Undiagnosed Illness - Ovarian Cancer

Medical History

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

IBS
Irritable bowel syndrome IBS is a syndrome, meaning a group of symptoms. The most common symptoms of IBS are abdominal pain or discomfort often reported as cramping, bloating, gas, diarrhea, and or constipation. IBS affects the colon, or large bowel, which is the part of the digestive tract that stores stool. IBS is not a disease. It�s a functional disorder, meaning that the bowel doesn�t work, or function, correctly.

Endometriosis

Endometriosis Symptoms Endometriosis is a common medical condition characterized by growth beyond or outside the uterus of tissue resembling endometrium, the tissue that normally lines the uterus. In endometriosis, the endometrium (from endo, inside, and metra, womb ) is found to be growing outside the uterus, most commonly in the pelvis.

Costochondritis

Also called Tietze's Syndrome
Costochondritis is a form of inflammation of the cartilage where ribs attach to the breastbone.

Pain caused by Costochondritis may mimic that of a heart attack or other heart condition.

Adenomyosis

Endometriosis of the Uterus
Adenomyosis is the growth of uterine tissue from one particular layer of the uterus (the endometrial glands) into the wrong layer (the muscle layer, called the myometrium). It is a benign condition, but it can enlarge the uterus presenting as a growth.

Neuropathic Pain

Neuralgia
Neuropathic pain is a complex, chronic pain state that usually is accompanied by tissue injury. With neuropathic pain, the nerve fibers themselves may be damaged, dysfunctional or injured. These damaged nerve fibers send incorrect signals to other pain centers. The impact of nerve fiber injury includes a change in nerve function both at the site of injury and areas around the injury. Symptoms may include shooting and burning pain, tingling and numbness or electrical pain.

Sphincter of Oddi Dysfunction

(SOD)
Sphincter of oddi is situated in the upper intestine, or duodenum, at the site where the pancreatic and bile ducts enter. Normally, this sphincter functions as a one-way valve to allow bile and pancreatic secretions to enter the bowel, while preventing the contents of the bowel from backing up into these ducts. Sphincter of oddi

When the sphincter malfunctions, it becomes overly tight and does not allow adequate drainage of the pancreatic and bile ducts. The result is a pressure build-up in the ducts, leading to recurrent episodes of pancreatitis or biliary pain mimicking gallstone disease.

Splenic Flexure Syndrome

Muscle Spasms of the Colon
Splenic flexure syndrome refers to the trapping of gas at the splenic flexure causing distension and bloating. Pain can be felt up under the left ribs. When the pain is really bad, it can enter the left armpit.

Anal Sphincter Dysfunction
Significant Cause of Constipation

Anal Sphincter Dysfunction can result from nerve damage as well as from lacerations of the sphincter. Tears are an important risk factor for long-term anal sphincter dysfunction.

Pelvic Floor Dysfunction
Predominantly Affecting Females

Pelvic floor dysfunction, or obstructed defecation, results when the external anal sphincter and/or puborectalis muscles do not relax appropriately when defecation is initiated. People with pelvic floor dysfunction strain excessively in a feeble attempt to eliminate stool from the rectum.

Mystery Diagnosis

Living With an Undiagnosed Illness Ovarian Cancer Scare

I had all signs of Ovarian Cancer

Not something I wanted to hear, but I wasn't upset by being told this either, more angry then anything. After the first few Doctors, the Gastroenterologist then emergency visits, I just wanted a diagnosis, a name for my illness (don't ask me why but I needed a name at the time) and to this day I still believe and physically feel, deep down, it's something simple the Doctors are missing, or it's a completely new medical condition.

Back to the Original Doctor

My boss obtained the details of a Gynecologist in Sydney from her own GP, so I went back to my original Doctor (the first one to see me about this illness) and asked her to give me a referral to the Gynecologist in Sydney.

Long Wait To See Gynecologist

The wait to see this Gynecologist was long, I think I waited roughly 4 months for my appointment.

In the meanwhile I made more appointments with other local Doctors to see if I could obtain different opinions. I tried hard to wait out the Gynecologist appointment, but the pain was so awful.

Back To Emergency In the space of those 4 months I went back to emergency 2 times, at every one of those emergency visits, not one Doctor could help, all saying I must follow this up with my own Doctors/Specialists.

The Other Doctors

One doctor in particular told me I was just PLAN FAT and to lose weight. I was 80kg and I'm 5 7 ft,(roughly 5 kgs overweight) (although I would have liked to lose some weight around the mid section no amount of eating correctly or exercising would remove that stomach growth), and I found it so painful to do general activities, lawn mowing, gardening, walking the dogs, etc, movement made the pain worse. This Doctor also sent me for an ultrasound just to be sure my ovaries were all ok, and again everything came back normal.

Local Gynecologist

I asked my original Doctor to refer me to a local Gynecologist while waiting for the appointment with the Gynecologist in Sydney. She told me there was nothing wrong with me, absolutely NOTHING, go away and make babies she said, get your mind concentrated on something else and your pain will go away. All in my head she said... arrggggggg.

I was so cranky ....................

Screaming at her came to mind, but I didn't need the added stress of arguments with Doctors.

About three weeks later, one of my co-workers whom I had told about this Gynecologist, served a customer who had also just been to see her and was also informed her pain was all in her head . This same lady came back into work 2 months after (she found another gynecologist) who picked up she had severe ovarian problems, and had to have one of them surgically removed. So much for All in Your Head.

Undiagnosed Illness Continues

So many people said I should have lodged a complaint to the medical board about the local Gynecologist for the way she treated me, but alot of doctors do that, they are rather arrogant and think you're wasting their precious time. If I had of known then what I do now I should have put a complaint in, but I had no energy to fight this, all my energies were focused on getting rid of this pain and receiving a correct diagnosis.

Everyone was upset and angry about my ex boss's Doctor saying I had all signs of Ovarian Cancer, I was somewhat angry for him saying that without examining me. It's not something a Doctor would say to someone over the phone to a non patient, but it got me the name of a highly sort after Gynecologist in Sydney and I had full expectations of being cured.

The Story Continues ....... If you would like to continue reading: Gynecologist in Sydney

Medical Procedures

Colonic Transit Study

CT Scan /Abdominal / Pelvis

MRI / Chest / Spine

X-Ray Lungs

Colonoscopy

Gastroscopy

Sigmoidscopy

Bone Scan

Hida Scan

Barium Meal

Laparoscopy x 3

Abdominal Ultrasound

Pelvic Ultrasound

Abdominal Wall Ultrasound

Infrared Imaging

Cholecystectomy

Intravenous Pyelogram (IVP)

This website is therapeutic.. A place for me to vent and express my feelings. When problems bother you in real life your always advised to talk about it but with an undiagnosed illness your often told just live with it and carry on with your life. Easier said then done.

Undiagnosed Forum

Thank you to all members of the forum for your continued support, encouragement and guidance.

Mystery Diagnosis

Just over 5 years now and Im still undiagnosed. I'm extremely exhausted.