Endo back again??

[lslo23]

Hi everyone, I had a laparoscopy done back in July last year but all the symptoms have returned :(.

I am back to see the gynaecologist tomorrow but has anyone had any experience with it returning so quickly?

[luthien]

It can return, but the amount / intensity / time for it to return is very different for each person. It also depends on which method was used with excision being the best, and whether an endo specialist was involved.

It doesn't always regrow in the same place or cause the same symptoms, so it's difficult in that sense.

You're going down the right route to find out what's going on xx

[lslo23 in reply to luthien]

Thank you for your reply!

It was my gynaecologist who did the procedure and the tissue was removed by laser. All my symptoms are very similar/the same as what I had before so I'm hoping it doesn't take as long (I had a two year wait to get diagnosed) before they look into it properly this time!

[luthien in reply to lslo23]

it would be brilliant if they see you sooner

Ideally your surgeon should be an endo specialist as they'll be able to see the endo, know to remove it by excision, and can check they have removed it all from all areas of your abdomen. Check out the BSGE website for a list of endo accredited specialist centers near you - they are able to remove endo via excision - and are experienced to remove as much as possible. You can ask your GP to be referred directly to there rather than go through the general gynae waiting list.

General gynae are great, don't get me wrong but professionally they are not specialised for excision endo removal and may not look at / consider other areas of the pelvis as their main concern / expertise is the reproductive organs. Therefore they are unlikely to look at the bladder / bowel in as much detail, understandably.

Regrowth rates are lower for excision but as recovery times are a bit longer and requires experience, that's why most gynae surgeons won't do it. It removes endo and a bit of healthy tissue so it's less likely to regrow. Other methods just remove the top layer of endo leaving the rest of it underneath so it regrows quicker. Plus if endo is left and it's in large enough amounts it produces it's own oestrogen which makes it grow quicker - it needs oestrogen to grow. It may not be what you wanted to hear but just being honest, other women will tell you the same from experience.

Hope that makes sense xx

[lslo23 in reply to luthien]

That makes so much sense thank you! I’ve been to my appointment today and to my surprise it actually went really well!

He said that because diathermy was used last time as you said it was only removed superficially (not that I was told that after my last surgery - I definitely wasn’t expecting it to come back after two months!) so I’ve been put on a waiting list for another laparoscopy with a different surgeon to actually excise the tissue!

Definitely felt a lot better about it all after today!

Thanks for your advice xx