Pausing for Six Months

Most Recent Doctor's Appointment

Before the appointment, my husband kept reminding me that the pain wasn't going to be solved in the doctor's office. We were just going to discuss the next course of action. But I expected something different than what occurred.

Dr. Nath asked me what I had been feeling. I told her that I was back to daily pain, distracting fatigue, and pain with intercourse. She listened, paused, and said "I think you need physical therapy."

I blinked. What? Did I say anything about back pain, muscle pulls, or pinched nerves? I said that my girl parts are causing me pain. And you want me to go do some stretching?

Then she said the sentence that made me cry, and that she restated much better later in the visit: "I don't think that the pain you're having is from endometriosis."

I think all of the air was sucked from the room. I was crying, my husband looked shocked, and I felt we had been whisked back to January of this year, when no one knew my diagnosis. Then we let her continue to talk.

She said that the pain cycle certainly started with the endometriosis. But then my neural pathways became programmed for pain, and when the endometrial tissue was removed, the messages to my brain were still sending pain messages. So the physical therapy would help reset my neural pathways. She knows of a clinic that specializes in chronic pelvic pain.

If the PT didn't work, then she suggested we try accupuncture. If that didn't work, then maybe some Chinese medicine. But she is convinced that my hormones are suppressed by the Lupron, and that the endometriosis tissue has not grown back. She thinks we need to widen our view from the narrow window of western medicine.

Ok. I am totally willing to try PT. I will try anything that will help the pain. But what I hear when she says that my neural pathways are confused is this: "It's all in your head." I know that is not what she said. I know that's not remotely what she said. It's just what I hear.

Also, I did have three months free from pain. What was going on with my pathways then? And I have a psychiatrist friend who says that six months of pain doesn't re-program your neural pathways.

She did order bloodwork, to find out if my hormones truly are suppressed right now by the Lupron. We should know Monday if my hormones look like a menopausal woman or not.

Anyone out there have experience with this? Do you buy it? Am I just looking for an "easy" fix and so am disappointed in her answers? Or do her answers leave you puzzled as well? I welcome any feedback you have.

Labels: chronic pain, endometriosis

posted by Vander @ 11:44 AM