QuestionQUESTION: Could an abortion cause stomach pain down the road?
Five years ago, I had an abortion. This year, after a killer abdominal workout, I threw up (five hours later) and stayed in bed for a week. 7 months later...still in pain. Doctors have not found the cause of the pain that started March 31st.
I do not work, and went from a healthy person to an inactive person due to this stomach condition?
OR could it be PLAN B?
--last year I took plan B. I was sick for 2 days afterward. Could Plan B have done something to my body?
TESTs-My bloodwork showed a raised amylase level.
A hide-a-scan showed normal gallbladder function
A CT scan showed an inflamed gallbladder
A colonoscopy was normal
A muscular specialist said He doesn't think the problem is caused by muscle injury.
ANSWER: PS. Thank you for the very nice message and the rating. I got a kick out of your comment. :)
Believe me, I know full well what kind of docs are out there. I swore off medical doctors many years ago because of how miserable their treatments are for most things. I'm lucky if I get an accurate diagnosis a fourth of the time as well.
I have some suggestions. First, please know that I'm not a health care specialist, though there are some out there who think like I do. What I am is someone who has studied Sonoran Desert herbology for awhile, and who has been using alternative methods for years. I also studied midwifery for awhile under the world's foremost midwife. That's where I learned about differential diagnosis. This midwife had gone through medical school, and spent many hours reading medical journals each day. I want to give you some resources and suggestions.
First, you should probably check into the American College for the Advancement of Medicine. http://www.acam.org/ . They have a list of doctors who practice alternative medicine, and some of these guys are walking encyclopedias of knowledge. I found a doctor through them that immediately diagnosed a condition I'd had for 12 years, that four other doctors didn't have a clue about. And he told me what to do about it. And I am, and it's healing. I am using strictly herbs and supplements because I can't take pharmaceutical antibiotics. He loves it! I have done my own research for the most part.
Then you should check out the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons. http://www.aapsonline.org/ . This organization is also doctors, and in this case, while not versed in alternative medicine for the most part, they believe in medical ethics, and that can make a HUGE difference.
Then there are sites online that have a lot of information, and IBS is one of the topics they cover, and there will be a number of articles on this alone. Here are two of my favorites:
http://www.drmercola.com/ http://www.mercola.com/
http://www.naturalnews.com/
You can also plug into a lot of really good alternative medical doctors by going to NewsMax and signing up for their emails, especially their health emails. There are probably a good half dozen to a dozen MDs over there who have newsletters and web sites that are packed with information.
Now let's talk about IBS. First, one of the huge culprits is monosodium glutimate. If you have been eating foods with MSG, try discontinuing that entirely. I have found a detoxifier that will take care of it, though there is some long term damage I can talk more about. The detoxifier is called Detox and it's put out by Solaray. You have to take 10 capsules at a time. 1 to 3 such doses will usually deal with most toxic situations of that nature. Another culprit is artificial sweeteners. These include Aspartame and Sucralose. If you are concerned about sugar, use Stevia instead. Then you can do challenge testing with food. Do some research on what foods tend to cause IBS in sensitive persons. For me, it was onions. You basically go down to a very basic diet, and keep track of what you eat. Add different ingredients one at a time, until you find one you react to. One final thing. Your IBS could be due to an antibiotic you have taken in the past that destroyed or damaged your intestinal flora. For that, the best remedy I have found is Kombucha. It's a probiotic drink that requires refrigeration. Drink only a few swallows. It'll make you constipated if you're not careful. Get it at a health food store or a grocery like Whole Foods. These web sites I have given you can tell you a lot more about this condition, but this will get you started. Good luck, and please keep in touch and let me know how you do.
Hi, Rachel,
It looks like you have a tough one there. All I can do is throw some ideas your way, so you can know more questions to ask. You are certainly right to look at as many issues as possible.
As far as I know, precious few studies have been done of the biochemical consequences of abortion. You also haven't told me what kind of abortion you had. Let me suggest a few things. A surgical abortion could result in damage to the uterus, which may cause adhesions. These can be very painful, and if your workout somehow disrupted or tore these adhesions, I could see that kind of consequence. Uterine injuries from abortion are actually quite common. The abortionist is operating blind on some very delicate tissue with a sharp knife. The placenta must be ripped or cut loose. Pill abortions are very powerful medication, and both types of medication used (sequentially) have been implicated in some serious issues. The first medication, mifepristone, is a steroid. As you are probably aware, male steroids have been banned in athletic competition. For some reason, doctors haven't seen fit to put the same level of study into female steroids. So there is no telling what the long range consequences of taking this would be. These steroids are not biodegradable, and the liver cannot detoxify them. Instead, they are stored in fatty (adipose) tissue. When fatty tissue is burned, it will release this material. The second medication is given off label; the manufacturer says it should never be given to a pregnant woman, because there are several ways it can kill her within hours. Any kind of abortion is going to have a profound effect on a woman's delicately balanced hormones. How long that will last seems to vary from one woman to another. Plan B is also a strong dose of hormones, again, artificial female steroids.
I would like to explore some other things with you as well. What kind of killer abdominal workout were you doing? What kind of stack do you take after a workout? Do you normally do aerobics, weightlifting, or both? In weightlifting, what techniques do you use: slow ascent and descent of weights or rapid jerking motions, higher negative weight, etc.? What is your diet like otherwise?
While it seems reasonable to conclude there is no muscle injury because the specialist said so, don't close out that possibility. I personally had an experience where a renown sports surgeon X-rayed my damaged knee, and failed to recognize it was dislocated, telling the resident with him that it was a textbook case of a perfect knee! But let's assume the specialist is correct, and look at some other things.
First, the word "inflamed" is often misunderstood. It really means that the tissue is abnormally red. It may or may not be swollen; thus, a description that uses the word "inflamed" may be misunderstood, either by the person making the statement or by the hearer. I would assume that the CT scan would pick up a swollen gallbladder rather than one that was merely abnormally red. There is a possibility of gallstones, I imagine. They could have shifted around from the action of your abdominal muscles on the gallbladder. But the CT scan could have ruled out gallstones. These are just indications of some questions you might ask. An elevated amylase level can indicate an inflamed pancreas. I imagine they didn't see that the pancreas was swollen since they didn't say so, but was it abnormally red? I don't know if the CT scan would pick up on this or not, but it is worth asking about. Since CT scanners use X-rays, which don't show color, it seems unlikely. X-rays don't detect what we observe as the color red, which is in a totally different part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Abnormal redness could indicate elevated temperature in the tissue, which might be detectable. This is an area where I haven't done a lot of research, so you really should ask someone else about this issue. The only other concern I would have is that the tests themselves can be implicated in the ongoing problem you have been having. These tests aren't benign. If they inject an agent to help with the imaging, that can cause a reaction. The X-ray dose used is quite high. MRI is a whole other ball of wax, but you didn't mention it. I personally would never submit to either.
What you are getting into is what is known as differential diagnosis. This is when a number of symptoms and other things have to be examined together to determine which of a number of different problems is most likely in your case.
So the short answer to your question is, at this point, nobody knows. But you should raise these questions with your various doctors. Don't let them shrug off your concerns. As for the role your abortion and plan B dose may have had, you probably won't get a straight answer from any doctor who believes abortion is good medical practice. Keep on asking questions until you get some real answers. I hope this helps. Good luck, and please let me know what you find out.
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: I saw the Gastro-intestinal specialist again, on Tuesday. He says the problem must be muscular since he doesn't think its intestinal. (The muscle doc said last week it was intestinal in his view). I have a catch 22 of sorts on my hands.
I wanted to answer your questions.
My Workout that day... I didn't use machines-I used free weights. (I don't do much in the weight room due to a shoulder and knee injury.) That day I had swam 1 1/2 hours, then did a bit of speed-rope jumping, then went to the gym. That was back on March 31, so I don't remember if I worked my arms or legs that day, but I know I got on the sit-up bench(where my head was lower than my butt). I did my normal- 3 sets of 7, then followed with side to side with a 5 lb ball. THE PROBLEM here was that somebody had elevated this sit-up contraption by putting a stepper under the front of it. That made my workout harder. I felt great though, so I did my NORMAL routine. Not till later, driving home, did the nausea begin, then pain.
My diet: I consider it healthy. I eat beef,chicken and lamb, but no pork; Cold water (not farmed) fish; I usually eat organic fruits and veggies; Soaked and cooked whole grains (quinoa, oat groats, rice, amaranth, etc); plain yogurt with Maple syrup added ; I drink water and some tea; I eat some soaked/dried nuts. Lately no supplements, but if I do, I take a liquid vitamin (from the health food store.) Every day I take a thyroid pill.
I was not aware of the toxicity exposure you mentioned. But, since i have had stomach trouble, I have detoxed twice. Both times my stomach pain lessened. Thank you for the Detox info.
I agree with your insight/experience on muscle injuries.
I will be going to the muscle doc again (Physiatrist). He did schedule me for a follow-up even though he thinks I don't have a muscle issue. Between now and then I might try to see my GYN.
My mom pushed me to get the abortion. We kept it quiet, and neither of us asked many questions...I don't know what kind of abortion it was. I do know I was around 4 weeks pregnant. And there was suctioning involved I believe. I know the doctor's name, so I will call to ask what procedure was done.
Finally, thank you for listening. I feel I am not being listened to by my doctors. Possibly, I am just not explaining my experience to them correctly. With the abortion...I have not raised that question with the doctors. I was embarrassed. The muscle doctor asked me if I had any surgeries on my stomach, and I found myself saying "no". That's why I now feel that abortion may be the cause, because so many other things have been ruled out.
AnswerAs much as I'd like to blame the abortion, I am not aware that a problem such as yours is caused by abortion. If doctors really cared and you could get real answers, abortion wouldn't even be available, because it is so devastating to the body and the emotions, not to forget the spiritual damage. But we really do have to look at the whole picture.
As for your abortion, it was probably what they sometimes call a "menstrual extraction". There's another term for it, too, and I can't think of it at the moment. One thing I worry about with this type of abortion is the possibility of a serious infection. The instruments they use are not easy to sterilize properly. If they gave you an antibiotic at the time, that could have had an effect, but I would expect that you would have noticed the problem sooner. I personally think when parents force their daughter to get an abortion, that's child abuse! If you need to talk about any issues with it, let me know. This is something I also get into.
Your diet sounds wonderful, and it doesn't sound like you need to worry about MSG or artificial sweeteners (very similar to mine in many respects). You might want to consider going light on the maple syrup. Any kind of sugar like that will weaken your system, even though this one has a lot of minerals. Plain yogurt actually doesn't taste that bad. The chances that it will solve IBS due to an intestinal flora kill-off is pretty iffy, though. Another reason for avoiding maple syrup is that you want to keep your body somewhat alkaline, and any kind of sugar will push you toward acid.
Your workout sounds excessive. You can overdo it, and then it will start destroying your organs. As I am sure you are aware, weightlifting destroys muscle tissue, and this also prompts repair by the body, which ultimately results in stronger muscle, although if you overdo it, you will deplete your resources there, too. Do you take a stack after a workout? I always did. You need protein right afterward. I always started with whey. Another ingredient that is extremely helpful is creatine. I have learned that I can eat whey plus creatine with milk added, and it will build my muscle without any added exercise, and that's remarkable, considering I'm 65! I used to use the Life machines. They allow you to have a higher negative weight. I would count two seconds for lift and four seconds for return. You'd be amazed how quickly that builds strength. I would do ONE set of 10. I got to the point where I maxed out a couple of the machines. I also added other things to my stack, such as MCT (medium chain triglycerides), and some other things I don't recall off the top of my head. That was over 10 years ago. I also do taekwondo and have been doing this for well over a decade.
Also keep in mind that nausea can be caused by pain. It's possible that the nausea could start first.
Don't rule out any of the things that have been suggested. It's still not impossible that one of them is to blame. I realize that exercise causes nice happy hormones. ;) But there is a limit to what the body can endure. Consider the possibility that excessive exercise may be part of your response to having been forced to have an abortion. And the IBS could also be partially caused by your reaction. Emotional and spiritual healing are so important! To find programs that are helpful, you should find a pregnancy organization in your area. They offer programs for abortion experienced women. To find one near you, go here:
http://www.pregnancycenters.org/
Get your thyroid tested again if you haven't for awhile. Ask them to test both T3 and T4. There is a good site on this here: http://www.johndommissemd.com/ . From the amount of activity you're talking about, you could be overdosing on thyroid!
I'm sure I'll get another gazillion ideas once I send this, but I'll let you read and respond.
PS. I hope you get a chance to read this.
Hi, Rachel,
Just be prepared for some serious emotion. Know that it can happen. If so, there is help available. There are organizations all over the United States that offer counseling. To find one near you, go here: http://www.pregnancycenters.org/
Some men will understand, some not. It would be wise to let a man know, because there could be problems with future pregnancies. One of my sons married a woman he knew had had an abortion. Although there is no absolute obligation to tell your husband, openness is an excellent policy, especially for an event as profound as an abortion. Guys aren't necessarily that good at nurturing a woman, but that's what counseling is for.
As for my willingness to discuss and ask questions, I really care about you who come to me. There are doctors who will do this, but they are few and far between. I had one, until he retired. But it was expensive to talk to him, because he'd talk to me up to an hour. I have found that some of the best doctors are affiliated with the American College for the Advancement of Medicine. Not only will some of them talk to you, but they often have a wider variety of remedies available, because they have explored alternatives. I can't speak for all of them, of course, but the one I got, I found through ACAM.
One more thing. If for some reason you developed a stomach ulcer, there are excellent alternative remedies for this as well.
Thank you so very much for the kind ratings. I wish you all the best. It has been a pleasure to talk to you.
