Lump In My Lower Left Abdomen

[EliStarr*]

I'm 19, 5 ft 8 and I weigh about 7 stone 7.

Okay before I moved up to Yorkshire in September 2010 I lived in Essex, about a month before I moved I had a period, now my periods had never been painful before but on this particular day they were excruciatingly painful! I felt this sudden urge to want to go to the toilet and empty my bladder/bowel and I felt really faint and weak, my vision was like strobe lighting, I had really bad aching in my back, hips and thighs and I had really bad cold sweats. My mum gave me 2 paracetomal and my hot water bottle and put me in bed and eventually after like 10/15 minutes it eased off. A month later when I moved up to Yorkshire I was obviously due another period, the day of my period came around and I had the exact same new symptoms happen again! Unfortunately I was out with my partner and his parents so myself and my partner had to rush to superdrug and buy some painkillers. My partner gave me 2 paracetomal and 4 ibuprofen and eventually after going to the toilet and walking it off it eased off (again probably 15 mins).

Later that day when we got home my partner tucked me up in bed with my hot water bottle, I was feeling around my tummy with my fingers because it was all tender and swollen from my period but then in my lower left abdomen just above my pelvis I could feel a lump. This lump has been here now ever since and I have no idea what it could be, the lump differs in size and feel, sometimes it's no bigger than a golf ball, other times when my tummy is swollen (due to a period or also because I suffer from constipation) it can go from pelvis all the way up to my lower left rib! The lump also never moves or dissappears.

When I first discovered this lump I immediately showed my partner and he said that it wasn't normal and so he booked me in to see our GP, my GP had a good feel around and was absolutely baffled by what it could be, he initially put it down to my pelvis and leg ligaments and arteries and said because I was so slim it could possibly be something like that which I can feel, he recommended that I have an ultrsound done and so referred me to the hospital. I had the ultrasound and there I was told nothing of any danger or abnormality could be spotted.

Again I went to my GP to tell him this and mentioned about how I've always suffered from constipation and how I first noticed the lump after having a really painful period, my GP then gave me a prescription for some Movical to help with the constipation and then he gave me anoter prescription for the pill - Microgynon 30 to start a fresh period cycle in the hopes it would lessen the pain. I tried both for a month but saw no improvements with my pain, the lump or periods. And so I went back a 3rd time. I did a blood test which came back as okay aside from a couple of deficiancies i.e. Stomach, intestine bacteria and also pancreas and slightly below average white blood cell count...

Due to that I have been referred to go see a gastroentologist specialist.
I have all sorts of symptoms going on:
I first noticed this lump after the two painful periods
My periods have been this bad ever since with the cold sweats, need to toilet, strobe vision, really bad aching in my lower back, hips and thighs etc (I have 2 paracetamols and 4 ibuprofen plus my hot water bottle – If it’s really bad I’ll have a tylex but I try to avoid that because more than 1 makes me physically sick)
I suffer from constipation
Sometimes I'll get a random twinge over the lump
My lower right abdomen has start to hurt from time to time now also and when I touch it it feels blown up and swollen, when I press it also sometimes it gurgles
And also around my tummy area just centered below my ribs I get a really sharp pain/dull ache when I eat (mainly dairy products/If I eat when I'm over hungry) and I can feel this pain all the way through to my back.
I suffer from bad backaches also which doesnt help my painful periods much.

My partner thought it could have been a hernia or something but the GP ruled that out for us, I think the lump is either connected to my periods because it becomes really long, hard and swollen and hurts or if not then maybe IBS or something, other than that I'm completely baffled, as if my partner and our GP!


Any takers on this one please?!

[PinkRoxy]

Honey (((hug)))
I am sorry with what you are going through in a way I do know what you are going through.

Im not sure if this is possible but maybe the lump could be a lymph node that swells up and reacts to your periods I dont know for sure though if you can get lymph nodes in that area though as I have one on my neck which swells up when I feel unwell and goes back down when I feel alright.

But since your ultrasound came back normal maybe you could have some endometriosis tissue growing in your bladder or even your bowels.

Irritable bowel syndrome and endometriosis has alot of similar symptoms and IBS is usually when everything else is ruled out. IBS can be very bad around period times.

I do hope you get an answer soon and find out what it actually is. In the meantime I recommend taking ponstan capsules just BEFORE your periods start and take them three times a day along with panadol, that is what I do and have noticed a difference. If its still quite bad there is always the option of skipping your periods on the pill so you dont have to face them.

Good luck honey and I hope you do find out what is going on and feel better soon.

[EliStarr*]

Thank you so much for yor reply, i'll mention the nodes to my GP when I next see him, I'm going to google them now, ahh the power of google! They're really good suggestions, I was checked for the endometriosis and got an all clear with that, really annoying, it's like it's just nothin but it can't be because it causes me problems.

Thank you x