I have read many of the posts on this site and have gotten far more info about Endometriosis than I have from any Dr I have seen - for that alone I am very grateful
I am scheduled to have a laparoscopy (diagnostic histologic & excision by laser) in August. As the confirmation letter hasn't arrived I rang the hospital yesterday & was told that I will also receive an appointment for a pre op???? In July (what is that?)
I have fought hard to get to this stage - however I live in Ireland and there are no specialist Endo dr's, I am not a private patient so I don't get to choose my Dr, tbh I have never even met with him,
(I have seen 2 members of his team)
my mam had Endometriosis also my aunt and sister, I know that my bowel is affected badly by Endometriosis and has been for a long time - my bladder now bother's me also
(like a uti but I don't have any infection)
to the point where I am having difficulty leaving my house for fear that I won't find a bathroom and then the pain becomes unbearable - this is a soul destroying disease and I am terrified of having this laparoscopy done by a gynaecologist, especially as it will be removed by laser which I know is not the best way to deal with endo, however I don't have the resources to go private - my partner and I have decided not to say the Endo word, with fingers crossed for some relief and answers following my surgery,
(this has put a huge strain on our relationship)
I don't know what to ask as I haven't even met with the Dr, I have seen 2 members of his team & they are sure that I have rectovaginal Endometriosis - through an excruciating examination
(although I know that I need a laparoscopy to confirm)
My partner and I live away from family and although I was incredibly close to my sister in law and could speak to her about anything, I lost her early this year and feel completely alone,
I have also changed to a female GP, which has turned out to be a huge mistake, as her advice to me on rectum bleeding was to see a psychiatrist,
What questions should I be asking - what happens at a pre op - is there anything else I should be doing????
Any information would be greatly appreciated
Many thanks x
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Erica-14
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Hi, I can only answer from my own experience of a pre op which I had on Thursday, very straight forward-height, weight, blood pressure, heart rate, full blood count and type, a lot of health related questions and a lovely nurse to answer all your questions about what will happen. Hope that puts you at ease a little x
I am not great with gynaecologist exam's anyway however I must admit that it was the male Dr who put me most at ease and didn't brush off what I was saying,
(The irony - I was praying for a female Dr)
I don't have a great relationship with my mother, my sister moved abroad some years ago and we speak maybe once a year if that,
I hope that is the case - and a specialist surgeon will be called if needed, I will ask about that at the pre op - & also the pictures, however I'm unsure if the same rules apply in Ireland - but definitely something to look in to
Hey, I have my pre op this Friday as my lap is hopefully on the 31st July unless they cancel it again.
On the letter, it said they will check my height, weight, blood, urine and go through what will happen during the op etc. And answer questions I have. All this could take up to two hours.
A pre op is just so the doctors know how much general aesthetic you’ll need during the lap and make sure you’re healthy enough.
I had my pre-op yesterday and it was fine: height, weight, bloods taken, heart rate, blood pressure and a full profile done by a nurse.A lot of questions answered by the nurse as well. My laparoscopy will involve the bowel so I'd say you'll have to take a bowel prep as well prior to your surgery. Perhaps you could ask about this.
I had been thinking I'd need a bowel prep - I have had a colonoscopy (4 years ago) unpleasant experience but I understand that it needs to be done, I assume that it will something similar to that, I'll ask at pre op too,
Best of luck with your surgery and please let me know how you got on when you are feeling up to it,
Yes, preop is as ppl have said ‘preoperative appt’ - just to take your height, weight, make sure you are basically fit for surgery. Very quick appt usually. I don’t know if it helps, but I had my diagnostic lap with a general gynae team and was terrified something would be missed after some of the things I’ve been reading on here. But she was lovely and found endo so try not to worry about not seeing a specialist. If there is any bowel involvement surgeons have to have the involvement of a colorectal surgeon so they would stop the surgery and arrange a further op with other members of the multidisciplinary team present. Hope that helps xxx
Thank you so much - the fact that my surgery is being done by a gynaecologist rather than a specialist surgeon is something that terrifies me!
For many reasons - I've not met with the Dr, & also when the surgery was scheduled it was done very quickly - at an appointment with one of his team the recommendation was for me to try the coil and
"wait & see" for a couple of years, I am not the most outspoken person, but the thought of living like this for another couple of years sent me into a mental spiral!!!
I was asked if I would wait around and see another (senior) member of the team, and the surgery was scheduled!
All the waiting & pain & test's & just like that it was organised
I was definitely in the right place at the right time
(isn't that so hideous) it sounds like you have been looked after well, and I hope that I will be able to post something similar after my surgery
All I can say is that I feel you and that I am very sorry for the way you are feeling. You are not alone and believe me your case is one of too many! I was let down by the NHS badly 😔 the first time I was diagnosed back in November 2015 and after the laparoscopy nobody explain to me in detail what was found and what endometriosis meant!!!! 8 months later my symptoms returned with a vengeance and I was in agony for almost two years! But I had a whole
Year to research about endometriosis the way it affects millions of women in the world and the harsh reality of not having a cure for this traumatic condition. In May 2017 I had another laparoscopy only to be woken up with the bad news that the general gynaecologist couldn’t do anything because my endometriosis was extensively severe and I needed to be seen by the endo specialist and the colorectal specialist that took another 6 months image the pain I was going through and by then the endo was so severe that nothing in terms of medicine helped!!!! Honestly how devastating :(! long story short once I was seen by the two specialists I was finally operated on the 28 Feb this year and I can only tell you that for the past 3 months I am like a new person although the consequences of endometriosis has left me partially infertile. Ok the reason that I am sharing my experience with detail is because you need to wait until the general gynaecologist gives you the main diagnosis only then you could ask to be referred to endo specialist and colorectal specialist immediately! Reading about your symptoms is clearly and is common that endo could
have grown in your bowel too. It was in and even in my left kidney! luckily the lovely specialist was able to shed all the endo from my bowel without cutting part of it (as this was the plan).
In regards of your pre op as the other lovely ladies have mentioned is just a general appointment with the nurse but after that appointment you would probably get your operation date I doubt it would take two months as in my experience that’s the time frame for an operation date takes after you pre op.
Another question how are you dealing with the pain? What do you use for your flare ups? I used cold paths and it helped me a lot. In terms of medication is it anything that really helps? My symptoms we so severe that for a whole year absolutely nothing helped I ended up loosing my job at some point I was not able to get up from bed ( I really hope that’s not your case) x
Thank you so much for taking the time to get in touch - my apologies for delay in responding - as a chronic asthmatic this weather is taking it's toll & I have ended up in hospital
(finger's crossed not for long)
I'm finally getting around to having the lap done - which is great for confirmation and also some relief,
Here in Ireland we don't have any particular specialist Endo dr's - there are dr's with an "interest" in Endometriosis - however they are in the private sector and way out of my league (financially - I too lost my job)
there are no Endo centres here, which is the reason for so many Irish women seeking healthcare abroad,
I am very nervous about the affect this is having on my bowel & now my bladder - randomly my right knee throbs as does my my right side in general
(I don't have appendicitis as many dr's insisted I have)
my bowel has been an issue for a long time, it is embarrassing to talk about when someone is sitting right in front of you - when they turn around and suggest you have a psychiatric problem - it's like a kick in the teeth!!!
I have no idea what to expect from the laparoscopy - this has been ongoing since my teens, I'm very scared tbh,
I have read on the majority of the posts here that heat is the go to pain reliever - I'm the opposite COLD COLD COLD especially on the ovary(s) area I actually have 2 ICEBLOCK'S that my sister in law gave me I keep 1 frozen at all times - sometimes on my lower back I alternate between hot & cold during a period, vimovo & codine based pain killers can take the edge off the pain - depending on what time of the month it is,
You sound like you have been through a hideous time of it yourself and let down by the health service badly - I completely understand how that feels & I'm very grateful for you reaching out to me, it means so much
Please let me know how things are going - thinking of you
i also had bowel problems with adhesions and a big fibroid causing an obstruction.i had 2 emergency surgeries to remove the fibroid and adhesions. i dont want to frighten you, but i want to be honest with you. the surgery was tricky i had a piece of bowel removed and replaced with a temp ileostomy to allow for my bowel to recover also had a full hysterectomy. it took a year for things to settle down and now i have no bowel problems once the ileostomy was reversed and no more endo pain.
it was the nuclear option to improve my quality of life. i had no time to think about it because i was rushed into A+E with heamorring and abdo pain that didnt respond to morphine and a serious bowel obstruction. not only did the surgery save my life but now 15 yrs on im pain free and happy. sadly no babies but I'm alive and ☺happy now.
hopefully you wont go through all that, but if you do please know that things improve and you will be free of the worst of this evil disease.
goodness havent you been through it? your story sounds similar to mine.i had an awful female consultant who told me that women like me had a naturally high pain threshold and refused pain killers.as a result i fainted on the bus going home from the hospital appt. male doctors seem to be less judgemental in my experience, but I'm sure that we all have different experiences.
please be reassured that the laparoscopy isnt too traumatic you go to sleep, they do the procedure,you wake up, they give you pain relief and hopefully some answers and a prognosis, it good to know if you would benefit from further surgery and this is a good way to assess that.
i really wish you the best please let us know how you get on.
Thank you for your response and also for sharing your experience,
It sounds like you have been through the mill too, I'm glad that you have finally been looked after properly and can live without pain - I appreciate your honesty - it is scary but I am of the opinion that knowledge is power and I'm incredibly grateful to learn from the experience of others -
I find it strange that a female Dr can be so flippant towards another woman - that has been my experience also unfortunately - which led to me keeping quiet about some issues for fear of the reaction I would get (so wrong)
My pre op is later this month and my laparoscopy is scheduled for August - I'll let you know how all goes!
I am so sorry that you were put through all of that with your doctors. The ladies are absolutely correct with the pre- op information. Please make sure to carry a list of any medications that you may be taking including the dose and frequency. The doctor/nurse will also ask about any allergies that you may have as well.
On the day of your surgery, you will be placed under general anesthesia and will not know or feel anything. You may be a little sore after but, this is normal. Althoughthe incision will heal quickly, just remember that it takes longer to heal inside. Please do not make the mistake that I made and start lifting and pulling on things as this can cause scar tissue to form inside. Scar tissue is much like a scab on a sore that forms on the inside of the body around the incisions. That can be painful for years. The surgeon may remove some or all of your endometriosis. Aso long as you menstruate, there is, unfortunately, a chance of it growing back.
In my case, I had to have my right ovary removed due to the endometriosis binding it to other organs. They did not discover this until they started the surgery. Mine has come back but, I manage it by using heating pads, wearing loose clothing, avoiding heavy lifting/pulling, keeping my bowels clear and eating a soft diet.
I use 100% pure castor oil in my lady part and rectum. Pain medicine does nothing to relieve my pain but, this simple remedy does wonders for me. I am not a doctor but, when doctors couldn't help me I had to find my own way of managing my condition.
I know that feeling of frustration, fear and hopelessness. Please understand that there is ALWAYS a way...we just have to find it.I pray that you feel better very soon. Please read up on the benefits of castor oil. You may really like it! 💕💖💕
I've had the pre op and today is actually the first day that I have been up to doing anything!!!
My dream's of a normal life have been completely shattered - I have absolutely no faith in this Dr
(the fourth I have seen from the gynaecologist team)
She explained that I didn't need a bowel prep as the only area that will be treated is the pelvis - although my bowel & bladder cause so much of pain it's not something that is examined or treated - BTW this is a Dr that specialises in endometriosis
(as I live in Ireland this is the only one I have come across) when told I wouldn't feel anything during the laparoscopy as I would be numb - I started to panic & was assured that I could be put asleep and it would be written in my notes (?) on my way home I read the literature I was given & realised that I am due to have a d&c - endometrial ablation & hysteroscopy, I'm heartbroken, this is not what I wanted at all, however I can't afford to see a private Dr & my condition is worsening rapidly, I pray that you are right & I too will find a way....
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