[kimmie7]

No flames, please. Normally I could just put on my kevlar jacket, but my pain level is high and the emotions tend to spike along with that.

[mathluv]

My DIL was diagnosed with this. She ended up having to get a hysterectomy.

[Responsibility2nd]

I clicked
http://www.kimmiesbrain.com/

 

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Don't worry Kimmie. Happens to my brain too.

 

Sorry, but the only thing I know about endometriosis is that my wife ended her suffeing with it when she had her hysterectomy.

[arasina]

I recommend a laparoscopy and laser removal of the endometriosis over any drugs.

[I still care]

I have a friend with endo who had a baby, and then she told me she got so much better.

I have pcos, and wasn’t diagnosed till I was in my 50’s. When I see how it has reached into all the areas of my life, and damaged me, it makes me angry I didn’t find out about it sooner.

I walked into the office of a diabetes specialist, and as she walked in the door she said, I would bet anything you have pcos. I had never heard of it before.

But all these years when I been struggling like a maniac with my weight, hair growth, hair loss, menstral pain, skin rashes, etc..... It would have been nice to know it was freaking HORMONAL!!! (appropriate raise in voice here!!!)

I’ve always wondered why my triglycerides were through the roof, no matter what I ate.

[IrishCatholic]

You shouldn’t get flamed. In fact, I sympathise with your fight. Good luck and I hope you get some support.

Here is a Wiki entry for readers to explain a layman view of the disease:

Symptoms

Pelvic pain
A major symptom of endometriosis is recurring pelvic pain. The pain can be mild to severe cramping that occurs on both sides of the pelvis, to the lower back and rectal area and even down the legs. The amount of pain a woman feels is not necessarily related to the extent or stage (1 through 4) of endometriosis. Some women will have little or no pain despite having extensive endometriosis affecting large areas or having endometriosis with scarring. On the other hand, women may have severe pain even though they have only a few small areas of endometriosis. However, pain does typically worsen with severity. Symptoms of endometriosic-related pain may include [3]:

dysmenorrhea – painful, sometimes disabling cramps during menses; pain may get worse over time (progressive pain), also lower back pains linked to the pelvis
chronic pelvic pain – typically accompanied by lower back pain or abdominal pain
dyspareunia – painful sex
dysuria – urinary urgency, frequency, and sometimes painful voiding
[edit] Infertility
Many women with infertility have endometriosis. As endometriosis can lead to anatomical distorsions and adhesions (the fibrous bands that form between tissues and organs following recovery from an injury), the causality may be easy to understand; however, the link between infertility and endometriosis remains enigmatic when the extent of endometriosis is limited.[4] It has been suggested that endometriotic lesions release factors which are detrimental to gametes or embryos, or, alternatively, endometriosis may more likely develop in women who fail to conceive for other reasons and thus be a secondary phenomenon; for this reason it is preferable to speak of endometriosis-associated infertility[5] in such cases.

[edit] Other
Other symptoms may be present, including:

nausea, vomiting, fainting, dizzy spells, vertigo[citation needed]
frequent or constant menstrual flow[citation needed]
chronic fatigue[citation needed]
heavy or long uncontrollable menstrual periods with small or large blood clots
some women may also suffer mood swings[citation needed]
extreme pain in legs and thighs
back pain
mild to extreme pain during intercourse
extreme pain from frequent[citation needed] ovarian cysts
pain from adhesions which may bind an ovary to the side of the pelvic wall, or they may extend between the bladder and the bowel,uterus, etc.
extreme pain with or without the presence of menses
premenstrual spotting
mild to severe fever
headaches
depression
hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)
anxiety
In addition, women who are diagnosed with endometriosis may have gastrointestinal symptoms that mimic irritable bowel syndrome

Patients who rupture an endometriotic cyst may present with an acute abdomen as a medical emergency.

Occasionally pain may also occur in other regions. Cysts can occur in the bladder (although rare) and cause pain and even bleeding during urination. Endometriosis can invade the intestine[citation needed] and cause painful bowel movements or diarrhea.

In addition to pain during menstruation, the pain of endometriosis can occur at other times of the month and doesn’t have to be just on the date on menses. There can be pain with ovulation, pain associated with adhesions, pain caused by inflammation in the pelvic cavity, pain during bowel movements and urination, during general bodily movement i.e. exercise, pain from standing or walking, and pain with intercourse. But the most desperate pain is usually with menstruation and many women dread having their periods. Also the pain can start a week before menses, during and even a week after menses, or it can be constant. There is no known cure for endometriosis.

[Lurker]

Believe it or not a succesful pregnancy usually clears it up. My first wife had endo and after our son was born she had no more trouble with it. It’s kind of drastic I know, but...

[Paved Paradise]

Hi Kimmie. I was dx. in 1995 - Stage IV as well. On my colon and elsewhere. I refused Lupron. I could say more but if you are interested, you can email me here on FR. I do think Lupron is not good. Diet is very, very important and so is exercise. You know that red meat is the food of endo so if you can limit that, that is good. I also have IC (interstitial cystitis), which often goes in tandem with endo. I don’t know what PCOS is. I used to be a counselor on the endo support hotline. There is hope!

[grame]

My sister’s grew to the size of a small melon before they took it and her uterus. Mine just caused me a bunch of cramping, irregular bleeding, that’s what I remember. They took my uterus out 30 years ago during the scare about the new style tampons which I was using.

[Hebrews 11:6]

Thirty-three years ago I learned that my fiancee had severe endometriosis (I had never even heard of it). In biblical obedience we went to our church's elders for anointing and prayer. It cleared up immediately.

Now she is a grandmother.

[teenyelliott]

How old are you? That matters when trying to figure out the best solution.

All the women in my family have endo and other issues to varying degrees.

[kimmie7]

I got my surgery date!! Hysterectomy on the 16th of August! hooray!!