ENDO Messages for July, 2008: Re: Laparoscopy versus 'watch and wait'

Re: Laparoscopy versus 'watch and wait'

From: ampyali (anonymous@obgyn.net)
Tue Jul 29 21:49:44 2008

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Sorry you are having so many problems. One of the best things you could do right now is to not make the mistake that so many others have made by allowing a laparoscopy to be done by someone who knows how to go in and deal with the cyst, but not how to properly treat the endo, if it's there. You're very young and preserving your fertility is so important at this point. While a laparoscopy isn't considered a risky procedure, it is still surgery and involves a general anesthetic.

If you're going to have one done, it might as well be done by a Dr. who can take care of everything, and do it properly so that your chances of conceiving and living a normal life are very high. This is a great time to gather your medical records and tell your story to one of the endo specialists. Most Drs treat endo they find by zapping it with lasers or electrocautery tools. They only treat the visible part of the endo implant and leave the core of it imbedded in your pelvic tissues. It's just a matter of time before the endo symptoms return because it's still there. In my case, it came back worse than before because the electrocautery just got it really angry.

Endo specialists who use excision surgery remove the total implant. They are also really good at recognizing endo in ALL it's shapes, sizes and colors, so the chance that they'll miss something is greatly reduced. Best of all, their recurrence rates are much lower than with surgeons who use other methods of "dealing" with the endo implants.

Depending on where you live, you may have to pay a fee, or not, to have one of the specialists review your records. I had to pay a fee but it was the best money I've ever spent! I am recovering from excision surgery right now and am so grateful for each pain-free day. If you give everyone a general idea of where you live, they will give recommendations for a specialist in your part of the country. There are very few that any of us trust, so it usually involves some travel. Fortunately, the specialists are used to helping people get to them and to be comfortable while they are there.

Good luck and best wishes!

At Tue, 29 Jul 2008, anonymous wrote: >
>I am 28 years old. I have always had moderately painful periods, with
>backaches that were more or less treatable with ibuprofen. A year ago,
>I suddenly started to have excruciatingly painful periods. After two
>such periods, I saw a doctor, who said that endometriosis was a
>possibility. I had a sonogram and was told I had two ovarian cysts, one
>of about 1 cm and one of about 1.5 cm. I started taking birth control
>pills. At a follow-up sonogram shortly thereafter, I was told I had one
>ovarian cyst, of about 2.5 to 3 cm (apparently what they originally
>thought were two nearby cysts was really just one cyst, or the cyst
>"merged"). Six months have passed, during which time I've been taking
>the pill and have had no periods at all. The cyst has not been very
>painful, but sometimes I do feel a slightly painful twinge or sensation
>of weight. At a recent sonogram, I was told my cyst had grown to 4 cm.
>I am trying to weigh the pros and cons of (a) "watch and wait" and (b)
>laparoscopy at this point. My main concerns are that if I have the
>surgery now, I will incur the risks of surgery without accomplishing
>much, since I am on the pill anyway and not trying to get pregnant right
>now (will I just have to have more surgery if and when I want to get
>pregnant?) . . . but if I don't have the surgery now, the cyst could
>keep growing and damage my ovary, and there could be internal scarring
>that they can't see without surgery. Thoughts?

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