herbal medicine

[purple3212]

Hi, has anyone tried Femlieve Agnus Cactus tablets. its something i keep coming across for endo. I currently have the coil but the pain is unberable and the next step is to try medical menapause which im reluctant to do, but feel like im running out of options.

[Sunset-lady]

Google Lara Briden Agnus Castus. Xxx

[SeaHorse6 in reply to Sunset-lady]

I was also going to recommend Lara Briden's article larabriden.com/vitex-for-pe...

I started taking agnus castus recently (got mine from Fushi). Too early to say if it is working for me yet. I've seen some posts from other women on here saying that it helped them x

[purple3212 in reply to SeaHorse6]

Thankyou, hope it does help you! xx

[purple3212 in reply to Sunset-lady]

Thankyou for replying, il give her a search x

[Tetrao]

Hi! I'm very sorry about your pain. Vitex didn't work for me. Instead it gave me fits of rage I had no control of. I'm perimenopausal and thought it was the cause but the moment I stopped taking vitex, the rage stopped too. Google Rachel Arthur Why I wouldn't use vitex.

If vitex doesn't work for you, just look for other things to try. I don't know what stage of the healing journey you're on. If you're at the start, educate yourself, don't rely solely on your doctor. Some things may work, some things won't, it's ok because people are different. You are not alone on this journey.

Sending healing x your way.

[purple3212 in reply to Tetrao]

Thankyou for your kind words. so sorry it caused you more issues! i have learnt so much from speaking to people online than i have got anything useful from GP/consultant bar taking the pill or having the medical menapause!!!. I have had a laprascopy a year ago, so to them it means i should be okay now.

[Tetrao in reply to purple3212]

True. People online are more useful than our doctors *facepalm* All the useful books on my shelf are the ones I found being mentioned in social media chats. Regarding your pain a year after a laparoscopy. Oh this sucks big time. Healing after a surgery can take over a year. I had a surgery unrelated to my endo, and it took me a year and a half to heal, i.e. I was in pain for that long. My surgeon told me I'd be, quote, "playing football in a month's time" LOL but six months and then another six months after I was still struggling. The expectation vs reality was so disappointing and disheartening.

I don't know how aggressive your endo is. Have you tried alternative routes? Endo is a whole body disease, maybe there's something else that could help you.

[purple3212 in reply to Tetrao]

was told its stage 3, i had a month of “normal” after surgery ever since then its just been horrendous. ive been told it could be the coil and to remove it but ive had no issues, it is where it should be on scans and i dont have periods so im reluctant to take it out. i was refused an MRI by my endo nurse so im going private for that and sadly hoping it shows something to validate my pain. is there any alternative routes you could suggest x

[Tetrao in reply to purple3212]

What your nurse did is just gross. Apparently, they know better how and what you feel. Doh. *facepalm* I'm so sorry.

I totally agree with you pushing for a scan. You have every single right to know what's going on in your body.

I'm not an expert or anything of the kind; I'm just another endo warrior who reads a lot. The coil could get misplaced and cause pain. However, there are other possible causes of your post-op pain. And the cause must be found. If your doctors are unwilling to investigate, you'll have to do the job.

Educate yourself, read books on endo (some of these books have been mentioned on this forum), women's health, hormones, gut health, and the immune system (for example, there's a link between thyroid health and endometriosis). Other areas that can be explored are inflammation and pelvic floor dysfunction.

Subscribe to a nutritionist who specializes in endometriosis. Many of such accounts are just an ad for their services but if you read between the lines, you can still weed out some educational stuff for yourself, especially if you're new to the topic. Follow these nutritionists on social media and read comments on their posts. People tell stories of what they know, what they tried, what worked for them and what didn't. Some info can be cross-checked on pubmed. Read and analyse. This is how I learn.

If you don't know where to start, check out Cindy Dabrowska at endo.fertility.dietitian on Insta. She also has a website and a YouTube channel.

To sum up. From what you have told me about your situation so far, I can gather that you need an action plan. There are two books that I haven't read yet but their tables of contents seem very promising: Katie Edmonds, Heal Endo and Carolyn Levett, Endometriosis. Look them up and use them to make a plan that fits your budget and objectives.

Hope this helps. Unfortunately, there's no single solution that works for everybody. All I can do to help is point which way to dig.

May the force be with you. x

[purple3212 in reply to Tetrao]

I appreciate your replies and all the information you have provided me!! i will definately be looking into the above and not leaving it to the so called nurses and drs who should be helping xx