Period pains and adhesions

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1

Hi, I am two weeks since having surgery to remove my ectopic pregnancy and right Fallopian tube.

My incisions seem to be healing (with one taking longer than the others) and the soreness around my abdomen is easing. However I’m getting cramping/stabbing pains in my left hand side where my ovary/tube is. It’s like a period cramp - stabbing and painful- but lasts for quite a few minutes and in this respect is a lot like the pain I had when going through the ectopic pregnancy (which is scaring me as I keep having irrational worries that they’ve not taken it all out or got the wrong side!).

Has anyone else had this type of pain / may know what it is?

The articles ive read about EP mention adhesions. What does this mean and what affect do they have? Is it something serious? Do they cause pain and will they affect my chances of becoming pregnancy?

Unfortunately the doctors didn’t tell me anything about this at the hospital so all in the dark! Any info would be much appreciated.

Thanks.

2

Hi Jjj,

Firstly so sorry for your loss x

I had my second ectopic/ tube removal 4 weeks ago and I also kept getting pains like you.

This week they were so bad, I ended up being sent to A&E by the walk In clinic!

They couldn’t find any signs of anything wrong in my bloods or urine so sent me away with painkillers and a referral for a scan.

Yesterday the pain was so bad again and I was just a mess worried and cring and fed up so I called my GP.

She told me to come in and she had a good feel of my tummy and she said she thinks I’m full of poo!

Super embarrassing but I suspect she is right so I’m taking mild laxatives now and hoping for the best!

Basically, I’m just saying try not to think the worst because that’s what I was doing and it really was stressing me out.

Call your gp so you can rule out any infections etc and take it from there.

Some people just take longer to heal and remember you’ve had an operation no matter how neat and tidy it looks on the outside, someone has gone inside and moved things around and disturbed everything in there!

Adhesions can occur but there’s not much that can be done about them, they either heal them self or some people have surgery but that increases the risk of more, my surgeon said my bowel and ovary were stuck to my abdomen wall but I had never had any pains to indicate that!

Sending big hugs and hope you feel better soon!

Sarah x

3

Dear Jjj,

I am so sorry to hear of your ectopic pregnancy and loss,

Many women experience pain and discomfort following surgery, and experiencing some pain after an ectopic pregnancy is normal as your body has been through a great deal over the last few months. The pain may be due to adhesions (scar tissue that binds two parts of the body together) which form and take some time to settle, how long varies for every woman, sorry I cannot be more specific on time frames. Your body may be preparing to ovulate and many women experience ovulation pain when they did not before their ectopic pregnancy. You also may have a heightened perception because of the sad loss that you have had to go through. If you find you experience offensive smelling discharge or an increased temperature of more than 37°C or just want to be checked out to be on the safe side, it would be worth asking your doctors to run tests to check for infection.

If the pain persists, I suggest keeping a pain diary noting when the pain appears, the intensity on a scale of 0-10 and anything that helps the pain eg resting, hot water bottle, paracetamol etc. Visiting your doctors with this information helps them to assess how best to manage your symptoms.

Experiencing an ectopic pregnancy is a huge ordeal and you are in the early stages of recovery. Your body needs time to heal from your surgery which is in itself a gruelling task. You have also had to process the loss of your baby and been through an immense rollercoaster of emotions - all of this will take time to come to terms with.

In general we advise that you should take it very easily for about six weeks after surgery. Your body will be using its energies to heal internally. It is normal to feel physically and emotionally exhausted during this time and please do be kind to yourself. Recovery can take time and some days will be better than others, one day you maybe ok and the next you maybe in discomfort or more emotional. This is perfectly usual and the healing process will go back and forth in this way for how ever long you need. It is important to listen to your body’s signals and pain and feeling tired are your body’s signs to tell you to rest. We suggest keeping a healthy balanced diet, drinking lots of water and resting. Once your wounds have healed, very gentle exercise such as a short walk can help, but please do take this slowly.

Sending much love,

Karen x

If we have been able to help you, are you able to help us with a small donation or by volunteering?

Further information is available at www.ectopic.org.uk

Email us at ept@ectopic.org.uk.

Our helpline is 020 7733 2653 (available Monday to Friday 10am - 4pm).

Detailed medical information can be found on our website. Please remember online medical information is NO SUBSTITUTE for expert medical advice from your own health care team.

4

Hiya, I’m 6 months post op (laparoscopy and tube removal) and for the last 3 months I’ve been in intense pain in my tubeless side, it feels like someone’s stabbing me in the side and hurts from under my rib right down to my ovary. I think it’s a mixture of adhesions/ovulation pain which I can now definitely feel when I ovulate.

I also get seriously bad back pain on the same side.

I’ve had test after test including scans, bloods, urine, stool tests etc. nothing can be found and doctors have put it down to IBS and or adhesions. So I’m being referred back to a different hospital for a second opinion. It’s so rubbish not knowing what is going on with your body when you know something is wrong. Xx

5

Hi! I’m 3months post op ep, my surgeon did lap salpingostomy. I thought I’m fine but after 2 months, I’m feeling this twinges,stabbingand burning sensation on my left tube where my baby was. It radiates to my right lower back opposite of the tube. Already did tests like tvs and urinalysis, it showed normal results. My ob said probaby it is a muscle or joint pain and suggested to take pain relievers. But the pain

never go away. Im getting paranoid. Please help.

6

Hi! I’m 3months post op ep, my surgeon did lap salpingostomy. I thought I’m fine but after 2 months, I’m feeling this twinges,stabbingand burning sensation on my left tube where my baby was. It radiates to my right lower back opposite of the tube. Already did tests like tvs and urinalysis, it showed normal results. My ob said probaby it is a muscle or joint pain and suggested to take pain relievers. But the pain

never go away. Im getting paranoid. Please help.

7

Dear Mhyee0820,

I am so sorry to hear of your ectopic pregnancy and loss and continued pain.

Experiencing some pain after an ectopic pregnancy is normal as your body has been through a great deal over the last few months. The pain may be due to adhesions (scar tissue that binds two parts of the body together) which form and take some time to settle. Your body may be preparing to ovulate and many women experience ovulation pain when they did not before their ectopic pregnancy - including myself. You also may have a heightened perception because of the sad loss that you have had to go through. If you find you experience offensive smelling discharge or an increased temperature of more than 37°C or just want to be checked out to be on the safe side, it would be worth asking your doctors to run tests to check for infection.

If the pain persists, I suggest keeping a pain diary noting when the pain appears, the intensity on a scale of 0-10 and anything that helps the pain eg resting, hot water bottle, paracetamol etc. Visiting your doctors with this information helps them to assess how best to manage your symptoms.

Sending much love,

Karen x

If we have been able to help you, are you able to help us with a small donation or by volunteering?

Further information is available at www.ectopic.org.uk

Email us at ept@ectopic.org.uk.

Our helpline is 020 7733 2653 (available Monday to Friday 10am - 4pm).

Detailed medical information can be found on our website. Please remember online medical information is NO SUBSTITUTE for expert medical advice from your own health care team.