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Re: I'm Back To Forum After Long Absence! Just Had Laparoscopy One Year After Complete Hysterectomy...
From: Melissa (anonymous@obgyn.net)
Mon Aug 28 11:43:44 2006
Have they ruled out Lupis? Might want to look into it.
At Sat, 26 Aug 2006, Elaine wrote:
>
>Hello everyone! For those who are newer here, I used to post here from
>November of 05 - May of 06, but stopped for a while for personal
>reasons. I really wanted to come back though and share the results of
>my laparoscopy since I had complained for so many months of continuing
>pelvic pain since my complete hysterectomy (and I have missed you
>guys!).
>
>I had my lap done yesterday by a different surgeon than the one that did
>my complete hysterectomy. My former gyn had left behind a ton of endo
>on my bladder and posterior cul de sac when he removed my reproductive
>organs, and started me on hrt right away. He claimed the endo would die
>off without my ovaries and the hrt wasn't enough to cause it to flare
>up. Due to many struggles with surgical menopause and hrt over the
>year, I have only been on a tiny dose of hrt because any more caused
>pain and migraines.
>
>Well, surprisingly, the new gyn did not find any endometriosis
>whatsoever inside me! Considering the amount of pain I have been in, I
>was completely shocked. However, she did find one angry looking
>adhesion that was attached from my sigmoid colon to the top of my
>vaginal cuff (for those not familiar with this term, this is a technique
>used to close the opening of the vagina after removal of cervix to
>provide support and prevent prolapse of organs through the vagina). The
>adhesion had been pulling on these organs and I suspect was the cause of
>the pain I experienced just above my pubic bone, bloating, painful bowel
>movements, and low back discomfort. But it still does not explain the
>pain, burning, and pressure I have been feeling in my bladder area for
>many months, plus urge incontinence sometimes. Whether there was any
>microscopic endo or endo she missed I dont know (I was too groggy to
>think to ask if she did a biopsy of the scar tissue or if she used a
>mesh barrier to prevent the adhesion from growing back; I have yet to do
>that). But if after I am healed I still continue to experience pain, I
>may have to visit a urologist. There are still other causes to look
>into, such as Interstatial Cystitis , allergies irritating my bladder,
>etc...I am still on the Anti Candida yeast/sugar free diet but losing
>too much weight (down to 104 lbs from 116lbs) and struggling with that
>as well as continuing fevers (102 degree temps). And I had an upper
>endoscopy to rule out Celiac (was negative) and bacterial infection of
>the stomach (also negative but slight inflammation) due to continuing
>nausea. I suspect a hormonal imbalance contributes to this.
>
>For any of you who have had a complete hysterectomy and are still
>experiencing pain many months out, I can't urge you strong enough to
>continue the fight to find the cause. I know there are plenty of cases
>of endometriosis continuing after everything is removed, and I may yet
>have more endo down the line, but there are also many other causes to
>consider for the pain. Adhesions is just one of them. I started with
>an ultrasound abd, then ct abd, upper endoscopy, countless pelvic exams,
>urine tests (to rule out urinary tract infections), and blood tests. I
>went back and forth from my gynecologist to gastroenterologist to
>general practitioner to endocrinologists looking for answers (found out
>my thyroid is way out of whack again also). And finally I was able to
>have a lap to confirm at least one source of the pain. Yes, surgery is
>a major risk to take, but ignoring pain is just as bad and adhesions too
>can be dangerous if they get bad enough to strangle organs. My quality
>of life was horrible with the constant pain. I still have regrets about
>having had this complete hysterectomy, and the many more problems it has
>created. If I had it to do over, I would have fought harder to find a
>specialist willing to excise the endo out of me so I could preserve my
>reproductive organs, which I am finding out do much more than regulate
>the menstrual cycle. They are crucial to our health and well being, and
>you simply can't replace with any hrt (bioidentical or not) what your
>ovaries provided. The crushing fatigue, body aches, joint pains,
>continuous hot flashes, sweats, insomnia, migraines (which I never in my
>life had before), nausea, vaginal dryness, mood swings, urge
>incontinence, new food allergies and intolerances, yeast problems,
>anxiety and heart palps, and on and on despite trying different
>estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone replacements have made my life
>a nightmare! I have now given in to taking an antidepressant to help
>deal with the profound depression this surgery has caused me. Even
>though no more endo was found, the price I payed for this was too much
>and not something I would wish on anyone. I realize we are all
>different, and for some hysterectomy is inevidibe because the pain is
>too much, and not all women have the problems I have had with surgical
>menopause, but I do urge you to find every possible other treatment
>first before giving in to this strategy. Once it is done there is no
>turning back, and you can't know ahead of time how your body will
>respond to it.
>It is my greatest hope that someday there will be a less invasive cure
>for this horrible disease, so that we don't have to go through such hell
>with the treatments we have available now. For this reason I will
>continue to visit the endometriosis boards and offer my support and
>encouragement. I wish you all pain free days ahead, and thank each of
>you for listening to my story.
>HUGS,
>Elaine
--
Melissa
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