Endometriosis Advice

I have had my self tested for it. My mom had it, She told me that she would have realy heavy bleeding and very painful times of the mnth. It took my mom years before they would listen to her. I had the ultra sound done and the yearly check up. But they didn't say anything about any other test. I wouldn't give up on finding what is wronge. You know your body and sometimes doc are just idiots.

Have your symptoms gotten beter or wrose since the children? Are you on any birth control. Some doc. will put you on to help with the symptomds.

Best of luck

A., I know how you feel. keep going back to the doctor. he will sooner or later listen to you. i had cervical dysplasia at 21 yrs. hysterechtomy at 30 yrs. and endometriosis and also overies started to turn cancerous at 32yrs. they took them out FINALLY.i complaned for 5 yrs from age 25 to 30 when they finally did sonograms then liproscopic surgery.then had to have major surgery to get uteris out. it was 3 times the nomal size. so my advice is if your doctor don't listen after a while (GO TO A NEW ONE) you know your own body. GOOD LUCK-(M. S.-MOTHER 41YRS OLD.5- CHILDREN AGES 26-16 YRS. AND 3 GRANDCHILDREN 16MONTHS -4MONTHS OLD.

hi A.. im sorry your not feeling well. can i ask you... does it cause discomfort during intercourse? i had some similar problems and mine definetly have interferred with my love life. i find it odd that your dr cant do an ultra sound. they can pick up on some signs with an ultra sound and then do the laparscopy later if needed. the procedure you are talking about i believe is a laparoscopy. its an outpatient porcedure. i had one done last year at the same time i had an episiotomy revision after child birth complications. i was out for the entire surgery, but i think if you are only having the laparoscopy, they may not put you under completely like they did me. i was sore from my episiotomy. but not too bad from the laproscopy. during the procedure, my doc found some adhesions on my fallopian tube that she said was maybe contributing to my pain. no signs of endometriosis though. it was pretty easy to recover from that. my belly button was sore for about a week. the only thing i had a hard time with was the meds. i couldnt really take them and still care for my then 3 month old daughter. and the soreness was difficuilt in my abdomen for a few days if i held her and she kicked me or something. but since your children are older, maybe you wouldnt have to hold them or pick them up for a few days? also, since last year they have found ovarian cysts and ueterine fibroids, which can also cause pain and heavy menstral cramping, and abnormalities with bleeding. mine are small and dont require surgery yet. sometimes they just go away on their own. just make sure they rule these out for you. mine were found by a pelvic mri and then later confirmed by ultra sound. i wish you luck. i dont have endometriosis, but i have had my share of complications in that area. so if you need someone to talk to, i will definetly have a sympathetic ear! hope you get well soon!

I've always found www.webmd.com a good resource for medical questions. They translate "medical" into English, very well, LOL!

Hi A.,
You may want to talk to your doctor about getting a blood test for "CA 125". There is a correlation between this marker and endo. It is a simple blood test that you can try before surgery. Best of luck getting a diagnosis.

I recently went to the OB with symptoms and was told the same thing about not being diagnosed without a procedure. She said this is probably what I have, but we can't be sure. My symptoms are different, but from talking to the Doctor and looking on line, there is not a whole lot that can be done without a procedure. My doctor said that the only thing that might help was birth control pills and it seems to have helped me out a great deal. I still have some problems, but they seem manageable now.

I have had 2 laparoscopies for ovarian cysts and will most likely be having another here soon for another cyst that doesn't seem to want to go away! Anyways, my doc thought I had endometriosis and lookied while in already doing the procedure bit didn't find any. The first one I had adhesions and they removed those. I am sorry you are going through that. I get pain like that all the tiem but they come from cysts.

If you do not like your doctor go to another. I have a friend with severe endometriosis and they gave her a total hysterectomy. Remember, every case will be different.I think it is important to find out what is going on.I also do not think that you and to go on with all that pain. You have to take care of yourself first. If you live in the deptford area call dr.keswani he is on manuta pike in west deptford. he is great and my friend who had the endometriosis really like and felt like he listened to her and referred her to a great surgeon.

Hi! I have endo, diag w/it @ the age of 20, I am now 35, I've had 3 laproscopies & I have done the shots as well. I was told sometimes after child birth u will feel much better in ref 2 mthly pain & I do. I don't feel cured, but alot better before I gave birth. I would have daily pain that was excruciating.

A.,
I'm an OR nurse and I can tell you that ur gyn is absolutely correct. If endometriosis is the problem it must be definitely diagnosised, and that is thru an exploratory laparotomy. Operating room time roughly an hour. Ur health care provider is the best answer to your questions.
C.

Hi A.,

I have endometriosis that has been diagnosed by laparoscopy. I had the tissue that was there lasered away, although there is really no cure. The funny thing about endometriosis is that the symptoms are kind of vague, different for many people, and the they can mimic many other types of problems. Truly, the only way to diagnose it is through laparoscopy. I went through the process of trying to check many other things off my list of what it could be before deciding to go through with the laparoscopy. One thing they did try out with me was trying different birth control pills. Apparently the pill can help alleviate the pain. However, it did not with me!

The surgery was done on an outpatient basis and was under general anesthesia. I was out of work for about a week ( I was working as a nurse so on my feet and moving around). After that I was pretty good to go. It's a pretty quick recovery, but of course, surgery doesn't come without some risk.

I know how frustrating this is when it seems like you have this vague pain and nobody can tell you what it is. I used to sometimes wonder (before it was diagnosed) if I was just imagining it! You'll have to weigh the pros & cons of surgery and decide if it's worth it. Oh yeah--and when they do the surgery they can laser the "bad" tissue away to help with the pain. It did work for me and I am to the point where I do not notice the pain at all these days. And this was 10 years ago. You're not out of your mind. My pain would also come and go when it felt like it and it was hard to even notice a pattern sometimes. Let me know if you have any other questions.

I don't have exactly same symptoms, but can certainly recommend a GREAT place to go for help. Holistic Family Healthcare in NJ. Her website is www.holisticfamilyhealthcarepc.com and her name is Elaine Hardy, RN, APN, C. She's an Advanced Practice Nurse with her own practice and she finds the cause of the symptoms, not just treats them. I'd give her a try, when I am in the waiting room, I hear nothing but awesome things about how she has helped so many people from 1 yr old to seniors! good luck to you!

A.,

I work in a chiropractic office and I have seen many women respond favorably to their symptoms whether it be endometriosis or fybromyalgia. It is very painful and you shouldnt have to go through this much pain. By removing the subluxation (mal-alignment) the nervous system is able to restore nerve imbalances, which can lead to a variety of health problems in both the organs as well as nerve supply. What could it hurt for you to make an appointment for a consultation. A consultation doesnt cost you anything. Just a conversation of your family history and symptoms to the doctor. Most insurance plans cover this type of care. If you have a family chiropractor, please call him/her. A good doctor will always be willing to work in conjuction with your other doctors. I wish you well. If you have any additional questions, email me.