[tiredoffeelinglikeimcrazy]

If anyone has ever had this happen, please tell me what it turned out to be because right now I feel as if I'm losing my mind. I'm going to try to make this as short as possible. Just to note, I am 28 years old, have two children, a little overweight but not grossly obese and no known medical issues. I had the Mirena removed in September due to it causing extreme pain (I only had it in for 6 months). I was due for my period about a week after it was removed and it came with a vengeance. I had my period like normal in October. On November 17th, my period came at the right time but it was really weird? The best way to describe it is brown goo spotting (sorry not trying to be gross but that's what it was) that lasted for about a week and a half. I didn't think anything of it, just thought maybe I was having an "off" month. I started feeling tired all the time, my hair was falling out, headaches, and some discomfort in my lower back. I never had a period in December. I had to go have a pap smear done at the first of January and she had a very difficult time getting to my cervix due to a lot of cervical mucus which made me think that maybe my period was just running behind and it was getting ready to gear up. Period never came. During January, I experienced extreme nausea in the mornings, tired, horribly bloated (think the worst case of PMS you've ever had), weight gain and lower back pain got worse. My boobs stayed extremely sore (think laser beams coming out of your nipples) and my stomach started poking out like a baby bump and felt hard towards bottom. I also found out that my pap smear is very abnormal and have to go have a culpo the first of March. Just to add, I took a HPT in Dec and Jan, both negative. I do not have health insurance so I had to wait for my tax refund to go to the doc. She gave me a pregnancy blood test and tested my thyroid. Both were negative. She also physically examined my abdomen and said my uterus was "large and felt full" (the top of it comes to about two inches below my belly button). She thought this was due to my not having a period so she proscribed me Provera. I have to take 10 mg per day for 10 days. This is day 6. I am cramping so badly at night that I just lay in bed and cry. My lower back is killing me. My left leg keeps going numb and my feet are swollen when I get up in the morning. I called the doc this morning and she said the symptoms are not related and to keep taking the Provera, to call her if my period doesn't come at day 10. My stomach is continuing to get bigger, I've been trying to hide the bump so no one thinks I'm pregnant and I have to explain " No I'm not pregnant, my body is just wacked out of control", but I cannot hide my stomach anymore, it doesn't matter how baggy my clothes are, my belly is definitely poking out. I truly do not think I'm pregnant so it's not a hysterical pregnancy. What else could be causing this? Has anyone ever had it happen to them? Help please!

[Alex HPS]

Could there be some element of IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) at play? What are your bowel movments like?

Alex

[tiredoffeelinglikeimcrazy]

Bowel movements are normal so no problems there : (. Thank you for your suggestion though, I just wish it was that simple, at least I'd have an answer then.

[tiredoffeelinglikeimcrazy]

I wanted to come back and post what all I have found out and the remedy that has saved my sanity. Last weekend I had no choice but to go to the E.R. because I was hurting so badly. I felt like I had red hot pokers stabbing me in my ovaries and my back was hurting so bad it felt like I was in labor. They did an ultrasound and other than seeing I had a really thick lining, they could not figure out what was causing the pain. I was giving Vicodin and told to call my doctor. I went to my doctor on Tuesday and asked her if I could use this root that my co-worker had given me. Her Hmong sister-in-law gave it to her to help her with really painful periods. It's called dong quai and is supposed to help you shed your uterine lining. My doctor knew I was absolutely desperate for relief so she said go for it. That night, I boiled the root, drank my tea, and for the first time in a long time, I did not cry myself to sleep because of the pain. I drank it all day the next day and by that night, my period had finally started after months of hell. I drank it again yesterday (my third day of it) and I was amazed at the difference in myself. I actually had energy again. I went home and cooked dinner, cleaned my house, played with my children, and cannot describe the relief I felt. The pain and the bloating were gone. Today, I have not drank any tea but I still feel great. I feel like me again. For those of you that have gone through anything similar, please go to your doctor and see if it is safe for you to try the dong quai (I think Angelica is another name for it). You can buy it in root form and make tea or you can get tablets. It saved my sanity!!!!!!!!

[tiredoffeelinglikeimcrazy]

I do want to add this in here, if you think you are pregnant DO NOT USE the dong quai as it can make you miscarry.