TTC with assumed endorsing after being on BC
Posted , 3 users are following.
This is long, but I'm desperate for help.
My husband and I have been to the OB/GYN more times than I can count to try to combat what all the doctors believe is endometriosis. I've been checked for everything else and all my symptoms point to it. I started with bad periods around 14, was put on the pill, and that was that for about three years. My periods suddenly got increasingly worse when I was 17 and have exponentially worsened to this point. I'm now 25. I've been on at least ten different types of birth control in the last 11 years. Some of them never regulated my cycle at all, some of them regulated it for a few months, and some of them made me sicker. Our current OB/GYN is convinced I have endo, but she wants us to try to conceive before surgery. She also recommended Lupron to induce temporary menopause, but husband and I are a little freaked out by that idea, plus she said that if we were planning to conceive soon, to just try a new pill. I was on this last pill for 6 months when I suddenly started getting my period in the middle of the pill pack and it no longer seemed to be keeping things at bay. Is this typical of other endo patients? I can't find any info on this.
Husband and I decided to stop the pill since it was no longer helping and makes me feel weird anyway. We also plan to try to conceive within the next few months and I wanted time to chart my cycle and for my body to adjust. I'm hoping we made the right decision. Unfortunately, this also means that I am experiencing the discomfort that I experienced before. Cramps, stabbing/tearing pain, horrific bloat, nausea, etc. Does anyone have anything that works to help them combat their symptoms? They've given me medications, but I can't take those at work and since we would like to TTC soon, I don't really want to take those.
Final question, hubby and I are legally married, but we're having our ceremony with our family and friends in the summer. If we get pregnant now (if it's even possible), I'd be 6-7 months along at our wedding. I'm not sure how I feel about this. What do you think? I definitely didn't imagine being pregnant in a white dress, but I also never imagined feeling like this!
0 likes, 10 replies
shianne1991
Posted
I don't know why it says endorsing. It should say endo.
Anonymous93 shianne1991
Posted
I started having painful periods when I was 11 years old but I figured it was normal. When I got older is when I started to suspect something was wrong. I had my daughter when I was 19 and 6 weeks later I got the Nexplanon implant in my arm. I had bad side effects of it so had it removed after 11 months. A few months after having it removed I started getting extremely bad pelvic pain, severe bloating, hip pain and other symptoms that I knew weren't normal. I went back and forth to the doctors for 2 years trying to figure out what was wrong with me. They said it could've been Endometriosis but never took the steps to find out. After I had my son in March of this year the symptoms seemed to get worse. I found a new doctor who was willing to do the laparoscopy. She knew based off what I was telling her that it was Endometriosis. I had a laparoscopy on October 17th and it was indeed Endometriosis. She was able to ablte some of the adhesions but not all. The pain is actually worse now that I had the laparoscopy. So far I take 800mg Ibuprofen to help with the pain and I also take Seasonique birth control pills so that I onlg have 4 cycles a year. She suggested Lupron for the future but I'm definitely not going to do that. She told me if I wanted any more kids I need to plan ahead because I need to consider getting a hysterectomy to completely eliminate Endometriosis. Endometriosis is one of those tricky things where it's more common than we know but doctors still know very little about it.
shianne1991 Anonymous93
Posted
My OB/GYN said that even a hysterectomy doesn't always get rid of it because there's already tissue in your body, but that it will help. I'm afraid of having the laparoscopy. This doctor said that she wanted us to TTC first because going in and surgically managing it can cause more fertility issues and if we can conceive first, that would be preferable. She said she would do it first if we wanted to though, I'm so unsure.
Anonymous93 shianne1991
Posted
Thats correct. I wouldn't do the hysterectomy anyway, I'm only 23. The procedure itself wasn't bad and the recovery wasn't as bad as I expected. I just wish I would've known beforehand that the laparoscopy could irritate the Endometriosis. Have you tried adjusting what you eat and drink? I don't drink a lot of soda. I've noticed that it makes my stomach pain worse. I also eat a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables. I stay away from fried and fatty foods as much as I can. I read somewhere that dairy could make it worse but I'm not big on dairy so I wouldn't know. If I was in your shoes I would say you should TTC first. I have two kids so having the laparoscopy wasn't a problem for me. It took me about 6 months to get pregnant with my son with no fertility treatments.
shianne1991 Anonymous93
Posted
I've tried everything. I get really bad nausea and that's the only time I drink soda-- ginger ale. It is the only way I can get out of bed and make it to work sometimes. Someone suggested ginger tea, so I'm giving that a go today. A doctor I had earlier on had me on a gluten free and low-grain diet as they think it has adhered to my intestines which I guess can be aggravated by that stuff? I occasionally eat rice and corn with no issues. I don't drink at all as I found that makes my cramps worse. Mainly veggies & meat for us.
aitarg35939 shianne1991
Posted
Hi Shianne
Doctors often sound like oracles of absolute truth so I'd like to point out a few things. First is that they can do a laparoscopy just to confirm the diagnosis without doing any "surgical treatment" during the procedure. 2nd, many of us have had fertility issues without having had a laparoscopy. I was infertile for 3+ years before I had my laparoscopy.
As to your wedding, that is completely subjective. Some women - and their families - don't care while others do. My suggestion is to try and think of it from the phone album perspective: years from now will it bother you to share pix of your pregnant bridal self? Would you have a hard time explaining to your kids & strangers? This question applies regardless of whether your discomfort is aesthetic or is due to a preference not to be pregnant at your wedding.
Good luck.
shianne1991 aitarg35939
Posted
My doctor's point was that even if they find out it is endo for sure, the treatment options are the same.
The photos and how I would be feeling are the the parts I hesitate with. At the same time though, my period is due during my wedding date of my cycle stays the way it is, so I'm going to be uncomfortable either way. I don't think I want to look back at wedding pictures where I'm 7 months pregnant, but I don't know how much longer I can put up with this.
Any ideas about relief? And did your symptoms go away during your pregnancy or stay the same? Did it come back better/worse/the same after?
aitarg35939 shianne1991
Posted
I was fortunate in that I was on the much stronger birth control pills of the '70s and those kept things much more in abeyance. I went off them when I was 23 and conceived within about 6 months despite using other BC. Baby wasn't born. In the following 3 years I never conceived again despite being off all BC. This was striking because I never had trouble getting pregnant no matter how many ways I tried to avoid it.
BY age 27 I was just about out of my mind. A gastroenterologist figured out that I didn't have any ulcerative colitis or bleeding ulcers or Crohn's disease and he's the one who told the gyn to do the laparoscopy. I then had to argue quite forcefully for a hysterectomy. I had never wanted children anyway. It took a while for things to settle down, but it was the best decision for me.
I felt the same way when endo came back 27 years later. They removed a small section of colon where the endo was and I've been fine for the ensuing 8 years. I don't know what I'll do the if it ever comes back as I've sworn that I'll not have another abdominal surgery.
shianne1991 aitarg35939
Posted
That's the point I'm at right.
shianne1991
Posted
Oops! That's the point I'm at right now. We want kids so I want to get the ball rolling and then get everything taken out. It's trying to take over my life and I refuse to let it.