Re: Article on Endometriosis Published World Wide
From: anonymous (anonymous@obgyn.net)
Mon Mar 4 16:59:11 2002
Dear Belle,
I am already familiar with this article, but I never tire of reading it.
I wanted to tell you how much I appreciate all that you do for the good
of the Endo community. You are a true inspiration and a wonderful
EndoSister! Thank you for all that you do, and keep up the great work.
It does not go unappreciated or unnoticed.
Hugs and painfree wishes,
Heather
At Mon, 4 Mar 2002, B.Browne wrote:
>
>Titled :Who's Going To Teach My Doctor About Endometriosis"
>
>I began nursing School at 17 years old and I had my first symptom of
>Endometriosis at age 16 years old. That was in 1979... It is now 23
>years later and many doctors and even more nurses are still not educated
>in caring for and looking after or even treating an Endometriosis
>Sufferer .
>Marilyn Monroe suffered from Endometriosis and it is said that when she
>went in for one of her surgeries, she taped a note to her stomach,
>pleading with doctors not to take her female parts. Queen Victoria was
>heard to have said " The only time she felt good, was while she was
>pregnant " They say... thats the reason why she had so many childern.
>
>Endometriosis was first reported in roughly 1600 BC. It is now 2001 and
>we are no closer to finding what causes this disease or how to treat it
>and there is no cure in sight.
>This female disease, which effects conservatively 1:10 women or nearly
>90 million women world wide. There are many theories and one is that
>dioxins play a huge roll in endometriosis, with their effect or damage
>to the sufferer's Immune systems.The oldest theory is retrograde
>mensturation but that is getting more unlikely. The disease being
>Genetic ,is becoming more favourable. No matter what causes this
>debilitating and painful disease, we need more people educated,
>especially within the medical community.
>With a ratio of 1:10, there it is every chance that we all know someone
>suffering from Endometriosis. Whether its your Wife, Mother, Sister,
>Aunty, Cousin or even Inlaws. There is a chance that one of your family
>members might end up suffering this incurable, insidious disease.
>
>The doctors don't know how to treat it, with the exception of excisional
>surgery and removal of the disease. But so few doctors know how to
>perform this surgery.Which is said to be the most difficult surgery,
>harder than cancer to remove.
>Endometriosis is thought to be an auto immune disease, where misplaced
>endometrial tissue, which belongs inside the uterus, is found outside
>the uterus. This misplaced endometrial tissue, bleeds internally, the
>blood has no where to escape to and so it causes swelling and irritation
>and then this all in turn, causes debilitating, unbearable pain. Later
>forming adhesions and often causing infertility. Infact Endometriosis
>is the leading cause of infertility in the world and some patients do
>present with no pain and only infertility, this makes the disease even
>harder to understand and diagnose. Some women with severe disease have
>no pain or symptoms besides infertility and others who have minimal
>disease, have a huge amount of pain. The only Consistency with
>Endometriosis is the Inconsistencies.
>
>There is a desperate need for education, not only for the public to be
>aware but mainly amongst the medical community it general. None of them
>seem to be able to handle or treat an Endometriosis Sufferer. When a
>doctor doesn't know or understand something and he can't go and look it
>up, due to the lack of updated information in the medical books
>available, then he can't be the God, that he thought he was or wants to
>be. If thats the case and he feels like a failure, this can be very
>bruising to a training doctor's ego, let alone the best Gyneacologist,
>who is not up todate on a disease, which is becoming way out of hand.
>There are only a couple of handfuls.. of recognized Endometriosis
>Specialists worldwide, they are just few and far between.
>The doctors who have branched into Endometriosis, have either worked in
>infertility or as endocrinologist's or a gyneacologist who has branched
>into endoscopic surgery( keyhole surgery) These doctors are very hard to
>find and sufferers need all the help they can get at finding them.
>Otherwise many sufferers get onto a merry-go-round of continuous
>surgeries, each causing more adhesions and more pain and if all their
>disease is not excised and every bit cut out, it can only take a few
>weeks to a month before it may all grow back. The patient then again
>presents in pain and surgery is the only way to check on the disease.
>The patient is very quickly labelled a complainer or even a
>hypochondriac. So ofcourse they give into more surgery.
>It is a terrible merry-go-round to get on and then to get off it, can be
>very hard, by then all the damage has been done. Some women are
>reporting up to over 20 surgeries. If they had had a recognized endo
>surgeon, in the first place, for their first surgery, they may have been
>put into remission, in the early years of their disease.
>
>Endometriosis Sufferers are encouraged to join their local Endometriosis
>Association in their country. A good place to start is at the website
>http://www.endometriosis.org Go to the Support page on this site and it
>lists alot of the Endometriosis Association's or Organizations all over
>the world.
>There is also a Great first ever made, Up todate Documentary called
>Endometriosis The Inside Story go to
>http://www.endometriosis.org/html/video.html and you can read all about
>it and its reviews or even how to order it.
>There is help out there but you have to look hard for it and researching
>Endometriosis, is the sufferer's best weapon, against this incurable,
>insidious and extremely painful disease. Get educated and quickly.
>
>By Belle Browne R.N
>
>--
>*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
>Belle Browne R.N Medical Advisor
>http://www.endometriosis.org
>Producer of the Documentary" Endometriosis The Inside Story"
>Read about the Documentary at : http://www.endometriosis.org/html/video.html
>Australian/International Endometriosis Representative
>email support@endometriosis.org
>Owner Female Chronic Pain Sufferers Forum
>to subscribe send an email to
>FemaleChronicPainSufferers-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
>*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
>
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