# Endometriosis



## Zara (Jul 5, 2006)

I saw my gynecologist today and he suggested that I might have endometriosis. I read on that topic here prior to seeing him so I wasn't completely surprised when he said that. The thing is, I'm not convinced I have it. While I do have some of the symptoms (bloating and pain), the pain is not as strong as some of you have described. I also don't have any back pain or thigh pain. I'm really confused on this one as I don't know what to do. He said that what they would do is a treatment with Lupron. This would basically shut down my ovaries for about 6 months and I would go through an artificial menopause. This doesn't sound very appealing as I am only 27! It seems, however, that he would prefer this to the laparoscopy. But I'm also afraid that I actually do have endo and I will eventually become infertile if going untreated! Has anoyone here gone through endo prior to having kids? Did you decide to go through the hormonal treatment or opted for the laparoscopy?My gyno is not rushing me into anything, he wants to do an ultrasound first to see if there might be something else. I just don't know what to do when the time comes to make a decision.


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## 22896 (Aug 19, 2006)

Just my opinion, but I would opt for the laproscope surgery or at the very least an internal ultrasound. Wouldn't it be best to go in there and find out what is wrong then to just guess and treat? He can check out everything while he is in there and really see what is wrong. I have had 3 of these before and the recovery time is only a few days. I have about two weeks of bloating afterwards as well. Maybe a second opinion would be a good idea also. I just wouldn't be comfortable messing with my reproductive system like that especially if you still want to have kids. I have not had endometriosis but have had lots of other problems. Had a partial hysterectomy last September and one of my ovaries removed the end of March. Take Care. Mindy


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## KittyKat12 (Jul 16, 2006)

I was diagnosed w/ endo after having my two kids and had two laproscoies to remove the stuff. I currently am treated by being on the birth control shot depo provera. I tried the Lupron, but it made me horribly sick (I have a weak stomach). I didn't have any of the typcial symptoms...mostly a LOT of cramping which lasted all the time. The Depo Provera has been a lifesaver.It is my understanding that the horomones; depo provera (please note that I am NOT a dr) just stops the endo in its current state. By having the laproscopy, my doctors were able to remove some of the endo. A very tough decision...maybe get a second opinion? Or, ask your dr. why he wouldn't want to do a laproscopcy?


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## jane2423 (Jun 7, 2007)

Hi Zara,I have had boughts of endo for 10 years now and I am only 26. I had my first Laproscopy when I was 16 and the following month he put me on Lupron. I was in this for 9 months and then he brought me out of it. I have had a totaly of 4 surgeries now (the last one was just to remove scar tissue from all the surgeries, no endo was found YEA!). I have been told that if I would not have gone on Lupron it would have been a lot worse and I would probably not be able to have children however they feel as though right now it would be easy for me to have children. I would suggest a second opinion however, because I feel that you should not go on Lupron until you have been diganosed with endo. Lupron is only to slow the growth of the endo not to make it go away. I am not a doctor but this is what I was told but then again things could have changed in 10 years. I know it is scary to think about going through Menapause at such a young stage but if you are not ready to have children yet and you do want to have them then this is probably a good option. If you need futher advice and things about the Lurpon or want more information please let me know, I will be happy to discuss it with you.


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## Zara (Jul 5, 2006)

Thank you so much for your answers everyone!I thought about it a little and I would probably opt to have the laparoscopy done first and then have the Lupron treatment. My doctor is also having me do an ultrasound and said we'll just go from there. I'm having that done on Thursday and then have a follow-up appointment on 7/9. Also, thanks for the suggestion of getting a second opinion - I will definitely do that!Jane, thanks for offering to discuss my further questions - how did you feel while on Lupron and being so young? I just imagine it must be aweful. Did your weight fluctuate? I'm trying to stay slim so I would hate the weight gain.Also, I'm confused as far as how many incisions are there necessary for the surgery? And how is the scarring? Is the camera inserted through the navel or is it underneath (I read about both so I'm not sure which one is more common)!Once again, thank you so much Mindy, KittyKat, and Jane! I'm just scared right now because a week ago I didn't even know about endo and now there's a possibility that I'll have to have multiple surgeries and hormone treatments :-(. How did you feel this affected your IBS? Did it get better? Sometimes I feel that I'd do anything to get rid of this painful bloating...


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## KittyKat12 (Jul 16, 2006)

I hate to say it, but I often suspect the Endo brought on my IBS-D. I never had IBS problems before...after the 2nd lapro, I started having the IBS-D. So, the overall cramping issue was better, but I traded it for IBS-D. One thing that I've learned (that I wish I would have known then) was to have tried to keep up my strength a bit more, if possible while dealing w/ the laproscopies and endo. Who knows? Maybe if I had been taking probiotics during that time period, I may have saved myself from IBS-D.


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## Zara (Jul 5, 2006)

KittyKat12 said:


> Maybe if I had been taking probiotics during that time period, I may have saved myself from IBS-D.


That's a good idea, I'll try the probiotics once I'm going through the treatment. I've never really had D, it's always IBS-C (I almost wish I could just switch to D sometimes but I do realize that you've gotta be careful what you wish for







). The bloating is the worst though. Even the pain isn't as sharp, I can usually deal with it or just take some OTC Ibuprofen. I don't really need the prescription strength.I found a diet that's supposed to be good to follow after one has been diagnosed with endo. Basically it avoids dairy and wheat, as well as some other stuff. Has anyone tried this diet?


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## jane2423 (Jun 7, 2007)

Hi Zara,Well going through the Lupron at such a young age was hard, I will not lie. I had bad mood swings and night sweat. My weight also increased, however I was able to lose it afterwards with excerise. I would say if I had to do it all over again I would just make sure I stayed active during the treatment, as I did not work out or anything that young and I think that is what caused my weight gain. But in the end if it helps you with having children in the future is is worth it.For the surgery, the first two I had the doctor made three small incisions below the bikini line and one in the navel. The other two just two and one in the naval. People cannot see the naval scar unless I point it out to them and the ones so low are barely noticable to my husband they have healed wonderfule and they look like freakles now. I would not worry at all about that part of the surgery.I hope this helps and please keep us updated!


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## Zara (Jul 5, 2006)

Hi Jane,Thanks for the info, this way at least I know what's awaiting me! You're right, it's all worth it if you want to have kids one day.I just had my ultrasound done yesterday. The technician wouldn't tell me if she saw anything (I understand they're not allowed to discuss the results with the patients) but after she started, she suggested I should also have one done from the inside, through my vagina. I'm not sure if she saw something and that's why she suggested it or if they do it for everyone.I'm traveling next week but I was able to switch my appointment so that the doctor can see me as early as 7/2. I'm anxious to see the results and hear his recommendations.I'm sure I'll have more questions after my appointment!I'm also seeing an allergist that same week but to be honest, at this point I don't think it's "just" a food allergy anymore. I would be grateful if it was, though.I tried going gluten free a year ago and responded pretty well at the beginning. I also read about a diet for endo that also bans wheat and dairy. I wonder if I responded well to the diet because my endo was in an early stage but as it worsen, the wheat free diet stopped working. Do you follow any special diet?


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## jane2423 (Jun 7, 2007)

well I am glad that you had the ultra sound. I have had one from the inside, however they cannot detect endo from anything expect Laproscopy so your doctor might just be ruling out other things. Don't worry the inside ultra sound is not as mad as you might think. They always have to do one on my because they never can see my ovaries during a regular one. I do not follow a special diet, however I am thinking I need to. I have been going through the worst couple of months latey and I cannot figure out why. I will have a good couple of days followed by a bad week and sometimes longer. I am not sure what is going on with my body right now. I wish I could figure it out because it is so depressing. I am going to start today only eating natural food, no processed anything and no dairy (as I know this makes things worse, I just love a lot of things with dairy) I am going to try this and see if this clears this bad round up and then try to stick to it to see if it helps any.


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## Zara (Jul 5, 2006)

I went back to my gyno yesterday and based on my symptoms he said he wasn't convinced I had endo. The ultrasound came back ok and so did a bacteria test (he did these to rule out other conditions). He said that the areas where I feel pain differ from where endo patients hurt. And he didn't want to do the surgery just to find out that I did not have endo. I'm supposed to see him in two months, after I have my allergy tests done. I do have to say I like this approach because I've done a lot of reading on endo meanwhile and the symptoms didn't exactly match.I'm having an allergy test done on Thursday so I hope something will show up.Jane, I'm also trying to eat more healthy. I try to stay away from processed food and I'm going to buy meat from animals that weren't fed hormones and antibiotics. I have to finish what's in my freezer first though







. I wasn't able to fully cut out dairy, however, I heard that if MSG is your trigger, it's ok to drink milk but not ok to eat cheese as the fermentation process creates MSG. Let me know if you figure out what works for you!


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