I need some expert advice

[morningstar2651]

Here is the situation. My girlfriend has been in pain since last December. In January, she had surgery in January for an ectopic pregnancy and to remove cysts from the other tube. She was feeling better, but she had a really bad burning feeling inside her body. Then, she started feeling really sick, so the doctor went in for a second surgery to remove more cysts in February. However, she was still getting more and more sick. She was throwing up and in excruciating pain. Her doctor told her that it was all in her mind, so she got a second opinion from another OB/Gyn. He tested her blood, and her white cell count was almost at 15. She was hospitalized (again) and put on heavy doses of antibiotics. She started feeling better for about 2 months, so she went back to work in the beginning of July. Then, her skin at her right hip started burning...then the rest of her skin started to burn (felt like a sunburn) and her hands turned red and splotchy. So, she couldn't work anymore. She started to hurt again in the upper pelvic area, so she went to the hospital (again). They finally found her left ovary then (after 4 months).

So, in total, she's seen about 8 doctors (2 think it's all in her mind) and has been getting progressively worse. I've accompanied her to the emergency room a couple of times, and all the doctors seem to be trying to just refer her to someone else. Her last visit to the ER resulted in yet another referral and more painkillers. It cost about $10,000. We can't afford to keep getting referred. Do you have any idea what the problem might be, or any advice?

 

[andyandy]

*note. I have no medical training, nor am i sure that general web forums can be especially productive for such specialised questions*


I imagine that you would need to provide more details with regards to the ectopic pregnancy -

Did it occur within the fallopian tube? Was the drug methotrexate first tried to stop cell division? If it was tubal, was a salpingostomy carried out to remove the pregnancy? Was it necessary to perform a salpingectomy remove the tube due to damage?
Did doctors suspect a ruptured ectopic pregnancy? Was further treatment with methotrexate necessary?

http://www.medic8.com/healthguide/articles/ectopicpreg.html

When you talk about cysts, are these distinct from the ectopic pregnancy?

Corpus-luteum cysts and other masses may be confused with ruptured or unruptured ectopic pregnancy. False positive results can be caused by abnormal tubal fluid or enhancement seen with pelvic inflammatory disease and simple hydrosalpinx, however, these should be correlated with a positive beta-HCG.

http://www.emedicine.com/Radio/topic231.htm

or are they decidual cysts?

Patients with decidual cysts are at high risk for ectopic pregnancy and should be monitored or treated appropriately, depending on the clinical findings.

http://radiology.rsnajnls.org/cgi/content/abstract/189/3/727

Maybe someone with medical training could build on those questions for you (or correct any misunderstandings i might have....)

I hope everything turns out alright for you both

 

[athon]

Is her WBC count still up? What antibiotics was she on? Is she on any other medication? What do you mean by 'they finally found her left ovary then'?

The problem is, there is very little information to go on. Undoubtedly the pressure of the private hospital system in the US is what's causing the most grief, as every test is expensive and weighs into the decision on health (which is bloody insane!). However, there's too little information to be hazarding a guess as to what's happening. Recurrent infections could be caused by a lot of things; indeed, reactions to conflicting medications...even the possibility of remaining foreign material (very rare, but not without note) left after surgery could all cause symptoms like these.

Unfortunately, even those medically trained here cannot help you, other than by offering support and well wishes (which I for one do). Finding a supportive GP who can lead you to a specialist who acknowledges the dilemma is the key here, and it seems in the US that takes a lot of luck before your funding runs out.

All the best.

Athon