Help with your pain

Endometriosis is much more than just brown/black spots in the pelvis that can be seen at a laparoscopy. There are many different problems that women with endometriosis suffer.

Some women will have painful periods, but be otherwise completely well. Others have a more complicated picture that can include:
- an irritable bowel (IBS)
- sharp, stabbing or burning pains
- an irritable bladder
- painful intercourse
- bad headaches or migraines
- fatigue and exhaustion
- pain moving around or sitting for a long time
- trouble sleeping

Not surprisingly, women with these problems feel worn down and miserable.

Because these problems cover several different areas of medicine, women often feel lost 'between the cracks' of healthcare. Each health practitioner they see cares for a small part of the whole picture, with variable success.

Surgery is helpful for some aspects of the pain, but can leave many women disappointed.

I hope that you will find this blog useful for your pain. Each week there will be a new topic covered, and your comments are welcome.

REMEMBER OUR FACEBOOK SITE 'PELVIC PAIN NEWS' FOR ALL THE LATEST IN PELVIC PAIN INFORMATION

With best wishes,

Dr Susan Evans, Gynecologist and Laparoscopic surgeon

Friday, September 25, 2009

Should I go gluten free?

Many women with endo also have an irritable bowel (IBS). When they go 'gluten free' they feel better, but do they really have a problem with gluten? If you cut down on foods with gluten, you also cut down on foods with wheat in them. Wheat releases a type of 'sugar' in the gut called fructan, which some people find difficult to absorb. A little bit of bread is fine, but if they have a larger amount, they have wind, pain, and maybe diarrhoea. The latest information shows that it is fructose and fructans which often cause the problem, rather than gluten.

Have you found any foods that bother you? or anything that helps?


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10 comments:

  1. innovativesupportforwomenOctober 5, 2009 at 3:20 PM

    Hi Susan,

    Can you also make some comments about dairy products because women with endometriosis often get conflicting advice as to whether dairy products are a problem for them or not? Is there any current research that is situated around dairy products and their effect on women with endometriosis?

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  2. helpwithpainOctober 5, 2009 at 9:41 PM

    Dear Tricia,

    Thanks for asking! I'll do my best to explain how I see endometriosis and dairy products.

    Whether or not you eat dairy products will not affect whether or not you get endometriosis. Avoiding dairy products will not make endometriosis go away.

    However, some women have more abdominal pain after eating dairy products. This is because it can cause bowel pain, which often feels similar to endometriosis pain or pain from the uterus.

    When you eat dairy products, most of the lactose in them is absorbed into your body in the small bowel (first part of the bowel). If you have eaten quite a large amount of diary products, like a milkshake, then some of the lactose reaches the large bowel (lower part of the bowel). In the large bowel, bacteria ferment the lactose to gas.

    In people with a healthy bowel, the bowel handles some extra gas well and they dont have pain.
    In people with a sensitive bowel (like a lot of women with endometriosis), any extra gas causes a lot of pain.
    This problem is worse in women who absorb lactose very slowly from their small bowel.

    So, if you have a problem with lactose (dairy products), you can still have them, but in small amounts. You can still have milk in tea, for example, but maybe not a whole milkshake all at once.

    Thanks for asking,

    Susan Evans

    ReplyDelete
  3. innovativesupportforwomenOctober 5, 2009 at 10:45 PM

    Thank you for explaining this issue in such simple - and easy to understand! - language. I think there are a lot of misconceptions out there about the effect of dairy products on women with endometriosis...

    ReplyDelete
  4. puccaApril 4, 2014 at 6:07 AM

    Dear Dr
    It's great to see a blog where you can actually talk to an expert and see other stories and relate to them.
    I'm 38 I self diagnosed myself with endo 2 years back and then later did MRI and the dr confirmed I have mild endo and adeno.
    I've had painful periods all my life but it was manageable. After my 3 miscarriage I started getting pain during ovulation n behind n after period n sex became uneasy too.
    I did a surgery last year n dr said I had mild adhesions which he removed. Post surgery I started this pill clef Vissan it helped a lot I almost forgot I had endo I only got pain few days on my period which I managed n took voltran suppository. Once I decided I want to get pragnant I stopped vissan n my pain came back I did IVF and just found out few days back I'm pregnant. It should be a happy time for me and my hubby but it's not! I'm in constant pain all say sharp stabbing and annoying n I cry all the time n because I can't take voltran nothing helps me. I did take voltran few time after talking to my dr. I hope my baby is fine and I good I can find some medicine to help me go through my daily life. Right now I'm in bed all day with hot water bottle.
    Plz plz help me. Will this pain go away?
    I thought once u get pregnant u don't feel endo symptoms but I'm in worse pain ever.
    Plz tell me what is the solution n what pain killer is the best for me as I'm pregnant.
    Thank you

    ReplyDelete
  5. helpwithpainApril 4, 2014 at 3:28 PM

    Dear pucca,
    Congratulations on your pregnancy.
    The pain you have is unlikely to be due to endometriosis lesions, especially now that you are pregnant. It sounds like pain from muscle spasm in either the pelvic floor or obturator internus muscles. That is why you find the heat pack helpful, because it relaxes muscle spasm.
    Spasm in these muscles is often associated with painful intercourse, pain on moving or exercise, sometimes an overactive bladder, lower back pain, and sometimes a stabbing feeling up the vagina or bowel.
    I recommend that:
    - you read the sections in this blog on 'sharp and stabbing pains'
    - you download the free ebook from www.pelvicpainsa.com.au
    - you do the stretches on the website
    - If this sounds like the pain you have, then order the full size book from the website which has chapters on this type of pain.
    - avoid core-strength exercise and pilates while you have this pain as it makes it worse
    - keep moving with a walk each day to help the muscles work normally
    - settle down your bladder using the techniques in the ebook or with more detail in the full size book
    - find a pelvic physiotherapist who understands the concept of 'downtraining' of pelvic muscles. These can be hard to find. Avoid anyone who says that your pelvic muscles are weak and need strengthening as this is the opposite of what you need.

    Very best wishes at this exciting time.


    Soon, we will have a new website up, for the newly formed Pelvic Pain Foundation of Australia. It's under construction and will be for men and women with pelvic pain. It will be at www.pelvicpain.org.au in around a month or two's time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. puccaApril 4, 2014 at 10:21 PM

      Thank you so much Dr for all this helpful information.
      I forgot to mention my pain is 24/7 and I can't sit to eat a mean or get a good night sleep. Can you recommend a safe pain killer that would at help me go through the day
      Thank
      Xxx

      Delete
  6. puccaApril 5, 2014 at 1:25 AM

    Thank you sooooo much Dr I'm very greatful for your help. I will buy the book today
    Xxx

    ReplyDelete
  7. puccaApril 5, 2014 at 5:32 AM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  8. puccaApril 5, 2014 at 5:40 AM

    Last question :
    Dr when will this spasm go away howling does it take?? It's been more then a week for me and I'm not enjoying my pregnancy or my life! :(

    ReplyDelete
  9. puccaApril 6, 2014 at 3:07 AM

    I didn't sleep all night I'm tired n very depressed can't even sit down for a meal!!! When will this pain go away???
    How long does this pain last?? Please sombody tell me

    ReplyDelete

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