stressed and worried about endometriosis/how to handle the disease emotionally

Hi, i'm 18 years old, and have been having menstrual problems and pelvic pain for a few years now.  After quite a few doctors, many tests, lots of incorrect diagnosis, and ruling out of other problems, I finally got to a new OB/GYN that could help me.  A highly reccomended doctor, she did do an excellant job, and ironically had almost the exact same situation as me when she was my age.  After giving her a detailed account of my symptoms and the patterns of it, and after being examined, she was very sure that i must have endometriosis.  

She prescribed me to Lo-ovral birth control so that I only get a period every third month to supress my ovaries and such, and a more powerful pain killer for the really bad days.  She said that she wants me to try it for sixth months and then at the end of the sixth months i go back for re-evaluation.  At that time we talk about whether or not I should have a laparoscopic surgery to get rid of the growths, and to see if the birth control is helping and such.  

I'm really stressed about this.  I can't go a single day without a minimum  of 1 tramadol pill and about 4 advil (that is seriously a minimum!).  I am a full time ballet dancer, and I'm training to be a professional, so my full time schedule is often very difficult to handle with the nag of chronic pelvic pain.  I find myself downing advil throughout rehearsals, and spending my breaks curled up over a heating pad.  I want to push myself to dance through it, because I don't want this disease to ruin my hard work, and the career I have been training for my whole life.  I am very scared that this will hinder me.  Most of the time I can handle it, but there are same days, or even in the past there have been weeks at a time where I could hardly dance at all.  I find sex to be very painful as well, and it worries me that I may never be able to do it anymore.  I just can't stop thinking about how this could cause so many problems in my life and how draining it is.  I feel so much more tired everyday than I feel like a should.  I feel like nobody else quite understands...

I gues what I am looking for here is, how do you cope with something like this? just keep thinking about how I'm only 18, and that this is never going to go away, and how much I don't want this disease to interfere with whats important to me.

[Sagittarius]

Hi,

I completely understand you, because I had these kind of problem on the same age.
I got my period when I was 10 (very young) and since than I had very painful periods, with vomiting and dizzines. I wasn't able to do the usual things without feeling pain, so it was very difficult. When I was 18 I had some serious problems, I was bleeding for a whole month and had awful pains. On 19 I had a lap done and my right ovary was removed because I had endo, chocolate cysts, tumor and blood thickening. Since than I am on Yasmin pills (birth control) because my left ovary it's also problematic. Two years ago I was on Zoladex shots for six months (they make go into the condition of an early menopause), so I experienced menopause on the age of 22.
I am telling you all this so you can see that I understand because I experienced all this. It was very difficult and it still is. I faced with this problems on very young age and I needed to make decisions that I didn't want to make than and to live faster. Everyone has plans and dreams, but sometimes we can't do everything when we like it and how we like it. I was told that I should think about pregnancy when I was 19 because that would help me, and than I was on college with plans for postgraduate studies etc. I faced with very serious problems and life question on such a young age and it was very difficult. But, on the other hand, this experience helped me to grow up and to be more strong. Things are getting better and you should try to make them even better! You are only 18, so you must be positive and to enjoy life. Keep doing what makes you happy and don't give up! there will always be some difficulties, pains, but you must keep trying and accept that as a part of your life. I had serious problems but I tried to live healthier and to continue doing what it was a part of my life. I had a lot of pains and problems, bad emotional periods of time, but I managed to finish college and postgraduate studies and to do other things that I like and also to live a healthier life. Now I am starting to think about pregnancy and I hope that everything will be ok and that after that my condition will be ok, at least for a while...
About the sex problem, I had a lot of pains too and it was a very unpleasent experience, but it can get better. It's very important to have omebody by your side that understands and loves you, so together you can work on it and make it better. It's something that you should work on and it's very important to be relaxed and to be with someone that cares about you.
So, I understand you very much and I know how awful it is, but don't worry too much! Try to be positive and to live a healthier life and don't stop doing what makes you happy! There are many great things that are waiting for you!
I am here if you want to talk.
Take care!
P.S. Try to eat healthier food and to walk a lot and try Yoga in Daily Life. These thing really helped me to feel less pain and to be more relahed and filled with good energy.

[gummybear12]

Thank you so much for your input, it's really comforting to hear someone else in a similar situation that is going through the same things and such.  It's nice to be understood.  Thank you for the encouragement, and I wish you the best.