Hospital appointment: Questions

[Jess96]

Hi, I've been dealing with the possibility of Endometriosis for a handful of years now, and I finally made an appointment to see the gynecologist at my local hospital. I am going to the appointment to ask questions and to see if the laparoscopy is for me, and if I should have the lap with them, or pay to go to a specialist privately.

I have issues with my chest and I believe it to be Endo on the diaphragm, but all doctors I have seen have dismissed my chest issues as something else. I plan on asking many questions about Endo on the diaphragm and I will find out what they will do about it during surgery- though from experience, I don't think they will do anything.

I've never had a laparoscopy before. I don't want to leave the appointment with questions not asked, (like I usually do) so I want to prepare what I will say.

Does anyone have any questions they wished they had asked when deciding for or against a laparoscopy? Or any ideas on what to ask? I believe I will leave the appointment agreeing to a laparoscopy with the general gyne at the local hospital and asking them to book me a date, but I want to be thorough about it.

Thanks.

[Starry]

Endo UK have a consultant questionnaire that may be helpful

endometriosis-uk.org/seeing...

I'd ask them what they see as the risks and benefits and what endo types they think you may have given your symptoms and do they think other orgsns eg kidney, bowel or bladder may be involved. What if any surgical treatment would they do at the same time what would be left. What's their experience of it.

Diaphragm endo is pretty rare so I would ask about other possible causes they are considering like referred pain too.

Keep a note book and whenever something springs to mind write it down.

[Jess96 in reply to Starry]

Thank you. This was very helpful

[Bambaloo]

Hi Jess,

I’m in a similar situation to you. I had a lap last year, after years and years of pelvic/bladder/bowel pain it was clear I needed one as all the other tests and cameras lead to no diagnosis and I thought I was going mad. Now I have the diagnosis taking the next step of deciding which hormone “therapy” is the next hurdle, so perhaps ask what your options are once a diagnosis has been made.

The bit that is hard is that like you I have diaphragm pain and have collapsed unable to breathe on two occasions. I sit here after having a second asthma test as the respiratory team say endo in this area is so rare that they want to dbl check it’s no asthma and that unless I cough up blood there is no way to show if it’s there as neither MRI or CT scans have shown it. I’m cyclically in agony and it feels like I have bad indigestion so next week I’m having a a tummy endoscopy.

My only advice is if you want to get to the bottom of it be prepared to feel like a lab rat. Start the endo diet as that will help reduce abdominal pain too.

Good luck chick!

Shayla x

[Jess96 in reply to Bambaloo]

Thank you, I never thought of asking about the options after the lap.

That's exactly what the doctors have said to me about Endo on the diaphragm. They said that if it was on the diaphragm, I would be coughing up blood. But I think that surely there are different severities of it. It must have to be on a person's lungs and be very bad to cause them to cough up blood :/ But I'm no expert. When I go to my appointment, I am going to ask loads of questions about Endo on the diaphragm. I'm very sorry it causes you so much trouble. I hope your endoscopy goes well. Good luck with it, and let me know how it goes

Thank you x

[Bambaloo]

THAnks hun, you take care too and let me know how it all goes x

[Faybee87]

When I came away from mine, I wished that I had asked what my next steps would be if they did a lap and found nothing, and who to contact if I had further questions after my appointment.