endometriosis ablation

[Leighc6007]

anybody had this? Can anyone give me any advice on the novosure ablation surgery please? Does it work? Will it help? Or am I just wasting my time? Any advice would be much appreciated ladies x

[AllthatGlitters]

Hello this is what I had for my heavy periods. It worked for a year for me and took away the labour like pains I got when on my period/bleeding, I have since had 2 of the procedures. For me it was worth it to gain a rest from my symptoms.

X

[Leighc6007 in reply to AllthatGlitters]

Thanks for replying so after the year was it as bad as it was to begin with? Also is it a painful procedure? X

[AllthatGlitters in reply to Leighc6007]

Hello no it wasn’t as bad when it came back however my symptoms are now starting up again, I would say endometrial ablation of the womb is a short term fix. In my case anyway it’s short term. It may be different for other females. My bleeding and pains were severe so that’s maybe got something to do with it. After the procedure I was very ill for 10 days and on tramadol as I was in so much pain, I was under anaesthesia so didn’t feel anything at the time. My second op was much better and I recovered very quickly.

X

[endo_the_stigma]

My consultants have all explained that ablation can cause more damage than good I'm afraid and also even if it helps, it will not stay that way. Excision is what you should be opting for instead - I know several people who have endo that had ablation and it ended up causing them so many more issues in the long term. The difference between excision and ablation (I believe) is that with ablation they burn away as much of the endo as they can but it usually leaves what is best to think of as the 'root' which means it will grow back quicker; whereas excision is where they cut out the endo from the 'root' meaning they actually get more of it out and there is reduced speed of growth. Ablation also has much higher risks of going wrong or causing other issues so most consultants nowadays who know what they're talking about with endo should be advising against it (my consultant won't even do it).

Hope that made sense and helps a bit xx

[Leighc6007 in reply to endo_the_stigma]

That’s brilliant advice thank you I will look into excision. My consultant basically just gave me the leaflet for ablation and said I should consider it as I won’t have zoladex or prostrap injections. Obviously a male doctor doesn’t have a bloody clue how this feels. He then said if I don’t want that I should think about hysterectomy instead 😞 he also suggested that I must have anxiety and should take some pills for that! I do not have anxiety my endo is very real I was fuming with him I’m sick of been fobbed of especially by someone who could never understand how this feels. Thank you for replying I will do some research x

[Chel91]

I think there is some confusion in this thread. Novosure endometrial ablation doesn't really have anything to do with endometriosis.

It's to make periods less heavy by removing the endometrial lining basically (this is our normal lining that makes our periods). It's not even really a surgery, it is not the same as laparoscopic ablation. Endometriosis is outside the uterus and it won't have any impact on this whatsoever (apart from heavy bleeding). Absolutely do not do this if you want to preserve your fertility!

Endometriosis excision through laparoscopic surgery is the best option for most ladies, make sure you get referred to Endometriosis specialist centre as this doctor has no clue what they are talking about. Good luck xx

[Leighc6007 in reply to Chel91]

Ahh ok so there just trying to calm the bleeding down rather than deal with the actual problem 🤦‍♀️ it was an endometriosis specialist that I went to see, got referred from the gp to the hospital. He basically handed me the leaflet for the ablation as I will not take zoladex or prostrap, tranexamic acid, mefenamic acid, the combined pill, or the mirena coil. I’ve had endo for 20 years but I feel like because I’m only young and was 16 when diagnosed via laparoscopy, that I keep getting fobbed off. I’ve had my kids so not bothered about becoming infertile. However in the last two years my symptoms have gone through the roof I’m really struggling.

He basically gave me two options novasure ablation or a hysterectomy. In the mean time I’m going for a ultrasound scan (which is bloody pointless) however he said that I have to have this scan first then he can get me a mri which will be able to see how bad my endo is. Apparently you can now see the endo on a mri so god knows I’m all confused and I’ve had enough. Nobody should have to go this many years in this much pain it’s just in humane. 😞

[Chel91 in reply to Leighc6007]

Is the hospital a specialist endo center, or is he just a "specialist" obgyn? I think there is a list via BSGE website.bsge.org.uk/centre/category...

I'm not super clued in on this because I went private via a Nancy's Nook surgeon. There is a list of those on her FB group (in the files section). Sometimes you can pay for a private consult with one of the dual private / nhs surgeons. They will then send a referral for you to the NHS so you can join the wait list for excision.

Also, in England you have the right to choose where you get referred. If you aren't happy go back to a GP and request a specialist endo center (or even a different one). Maybe ask about for ladies to PM you the best one near you.

MRI doesn't show flat areas of endo (which can still be extremely painful). But might be worth doing for planning (ie if it's deep in your bowel they need a bowel surgeon).

I got my surgery after 19 years of agony. It's ridiculous. Wishing you all the best xx

[Leighc6007 in reply to Chel91]

No it’s not a specialist endo center. Just the local hospital gyno ward. I might just end up having to go private. Enough is enough! I feel something is wrong 😑 the last few months have just been not the same as my typical endo years! It’s always been bad, but not this bad, makes me panic that it’s something more going on. 2 years ago I had to see the bowel surgeon and had a sigmondectopy found my bowel had stuck to my uterus. However it sorted itself out thankfully after a couple of months. But this that I’ve got at the moment god knows 😢 thanks for your help I will check out the fb page you referred x

[Pennyheart1]

Hiya,

I had an ablation done 10 months ago. It has reduced my bleeding by 40/50% which I’m grateful for as I was tied to the bathroom on my bad days. Now I can brace to go out and about when I’m not in pain and there is a toilet nearby.

Hope you manage to decide how to go forward for you. These decisions are never easy x

[Pennyheart1]

I think it would have improved the bleeding more if I didn’t have adenomyosis.