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Pain From Ablation Surgery
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rockinmom2 posted:
I will be 48 tomorrow 9/12 and had this surgery done in January of 2012. I have noticed some cramping especially when my doctor put me on progesterone cream. I went off of it thinking that it was just creating period cramps even without the bleeding. I am sitting here now in the office with sharp cramps and pain that came on suddenly. It felt similar to how I did after the surgery, not as bad though. I am sick to my stomach, sweating and I feel dizzy like I'm going to pass out. I went right to a search and found this forum. Is the dizzyness common as well? This pain is rough. Trying to work, but not sure how long I can stay if this does not go away soon. The nausea came on as suddenly as the pain. It's like it all hit me at once.
3 Replies |Watch This Discussion | Report This| Share this:Pain From Ablation SurgeryI will be 48 tomorrow 9/12 and had this surgery done in January of 2012. I have noticed some cramping especially when my doctor put me on progesterone cream. I went off of it thinking that it was just creating period cramps even without the bleeding. I am sitting here now in the office with sharp cramps and pain that came on suddenly. It felt similar to how I did after the surgery, not as bad though. I am sick to my stomach, sweating and I feel dizzy like I'm going to pass out. I went right to a search and found this forum. Is the dizzyness common as well? This pain is rough. Trying to work, but not sure how long I can stay if this does not go away soon. The nausea came on as suddenly as the pain. It's like it all hit me at once.
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Jane Harrison Hohner, RN, RNP responded:
Dear rockinmom: You did absolutely the right thing in going back to the GYN who did your endometrial ablation (EA). There can be other causes for severe abdominal pain, nausea, and dizziness (eg appendicitis, kidney stone , ruptured ovarian cyst, etc.). You need to be checked out for all possible causes.

In terms of EA related pain, physicians from the Mayo Clinic reviewed the outcomes of 816 women who had an EA. Patient characteristics linked to treatment failure were: age younger than 45 years, five or more pregnancies (leads to larger uterine size), prior tubal ligation, and history of bad menstrual cramps. Of note, 5% of their women had complaints of pelvic pain after their EA procedure. Among that 5% of women with persisting pain 40% had retained fluid within the uterus—referred to by the authors as "postablation syndrome." Retained fluid, or even small amounts of menstrual bleeding held up inside due to scar tissue in the cervical canal, can often be seen in a simple office ultrasound.

Hope this is something that can be easily diagnosed and treated.

In Concern,
Jane
Report This| Share this:Pain From Ablation SurgeryDear rockinmom: You did absolutely the right thing in going back to the GYN who did your endometrial ablation (EA). There can be other causes for severe abdominal pain, nausea, and dizziness (eg appendicitis, kidney stone , ruptured ovarian cyst, etc.). You need to be checked out for all possible causes.<br /><br />In terms of EA related pain, physicians from the Mayo Clinic reviewed the outcomes of 816 women who had an EA. Patient characteristics linked to treatment failure were: age younger than 45 years, five or more pregnancies (leads to larger uterine size), prior tubal ligation, and history of bad menstrual cramps. Of note, 5% of their women had complaints of pelvic pain after their EA procedure. Among that 5% of women with persisting pain 40% had retained fluid within the uterus&mdash;referred to by the authors as "postablation syndrome." Retained fluid, or even small amounts of menstrual bleeding held up inside due to scar tissue in the cervical canal, can often be seen in a simple office ultrasound.<br /><br />Hope this is something that can be easily diagnosed and treated.<br /><br />In Concern,<br />Jane
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rockinmom2 replied to Jane Harrison Hohner, RN, RNP's response:
Hi Jane,
Thanks for replying. I did call the doctor, however they told me to take advil and rest. They said that they did not need to see me. I went home and continued to be in pain for the rest of the afternoon and evening. I am now thinking that I did have a ruptured cyst since I spoke with 2 friends who had the same exact symptoms. I did swell to the point of looking 6 months pregnant. I am still somewhat swollen 2 days later. I still get a twinge of pain here and there, but I feel like I am on the mend.
Report This| Share this:Pain From Ablation SurgeryHi Jane, <br />Thanks for replying. I did call the doctor, however they told me to take advil and rest. They said that they did not need to see me. I went home and continued to be in pain for the rest of the afternoon and evening. I am now thinking that I did have a ruptured cyst since I spoke with 2 friends who had the same exact symptoms. I did swell to the point of looking 6 months pregnant. I am still somewhat swollen 2 days later. I still get a twinge of pain here and there, but I feel like I am on the mend.
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Jane Harrison Hohner, RN, RNP replied to rockinmom2's response:
Dear rockinmom: Thanks for taking the time to give us feedback. While I would not wish a ruptured ovarian cyst on anyone, it is better than an EA complication. I have seen patients go to the ER in an ambulance immediately after having a ruptured ovarian cyst. The pain is often of sudden onset and can be very severe with peritoneal signs (same as a ruptured appendix). Fortunately the pain resolves as fluid is reabsorbed--usually that takes 48-72 hours for marked improvement to be seen.

In Gratitude,
Jane
Report This| Share this:Pain From Ablation SurgeryDear rockinmom: Thanks for taking the time to give us feedback. While I would not wish a ruptured ovarian cyst on anyone, it is better than an EA complication. I have seen patients go to the ER in an ambulance immediately after having a ruptured ovarian cyst. The pain is often of sudden onset and can be very severe with peritoneal signs (same as a ruptured appendix). Fortunately the pain resolves as fluid is reabsorbed--usually that takes 48-72 hours for marked improvement to be seen.<br /><br />In Gratitude,<br />Jane
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