So.. I am 21 years old with endometriosis. And I have been dealing with it since I was 12 years old. 5 surguries later, I still have pain. Except this time, no insurance. So my doctor is not wanting to do another surgury. I just went to my doctors and he siad I have lumps on my uterus, which usually dont show up until age 35, and its fine at that age, because most women are done childbearing and they can give a hystorectomy. But me, no, i am not 35. He put me on birth control, which I have not used for 3 almost 4 years. Well... and told me to have sex or use a sex toy to massage the hernia patch that was done last year. I thought sex was supposed to be something u enjoyed, and not something to make you hurt!?! I dont understand this. The birth control patch has made me sick, I do mean sick. I am nausauas and hurt more, and hardly am eating. I dont like it. But everyone keeps telling me to give it a chance.... Any body have any ideas on hwo to help the pain, or any advice. Anything???? I dont have insurance, makes it harder to see a doctor, but I paid $175 on Monday. and Have to go back in 6 weeks, and pay another $175. (Hes an endocrinologist here in Jacksonville.)
I will second the suggestion to go to the fertilitycare.org website. Endo doesn't go away when treated with the pill, just makes you pain free.
I hope you can find some answers. I can't imagine what you've been through!
Check out this site http://www.fertilitycare.org/nptech.html I don't see a practitioner in JAX but this is certainly worth checking out. You could call another one in the state and I'm sure they would answer your questions. The program is all about caring for your fertility and getting to the root of your personal health issues.
Hi D., My sister was diagnosised with endo at a young age as well. She has went through everything you have and more, finally at 31 my sis' had a partial histo. And Still had troubles. Finally she found out, after lots and lots of Doctors (she has good ins.) There is something that is commanly misdiagnosised as endometriosis, BUT IT ISN'T. Call me I will get you in touch with my sister and she can tell you all about it, you might be misdiagnosised as she was. My number is ###-###-####
After watching all the surgeries and pain my sis' went through I know being treated for endo is bad and the pain your in is worse! I hope I can help. R.
I have it, had surgery and Lupron treatments. I have two beautifull girls after. Surgery causes scar tissue which can be just as bad as endrometriosis for fertility. So be ware! I'd say definately Lupron injections followed by getting on the pill and if a baby is in you future ASAP. Sorry but that's reality and see a fertility EXPERT before you make any more decisions on your treatment please. GOOD LUCK!
I understand.. I did the patch as a last result to surgery(yet again.) Had a horrible experience. I believe I had every side affact you might have while on birth control. And it didn't work. So.. its just a personal decision I think.
Heating pads work wonders. Keep your stress down. When you are stressed, you tighten the muscles, making it hurt more. Aleve works(on a good day) for me. Find something that works for you and take regurlarly letting it get in your system. Take long baths, they help. Or showers. Hope this helps:) I do these things regurlarly.:)
I have it but i am done having kids. My Dr put me on 6 motnhs of lupron injections. One a month. It puts you in a checmical induced menopause so you don't have a cycle. The bad thing was without insurance it costs about $600.00 per injection. I wish you luck!
Hi D., I don't have any answers for the endomitriosis problem, I wish I did as it sounds very painful and a heavy burden to bear at such a young age. I can only offer 2 things.. One, I'll be happy to pray for your situation and put you on my prayer list for healing.. (God still performs miracles you know.) Secondly, to ease the burden of the medical expense let me suggest a discount medical and dental program.. If you want medical for yourself it's only $30 a month.. for your family it's $49.95. If you want to learn more about the program or have any other questions please email me or you can go to the following website.
mybenefitsplus.com/40399093
There's a tab to look up providers too. You can pay monthly and can cancel anytime... Let me know what you think ok..
R.
try to find a tri-county health center. it is usually government funded and they wk off your income.. they give u a well woman exam then usually 6-months-1yr of birth control. I don't wk and only was asked to make a donation. they can help with choosing the best birth control. living with endometriosis i have tried almost every birth control out there i loved the IUD merena no pain no weight gain, no periods too!! painful to put in tho but worth it.. i also experienced hormonal acne along my chin but took acne med for that..
D.,
Try alternatives. Chiropractic, acupuncture, change of diet, supplements, whatever is out there. Get referrals from other people. When alternative is done sometimes it takes months to get an improvement. Keep hunting.
There is an incredible surgeon in Atlanta and he has a web site. Look up the name Doctor Thomas L. Lyons. He is a specialist for womens problems.
Deb
Hi, D.,
I am a FertilityCare Practitioner here in Jacksonville. I would be happy to talk with you more about your endometriosis and related problems. I will message you privately with my contact info.
Peace,
H.
Are you on continuous birth control? By this I mean, for example on the patch, you would not take the patch off for a week, you would go straight to a fresh one every 3 weeks. You should have no period if you do this, and you may find your endo never flares up at all. It is very safe and effective even in women who simply don't like periods, and it is highly effective in women with endo. There is no need for you to have a period, until you want to try to get pregnant again. For more info, see www.noperiod.com This doctor has successfully and healthfully suppressed her own period for over 10 years and encourages other women to do so as well! I do this myself, I never have a period, and it is wonderful. The sick feelings SHOULD go away within a couple of months and then, God willing, you will be home free until you want to get pregnant again.
i really don't know of any other way except for the surgeries. i have endometriosis too and had to get pregnant via invitro. my last surgeries were done 3 years ago and i know i am due for other ones as well just don't have the time. you should look into finding employment and get insurance via the employer to have the surgeries done. good luck
Hi D.,
I too have had problems since I was 16 and I have had 10 surgeries since that time. There are three things that I have really helped me. The first is Agestin. It is synthetic Progesterone. I took it along with the birth control pill continuously so I have not had a period in about 6 years. Make sure that your patch is low on estrogen because I was told that estrogen can make endometriosis grow. Second, physical therapy has been a miracle for me. I found a specialist that worked with pelvic floor disfunction. Because I have had so many surgeries my muscles are a mess. My husband and I did not have sex for a long time because it was just too painful for me. PT really helped my pain and I belived helped me to get pregnant this year. Finally, I have tried something called trigger point injections. I found an GYN that would find the common trigger pain points in my abdomen and lower back and give me injections there. These were to help stop the cycle of pain. While it ws not a permanant fix, I would get 6 weeks of relief from them. I hope this is helpful for you.
