Had endo removed yesterday only 10 months after hysterectomy!

Hey sisters. Some of you might recall me posting a month or 2 ago about bloating and cramping that I was experiencing along with an excrutiating vaginal ultrasound. Sex didn't feel too good either. I ended up firing my gyno and finding another and I'm so glad I did. The new doc was sure I had endo and said lets do a laproscopy and laser it out. So I did that yesterday and he was right, I had endo. I'm wondering if it's possible for endo to grow back so quickly, only 10 months after my hysterectomy, or if the first doctor just didn't remove it and it's been there festering all along. Either way I'm so happy with this new doctor. He came down to see me before the surgery. Then he held my hand in the OR until I drifted off to never land, then he came down to see me when I woke up and then he called me last night at 9:00. What a kind man. My first doctor acted like she couldn't wait to get away from me. She actually seemed anoyed when I went back to her complaining of cramps and bloating and pain after the hyst. A good doctor really makes all the difference. My advise to anyone feeling put off by your current doctor is don't waste another second with them because a great one might be right around the corner. Literally! My new doctor is right around the corner from my old one! HA HA.

Hi Jennifer I, too, fired my first gyno who practices right up the hill from where I live. All he wanted to do was keep increasing my meds (which were'nt working in the first place!). He also didn't seem like he was all there if you know what I mean. I then found a wonderful doctor an hour away from my home who is just a peach. She really listened to me and spent alot of time explaining things to me. I'm very glad that you, too, found a caring doctor. More women should feel empowered to fire their doctors if they're unhappy with them. There are many wonderful and caring doctors out there!

Hope you're healing well.

Sally

It is very hard to remove all of the endo if it is extensive. Endo thrives on estrogen, so if you are using HRT, this could make it regrow. I am on HRT and had extensive endo. The dr warned me of the possibility of the endo recurring enough to require a lap to remove. He did not know if it would or how long it may take, but that there is the possibility it may make a repeat appearance.

Cindy

The endo cells can be microscopic. It is impossible to get the ones that you can't see. I agree with the last comment about the estrogen. I'm glad you found a good doctor. That is funny that you would mention him holding you hand while you went to sleep because that's what my doctor did. He is really great and he cares. I hope this last surgery will make you feel better. It sure would be nice if someone could find a cure for endo, it is nasty.
Kat

What's this endo thing you are all talking about? I have unusual swelling and gas and discomfort and would like to understand more.

HI Jennifer, I hope that the lap works and you start to feel better soon. and I am glad that you had the courage to find a new doc. I fought with my doc to get him to realize that I know my body better than he does. when my pain first started he thought I had endo and wanted to put me on lupron. I did some research before I made my decision and decided against the lupron because I did not believe that endo was my problem. so after ending up in the hospital for a few days he decided that he would do a lap. and he did not find any endo but he did find alot of adhesions from previous surgeries.so I was glad that I did not go with the lupron because it would not have helped with my adhesions. the lap worked for 2 months and then I was back in pain agian. I go to my doc and now he says that he will do the hyst if I wanted him too. so I had my hyst on April 25th and then when the path report comes back they find I had adeno. again the lupron would not have helped with that. so glad I stood my ground or else right now I would be menopuasel from the lupron and I would still be in pain. and for the sister that wanted info about the endo. you can go to the website ENDOKNOW.COM or you can just punch in ENDOMETRIOSIS in your web browser and you will be taken to those sites. they can explain it better than I can. but basicly what I learned from my research is that it is caused by retrograde mentruation which is a backflow of blood during your cycle. and overtime this blood can build up and adhere to other organs and cause a lot of pain and problems. hope this helps Take Care Ladies, Cathy

Hi all. My surgery revealed severe endo + a 7cm chocolate cyst. I remember being stunned when I asked my surgeon about HRT and she said she would prefer I do not take for 9-12 months...but again, the reason is to "starve" any remaining endo cells. Hey, I'm doing all I can to do it right the 1st time, so waiting another 12 months is no problem. Only 5 weeks 4 days post-op, but no terrible hot flashes...just a warming trend!

Best of luck to all!

Yes a good doctor can make all the difference, but the key is to listen to your body. I've gotten very good at that over the last couple of years. I used to just listen to what a doctor was telling me, but a lot of times what they were saying didn't make sence.

I'm not on HRT because I was able to keep my ovaries. My doc explained that the endo feeds off of estrogen which is produced by ovaries so he was very clear that it could come back again and again. I'm really not in the mood for another surgery any time soon so I'm going to think positive. I've had 2 laps and a hyst in the last year and 3 months and I'm pretty tired of trying to recover. Let's all prey someone finds a cure soon!

Jen