It's important to let you dr run the full test of everything - even if you *know* it's endo. The word endo never came out of my mouth w/ my dr b/c I wanted her to check everything which she did. She did a hysteroscopy as well as a laparoscopy and took multiple samples & biopsies. She also removed all the cysts on my ovaries to check. Luckily for me they all came back non-cancerous, but you can never be too careful in my book
Endometriosis has been classified by the AARDA (American Autoimmune Diseases Assoc., Inc.) as autoimmune. I also have other autoimmune problems and that is why I think I have endo. I don't know how much research has been done w/ PCOS & autoimmune or PCOS & Endo. I do think PCOS is a hormonal/endocrine problem and Endo I think can be associated w/ inflammatory/autoimmune issues. In my personal opinion I'm curious if women w/ Endo test positive for ANA or have Rh factor.
My dr recommends ibuprofen/motrin. EA (Endometriosis Association) also cites NSAID's as a great help for endometriosis. I only have good luck w/ Tylenol to help my arthritis. You have to be careful with NSAID's though - you cannot take them a week before surgery. You may want to call a dr to get Rx pain killers (I personally like percocet). NSAID's can also cause stomach bleeding and ulcers, so if I start to take too many, I ask for a Rx pain killer. If your dr is familiar w/ the pain of endo she/he will not have a problem w/ Rx pain killers being prescribed for you.
One important thing w/ endo is that it reacts to hormones. I now eat only organic meat (animals not stimulated w/ hormones), organic milk (cows not given extra hormones to produce more milk), organic eggs....the list goes on. I've felt better since doing this and I'm not bleeding through BCP's anymore
I think all those extra hormones cause me problems - highly sensitive I guess!
Not to scare you, but my pain started when I was bleeding and then got progressively worse. I was also not on BCP's when the pain was worsening as I was TTC *sigh* but that is a totally different post! LOL
If you like reading, I def suggest the Endometriosis Association's 2nd Edition of "Endometriosis" - I read it in one day. It really goes over all the symptoms, possible causes, treatments, etc. You def will learn a lot and not feel alone.
Hopefully my ramble is not too much. I just don't want anyone to end up like me again - ignored until I was TTC, stuck on BCP, emergency surgery......it's just not right. Please keep me updated!
