Ablation vs Excision to treat Endometriosis

[deanmorgan]

Has anyone on here got experience of these procedures? My wife had Ablation back in March last year and then 4 months later she was back in agony. Maybe it’s better she had Excision now, anyone had that surgery on the NHS or Private. Any info/experience would be appreciated 😢

[Zuzz]

Go and check Facebook page nancy’s nook endometriosis education! You will find lot of useful information there and list of surgeons skilled in excision in the UK..

[StefaniaJW]

Ablation is a very counterproductive way of treating endometriosis surgically. It's not even worth a try and everyone in the endometriosis community is aware that surgeons performing ablation ARE NOT endometriosis specialists. A true endometriosis surgeon will ONLY perform EXCISION, which is the gold standard for endometriosis, leading to a much more improved quality of life and low recurrence rates.

There are several highly experienced and skilled endometriosis excision surgeons in the UK, working either privately or within the NHS.

I strongly recommend joining the Nancy Nook Endometriosis Education group on Facebook and finding the closest excision surgeon to you from the Surgeons International list in their files.

I'm here if you need more direction!

best of luck

[deanmorgan in reply to StefaniaJW]

Thanks I have joined. I also noticed there is another “hater” page of Nancy Nooks info. I will read both 👍

[StefaniaJW in reply to deanmorgan]

Nancy is a very harsh person but she helped even those who were hopeless and couldn't find help anywhere else. She is the most knowledgeable endo sister out there, as knowledgeable as a physician almost

[Thecraftyadder]

The consultants who work in the BSGE NHS centres have the qualifications for excision as they treat severe disease. You can look on the BSGE website and see their names to find the ones in your part of the country then Google them to find out where else they practice. That's what I did and saw one privately. I was originally going to just get advice but went on to have surgery with him. I'm no longer resident in the UK so not entitled to use the NHS else he would have referred me back through it. The consultation cost about £180. Maybe look for someone as above, and go for an appointment to talk through possible options together. There's no pressure to do more if you don't want to but getting a true specialists input is always useful. There is also a Facebook group specific to the UK called endometriosis guidance and support group UK which would be a good place to get advice on correct treatment.

[Mparstoy]

Dear Dean,

I truly appreciate your concern and interest in your wife's well-being, thank you! Reading all I can on the disease was very important to me, also going to the best doctor possible was the only option I saw as a means to truly addressing Endo. From what I have investigated and from my personal and family experience, excision is the only alternative if you want any chance of not going through surgery again. Not to mention the emotional, spiritual and physical torment of suffering through the symptoms because the disease was not removed.

It is much like the metaphor of trying to go completely hairless and doing so by using a Gillette to shave, and not understanding why the hair keeps growing back. If you want to remove the hair, you must take out the hair follicle. Or you can compare it to cancer, Endo in many ways behaves like cancer cells (acknowledging of course that it is NOT cancer and is generally not malignant). Endo cells behave in similar ways and have even found to share the same genetic components. Like cancer, the importance of completely removing the disease is fundamental for remission.

I receive a newsletter with the newest scientific research, if you would like to subscribe go to Endonews.com

I wish you and your wife all the best

With kindness

Margarita

[deanmorgan]

This is becoming my feeling also and we will take advice as it seems clear to me it has to be a more common sense approach when you have the problem of a quick return after ablation. What I also learned is that the body is clever in that it will try to contain the endo as much as possible into a small area. Long NHS wait times for me is allowing it to spread more, making the surgery more complex. Thanks for the support as a husband, but it breaks my heart seeing my wife being controlled by this and after 3 years she is understandably just accepting this is her life now In pain. I will now get involved to get the care she needs as the care she is getting via her GP and the NHS is shocking.