I can't believe as I'm writing this it's been over 6 months since I was basically forced to go on the mini pill for my chronic pain/suspected endometriosis. Like where has that time gone? Anyway I wrote this post all about my experience so far which I think I wrote after being on it for around 3 months. However there's been some weird things going on since then that I just wanted to talk about as I know some people have been following blog for my (suspected) endometriosis journey and any posts I write about it. Also when I say suspected I mean pretty certain btw. It's the doctors who are "blind" to the fact that I have the majority of the symptoms and have done for years. I honestly think my chronic pain kicked off last year because the endometriosis has gotten worse over the years without being detected and now it's built up inside of me and it's just inflamed and angry all of the time. The only problem is now is that any doctor I see is basically playing god with my body when things could be seriously messed up inside of me, to the point that I might not be able to have kids if I want them in the future, which I'm pretty sure I do. Also because I'm plus size, I constantly get fat shamed during every doctor/hospital visit too.
Anyway I've had some weird things going on since my last blog post about going on Cerazette and I just thought I'd basically brain dump everything here for both myself to look back on and also anyone else who is having the same or similar symptoms (whether you have endo or not).
First up is cramps... I've been getting monthly cramps minus a period which is super annoying. My actual chronic pelvic pain still isn't as bad as it was when I wasn't on the pill which again, is another obvious symptom that the doctors should pick up on. The pill is helping my pelvic pain which pretty much says my pain is gynaecological related and not just sudden onset "chronic pain". I've also had scans and blood tests in the past year which have ruled out any other concerns including fibroids, PCOS and anything more sinister. So it means everything is pointing to endometriosis again. For the cramps I've been getting I've been using a mixture of either CBD products, BeYou Patches and strong paracetamol (I can't take NSAIDS so yep, fun for me).
I also got a period. Yep and guess when it arrived? On Friday the 13th and also during a full moon. That is some witchcrafty, powerful shit, right? I was just like oh my god and then I shouted downstairs to my mum to tell her hahaha. I literally felt like I was getting my very first period all over again. I've definitely been taking white bedding for granted over the past 6 months. The period itself in terms of the flow wasn't too bad, it was light-moderate and nowhere near as heavy as my usual periods and I didn't really get any clots like I would normally (sorry tmi but just being real). I just whacked my trusty ModiBodi on and I was fine. It was the pain that was the issue, it wasn't as bad as they usually are during my "natural period" but it was still up there on the pain scale and it was setting off my pelvic pain even more than usual. So yeah, it's safe to say it was not a good 5 days. I just hope I only get one every 6 months or so because I can just about handle that.
Something else which is really weird and I don't know if it's just me finally growing up and realising that "my type" always end up turning out to be arseholes or if it's the pill affecting me but my "taste" in men has changed a lot. Which I've got to admit is very weird because my type has been very samey for years and then all of a sudden it's changed a lot and it kind of coincides with when I started on the mini pill. So I do think it's pill related in some sense because of the hormonal changes. I've also read articles about it prior to going on the pill about people being in long-term relationships or even married and then not being attracted to their other half all of a sudden after going on the pill or changing pills. It's all a bit weird and scary really, isn't it?
I've also noticed that some days (usually in the middle of my pack) I'll get really intense cravings for the most random foods, usually things I can't eat because they set my pain off too. So yeah, ngl that's annoying.
Overall I do think the mini pill I'm on (Cerazette) helps with my daily pelvic pain and it's obviously a plus that it's almost stopped my periods too. I still have pain every single day with my pelvic pain and that general area really but it's not as intense as it was. I think if the pain sprung on an "normal" person who doesn't have pain day-to-day, they'd probably go to A&E or at least to the doctors but because I'm used to the day-to-day pain, it doesn't affect me that much. Also I know it can be a heck of a lot worse to the point I can't walk, bend down or stand up straight because of the crippling pain.
I don't have really bad flare ups of pain every single day like I was last year when it really started to kick off but I would say I get at least a few per week. The pain I get still drastically affects my day-to-day life and I can't do things that I used to before I got ill and even on my lesser pain days I have the constant fear of flaring so if the fear takes over I tend to back out of any sort of loose plans I make.
I do want to continue to take the mini pill and I've got such bad anxiety about my upcoming doctors later this month because I'm so worried my doctor will try and randomly take me off it because if she does then I don't think I can cope with the pain I was having every single day last year.
I hope for your sake that you get to stay on the mini pill if your symptoms have slightly improved on it! It's horrific you have to go through this day to day x
ReplyDeleteHello! I just found your blog by chance when Google about cerazette side effects, this was a long time ago, but may I ask if your symptoms get better?
ReplyDeleteAnd your skin came back to normal?
I’m on yaz but I have high blood pressure and strong headaches so my doctor change me to cerazatte. I’m really afraid of the skin effects because I already have one or two pimples happening 😅
Thank you for the article, and I’m sorry if my English is not the best, I’m portuguese 😁
Hey. I got switched from the combined pill to the mini pill so I understand where you’re coming from! I’m still struggling with my chronic pelvic pain/suspected endo. I’ve kind of given up on getting properly diagnosed for now as it’s just so tiring when you keep getting fobbed off. They like to use being overweight as an excuse for pain or the reason not to offer certain meds or the laparoscopy. I’ve had a few other things ruled out since I wrote the blog post and my dr now seems to believe it is endo too so I feel like at least I have one dr in my corner. I’m still on cerazette and it definitely helps the symptoms but I still have some sort of pain daily but I just kind of know how to ‘treat’ the pain I’m dealing with each day and how I can respond in terms of meds, CBD, tens machine, heat pad, rest etc. Overall my pain is better being on the pill than not being on the pill. I also very rarely get periods or any sort of bleed which is a huge plus and I have what I call phantom periods when I get cramps, get a bit moody and have cravings but it’s not every single month. In terms of my skin, it’s still quite spot-prone but I just make sure I use products that contain salicylic acid, glycolic acid and/or Niacinamide :) I’d say give it a chance and see how you get on. You can always switch to a different type of pill x
DeleteThank you so much for responding me.
ReplyDeleteIt’s really helpful to hear other women’s experiences :)
I already started the pill and so far so good, the only thing that is bothering me ate this point is the period that seems not to end…But I’m on my second week so I think it may be normal.
I hope you can find what’s causing you those symptoms and get better of your pain. xx
So glad I came across your endo blog posts! I have suspected endo too, and like you have basically given up with doctors listening :/. They also wouldn't listen to me until I tried contraception so I went on the mini pill which made everything worse. Then went on the combined pill but got a migraine so was forced to come off it. Then my doctor told me to go back on the mini pill even tho it gave me periods more often at the same awful pain level. When I told her this, she said to take 2 mini pills a day for 3 months which thankfully has made them come every 2 months but they are so painful still and have constant pain throughout the month. Not sure if that is better than getting it once a month or not...
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry to hear you're having a rough time with the mini pill. Have you tried different types of mini pills as some work differently to others? The combined pill helped me a bit but I was taken off it due to my weight. I was then put on Cerazette which I'm still on now which does work better for me, however I don't think it's working as well as it used to but I'm scared to switch to something different. I still have pain and discomfort daily but the levels kind of vary. I would ask for a different doctor if I was you and demand a referral to a gyno, especially if it's been going on for a while. Thankfully my Dr now thinks that I probably do have endo since I've had other things ruled out and the fact the pill helps a bit. But it's when I get referred and have other tests, they come back clear or other unrelated things flag up and then I have to have further investigations about the things that have flagged, it's so draining. I've also gained quite a bit of weight over the past couple of years due to lockdown and I've been dealing with grief so I know I'll just get fobbed off if I get referred to another gyno. They'll either blame everything on my weight or tell me they can't perform a laparoscopy due to my weight. The same old story. I am trying to lose some weight but it's hard when you have chronic pain. Also for pain relief I still recommend CBD balm and/or oil, BeYou patches and maybe look into getting a tens machine if you haven't already got one xx
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