I know other people have said that the SECOND cycle of clomid (and tamoxifen, right?) was the bad one. I'm going to guess that's because it takes two cycles to change ALL your hormone levels. I've now been in abdominal pain for eight days. At least it changes up the kind of pain. If I eat anything larger than a cookie, for example, my stomach swells up huge and I have to lie down for a while. This morning (another new variety) I woke up with menstrual cramps. It's CD EIGHT and I'm not even spotting any more. My menstrual bloating hasn't gone down at all even though that's long overdue, and that's adding to the discomfort. (Sew, is this what you mean by "endo belly"?)
This whole business is exhausting. It's a long weekend and we have company - in how many social situations can you sneak away to lie down every hour or two? And while it could go away any time, I know I could be in for twenty more straight days of this.
Oddly, my thought process is, "Endo is supposed to mean daily pain. I've never been a normal endo sufferer, but I couldn't dodge this bullet forever" - and NOT "Normal women do not have endometrial adhesions in their abdomens and they are not in constant pain." At some point, I threw in my lot mentally with the chronically ill - that's who I am now.
Anyway, all this gives me a couple of big questions and I hope some other endo gal(s) can help. First question: is there anything I can do for the pain? Pain relievers don't seem to help - is there one that works better? Would a heating pad help? I don't feel like exercising, but would that help? Is there some food I should avoid? I'm thinking about consuming only juice and crackers - I still have a normal appetite, but eating dinner has gone badly.
My other question is more long-term. Is this worth doing for a third cycle (or more?). If I don't, surgery is next, but Dr. L already said she doesn't think the tamoxifen will work without surgery. I can deal with the pain if there's a good reason, but nobody really believes I will get pregnant. In that case, is it worth it to deal with the side effects? I don't even know whether my insurance will pay for this surgery (they should, all this stuff really needs to come out). I was planning to deal with all this later, but I guess I need to think about it now.
You know what, though, in other news, it's been an awesome weekend so far, and it's just getting started. Happy 4th everybody!
