Hi Alex~
My name is Anjie & I’m 31 years old. I’ve had endometriosis since I was 14 & have had 2 laparoscopies. I had my first surgery in Nov. 2004 & the second just recently on Sept. 2nd. Even though I have had 2 surgeries, I’ve felt better after each one. I recovered very quickly from the 2nd one and am already back on track. Now, on to your questions…
- An OB/GYN is the best Dr. suited for your situation. Really, endo is not a reproductive disease, but rather a blood disease. Unfortunately, it attacks the closest organ, which in this case is your uterus, fallopian tubes, ovaries, etc. Since you have not had a lap, there is always a possibility that something else could be causing your pain & an OB/GYN would also be best suited in that case. My first surgery was done by a regular OB/GYN & she managed to remove or “laser” off 80% of the endo that was present.
If you are lucky, and yes, it will take some luck, you can find a specialist. I live in California & happen to have Kaiser Permanente for insurance. I went in for ovary pain (concerned about a possible cyst) and the Dr. refered me to an OB who was a specialist in Endo. She was the one that completed the 2nd surgery & removed the remaining 20% that was left.
2)This question is a little trickier, so I will give it to you like one Dr. gave it to me years ago: “If you are going to have just 1 child, have it before you are 30. But if you are planning on having a large family, get started now.” I was about 23 when I was given that advice and was married at the time. I started trying to concieve at 25 for the next 3 years to no avail. Eventually we got divorced (when I was 29) so there could have been some “alternative” forces at work - only god knows. I guess the bottom line would be “don’t wait”!
3)“If the pain is manageable”… for me drugs worked only partially. But some women have much better reactions to medications. A good Dr. will not want you to have a period at all. In order to do that, that entails taking continuous birth control (no sugar pills). That never worked for me, but does for some women. Also, when I do have menses (which I haven’t had one yet since my surgery [yay!]), I usually have to take a prescription strength anti-inflammatory like Meloxicam (ibuprofen-based) or a super strong one I used to take was Toradol. They tend to not want to prescribe the latter though, as it can be tough on the kidneys & you can’t take it for more than 3 days at a time. Lastly, I also need the occasional vicoden, but have to take a double-strength dose as I have built a tolerance to the low-dose stuff. So, if you rather not deal with the surgery, those are some medication options, but you will likely notice a big difference & feel better if you go through with a laparoscopy. The biggest improvement for me pain wise was not only in my periods, but in my sex life as well.
I hope I’ve answered your questions well enough. I wouldn’t be surprised if I created some new ones, so feel free to ask me anything. Someone thought I was a nurse today because I knew so much about the disease. I say, knowledge is power & is the only way you will have a chance to beat this disease.
Hope you feel better soon!
Anjie
