Expert: Lori J. Watkins Date: 6/23/2008 Subject: past endo...now this
Question i am 23 years old, and have been diagnosed with endometriosis since i was 16, with 6 laparoscopies under my belt here. i had a baby about 12 months ago, and 9 months later on the nose like always my pain showed back up. i finally got a doctor to do a laparoscopy on me (because all of them just wanted to do a hysterectomy), and for what ever reason said he didn't think he saw anything that looked like endometriosis (but did 6 biopsies of something, this surgery was just on June 3rd) haven't got the results back yet but did diagnose me with the varicose veins in my uterus and ovaries. this surgery was also robot assisted, one of the first of the hospital. my question is what is this illness he treated, and two weeks later, now, i am still having severe abdominal cramping like i was before i even had surgery. im very frustrated and cant get any answers from the doctor who did my surgery, please help!!!!
Answer Hello Laura:
I feel ya. I have had 5 laparoscopies and 3 Laparotomies and a Hysterectomy, also, a surgery called a Partial Colectomy, where they took over half my colon out. I am sorry your pain showed back up. But, Hey, you got a baby!!! I wasn't able to have any children...so, in that regard you are so lucky. This disease is very complex and I am not sure why they took biopsies or even TOLD YOU WHAT THEY DID?! Don't you love doctors.....I would keep asking questions. After all what can they do? It IS YOUR BODY. It sounds cool that it was a robot assisted surgery. I am very interested also about the vericose vein thing. I am going to ask my doc who is one of the best in the country about this question. He will, hopefully, give us some answers, o.k. For the cramping, try ibuprofen with Tylenol (called piggybacking) also, try to drink a cup of chamomile tea and make a chamomile tea PACK and put it on your belly-make sure it's warm. Did you know about them saying anything like it was on your bowels (intestines) or anything. After six surgeries you probably have alot of adhesions which have caused me a considerable amount of pain, even now. I don't have my ovaries or anything anymore. I do however, monthly, get cramping. I don't bleed but, it feels like it. I think alot of OUR (with endo) cramping has to do with our Colon as it is on the left side and your colon is one of the biggest muscles in your body, so if there is even microscopic endo there, you could have cramps from that. This is my experience with it. I hope I have helped a little and I will try to help more after I speak with The Doc. Please email me back and let me know how you are feeling. You can also find answers to some questions by emailing from the Endometriosis Association's site and asking Shelley (the support group leader) some questions. I am sure she would have no trouble answering what she can. Tell her about the robot assisted surgery, she'd definately be interested in that. Hey, they probably took video of your surgery....ask if you can have a copy of the video!!!since, it was robot assisted and all.
