The Cure for Chronic Pain with Nicole Sachs, LCSW From the Vault: Severe Pelvic Pain and Multiple Surgeries with Kitty
Mar 9, 2026
A survivor's journey through repeated pelvic surgeries, misdiagnoses, and medical trauma. Stories of invasive procedures, escalating pain, and the toll of opioid and antibiotic treatments. A turn toward nervous-system work, journaling, and breath-based practice that shifts symptom patterns. Reflections on identity, relapses, and practical tools like boundaries and acceptance.
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Traumatic First UTI Led To Longstanding Pelvic Fear
- Kitty traced acute pelvic pain back to a traumatic 2009 UTI that progressed to a kidney infection and left her with persistent urethral burning and fear of medical procedures.
- She described a traumatic awake flexible cystoscopy where she begged the urologist to stop, was held down, and afterward refused further bladder procedures.
Surgery Revealed Multiple Pelvic Diagnoses
- Kitty underwent laparoscopy and bladder distension during which she was diagnosed with stage 4 endometriosis, adenomyosis, interstitial cystitis with bladder ulcers, and vulvodynia vestibulitis.
- The surgical findings and the consultant's list of diagnoses intensified her sense of being permanently ill and led to many more interventions suggested by doctors.
Multiple Diagnoses Reinforced A Sick Identity
- Over years Kitty accumulated many diagnoses (sciatica, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, anxiety, depression) while using high-dose codeine and multiple surgeries that reinforced a 'sick' identity.
- She earned top academic honors twice yet felt numb, using achievements to escape emotional pain.