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Re: Laparoscopy versus 'watch and wait'
From: anonymous (anonymous@obgyn.net)
Thu Jul 31 13:11:09 2008
Thanks for all the comments so far. Re: finding a specialist in my area
-- I live in DC.
At Wed, 30 Jul 2008, anonymous wrote:
>
>It can take several months to really heal from excision surgery.
>
>At Tue, 29 Jul 2008, anonymous wrote:
>>
>>This post is the truth!
>>
>>At Tue, 29 Jul 2008, ampyali wrote:
>>>
>>>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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