, I'm not really blaming the health problems on that. He was probably already doing all that to begin with, and is probably something I shouldnt even have mentioned.

If I sound angry, I am. It is very frustrating not feeling like I have any control over my body anymore, and I feel disgusting during my period, and because I can't hold my urine. I guess the incontinence is worse dealing with, because it is depressing.

I know I needed the tubal, my husband would never have had a vasectomy anyway. But I sure wish someone would recognize that I have problems, and stop acting like I'm lying. No one I know, knows how I feel. They take it so lightly.

I have several other problems that I'm not sure have anything to do with this. While I was pregnant, I had severe hip pain and sometimes couldn't walk. Well, now I can't even lift my legs to put on pantyhose. My joints are stiff, and I have back pain.

To be honest, I can't do anything anymore. My older children do all the chores around the house now. I have some kind of pain all the time. Lower back pain, hip pain, shoulder pain, even pain in the arches of my feet.

Sorry to make such a long post, but I know alot of this is caused from the tubal, and I'm not crazy. But I am depressed and angry. I haven't even went back to the doctor. I don't have any health insurance now anyway. So I will just continue to deal with all of it.

Posted on Jan 17, 2006, 7:15 AM

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