Endo?? What should I do now?

[Des_a_rae]

Hi All, I think I have endo.  I've been married for almost 10 yrs, trying to get pregnant for the last 6.  I have really bad periods.  Late, early and never on time.  They are misreable either way.  I hurt constantly in my lower back.  I've had pains in my thighs..my hips..i'm sorry for the tmi but my anus..my lower stomach of course. The pains are so bad i've blacked out..i've thrown up..i'm shaking and it went from taking tylenols to something more aggressive like a pain pill..then to taking a pain pill and hurting still so bad that i'd have to sit in the hottest water possible..in the tub so the hot water could help relax my muscles for the pain pill to kick in.  This month in particular though i've bled through the month inbetween my period on 3 different occasions.  Very little blood ,thought ...prayed actually that I was pregnant but I wasn't.  I started 3 days late and i've never bled so much in my life.  I was having to change every 2 hrs with horrible blood clots.  I've realized the older I get the worse it gets. Endo runs in my family..my aunt on my dads side had to have a hysterectomy when she was 28 because of it.  I have a couple of  questions...kinda lost here.

1.)  Do you think it's endo?  If not, any ideas??
2.) How do I find a specialists?  I've never been to the dr. with this.  I live in Alabama.
3.) What kind of treatment is out there for endo..and does it work?

Thank you so much in advance for the help...I really appreciate it.
                                                                                                      Des

[Des_a_rae]

Lea (also my middle name)  ..tysm for your reply.  I wanna say congratulations on the pregnancy.  I am curious though that after the surgery was everything okay?  Whatever it takes I am definitely determined to get this all fixed.

Angie, it's a comfort to know that I don't have to spend most of my time trying to find a specialists.  I'm okay going to a ob/gyn and yes I have to agree..even though i've never been to the Dr. for this..I have realized that over time..it's only gotten worse.  I need to go as soon as April 1st rolls around because i'm afraid there's going to come a month that i'm going to hurt so bad and nothing is going to work unless I keep myself knocked out.  I'm not good with medicine..I have a very low tolerance so the only thing I do have is a pain pill..so I have to half it and if that doesn't work..if i'm still hurting I take the whole thing and even then I can still feel the pain but the pill is knocking me out.  That's the only way this past month that I got through those 5 days. Tylenols, Ibuprofens none of that even phases it anymore. I've also noticed I bled ALOT more this time.  Maybe because of the medicine, i'm not sure.  Thank you so much for all the info.  I'm so glad I have someone like yourself and all the others to talk to on here.
                                                        
Desarae

[Des_a_rae]

annie,

   I completely understand about a specialists.  What I hope will happen is I go to a regular gyno for a yearly checkup..explain my problems and hopefully in the very near future they will send me to a specialists.  I definitely want the surgery if it is Endometriosis.  Whatever it takes to slow this down..remove most if not all of it.  I going to research this as far as I can, Dr.'s..treatments..medicine..whatever I have to do.  I'm just so determined to get over this already..move on.  I'm ready for a family.  Thank you so much for all of your help.  I just wished that it was easy to pick a dr. and him/her know everything and fix everything.  I know that's only a wish though.  Thank You Again. God Bless!

Desarae

[Des_a_rae]

Thank You Very Much Annie, you too.

                            Desarae

[asta11]

If you have such pains, you have to see specialist.....I was so healthy...but January 08 and maybe a few months before started feeling constipated, lower back pain which I never had before,tons of ultrasounds and nothing specific.....in sept 08 i had laparoscopy and than they found out i have endometriosis. You have to have laparoscopy,I don't think ultrasound can be so accurate....... so tissue can taken for pathology if it is endometriosis, if there is something else so they can see. Laparoscopy was fast and recovery too............and even if you don't have endometriosis or something else they can diagnose what is wrong with you. Don't be afraid to see specialist but be sure you pick good one.......And something positive at the end....in some cases if endometriosis tissue is removed,laparo helps some women get pregnant faster.....good luck......don't wait.....

[Des_a_rae]

annie,

   Thank you for the websites.  I checked them out and found 3 specialits in B'ham and not only that but I also found a webpage that was more in depth than any other websites i've found about endometriosis.  I saved these sites under my favorites for futures uses.  I have an appointment with a ob/gyn on the 27th of April and that's if she don't deliver.  She was recommended by a friend of mine who's a nurse.  If she goes in labor and has to reschedule i'm going to see a different ob/gyn who was also recommended 2nd to her because if she goes into labor they'll reschedule me and probably wind up seeing someone I didn't want to see to start with. Thank you so much for all of your help and as soon as I can get out of that Dr.'s office i'll let you know what they say.  Thank you again.

Sincerely,
  Desarae

[Des_a_rae]

I do have such pains.  Unfortunately i've had them for yrs. now.  I'm going to see an ob/gyn that was recommended by a nurse friend and i'm going to ask for laparoscopic surgery. I feel after reading everything i've read and talking with my aunt that has endometriosis..I feel deep down that's what I have. Annie was thoughtful enough to post me links to websites so I was able to find a specialists in Birmingham, Alabama.  That's only 2 hrs away for me and if that's what it takes..i'm going no matter what.  Thank you for the reply.

Sincerely,
  Desarae