Cyst pain increasing out of nowhere
Options
lazieats
Posts: 185 Member
Hello,
Backstory: I've had PCOS since I was a teen and diagnosed when I was mid twenties (I'm 37 next month). I have no thyroid and take synthroid for it and I am on birth control pills. I've been trying to lose weight for about ten years now (I had success and got to my goal weight, then my thyroid blew out and I gained back 2/3 and that hasn't budged in two years). I've never been pregnant nor have I ever wanted to; I adopted. So other than the hair, the cyst pains, and extended periods (oh, and diabetes stalking me), I've not bothered much with my PCOS because I've always been distracted by other, more pressing, health issues. Doctors are never concerned since there is no pregnancy talk.
Birth control pills have always worked. I've had intermittent insurance in the past, so my body would go out of whack when I didn't have any of my hormones and my cyst pains would get intense. But as soon as I was back on the pill everything would go back to normal, my periods were a breeze and I would only feel a twinge of a cyst. I've been regularly taking my birth control pills for over a year, but the last two periods have been accompanied by ever-increasing cyst pain. This time my right side is going off, which hasn't hurt in I don't know how long. The periods themselves, though, show no difference in duration, heaviness, or increased cramping pain.
What could be going on? I recently had lab work done and I am trying to get my doctor to see that my thyroid stimulating hormone is over double what it should be for a post-cancer patient, so I'm dealing with that. I've got the high cholesterol, as well. But these have been going on for a while. What could have triggered the cysts to intensify? Could I need a higher dose of estrogen? Do we get used to the pill and have to increase the dose? Is this just something that occurs as we get older? Could an increase in caffeine consumption trigger it? (I recently got my first coffee machine) I was woken at 6am this morning in agony, as if someone had stabbed me with a dang spear. It took prescription strength ibuprofen and a Tramadol pill to get it to just a backache I could handle. I am really not down with that.
Ladies, I sincerely thank you for any pointing in the right direction. I am currently doing research on hypothyroidism and have books on PCOS being held for me at the library. I promise to pay it forward when I can.
Backstory: I've had PCOS since I was a teen and diagnosed when I was mid twenties (I'm 37 next month). I have no thyroid and take synthroid for it and I am on birth control pills. I've been trying to lose weight for about ten years now (I had success and got to my goal weight, then my thyroid blew out and I gained back 2/3 and that hasn't budged in two years). I've never been pregnant nor have I ever wanted to; I adopted. So other than the hair, the cyst pains, and extended periods (oh, and diabetes stalking me), I've not bothered much with my PCOS because I've always been distracted by other, more pressing, health issues. Doctors are never concerned since there is no pregnancy talk.
Birth control pills have always worked. I've had intermittent insurance in the past, so my body would go out of whack when I didn't have any of my hormones and my cyst pains would get intense. But as soon as I was back on the pill everything would go back to normal, my periods were a breeze and I would only feel a twinge of a cyst. I've been regularly taking my birth control pills for over a year, but the last two periods have been accompanied by ever-increasing cyst pain. This time my right side is going off, which hasn't hurt in I don't know how long. The periods themselves, though, show no difference in duration, heaviness, or increased cramping pain.
What could be going on? I recently had lab work done and I am trying to get my doctor to see that my thyroid stimulating hormone is over double what it should be for a post-cancer patient, so I'm dealing with that. I've got the high cholesterol, as well. But these have been going on for a while. What could have triggered the cysts to intensify? Could I need a higher dose of estrogen? Do we get used to the pill and have to increase the dose? Is this just something that occurs as we get older? Could an increase in caffeine consumption trigger it? (I recently got my first coffee machine) I was woken at 6am this morning in agony, as if someone had stabbed me with a dang spear. It took prescription strength ibuprofen and a Tramadol pill to get it to just a backache I could handle. I am really not down with that.
Ladies, I sincerely thank you for any pointing in the right direction. I am currently doing research on hypothyroidism and have books on PCOS being held for me at the library. I promise to pay it forward when I can.
0
Replies
-
Firstly, you might need to consider switching back to a dual thyroid medication. Synthroid only does one (I can't remember if it is T3 or T4), but Armour and other naturally dessicated thyroid meds do both, but you have to adjust to find your zone. I strongly recommend considering this since you don't have a thyroid at all. The body is very inefficient at converting sometimes! www.stopthethyroidmadness.com for more info.
That being said, I had a spike in my cyst activity around the same age (I think I was 35), but I was probably about at my heaviest all time weight, and had almost no speakable activity, and all that. I would get the rupturing cysts so bad that it would cause near blacking out levels of pain. Then, my daughter started her hormonal cycles (she was 11-12) in full swing - and the strength of her hormones RESET my imbalances. So rather than play guesswork, I would have a full hormonal panel worked up, and I would focus on getting those hormones in balance. From previous discussions here, I've been told that Inositol and/or Vitex can do this naturally. Whatever imbalance you currently have (probably from age changes alone, if not weight related, which I didn't see note of)...
If your doctor will not help with your bloodwork, you need an endocrinologist - or a NEW ENDOCRINOLOGIST.... Having to explain your bloodwork TO your doctor should not be necessary...
Caffeine can be a contributing factor, but I haven't done much research since most of my PCOS symptoms are currently managed by my modified eating plan, per my endo...0 -
Thank you, KnitOrMiss. I do need to see an endo. I'll be asking for a referral from my gp as soon as I see her. I was going to ask about whether I could try out cytomel as a secondary med for the thyroid. (I'm an herbivore, so I can't do the desiccated thyroid.) My own 12 year old daughter just started her cycles this year but I didn't notice any changes in my own. However, I'd been on the pill for a long time before that so the meds have full control of that now.
I'll get an endo and see about getting more blood work done. Thank you, again!0 -
Since you can't do the desiccated, be sure you look into more supplements that will help with supporting the T factor synthroid doesn't support. I know that I had my lab work respond positively to medication, but it wasn't until I added a supplement that I actually started having symptom relief, which cascaded into improving other things, too.0
