Pro strap advice???

[Jellybean20]

Hello….. well I finally met my consultant yesterday which was nice, she was female and the endometriosis specialist for my hospital. I had already had ultra sounds blood tests cervical biopsy and an mri prior to meeting her. She told me pretty much straight away my endo is stage 4 and she really recommends a full hysterectomy. I have a solid mass of endo on the back of my uterus, endo on the pouch of Douglass and in my pelvis. She can see that it’s also causes nerve pain in my legs and back by where’s it is positioned inside me?! Bizarre. She did say I would also need a bowel specialist as well for possible reconstruction after the endo removal. Anyways my problem is I’m not in the position right now to have the surgery with 2 girls that rely on me and one having learning difficulties so I ideally need to try and buy myself 5 years when they are older and self sufficient. I’m also 38 yrs old and worry about the menopause. She has given me provera for now which I requested to keep the endo at bay and she is reviewing me in 3 months for a decision but has recommended the pro strap injection which she said she would happily allow me to be on for 5 years as-long as I have regular bone density checks and take hrt? Has anyone had this and had a good or bad experience with it?? She said I can get mood swings or hot flushes?? Just need something to help me get through potentially 5 years to make this endo easier and liveable so any suggestions would be gratefully received. I am taking a high strength pro biotic which has helped so much with bloating! Just in case any reading this suffers with that.

Well thanks in advance

[Username12345678]

Hi there, I wanted to share my experience of prostap as it was a good one! I have endo (widespread stage 3/4) and adeno and was on prostap for approx 18 months. It was the best treatment that I have had so far! It took a while to settle down in terms of side effects in the beginning (mood swings a plenty!) but from the 2nd month I was period and pain free. The other side effects (hot flushes, night sweats, heart palpitations) were a bit startling but as soon as I started the hrt (I was on tibilone) that all stopped. I moved to injections every 3 months and it was the best I could of hoped for! I too am awaiting a hysterectomy (I’m 45) and only came off the prostap as my consultant wanted me to try the mirena as I’d never had it. That was a terrible, painful experience and I removed it after a year! I know lots of ladies have tried prostap and it hasn’t worked for them but for me it was amazing. There is an increased risk of osteoporosis but your doc should be able to monitor that with bone scans if you are on it for a longer period of time. Feel free to dm me if you have any questions x

[Jellybean20 in reply to Username12345678]

That’s really helpful thank you. I’m guessing the important thing here is getting on the hrt straight away really to limit the side effects?! As long as I can get my tummy swelling down I’ll be so happy! I can really do my exercise wise as it’s too painful! Thank you for the reply though I really appreciate that xx

[Username12345678 in reply to Jellybean20]

Yeah the hrt is magic! I was really reluctant to take it as I have really bad experiences on the pill but once the symptoms started I gave it a go. It stopped all of the side effects and I felt human again. I got married during that time period and was able to lose weight and have a flat-ish tummy for the big day! Good luck, I hope it works for you

[Jellybean20 in reply to Username12345678]

That has really helped me with my decision thank you so much xx

[Moonglo]

Hallo! I’ve been on Zoladex since my last lap in 2013 (similar to Prostap) with Tibolone and regular dexa scans. The worst symptoms for me have been the occasional hot flush. My periods and debilitating pain have stopped and I feel like a normal person again. If you start getting symptoms that you’re unhappy with, at least you can stop the injections.

[Jellybean20 in reply to Moonglo]

I had seen some people on zoladex it wasn’t one I was aware of till I started googling yesterday. My main problem is the endo belly! Did you find all your swelling went down when you started it?

[Moonglo in reply to Jellybean20]

I never really suffered from endo belly, my problem was extremely heavy, painful periods and recurring chocolate cysts. I believe endo belly is a type of inflammation. The injections might help because they will change your hormone balance but you may still need to address your diet, if you haven’t yet.

[Jellybean20 in reply to Moonglo]

I do need to re-address the diet I’m in and out with it as sometimes it just feels pointless but hopefully when I get the periods stopped I can generally over haul the diet and exercise! Thank you for the reply I really appreciate it xx

[Moonglo in reply to Jellybean20]

Yes, it feels like chicken or egg! I totally understand that you need to have the energy to address one set of issues, but first you need the energy! I hope the treatment works for you xx