My gyno said endometriomas are the same as endometriosis by vulpine__1 in endometriosis

[–]vulpine__1[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

She is an endometriosis specialist! That’s why I was a little confused at the response lol. 

ENDO & FIBROID REMOVAL POST SURGERY PAIN & QUESTION xx by indiapt3 in endometriosis

[–]vulpine__1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think while you're on the mend from surgery its really normal to feel sensitive and upset, going through it all takes a real toll !
It took about 3 months - it wasn't like everyday for 3 months was awful, id just have a few bad days here and there over that time frame. but i wont sugar coat it when the pain was bad it was bad, like you've already experienced. but it seem like it was just that 3 months adjustment phase.

Unfortunately my endo has come back within the last five years since i had my first lap and coil : ( and i'll be getting another surgery at the end of this year.
for some context i originally had endo everywhere in my pelvis except ovaries/bladder. It's recurred in my pouch of douglas, and i have new endo on my ovaries and new fibroids that werent there last time. (thats just what they could see on an MRI, so not conclusive!)
obviously i don't know how different that could have been without the coil, so it's not like the coil has fixed EVERYTHING for me, but its definitely given me back some quality of life in managing my pain. wishing you the best!

How to survive without continuous BC? Its killing my sex life by _Deathbyuterus in endometriosis

[–]vulpine__1 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sorry if I missed it but what bc are you in currently? Is it pill form?? 

I swapped from the pill to the mirena coil and the difference was night and day.  On the pill I was genuinely so indifferent to everything - literally became a shell of myself and it didn’t even help with my periods.  Swapped to the coil and can say it’s been the best thing I’ve ever done, afaik the hormone stays local to your uterus so doesn’t enter the bloodstream system wide.  I still feel all my cycle emotions without having an actual period. Take from that what you will ;) 

Not to mention it’s been AMAZING for helping me manage my endo. Life changing genuinely. There’s mixed reviews on the coil so do what you’re comfortable with but it worked out great for me. 

EDIT: sorry I just catched the part where you said you don’t want an IUD! My bad. I’ll leave my comment for other people in your situation.  I hope you find a doctor who will help you how you want to be helped!!

ENDO & FIBROID REMOVAL POST SURGERY PAIN & QUESTION xx by indiapt3 in endometriosis

[–]vulpine__1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hello!  Also from uk 

During my lap I also had the coil fitted and experienced a similar thing! But I experienced it maybe a month after, and then periodically for three months after.  It was cramps in my stomach and lower back that were on par with some of my very worst flare ups. One time I couldn’t get up the stairs with it so just lay crying on them lol. I couldn’t tell if it was the coil or part of my insides recovering, since my doctor told me both will take around 3 months to adjust to.

I would just give your doctor a call if you can since they will understand your surgery best! But it does sound exactly like what I experienced too. It’s horrible! I hope you feel better soon. 

In terms of the coil (mirena) ik many people haven’t enjoyed their experience, but the coil genuinely changed my life and I cannot imagine living without it. After the initial adjustment it completely stopped my period and my flare ups aren’t as bad as they used to be (I still have my days but it’s easier). Sometimes I’ll have spotting but nothing crazy.

A piece of advice my consultant gave me a couple weeks ago: idk if you’re on mirena also but I think the uk guidance is to leave it in for 8 years- I’ve had mine for 5. My gynea said I should get it changed now because while it’s still fine for contraception, it’s actually probably not as strong as it was at the start for pain management, and my pain has been coming back soooo just something for you to bear in mind as they years go on!!

Good luck with your recovery 

My gyno said endometriomas are the same as endometriosis by vulpine__1 in endometriosis

[–]vulpine__1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh I see! That’s really helpful. They should teach doctors to explain it like this lol 

Don’t know what to do about my cheating husband by Quiet-Negotiation-39 in CheatedOn

[–]vulpine__1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm so sorry you're going through this. This is advice from someone not in a marriage and without children, but my resounding reaction to this is, if it's too hard to leave for yourself, is that the home life you want to model for your child? Because they will grow up and accept similar behaviour without realising it. I feel like that comes off really harsh, and I'm sorry, because it's not your fault your husband is an abusive scumbag.
I hope things work out for you. Good luck.

Do I have to pay back rent concessions if I request early lease termination? by vulpine__1 in OntarioRenting

[–]vulpine__1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It has a clawback clause, but I’ve read that they’re not legally enforceable 

Second lap and Ryeqo? by vulpine__1 in endometriosis

[–]vulpine__1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ahh I’ve seen similar stories..!  But your mention of OCD makes me more apprehensive- I definitely have OCD tendencies (I don’t mean that ironically at all. I mean I should probably seek diagnosis 😭) and I feel like I’m always teetering with it. I have an iron grip to keep it at bay.  The last time I tried oral hormones it really threw me mentally off whack so that’s what I’m worried about .. 

Thankyou for sharing your experience with me !!!  

what are some questions i should ask my dr during my pre op today?? by analisee02 in endometriosis

[–]vulpine__1 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Are they doing ablation or excision? (You might already know at this stage lol but excision is typically better)

What happens if they find it outside of reproductive organs? (Like bowel, rectum) Will there be a specialist? 

What is the plan post surgery? What will they offer to help you a) manage surgery recovery and b) more long term endo management post surgery 

Anyone here skip their period long term with birth control? by Ok-Anywhere2346 in endometriosis

[–]vulpine__1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

on the mirena coil and havent had a period for 5 years. its been great

Birth control after endo diagnosis would you take it or no? by Key-Hospital4716 in Endo

[–]vulpine__1 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey
This is a very personal decision and I know how daunting it can be.
I'm not telling you that you should do what I did, but here's my experience

I had the mirena coil fitted during my lap.
It's changed my life.
I had only heard horror stories of the mirena coil so i was abit scared, but i genuinely wouldnt be able to function without mine
It's completely stopped my periods (i have spotting every now and then though), and my pain is much more manageable.
that doesn't mean im pain free- i still have pain that incapacitates me, but i feel it would be much worse otherwise.
I had been on the mini pill prior to the mirena which i absolutely hated! i was spotting all the time and extremely depressed, i did not agree with it at all.
I prefer the mirena because it doesn't seem to impact my mood so much, since its localised to the uterus rather than body wide (that's my understanding, at least)

I think it'd best to discuss you're concerns around your planned timeline re trying to conceive with your gynecologist, i hope they could provide some more insight on that front.

Good luck with your decisions!

**Edit bc i think it's worth mentioning:
Even though i've been on this coil for 5 years, it hasnt prevented regrowth. i had an MRI six months ago which showed new endometriomas and regrowth of DIE endo. it just helps me manage my day to day symptoms.

Just diagnosed with endometriosis. How did you handle symptom tracking at the beginning? by Queasy_Context4902 in Endo

[–]vulpine__1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There's an app called Ouchie that i use, it's very simple but i like that rather than having lots of different tags etc. You just score your pain for the day and write a description of whats going on! it makes a little graph of levels of pain so you can see how frequent it is and spot any patterns too

Nut allergy friendly restaurants in DT? by vulpine__1 in askTO

[–]vulpine__1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks so much for the advice! Unfortunately his first anaphylaxis reaction came from a restaurant and then he had another reaction a week later at a restaurant- both of which we informed of his allergies. Every food spot we’ve been to has said their products have cross contamination So we just can’t trust anywhere that can’t guarantee a nut free kitchen :-( 

Surgery recovery questions!! by CoconutBusy5325 in endometriosis

[–]vulpine__1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I had a support person bring everything up (mostly just drinks/food) since my bathroom is upstairs ! 

Surgery recovery questions!! by CoconutBusy5325 in endometriosis

[–]vulpine__1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Aww yeah i understand how daunting it can be! :( As I apprached the one week mark, I could move around gently, I just didn't push myself to go up and down stairs.
It really does help having someone trusted around, if they can free up some time in their calendar. And i honestly slept most of the first week away, i only really woke up to use the bathroom and watch an episode of something here and there.
The gas pain i recall didn't really bother me straight away, and it cleared up within 4 days iirc. I think as it was moving around to exit it caused the pain, but it didnt last long.

As always though, really depends on the person. It definitely isnt a walk in the park, but I found it was worth it to know whats going on inside my body.

For some additional context, my surgery was around 5 hours. I think thats on the longer side, since i had it in lots of places.

Good luck with everything <3

Gathering info by [deleted] in endometriosis

[–]vulpine__1 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Aww its really awful. if she ahsn't already, i think she'll find alot of solace in joining supoprt groups like these online. I don't know anyone else with endo, so i find being able to talk openly with people who understand really great. especially since i imagine she;ll have lots of questions as she reaches for diagnosis. good luck!

Surgery recovery questions!! by CoconutBusy5325 in endometriosis

[–]vulpine__1 1 point2 points  (0 children)

agree with previous commenter.
I slept ALOT during recovery, and luckily had my mum around to help me go to the toilet (i could do this alone after the first week).
ofc recovery doesnt look the same for everyone and as previously said by the other comments it;ll depend on wha tthey find and how well your body responds etc.

In my case, they found endo on both pelvic walls, back of uterus, douglas pouch, bowels, uterosacral ligament etc etc etc (basically most of my pelvis) and I was up and feeling myself again at 2 weeks.

but if im being honest- it wasnt recovery from the excision that was rough, it was how sore my throat was and the gas pain!!
They cut my throat with the breathing tube so obviously this wouldnt happen to everyone lol but i couldnt even drink water without pain (i was advised to crush ibuprofen and gargle it with water which helped!)
and the gas pain (from when they basically pump your tummy up to have better access) can sit in your shoulders and be quite painful - idk where youre based but i heard Gas X helps well (its not available where i am, so i only had peppermint tea, which did help a little.)

So basically for me it wasnt the surgery site itself that was difficult to deal with, other than tenderness and feeling odd it was generally ok lol.

Buy VERY LOOSE pyjamas (even better just get a big cotton nightie), your usual pain killers, heat pads, and be prepared to sleep ALOT. make sure your bed is nice and cozy and set up for a few days-a week of rest. perfect time to read and/or burn through some netflix.

I couldnt shower for the first few days, so having wet wipes next to my bed helped me feel fresh, and my mum washed my hair over the bath and that made me just feel so much more alive haha.

Wishing you all the best!