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Chapter Seventeen: Endometriosis Pain

Passing Out from Endometriosis Pain - Sara’s Story

Close-up of endometriosis and adhesionsClose-up of endometriosis and adhesions

We met our first patient with endometriosis, Sara, when she was just 23. She complained of debilitating pelvic pain dur­ing her periods. In fact, her pain was so excruciating that she would regularly pass out from the pain. She marked two days off of her calendar each month when she knew she could not pos­sibly go to school or work. She just hoped she would not have to go to the emergency room for pain treatment — which she did quite often.

After hearing Sara talk about her debilitating pain, her poor quality of life two days a month, and the limited treat­ment options available to her (drugs or surgery), we were determined to help if we could.

She hoped she would not have to go to the ER for pain treatment—which she did quite often.

Nearly 20 years ago, we had never treated a patient with endometriosis, but we felt our work treating adhesions might help. As we palpated, we could feel adhered tissues deep within Sara’s pelvis, beneath our hands. As we did, we could tell that some tissues were moving freely, while others were stuck and virtually immobile. It felt like strong glue had been poured inside of her body.

Slowly and cautiously, we began to unpeel the glue-like adhesions that were tying Sara’s organs together. Within the first few hours of treatment, we were able to decrease her pain significantly.

Unfortunately, we were unable to continue Sara’s therapy because her insurance provider cut her treatment off, saying, “We have our own physical therapists who can exercise you, if you need physical therapy.”

It is frustrating being among the first in the field to make new dis­coveries. It was doubly frustrating for Sara, because we were making progress with her so quickly. Nevertheless, it opened our eyes to the profound pain some women experience with endometriosis, and to the fact that this non-surgical therapy to address adhesions seems to hold a profound relief for some of them.

Excruciating Endometriosis Pain - Mary’s Story

Sex was excruciating no matter what stage of her menstrual cycle.

A few months later, Mary, a PhD researcher, came to see us. She also had days when she could not go to work and was forced to stay home in bed because of pelvic pain due to endo­metriosis. She told us that on those days she could not even stand upright and had to walk backwards when she wanted to go down stairs. Sex was excruciating no matter what stage of her menstrual cycle, so she and her husband had stopped that activity alto­gether. Her quality of life was slowly being robbed from her, she told us.

It was hard to hear Mary’s stories of terrible pain, but we were encouraged by our experiences with Sara. We treated Mary in our 20 hour treat­ment program, the amount we were finding to be most effec­tive for our pelvic pain and infertility patients. Once again, we palpated and found, like Sara, that the soft tissues of Mary’s  pelvis were stuck and adhered, the organs glued down and un­able to glide with normal mobility.

We engaged the tissues with our hands, sinking deep into areas that had become hardened by adhesive glue. Slowly and steadily, pulling out the run in her three-dimensional fascial sweater, we felt the glue-like bonds of the adhesive cross-links began to break, as mobility began to return to her structures.

Mary’s next period came without incident, and ac­tually surprised her because she did not have her usual pain and spasm.

She found she was able to return to an active sex life at all times of the month. In fact, in­tercourse pain de­creased to “near zero,” accompanied by a noted increase in desire and lubri­cation.

Mary’s next period came without incident, and actually surprised her because she did not have her usual pain and spasm.

These were profound findings. In Chapters Twelve and Thirteen, we discuss more of our findings treating intercourse pain and sexual dysfunction.

Three Prior Laparoscopic Surgeries for Endometriosis - Kimberly’s Story

I have struggled with painful periods since the age of twelve. I would have terrible cramps and have to miss school. At the age of 16 I got on a birth control pill to help with the se­vere cramps. But I still suffered with painful periods all through college. Over the years the pain increased and became more and more debilitating.

I married at age 23 and knew that my pain was getting worse. I went to my family doctor, my gynecologist, and a nurse practitioner about ex­periencing painful sex and my worsening pe­riod pain. Each medi­cal professional would examine me and then act like I was just crazy and that nothing was wrong. I suggested I might have endometriosis, but they did an abdominal ultra­sound and couldn’t find anything wrong.  

When I turned 28, my cramps became more severe and felt like intense stabbing pain. I would be standing and all at once, I would have this stabbing pain like someone was jabbing a knife into my pelvis and I would fall down. I turned to my family doctor for help. He sent me for an ultra­sound and found that I had ovarian cysts.

From there it seemed to go downhill. I continued to get worse and worse. Instead of having pain one week a month, I was experiencing it all the time. I decided I would go to a male Ob/Gyn a friend rec­ommended. I told him of my experiences and he gave me some pain medication and sent me on my way.

All at once, I would have this stabbing pain like someone was jabbing a knife into my pelvis, and I would fall down.

I continued to see him almost weekly with debilitating pain. By Christmas I was getting where I couldn’t function. I went to his office and he said, “I don’t know if you have endo­metriosis, but I can do a laparoscopy and find out.”  The day after Christmas he did the laparoscopy and found that I had severe endometriosis. In the recovery room, he apologized for the pain I had been living with and said other women he had treated had nothing as severe as I had. He put me on birth con­trol to decrease the pain and told me I could later go off the medication for a while to try and become pregnant. Later, when my husband and I tried to get pregnant, we were unsuccessful and sought the help of a specialist. With the endocrinologist, we tried fertility medications and intrauterine inseminations, but the medication aggravated my endometrio­sis and pretty soon the pain was just too much to con­tinue with that.

I continued to see my endocrinologist and had surgery for endometriosis again in 2004. Afterwards she told me she couldn’t get it all because it was just too invasive. 

My pain only worsened after surgery. I went on Lupron and had worsening pain still. I told the physician it felt like hot pokers were being stabbed into my ovaries and that I felt like my ovaries were on the outside of my body. She finally switched me to Danazol, but I bled during treatment. My specialist said she didn’t know why Lupron and Danazol had not provided relief. She said she only knew of one person it had not worked for in the past. I went back on the old standby — birth control.

During this time my doctor recommended acupuncture. I went to an acupunc­turist and got some pain relief. I also tried herbs like Red Clover and Evening Primrose, but nothing helped.

I (got) worse and worse. Instead of having pain one week a month, I was experiencing it all the time.

I spent the next three years in pain without any further recommendations from doctors that provided me relief. My husband and I felt at a loss of what to do. We still wanted to become pregnant and my specialist said our best option was to proceed with IVF. 

She referred us to her counterpart. Nine months later, we completed an IVF cycle. During the cycle the pain was hor­rible and I almost couldn’t stand it. Unfortunately, the IVF was also unsuccessful.

I continued to experience terrible pain, but none of my doctors knew what to do. They knew a hysterectomy might help, but I still wanted to have a child.

I became isolated because friends didn’t understand the pain I was experiencing. I went on medical leave from my job because I couldn’t work. I went from having a social life to do­ing nothing besides sleeping on my heating pad and sitting in our hot tub or the bathtub to help the pain.

I finally convinced my doctor to perform a third lap­aroscopy. My doctor said my endometriosis was severe and everything was glued together — my ovaries, uterus, and blad­der. I had two endome­triomas (endometriosis tumors) on each ovary. He had to take 30% of one ovary and 40% of the other to get all of the endometriomas. I had a balloon catheter placed in my uterus so the sides wouldn’t grow together from all the scraping out of the endometriosis.

To view other patient stories from Miracle Moms, Better Sex, Less Pain, click any of the links below:

Following surgery I went on several medications, but nothing seemed to help my pain. I continued to call the doctor and finally I had a meltdown on the phone with him. I told him I was tired of covering the pain and I wanted to find the source.

When he offered no solutions, I went to a pelvic pain clinic. They helped me identify some of my problems and helped decrease some of my pain, but then I became worse. I was see­ing a physical therapist through the clinic, and she recommend­ed I try Clear Passage Therapies (CPT). Ironically, my sis­ter-in-law had read about CPT and told me about it before.  

I read about CPT on their website and called them to send me some info. After getting the info and reading the medi­cal info they wanted, I knew they understood my pain from the questions they asked on the forms. My husband and I booked our appointment and headed to Florida for treatment with hope that this would work.

I told my doctor I was tired of covering the pain; I wanted to find the source.

After getting there I got the most thorough medical evaluation I have ever experienced. They could tell that I was guarding and compensating from the way I walked and stood, due to years of pain. They listened to me about my body, my pain, and what wasn’t working properly. I felt like I had finally found the people that could help me and it didn’t involve trying some kind of medicine! They knew so much about endometri­osis, adhesions, and the pain I was experiencing. They could feel tightness in areas that I felt it. It’s amazing, all the techniques they have learned and developed to help heal the body.

After treatment my body was more mobile than it had been before because the therapists were able to break up the cross-links of the adhesions. It didn’t hurt anymore to go to the bathroom after therapy and sex was less painful. They were able to break up adhesions in my navel area that prevented me from tasks as simple as cutting a piece of meat. The therapy I experienced was finally starting to free up my frozen pelvis! 

I can’t say enough about CPT. If I had not found them I would not have found the right treatment. Without them I would not have found pain relief or be able to move around. I would recommend this treatment to anyone with endometrio­sis, experiencing pain, or adhesions.

All patients have been assigned a pseudonym in order to maintain patient confidentiality.
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About our Book.

What physicians say:

Learn more about therapy for endometriosis in our book Miracle Moms, Better Sex, Less Pain (publication date: 9/2009).

“The ‘Wurn Technique’ in my professional opinion, is a blockbuster breakthrough both for physicians and women who have known for so long that there was something better out there for treatment of infertility . . . endometriosis, and chronic pelvic pain. Their work in women’s health is exciting, exhilarating, ground breaking, and amazing.”
- Dr. Scott Miles
Board certified gynecologist and sexologist
Medical Director, Miles Ahead Health and Wellness, Indianapolis, IN

“I am excited to see that you have studied and perfected a technique to treat adhesions, with years of experience, scientific 'backup' and case studies to prove it. This technique makes sense: to put 'hands on' the problem and nurture the body's innate desire to heal from pelvic pain, hormonal imbalance, endometriosis, infertility, and related dysfunction.”
- Leslie Mendoza Temple. MD
Medical Director, Integrative Medicine NorthShore University HealthSystem
Professor, Northwestern University Medical School

“In the past treatment for adhesions has been even more surgery, which caused even more adhesions. Now with the amazing ‘Clear Passage’ technique, patients have a safe and effective alternative to surgery.”
- Jacques Moritz, MD
Director of Endoscopy Section and Division of Gynecology,St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center
Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons

Adhesions are a major problem for women with endometriosis, causing pain which can continue for decades, sexual and bowel function problems, difficulty with exercise and other movement. Previously, only surgery was available, which in itself could lead to more adhesions. This book will bring new hope to many women now suffering.
- Dr. Mary Lou Ballweg, Ph.D.
Co-founder, President, Executive Director, Endometriosis Association