Hi need advice

[Leah87]

Hi so been told need together my bmi down before I can have my laparoscopy all my symptoms seem to be endometriosis the consultant says wants me to have marina coil fitted to help with bleeding I'm not sure in awaiting an appointment for this also but I am in torture with pain crippled confined to bed at some days but consultant says they won't do laparoscopy until weight down is there no way round this as I can't suffer this it's not fare I can't get weight to budge I am trying pls someone any advice would b great, xxxx

[Mummy1982]

Hi hun.

Sorry to hear that you are having a tough time hun.

I can only share my personal experience hun with the Mirena. I did not get on with it it caused me no end of pain. I was suffering with pelvic and back pain. Migraines and sorry to say weight gain, out of all contraceptive pills and devices Mirena made me put on weight and that's very common side effect. I would definately read up on it and make a informed choice, because when it's in everyone seems reluctant to take it out for you 😕.

I'm unsure what advice to give you about weight loss hun, but if the are telling you needed to reduce your BMI they should be helping you to loose weight.

Endometriosis is mostly found in women with a higher BMI. May be worth making a appointment with your Gp they may be able to help. I know they can provide vouchers so you don't have to pay for weight watchers and the lighter life programme? So may be worth a try hun.

I hope you get some help hun. Xx

[Brownlow in reply to Mummy1982]

My understanding is that slim women are more liable to develop endo sciencedaily.com/releases/2...

Do you know any research or articles that have said it is mostly found in women with high BMI?

I am a slim build but I put on weight until I was at the upper end of my BMI and sometimes over. I believe a lot of this was down to having endo and high oestrogen. This scenario might explain why both conclusions would apply. By the time many women get properly diagnosed, their weight could have gone up.

I managed to lose my weight. I'll write in a separate post.

[Mummy1982 in reply to Brownlow]

Hi.

I'm only going on what my specialist told me.

I don't fit the box I am a size 8 so that's why it took so long for me to get a diagnosis because they said I wasn't overweight.

But if you type endometriosis and being overweight in to Google there are lots is information saying it's more common in women who are overweight xx

[Brownlow in reply to Mummy1982]

I just googled and saw the contradictory information. There seem to be arguments in favour of both scenarios so I wouldn't bother using overweight or slim build as a predictor. If a doctor believes that being overweight is a factor then it might make them hold back a bit on deciding if a woman's symptoms could be endo if she is slim. I remember reading somewhere that one woman was told she couldn't have endo because she wasn't overweight!

However, being overweight does increase oestrogen which drives endo.

[Mummy1982 in reply to Brownlow]

Yes I agree that there will always be information that will contradict the other.

I'm only sharing the information that I was told by a consultant and my individual experience of being diagnosed with Endometriosis that they told it was very unlike due to the fact that I am not overweight, I then went on to get a diagnosis of Endometriosis and Adenomyosis!

[Brownlow in reply to Mummy1982]

That's good information. Sorry it took you so long to get diagnosed because of this. Seems you're not the only one.

[Mummy1982 in reply to Brownlow]

Thank you? Unfortunately I'm not the only one that has a long journey to getting there diagnosis. X

[Hidden]

How on this green Earth do they expect a patient with chronic debilitating pain in their core area to exercise to lose weight?!!! There are days I am lucky to walk to the bathroom, let alone exercise. I have been trying to lose weight by exercising this past month, and royally hurt myself enough that I had to call off work for 2 days. and that was with easy Newbie exercises!!!!

Did they give you ideas to help? Can you take weight loss pills or do the meals? I have been trying to reduce my calorie intake. There are all kinds of online apps for them. I just try and stay within my goal range for intake of calories.

[Starstellar7]

Hi Leah,

In the past I have found that removing gluten from my diet and eating regularly small snacks rather than big meals helped me, but I was also exercising at the time. I found that using a cross trainer at the gym really helped me and using a calorie counting ap.

I've gained weight again over the last couple of years but am now post surgery and starting to exercise again when I can but its hard.

Even cutting back by a bit will help over time.

Best wishes, it's such a crappy situation for all of us. X

[Brownlow]

Hi Leah,

Doctors can't just leave you high and dry with no help on trying to lose weight. As suggested by other posters, try going back to your GP about this. Like Mummy1982, I'd be wary of the Mirena. Do your research and decide for yourself.

Losing weight when we are in pain is a real catch 22 but I managed to do it by changing what I ate without doing much exercise at all. I didn't find I had to calorie count or limit the amount I ate. It was more about what I ate not how much I ate. The biggest effect I think came from avoiding gluten. Gluten is inflammatory so it could help with endo symptoms too if you remove it. I also really cut down on alcohol. I only drink an occasional glass of red wine now. Alcohol raises oestrogen. Oestrogen drives endo. Alcohol also causes weight gain. I cut out red meat but this might not have an effect on weight, more for endo symptoms. The other thing I avoided was dairy but I do eat butter from grass fed cows (Kerrygold) and sometimes cheese from sheep's or goat's milk. I used almond milk instead and I make my own now. I massively increased my consumption of veg and fruit and started juicing but you need to be careful not to use too many sugary fruits which will increase calories. Stick to mostly veg with an apple to sweeten. Smoothies are good too and they fill you up. Make sure you get enough fibre if you juice. Juicing removes the fibre. I never eat refined sugar any more and apart from fruit I seldom eat sweet things. I do use a small amount of honey.

I changed what I ate virtually overnight but it might be easier if you introduce changes gradually otherwise it will be too daunting. Break it down into steps. One week, cut out bread and try gluten free bread recipes e.g. deliciouslyella.com/almond-... The next week try milk alternatives...but avoid soy as it could possibly increase oestrogen levels.

Another trick I heard is that sometimes when we feel hungry, instead of eating, drink a glass of water. It can often be that we are actually thirsty when we feel hungry. On drinking the water the hunger goes in some cases.

White carbs like white rice or pasta can cause a sugar spike after eating. The body secretes loads of insulin to deal with this which tells all cells to take sugar at a really accelerated rate. Then the blood sugar level dips and you feel tired and hungry...again. Switch to brown rice or quinoa (a bit expensive) for a lower sugar spike. Instead of white potatoes choose sweet potatoes. Some people use spiralizers to make vegetable 'pasta'. I don't have one though. The gluten free pasta is yuck as is gluten free bread. Eating a small handful of pistachios (unsalted, I get mine in Tesco) can help minimise a sugar spike when eaten at the same time as a food that causes sugar spikes. diabetesselfmanagement.com/... So you would prevent that still hungry feeling after a meal and be less likely to eat more.

Healthy fats are nuts, seeds, coconut oil, olive oil, avocados, butter from grass fed cows. Don't avoid fat completely. We need fat to absorb certain nutrients.

There are hormones involved in sending messages to the brain to tell it our tummy is full and to stop eating. It takes time for this message to get through so after your meal, wait 20 or 30 minutes. You might not feel hungry any more.

I found the best way to avoid certain foods was to mentally and emotionally associate it with the pain of endo. That made something like cake easier to resist. My aim was to help with endo symptoms but the bonus was that I lost weight.

A good site for recipes is deliciouslyella.com She has another illness, not endo but her recommendations apply to many illnesses.

Walking on pain free days was about the only exercise I could do.

All the above is just my experience. Try to do your own research and devise a strategy that works for you.

I'll write a separate post on your consultant.

[Brownlow]

Are you with an accredited endo specialist or a general gynaecologist? Check here bsge.org.uk/ec-BSGE-accredi...

If you are not being treated at one of these centres, return to your GP with your choice of specialist and request referral. Endo is a complex disease with a specialism all of its own and many doctors and general gynaes seem to be unaware of these specialist centres. I might be wrong but something tells me you are not at one of these centres.

Each centre has a specialist nurse and these nurses might/should be a source of support in helping you lose weight.

[Leah87 in reply to Brownlow]

Hi if check list and I'm not how do I go about this would they treat me do u think x

[Brownlow in reply to Leah87]

Hi Leah,

The first thing to do is to return to your GP to get referred to an endo specialist. Check the list and decide which is nearest or easiest for you to get to. It's worth travelling to see one of these specialists although it has to be said that some are better than others. I travelled quite a distance to see my specialist. I was lucky that my sister lived nearby and my husband stayed with her when I was having my op but if she wasn't there, a hotel would have been worth it.

Please read Lindle's excellent post on how to get referred. healthunlocked.com/endometr...... It's a long post but well worth reading and knowing your rights.

Good luck and I hope you get the treatment you need. Don't let anyone fob you off.

[Leah87]

Thank u to everyone who replied, I am trying to cut down portion sizes intact recently I have noticed I'm not finishing my meals as feel full having alot of neusae recently and and passing urine constantly tmi soz I don't drink alcohol and hardly eat red meat only chicken or fish I do eat alot veg always have and fruit and don't drink milk often I will try gluten free bread etc not tht I eat a lot bread, I appreciate all this advice. But feel in so much pain and basically left until I loose weight which isn't easy I think doctors assume ppl are over weight because they binge and eat junk food etc which isn't always true as I certainly don't I have young kids so meals are healthy, plus we would love to have another baby but this is causing difficulties obviously due to pain and I take it endo also makes it harder to concieve. Thanks for advice much appreciated x

[becausemanson]

They told you to lose weight? That seems odd to me seeing as I was told I can't have a lap because I'm too slim and would need to gain weight. Seems to me like excuses. Even having a panic attack due to pain and stress in my doctors office today wasn't enough for her to say yes we want to do a lap, she was still hesitant about pushing for it.

The thing she said was "It differs in women and the treatment is birth control, and we prefer to treat it rather than diagnose it first." Seems odd to me, but hey she's the doctor not me.

Hope everything works out for you xx

[Leah87 in reply to becausemanson]

Yes need loose weight bring my bmi down and I know they have strange way of Workington think they would diagnose then treat I have tried birth control also didn't help me x hope u get help soon x

[Brownlow]

I'm really not convinced about this nonsense you've been told. You are in severe pain and you should be treated as soon as possible no matter what weight you are. An interesting article here on the subject telegraph.co.uk/news/health...

There might be risks associated but these can be mitigated. An endometriosis specialist might be more inclined to operate to reduce your pain instead of focus on your weight. Try your best to get referred. PM me if you encounter problems getting referred.

I also think your endo could be affecting your weight. Another thing to get checked is your thyroid. It might be working slowly which slows your metabolism. This would cause you to gain weight. Ask your GP about this too...although they are useless at thyroid issues too!