Adoption Momma

In January, I got extremely sick w/a virus and have been on disability since that time. I was having a lot of intense pain in various areas of my abdomen.

My PCP referred me to a Gastrointestinal Specialist and a Reproductive Endocrinologist. The GI Specialist didn't want to do the colonoscopy but I wanted peace of mind to know nothing was wrong with my colon. The results showed normal, but I do have a spastic colon. Because I was so sick, it triggered the spastic colon. GI stated it could take a couple of months for the pain to go away since it was flared up so much. So, that explained the pain in part of my abdomen. But it didn't explain the pain I was feeling in my uterus/ovaries area.

I have suspected for a long time that I had endometriosis. Because of my weight, the RE was hesitant to do a laproscopy on me as it would put me at a higher risk of complications. She admittedly stated even though the vaginal ultrasound didn't show anything (other than polycysts on my ovaries), we wouldn't know for sure until I had the lap done. She put me on 12 weeks of active BCP only which is supposed to help reverse the effects of the endo. If the pain improved, then we would be able to conclude it was endo.

Even on the active pills, I had AF for 33 straight days. At that point, I had enough. I called and and told the nurse, "I don't care about the risks and complications. I have dealt with female issues for 18 years. I want to get the lap done asap."

Yesterday I had a laparoscopy, hysteroscopy and D&C. The doctor found endometriosis on the back of my uterus, on my ovaries and tubes. There were also several polyps in my uterus. She verified my tubes were clear and she didn't see any reason for a hysterectomy.

The dr told DH she was glad we did the surgery and was almost 100% positive endo was preventing us from getting pregnant. If I'm reading the test results correctly, I was classified as an extreme case of endo. There is a 15% chance I could need the procedure again if there was some endo she wasn't able to see.

I said all of that to say this: sometimes you need to insist on tests to simply ease your mind (i.e. colonscopy). When you feel something isn't right with your body, demand the tests, procedures, surgeries, etc and don't just settle for what a doctor tells you. Even after AF for 33 days, RE wanted to put me on six months of Lupron shots (chemical menopause) but I refused to take any more medicine until we had the surgery.

I have learned to stand up for myself and not feel guilty about it. I used to be concerned that I would be labeled an irritating patient or paranoid. Please if you know something isn't right, get to the doctor and don't just "take these pills" and put a band-aid on the situation.

Sidenote: I had so much "junk" that was removed my stomach is actually smaller and it's swollen right now. I could potentially be able to wear a smaller size pant, that's how much of a difference we can see.

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IsabelleGrace

Amen to that! I hope everyone is listening - YOU HAVE TO BE YOUR OWN ADVOCATE!!! Even good doctors will tell you this. If your intuition tells you something is wrong, do not rest until you feel like your concerns have been addressed!!! This is so especially vital for those of us with PCOS.