Many people don’t realize that chronic pain can have many causes. Most of us know someone who is in pain because of a back injury, an old sports injury, or a car accident – but there are many illnesses and disorders that cause chronic pain too. I’ll be building up a resource of them for you, and here are the first 5 on the list. Hopefully, this will help bring some issues up for discussion.

Diabetes

Are you surprised to see diabetes on the list? Many people are. One of the complications of diabetes is diabetic neuropathy.

Endometriosis

Statistics in the United States vary, saying that between 5 and 20% of women of child-bearing age have some form of endometriosis.

Vulvodynia and vulvar vestibulitis

These are little known but very painful and life-affecting. Learn about vulvodynia and vulvar vestibulitis.

Multiple Sclerosis

This disease is characterized by weakness and people losing the ability to do things, but it can also be very painful. You can read about how this happens here: Multiple sclerosis.

Shingles

Shingles (herpes zoster) is a painful virus that lasts a few weeks in most people. It can leave behind a life-time of pain and discomfort in up to 20% of those who have shingles. These people develop postherpetic neuralgia.

I’ll be adding more disorders and diseases that cause chronic pain – as always, suggestions are always welcome!

Post from: Blisstree

5 illnesses you may not have thought cause chronic pain

Endometriosis is a painful condition caused by tissue similar to the endometrium, or uterus lining, that is found outside of the uterus, such as along the pelvic wall, on the bowel, appendix, ovaries. This tissue can cause scar tissue and adhesions.

What are the symptoms?

Many women with endometriosis go undiagnosed for a long time. Because the pain can be associated with the menstrual cycle, they may think it is related. However, the pain can be so severe that it affects daily life activities.

·         Pain can occur at any time before during or after menstruation or at any time while urinating, during sex, or when moving the bowels. Pain can be felt in the lower back.

·         Excessive bleeding during menstruation

·         Infertility

Why does it cause pain?

Because the tissue is like the uterine tissue, when your body is sending hormones to the uterus that will result in a menstrual period, the tissue outside of the uterus receive the same signals. However, as it swells with blood and gets ready to be eliminated, as it would if it was in the uterus, the blood has nowhere to go. This can result in cysts forming and causing pain. As well, scar tissue and adhesions can cause pain depending on where they are.

What can be done?There are different types of medications that your doctor would likely want to try, but if they are not successful in relieving the pain, surgery may be suggested. Surgery can be just to remove the lesions or cysts, or could be a hysterectomy, removal of the uterus.For more in-depth information, here are some sites that have reliable and up-to-date information:

Endometriosis.org

MayoClinic.com

WomensHealth.gov

Post from: Blisstree

Endometriosis