Undiagnosed

So I had a laparoscopy in June 2016 and was told that they found nothing, however I've had chronic pain since the age of 12, which has been getting worse. Is it possible to miss endometriosis when doing a lap? My surgeon was very rude to me during my pre-op, suggesting that it could be pain from STI's I've never had, and basically dismissing me because of my age (you're too young to have anything/ it's all in your head attitude). This made me really uncomfortable and emotional before my ok, it was horrible. I've battled with people like this for 9 years and I wonder if it clouds them when they're looking for anything. Has anyone had any similar experiences?

[Sunshine91]

Sorry to hear this 🙁 do you know if the surgeon was BSGE? This means they specialise in endo as a lot of doctors don’t and it’s easily missed. I was lucky enough to have a good surgeon and he found I had endo during a lap. I would ask to be referred to a specialist if you are not happy as it’s not fair on you to be treated like that xx

[Hidden in reply to Sunshine91]

Thank you for your reply! I'm not sure if he was, it just felt as if he was adamant I was fine before the surgery even happened. I have another hospital appointment soon so I'll ask for a specialist then!x

[Dee11]

I’m in a similar situation. After my lap they told me no endo was found but there was a lot of scar tissues and adhesions which they had no explanation for. The surgeon wasn’t my own consultant and I never met him once, I’d been squeezed in as a cancellation and honestly I just don’t think he wanted to explore enough.

I’m now seeing a completely different consultant who agrees that he still thinks it’s endo. He said it could have been missed if the surgeon hadn’t explored everywhere as apparently it can almost ‘hide’ in some places because it’s so hard to see, or if it’s very deep Endo then they could have missed it by just looking on the surface of things. He’s going to do another lap but I don’t know what to think now in terms of results.

Have you tried asking to be referred to someone new? I ended up paying to see my new consultant privately initially and he took me on as a nhs patient. I’d do a bit of research on gynaes near you and speak to your GP. My pains also getting worse and I don’t understand how some doctors can just dismiss patients like that so easily x

[Hidden in reply to Dee11]

Hey, I've been so tempted to go private but it's just the costs putting me off. Hopefully I can try and find someone who specialises in endo at my next appointment, luckily I have a new doctor this time so I hope it goes differently! Thank you so much for your advice, helps to know I'm not the only one x

[Dee11 in reply to Hidden]

I got lucky, I was £190 for my consultation which was alright considering I’d been told it could cost between £150 - £250. I don’t think I could have paid for all the surgery as well though, I think that would have been too much.

It’s definitely worth doing a wee bit of research in your area, and don’t be afraid to ask your doctor for specific consultants either, I’m sure they will be pleased to refer you to someone you will feel more confident in.

It really sucks and leaves you feeling like you’re stuck in limbo though doesn’t it? Keeping my fingers crossed for you that you get someone good soon! x

[BellLady]

Yes ma'am I got the same treatment. I had a lap done at 13 where she cleared me from having Endo and said I was "fine" at 22 with continued excruciating pain all those years and failing to get pregnant with my hubby I went to a fertility Dr. And showed him pics from my lap when I was young. first thing he said was " looks like Endo to me" he did another lap and he found stage 2 Endo among other problems. But here's the thing he is a fertility specialist he deals with Endo every day. Endo takes all different looks and forms sometimes it's a slightly pink film other times it's black. He recognized it because he deals with it daily. gynos don't because they're to busy telling everyone "they're fine" and writing bc pills for everything! So my advice is go to a fertility specialist. Because they are way more knowledgeable about endo. In fact a friend of mine was having the same issue as me not getting pregnant, lots of period pain, I kept telling her to see a specialist that I was sure Endo was her problem. Her Dr. Had the nerve to tell her that she didn't have Endo and she hadn't even had a lap done to look yet! When I explained to her that you can't rule it out until you go in and look she found a specialist and had a lap done and sure enough she had it to! So don't trust anybody research a ton on your own and find yourself a specialist. Never put up with mean Drs. You are paying them very well! They have no right to treat you that way and they never even seem to know how to diagnose us properly! They're are plenty of dr.s go find a specialist you trust. Good Luck! God bless I know it's hard I'm 28 now 2 years past Endo removal and I feel it creeping back in. It's something we will always have to fight that's why educating yourself on appropriate diet for Endo can help keep it away. Check out naturalfertilityinfo.com they have lots of help there