Hellobee Boards

Hi! I am so sorry you are dealing with this. Endometriosis is a real and terrible condition. If you need to, don't feel bad about taking a sick day or working from home if you need to to manage your pain.

I have lots more advice on the TTC front, but have to post and run - I will post more later!

My dr prescribed me Vicodin and it took the edge off. He also had me start ibuprofen the week before my period to lessen the inflammation

I've had two laps and they were very helpful in reducing pain

@lilyofthewest: So sorry you're feeling so awful. I recently had a lap and was diagnosed with stage 4. I've been dealing with awful periods since I was about 14. Heating pads help, but there's not much else that helps me, unfortunately. Advil and Aleve make me sick, so I can't take them. Have you considered having a lap? My RE said it would have been impossible for me to get pregnant without it. The endo was blocking the egg from exiting the ovary. He removed all the endo, so it's gone for now. Not trying to worry you, just want you to make sure you receive the right treatment and don't waste too much time like I did.

@lilyofthewest: As promised, more info and advice from me:

If you are having that severe of pain and you and your doctor are fairly confident that you have endo, I would NOT wait to do a couple of minor things. First, I would have an HSG to see if your tubes are open, and second, I would ask for an ultrasound. An u/s won't show endo, but it can give your doctor more information about what is going on in case you are also dealing with cysts or fibroids (which can also cause a lot of pain around AF).

I TTC unsuccessfully for a year before giving in and having a lap. I thank my doctor and my husband every day for pushing me into it - without surgical intervention I, like @CatchAFallingStar, would not have been able to get pregnant. Both of my tubes were blocked by endo growth. My doctor was able to clear one, and I got KU the next month that I O'ed from that side.

I understand your feelings of not wanting to seek intervention so soon, because I felt exactly the same way. But both the HSG and u/s are easy, quick, and totally non-invasive. Those tests can give you a lot of information about what your body is doing. If both come back clear, then you, your husband, and your doctor can determine whether it's time to do the lap.

Making the decision to move forward with surgery is scary and annoying, especially when it means that you have to put TTC on hold momentarily to recover. I can't speak for CatchAFallingStar, but I can tell you with 100% certainty that I wish I had sought help sooner. Those 12 months of TTC were very hard on my body, my mental health, and my marriage.

Now that we are TTC #2, I have been much more proactive about taking care of myself and getting answers. Endometriosis is a scary, unpleasant condition, but there are things you can do to alleviate your pain. ((hugs)) Please feel free to wall me anytime you need a bit of support during this process.

@lilyofthewest: I agree, you shouldn't wait if you are that uncomfortable and it's effecting your daily life. The only thing that helps my horrible cramps is 3 Advil liquid gel capsules. I don't like taking that much medication, but I can't function without it!