Is there anything I can do to ease the discomfort and pain from endometriosis?

A heating pad, strong basil tea, plenty of water, ibuprofen or something stronger if you can get a prescription. Good luck.

Birth control pills.

I’ve had endometriosis for years and years. I’ve found that the best thing I can do is eat right and exercise, especially cardiovascular fitness.

I have a compounding problem in that the cysts that form every month do not resolve with me. I end up with masses the size of a large orange that can cause enormous amounts of pain.

600 mg Ibuprofen taken with a glass of water and a little food. Didn’t the doctor suggest the same? Ibuprofen is usually magical. However, before you pop the pills…is it like this every month? What time of the month is your pain the worst? Any chance you are pregnant? Are you bleedng unusually or not cycling at all? If it is time for your period are you cramping in the center (uteris area) also, like a typical period, unless you don’t get cramps in the middle usually.

One side pain can mean a lot of things, some dangerous. It can mean endometrosis, but I have a lot of other ideas in my head like luteal cyst, cyst from PCOS, cyst from another cause, ectopic pregnancy, fibroids in a bad spot, or colon. Is it your left side? Endo is not scene on ultrasound, did the tech snap a lot of pictures? I don’t really think of endometriosis as in beginning, medium or late stages. Either the tissue is in odd places adding discomfort or it isn’t.

If it truly is endometriosis or bads period cramps I still say ibuprofen and seriously recommend you don’t try to just deal with the pain. But, if you were told to wait it out, meaning don’t medicate, then I strongly suspect your doctor does not think it is endometriosis. If it is very bad, you can ask to take at least tylenol while you wait for results.

Do not take aspirin whatever you do.

I am not a doctor, but I am very serious about not taking aspirin, and also recommend no alcohol.

Aleve (perscription-strength Aleve is what’s usually prescribed for endometriosis, not ibprofen or Tylenol). Hot packs/water bottles (!!!!!!!!!!). Basically the same stuff you do for period cramps.

Aleve is good too, I agree. I personally prefer ibuprofen, but many people prefer Aleve. But, we still need to know what it is. The doctor has to rule other stuff out, that is why he did the ultrasound.

And, I just noticed you said right lower side, I did not catch that initially. If suddenly your pain dissappears after being five alarm fire severe that can be an emergency. Serious, can be fatal emergency. Did the doctor press on your abdomen? Did the pain get worse as he released his hand? Is it definitely cycle related? It happens every month?

@JLeslie I have been dealing with pain and discomfort since I was 15 and it just keeps getting worse and worse each month. The pain is definitely the worst before and during my period. But now in the last 2 months I have had pain and discomfort almost constant. My mother had endometriosis when she was 19 and I am 20, so its definitely possible. I do agree that if its not endometriosis, its got to be some sort of cyst. I know its not nothing.

@JLeslie Yes, it is mainly my right side, but sometimes on the left aswell. When my doctor did the pelvic exam it wasn’t excruciating, but definitely very sensitive mainly around the area of the pelvic bone,lower back and ovaries.

@jesslc323 If it is cyclical then I agree probably endo or a cyst. Does the pain alternate every month? Right side this month, and then, left side or skip a month, and then bad again the month after on the right? Usually we ovulate on aternating sides every other month. That might indicate a cyst problem, but honestly if it is before and during your period I think endo probably is at least part of it. Do you get any relief after a bowel movement? The endo can be on your colon and cause adhesions and right before and during your period it can really aggravate your lower digestive tract. Being careful to eat healthy during that time can help in that case.

I’m pretty sure I have it too (undiagnosed). The reason I’m not entirely sure is because I’m not diagnosed. I am not diagnosed because most doctors just say that “period pain is normal” and “you’re a woman, that’s what you have to deal with so get over it.”. I’ve had an ultrasound and it looked normal. Unfortunately my family doctor retired so I have to deal with walk-in clinic doctors now. But I still maintain contact with my retired doctor via e-mail. It’s a good thing I have a bit of an advocate on my side. What I’m trying to say is not to treat your ultrasound like the answer. The only way to find out if you have endometriosis is to have a surgery, through your belly button, where they stick a camera in and look.

Aside from that, for the pain I take two extra strength Ibuprofen (200 mg each) to dull the pain, but I also have a prescription for mefanamic acid. I used it when I lived in England and perscriptions were cheap but since moving back to North America I usually just do with Ibuprofen (the mefanamic acid here is brand-name and I don’t know why but it doesn’t work the same as the generic stuff).

In high school, my teachers tried everything. They tried teaching me yoga, they encouraged me to bring a hot water bottle, they let me rest in the nurse’s room. But nothing worked. I had to go home from school, or not come in in the morning at all. Nothing worked for me. I am now on a waiting list to see a (second) specialist about it. We’ll see, I guess – but in the mean time, I use Ibuprofen. The reason I choose ibuprofen over other pain killers is because it’s a blood thinner.

Ibuprofen for the win!