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Thu Jul 19, 2007 8:21 pm  |
| Does anyone have experience dealing with endometriosis and/or cysts and fibroids? I'm having all kinds of symptoms that have been getting worse over the past couple of years, including heavy, PAINFUL periods, chronic pelvic pain on left side, bloating, and fatigue. The last couple of months things have really escalated. I've added nausea, headache, vomiting, problems with elimination, chest pain, etc. I've been researching and it looks like endometriosis could be the primary cause. Ultrasounds revealed several cysts and possible fibroids. My GYN specialist wants to do a laparoscopy. I would really appreciate any advice/insight from someone who has experience. I am completely against hormonal therapy. I'm looking into this stuff called Fibrovan. Is anyone familiar with it? |
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Best, Jeannine (40s, fair skin, hazel eyes, sensitive skin). To fight the dread lemming sickness, I promise not to rave about a product until I have used it for a long while. |
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Thu Jul 19, 2007 9:56 pm |
Hi,
I don't have any insight for you but I just discovered I have 2 uterine fibroids via a pelvic ultrasound. The only symptom I have is the constant spotting, like having a non-ending period for 5 weeks.
I am suppose to follow up with a gyno and my appt is at the end of the month. The weird thing is that after the ultrasound, everything is back to normal.
I wish you luck. I have a coworker with endo. She has to be on bcp and gets regular pelvic ultrasound. |
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~~ super-sensitive, dry, dermatitis prone, rosacea/northern calif ~~ |
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Sat Jul 21, 2007 11:53 am |
Unfortunately, I have experience with negative symptoms associated with my reproductive system. I was diagnosed with endometriosis years ago but don't know that was the proper diagnosis. I currently have the diagnosis of PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome). I've had the most help thru Oriental Medicine / acupuncture and herbs. If you can afford it, I would go in that direction (unfortunately, most insurances won't cover it).
Also, you can learn a lot about managing your own energy thru Donna Edenwww.innersource.net She has a DVD set on Women & Hormones but it would be best to start with her Energy Medicine Kit and her book "Energy Medicine" and then work up to more advanced material. |
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42yo, natural strawberry blonde so fair skin, blue-eyed, and dry skin |
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Sat Jul 21, 2007 9:43 pm |
Unfortunately, I too have experience with endometriosis, cysts & now fibroids. I battled with the pain for over a year - I was cramping 3 weeks out of 4. Back then (1988), a lot of women still got the "it's all in your head" routine. My doctor actually told me to exercise & lose weight (& I was only about 10 lbs over my "ideal" weight at time!). 
I ended up in emergency surgery at midnight one Saturday night - they thought I had a ruptured appendix, but what I actually had was a ruptured "chocolate" cyst the size of a grapefruit, and the other ovary had one almost as big! The "chocolate" part means it was dark - filled with blood. They removed the cysts, but not my ovaries, and put me into chemically-induced menopause with a lovely drug called Danazol for nine months. And then I went on the pill until I was 39 to keep it under control. I tried to get pregnant at 39/40 - I knew my odds were very low, but everything appeared to working properly. My ex wouldn't get his sperm checked, so that's as far as we went.
I'm now peri-menopausal and last year had a ultrasound that determined I have about 7 fibroids. The doctor wanted to do a hysterectomy right away, but the symptoms I was having (horrible periods - lots of cramping & blood) have subsided. I still have pain on the side of the ruptured cyst - there's a lot of scar tissue & adhesions around that ovary.
Good luck! Just don't let the doctors tell you to "live with it." And a laparoscopy isn't bad at all - the worst part of the pain is the CO2 they fill your belly with (the better to see you with, my dear  ) trying to be absorbed by the body. I was up & around the same afternoon - even went up & down stairs to feed the dogs, threatening them with severe bodily harm if anyone decided to jump on my tummy. |
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50, oily & not a lot of wrinkles (yet), melasma and hormonal acne cysts & breakouts |
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Sun Jul 22, 2007 3:55 am |
Thanks for sharing your experiences, mtview, lunarmm, and catmcall.
lunarmm, I've read several confirming reports that acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine are extremely effective, so I'll definitely be looking into these. Donna Eden's stuff sounds interesting, so I'll check her out too.
catmcall, your experience sounds horrible. I really am frustrated with our medical system. It's crazy that we women have to suffer for years when so much information is and was available (a lot was known even in 1988). I started seeking treatment years ago, and I've been told by my GYN for years that my ONLY options for treating it are induced menopause or birth control. That simply isn't true, but I didn't know any better. I thought that menstruation was supposed to be awful. I thought it was normal for some women and that women just dealt with it. (My mom also had these problems, culminating in a hysterectomy at 45.) So I just put up with the pain and excessive bleeding, etc. Now I know that periods are NOT supposed to be painful at all! If you are suffering pain and heavy bleeding (e.g., if you have to change your super plus tampon/pad every hour or two) something is wrong.
I've been researching like crazy, and these are some of the best sites for information:
http://www.endo-resolved.com/symptoms.html
www.endocenter.org |
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Best, Jeannine (40s, fair skin, hazel eyes, sensitive skin). To fight the dread lemming sickness, I promise not to rave about a product until I have used it for a long while. |
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Sun Jul 22, 2007 6:14 am |
I suffered from very heavy periods for most of my life however, in my forties things went totally out of control and I was just bleeding all the time. I had a fibroid the size of a tennis ball and the constant bleeding had made me anaemic. It was recommended that I have a hysterectomy and as I was definitely not going to have any more children, that is what I did - IT WAS THE BEST THING EVER. To have no more periods is a total joy - my only regret is that I didn't take control of the situation earlier.
All the best, I hope you get things sorted out soon. |
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Sun Jul 22, 2007 8:40 am |
Add another one to the list - heavy periods, severe cramps which got worse the older I got. A DNC successfully eased the symptoms but for less than a year.  Last year an ultrasound and follow-up CAT scan revealed ovarian cysts on one ovary. I opted to have both ovaries removed. During the surgery she discovered both were covered with cysts (thankfully benign). The decision for me was easy since I was perimenopausal anyway. Now it's one less health related thing to deal with and NO CRAMPS 
However, I don't think I would have elected to have them removed in my 40s. |
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blonde, blue eyes, fair, normal/dry skin, 53 |
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Sun Jul 22, 2007 8:53 am |
| Due to those symptoms and more, I had to have a hysterectomy four years ago, just leaving one ovary. Best decision I ever made, and no hormone therapy. |
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Joined the 50 club several years back, blonde w/ fair/sensitive skin, Texas humidity and prone to rosacea, light breakouts and sunburns, combo skin type, starting to see sundamage and fine lines |
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Sun Jul 22, 2007 9:07 am |
| I'm glad that organ removal worked for some of you but I don't know that it is always a "cure". Also, such surgeries still don't treat underlying hormonal issues and can even complicate them further. I find it really disheartening how Western medicine tends to treat women. |
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42yo, natural strawberry blonde so fair skin, blue-eyed, and dry skin |
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Sun Jul 22, 2007 10:28 am |
I just want to say that there are some decent Western doctors out there. When my sister moved to MD 10 years ago, her new dr took one look at her, and told her she was anemic, then ran some tests to prove it. She had been suffering from heavy periods and pain from fibroids, and SHE was in denial that there was anything wrong! He suggested hysterectomy since she was done having children, but told her to let him know when she was ready.
Five years later, when she finally had it done, the relief she felt made her ask herself, "why did I wait so long?"
I agree with lunarmm, though, that Western drs in general are too quick to just remove everything. It's heartening to know that there are alternative procedures available now in the Western world...if only all drs were enlightened enough to explore those options.  |
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Nadine, age 50, live in VA; half-Asian, slight yellow tone; sensitive, dry/combo skin |
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Tue Jul 24, 2007 11:36 am |
| I just had a complete Hyst June 19th 2 weeks off and I wish that I had it done sooner. Same thing as you have and nothing worked, 48yrs old with a 19year old and already not having one period is heaven |
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Tue Jul 24, 2007 1:13 pm |
Jeannine:
I have endometrosis for years. my only sympton is very very painful period. of course I got bloated from time to time and tender breasts before periods. but for those I thought they are just PMS, may not related to endometrosis..
I have seen couple of fertility doctors, I had one miscarriage last year and tried two IUIs this year, no success. Finally the most recent fertility doctor suggested me to do a laprascopy, I did blood test, but the CA turned out to be very low. and I dont have any problem with my uterus and ovaries. anyway since the doctor said maybe this is the only reason that i cant get pregnant, it is worth doing the surgery. I booked one in October..(sigh..the medical system in canada..) |
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Tue Jul 24, 2007 1:20 pm |
Good luck! Just don't let the doctors tell you to "live with it." And a laparoscopy isn't bad at all - the worst part of the pain is the CO2 they fill your belly with (the better to see you with, my dear ) trying to be absorbed by the body. I was up & around the same afternoon - even went up & down stairs to feed the dogs, threatening them with severe bodily harm if anyone decided to jump on my tummy.[/quote]
catmcall, are you getting better after the laparoscopy? right now i dont have anything abnormal in my uterus or ovaries. i am just worried maybe they open up my belly and find nothing there!!!! but this is my last resort of trying. i just can't get pregnant! |
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Tue Jul 24, 2007 1:46 pm |
Gracedhy,
If you're trying to get pregnant, I highly recommend acupuncture / Traditional Oriental Medicine. I know of many people who have been helped thru this method. |
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42yo, natural strawberry blonde so fair skin, blue-eyed, and dry skin |
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Tue Jul 24, 2007 1:48 pm |
| lunarmm wrote: |
| If you're trying to get pregnant, I highly recommend acupuncture / Traditional Oriental Medicine. I know of many people who have been helped thru this method. |
actually I am a chinese and i have been trying both for months and months...doesnt work for me.  too bad! |
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Tue Jul 24, 2007 2:02 pm |
Grace,
Mmmm... You are actually seeing a doctor of Oriental Medicine? If so, you need to get feedback about what is going on energetically that is causing the fertility issue. Are you getting that info from a doctor of TCM? If you are imbalanced, it probably will take more than a few months to become more balanced which will lead to possible fertility and pregnancy. It might take more than a year. It really depends on what's going on with you and how long it's been going on. In addition to energetics, there can be physical situations that can contribute to difficulty getting pregnant and/or carrying a pregnancy to term (tilted pelvis, etc.).
Grace, what feedback are you getting from the health practitioners you are seeing? Hopefully, you are seeing doctor/s (of any "persuasion") that educate and empower you to make any necessary lifestyle changes, etc. Again, for empowerment, I highly recommend the work of Donna Edenwww.innersource.net so you can learn easy methods to help your energetic system balance and run smoothly.
I wish you the best. |
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42yo, natural strawberry blonde so fair skin, blue-eyed, and dry skin |
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Tue Jul 24, 2007 2:12 pm |
| lunarmm wrote: |
Grace,
Mmmm... You are actually seeing a doctor of Oriental Medicine? If so, you need to get feedback about what is going on energetically that is causing the fertility issue. Are you getting that info from a doctor of TCM? If you are imbalanced, it probably will take more than a few months to become more balanced which will lead to possible fertility and pregnancy. It might take more than a year. It really depends on what's going on with you and how long it's been going on. In addition to energetics, there can be physical situations that can contribute to difficulty getting pregnant and/or carrying a pregnancy to term (tilted pelvis, etc.).
Grace, what feedback are you getting from the health practitioners you are seeing? Hopefully, you are seeing doctor/s (of any "persuasion") that educate and empower you to make any necessary lifestyle changes, etc. Again, for empowerment, I highly recommend the work of Donna Edenwww.innersource.net so you can learn easy methods to help your energetic system balance and run smoothly.
I wish you the best. |
Thank you! according to the doctors, my body lack of "yang", that's why my blood circulation is not good. but i guess if i really have endometrosis the traditional chinese medicine/acupuncture can do little help. I do see some other patinets got pregnant with their help, maybe their problem is more on the imbalance of energy side.
i have been drinking those bitter herbs for over a year, on and off, and i told myself i just had enough.
i will have a look at the website you recommend. thanks a lot! |
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Tue Jul 24, 2007 2:13 pm |
| test. |
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Tue Jul 24, 2007 6:25 pm |
Hi Grace.
My laparoscopy was about 8 years ago (at the beginning of a marriage that just ended in divorce last week). I didn't have it to really "fix" anything - more to just find out what was going on. It turned out I had all kinds of scar tissue & adhesions from when my cyst ruptured, and the adhesions had pulled my right ovary completely out of place. They didn't find any evidence that the endometriosis had returned though. They fixed the ovary the best they could, but I still didn't get pregnant. Could easily have been my age though... |
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50, oily & not a lot of wrinkles (yet), melasma and hormonal acne cysts & breakouts |
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Wed Jul 25, 2007 5:11 pm |
I don't think I can contribute much but I wanted to share what I had. It was getting cramps in-between my periods and from doing a regular ultra sound, it was discovered that I had a bunch of cysts.
Prescription was prescribed and that was it. I never felt that type of pain again.
I hope this will make you feel better. |
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Wed Jul 25, 2007 11:04 pm |
I had the very painful and heavy periods. My doctor put me on Depo Provera which helped for about a year, then symptoms started to return. I was 40, had all the children I was ever going to have (1) and we discussed endometrial ablation or hysterectomy. The choice was mine. I went with hysterectomy. Removed the uterus and kept the ovaries. 6 years later, ovaries still producing the hormones so far.
Pathology on the uterus showed a pre cancerous condition that could have contributed to my problems and is only detected once the uterus is removed.
I have never regretted my decision and have been pain free, period free and accident free for over 6 years now!! |
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Thu Jul 26, 2007 11:37 am |
| I have had several cysts rupture as well. As someone above said, we thought that I had ruptured my appendix but it was actually the cyst. Both were the worst pains that I have ever felt...but I haven't gone through childbirth yet, hehe. The first time I threw up for about 5 minutes and couldn't move and the second time passed out. My doctor has told me that the best way to prevent this from happening again is by taking birth control. However, I have a friend who had a high number of cysts on her ovaries and they surgically removed them. |
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Fri Jul 27, 2007 5:13 am |
Thanks to all for sharing your experiences and insight. I'm learning so much about this issue. The shame is that so many women have problems related to this, but we just accept it and deal with it until it becomes impossible to continue.
Gracedhy, I cannot believe you have to wait until October for the test. That's crazy! I thought U.S. healthcare had big problems (well it does), but I didn't realize that Canada is so bad. That much time can make a big difference with regards to fertility, as well as other health concerns.
I agree with those who said that not all Western doctors are bad. My frustration is with Western medicine as a whole--especially that it is geared to treat the symptoms and not the cause. I am sure the HMOs and pharmaceutical companies control/dictate Western medicine. If a U.S. doctor were to tell a patient that he _recommends_ acupuncture, then the patient would have a good justification for asking the HMO to cover the treatment (it is doctor recommended). So, the HMOs nip that in the bud by not letting or discouraging doctors from even noting it is an option.
Fortunately, some Western doctors are breaking free and incorporating a holistic approach. I just started reading _Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom_ by Christiane Northrup. Awesome book! Here is a case of a Western doctor who separated from the Western healthcare tradition to set up a practice that takes the best from both Western and alternative medicines. I guess the trick is finding these holistic doctors, and having the money to pay for them since they are inevitably cut off from operating within the HMO system.
Since knowledge is power, educating each other and sharing our experiences helps so much. I wish us all the best... and an end to the pain! |
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Best, Jeannine (40s, fair skin, hazel eyes, sensitive skin). To fight the dread lemming sickness, I promise not to rave about a product until I have used it for a long while. |
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Fri Jul 27, 2007 4:27 pm |
I hope that no one took from my writings that I think there are no good doctors of Western medicine. My problem is more with the system of medicine as it is currently practiced in the US. For instance, my cousin is a MD but is not currently practicing. He quickly became fed up with dealing with insurance companies, HMO-like policies, limitations given him regarding how much time to spend with each patient, etc. So, now, he currently works in research and public health.
I prefer a more holistic approach to medicine - one that focuses on health maintenance and dis-ease prevention versus the tendency towards crisis management and symptom relief. One of the reasons, I feel a great affinity to Oriental Medicine is that often a good doctor of TCM can pick up on energetic changes and make corrections before an imbalance manifests into something more serious.
Regarding women's health: Christian Northrupwww.drnorthrup.com is a good source of info. On the mental health side, Mona Lisa Schulzwww.drmonalisa.com is a psychiatrist and medical intuitive who sometimes works with Dr. Northrup. She has a book out called "The New Feminine Brain". Also, check out Susun Weed who is an herbalistwww.susunweed.com |
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42yo, natural strawberry blonde so fair skin, blue-eyed, and dry skin |
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