Doc gave me 2 options: need advice
Posted , 4 users are following.
Hello all.
My doc thinks I may have Endo and suggested either getting a lap or going on bc. I am very nervous about both options. I would really hate to get a lap and it end up being nothing. I'm also generally surgery adverse due to my own mother being left with a lifelong illness after a surgery gone wrong.
Bc may seem like a no brainier in this situation but I have never been on it and I am already prone to severe depression. I am in a really good place right now and terrified of being back in the dark. Bc is known to increase depression. What is your experience?
Doc says if I take the bc we will at least know more about the pain and if it is fueled by hormonal changes. She said if I have less pain on bc than normal it is probably Endo and at that point we can go ahead with the surgery with more confidence. Have you all ever heard of this??
The reason I'm not sure I have it:
About five years ago I went to around to eight different docs or so trying desperately to get someone to take me serious about the pain and extremly heavy bleeding. I was left crying after many appointments because of the frustration and gave up. It actually got better with time. Sure periods are still painful but it's nothing compared to what it used to be. The only thing that has gotten worse is pain during intercourse. When I went to current doc I wasn't looking for anything other than a pap smear and when she asked if I had pain I said a bit and when she actually took me serious my jaw about dropped to the floor. Her explanation as to why it may have calmed down a bit is just because I'm older now and hormones have calmed down by this point (I'm 25). Is this anyone else's experience with it getting better on it's own? So anyways since it's not terrible I'm tempted to not do anything about it but doc warns it could get worse beyond the point of surgery if I let it go. What do you all think? Thanks so much for your response.
0 likes, 3 replies
Mandy4795 rose49677
Posted
Hi Rose,
First, I am so sorry that you are going through this. I went through a very similar experience just last year.
I have been on bc since around 15. When I first had endo pain, my doctor initially removed my IUD, and gave me an implanted birth control in my arm instead. This did not help and my doctor did not take my pain seriously so I requested to see a specialist.
My new doctor had me get on birth control pills to test my hormones.. He wanted me to try the pill for 3 months, then schedule a lap if there were no improvements.
I started the pills, but after a month I couldn't take the pain and honestly just demanded the lap. It was indeed endo, they were able to remove it, and I have been pain free ever since. This was in the end of March.
I remain on birth control pills to prevent the endo from returning, however I STILL have the implant in my arm- meaning I am on 2 birth controls at once. I also have struggled with depression for a long time. Your concerns about getting on the pill are valid because I do feel the effects on my emotions. Ultimately the decision is yours and it comes down to what you are willing to risk. Surgery is risky, expensive, and requires recovery time. It may also not find anything, sadly. However in my case, it really worked out and I am so glad that I did it.
I would suggest trying the pills- talk to your doctor about your concerns. If you are on any antidepressants I recommend looking into the effects of that specific pills. The nice thing about bc is that there are so many kinds- and they affect people differently. Some gain weight, I lost weight. Some get acne, others have their acne cleared up! Just with many medications, you can try a few until you find the right fit. If the pain is affecting your life, I think it may be worth it to give bc a try.
I hope that this helps, please feel free to ask me anything.
aitarg35939 rose49677
Posted
The only sure diagnostic tool for endo is the lap. As surgeries go, it's minor. At your age the recovery should be 1-3 days unless you are astoundingly unfit, as in never walk, never exercise, drive door to door on all trips. If you're in the UK you're virtually guaranteed to be much more fit than all Americans who live outside NYC because y'all walk.
My mom died in front of me from medical malpractice when i was 17. I had been helping my aunt take care of her in a hospital 200 miles from home. I was on BCP already.
Endo reared its head immensely when i was 24 & had been off the pill a year or 2. It was very hard seeking medical attention at all thanks to docs murdering my mom, but i had no choice. Took 3 years to find anyone who knew what endo was & that it could present as long-term excruciating diarrhea (with excruciating periods but i knew better than to complain about those). It was a GI doc & he got me in to a gyn right away & forced her to do the lap.
I ended up having a total hysterectomy 5 weeks later.
So it's hard facing a surgery but here's the thing: endo sometimes is doing the worst stuff when you think it's doing nothing. To choose not to do the lap is to choose possibly losing fertility and maybe even all repro organs at a far younger age than would be the case had you gotten things taken care of.
As to more pain years ago: sounds like you were a teen. Everything the brain & body experiences as a teen is highly magnified. Maybe you had more pain or maybe not, or you may have become more used to it. Me, i'd count the increasing intercourse pain more important than that possibly worse period pain.
On 9/22 it will be 47 years since my mom died. I had spent 6 weeks taking care of her. It's all as fresh as yesterday. Still i have now had a total of 9 surgeries, 4 due to endo. I will not sacrifice my survival to those quacks in Galveston who killed my mom, else they take my health too.
carrie64173 rose49677
Posted