Hi all. I have recently been diagnosed with endometriosis which was surprising given my age but it makes sense as it was masked by birth control (Diane 35) for so long. I am booked in for a Laparoscopic left ovarian cystectomy, diathermy of endometrosis, hysteroscopy and polypectomy on Wednesday.
I am really nervous about the suggested treatment plan for post surgery. My options are the contraceptive pill, IUD (Mirena) or Visanne (dienogest). We have ruled out the pill as I mentally cannot… read more
Thanks Jessica, have you tried any other treatments and had better results?
Thanks again Karen, my gyno/surgeon specialises in endometriosis and thankfully so I feel okay about the surgical procedure being the best it can be for Australia, it’s just the way our system is set up I didn’t get to ask a tonne of questions beforehand so was feeling a bit anxious about that.
The hospital where he practices is also a known endometriosis hospital and they have support groups and medical professionals who can help (just the timing!). I’ve registered for support through them. So I guess I have options to ask lots of questions afterward.
In a perfect world I’d wait a bit for the surgery but I can’t I’m in too much pain and can’t function well anymore.
I guess what it all boils down to for me is understanding it a whole lot better + working through my resistance to hormone medication.
Thanks for sharing the resources it’s very helpful.
Thanks again Lauren,
I find it interesting that I’ve likely had endo my whole life but only suffered extreme pain during my period (and only 1-2 days at that) and then suddenly in April this year I had excruciating pain pop up that hasn’t gone away now which has led me to this point and diagnosis.
I wonder if after the surgery it will give me some relief (the removal of the cysts and a lump I have on my cervix at least).
My gyno indicated it would get better after he removed the cells but he might miss microscopic cells and it will grow back to this level if I don’t go on hormone tablets.
I don’t have time prior to my surgery to see any other health professionals so I think I’ll just get a prescription for Visanne and then make an appointment during my recovery to see a Chinese medicine practitioner. At least I can not take the tablet if I decide too or stop taking it, the IUD makes me nervous as it seems too permanent for me.
I recall from last time I saw a Chinese practitioner the foods that triggered my painful period so I at least know what to avoid (although we didn’t know I had endo then). Interestingly I also saw an Ayurvedic practitioner not for this reason a year or so later who told me to avoid similar foods.
Sorry you’re in pain constantly and trying to work it all out too, this isn’t a great thing to have is it.
Thanks Karen, I have checked out Nancy’s Nook. It looks great but u must say it’s overwhelming to try and disseminate in the short amount of time I have before my operation. I also don’t think I have time with my specialist beforehand but it appears they don’t really offer excision here (my gyno did say they scrape off the cells perhaps they do?)?