laura
New Member
Posts: 3
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Post by laura on Jul 10, 2006 17:06:15 GMT -5
Hello Everyone, Just a quick question.... Two years ago I was diagnosed with Guillain Barre sydrome which is an auto-immune disorder where the immune system attacks your nerves.. Anyways I was wondering if the endo can be related to that because I read that people with endo are more likly to have auto-immune diseases..My issues with endo started a year ago.. I never had a lap. to properly diagnose it but I've shelled out like 250 bucks to go to doctors and they have all said it's most likly endo.. I have no insurance so I'm basically just dealing with it and sometimes it is quite unbearable. The one doctor gave me darvocet for the pain which helped but I don't want to be on painkillers forever plus that is just covering up the problem. Also they just make my constipation worse. If I never have a lap. done will the endo just get worse and screw my whole body up??? Thanx for listening.... Dream Sweet---Laura
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Post by ouchy on Jul 10, 2006 17:14:56 GMT -5
Hi, Laura. Sorry for your situation. It depends where the endo is and how bad of a case you have. If I would have let mine keep going, I shudder to think what would have happened to my intestines--they were all tied together from the endo. If you need to have surgery, there are non-profit or sliding-scale fee clinics you can go to. Planned Parenthood usually is a very good resource--both if you want to try a hormonal method of endo control and also if you need a surgery. If Planned Parenthood won't do the surgery for you, then they should be able to steer you in the right direction. I don't' blame your not wanting to be taking painkillers every day. Also, for your constipation, you might try psyllium husk (fiber). Here is a link to a thread on it. Some of us have had really good results with it. Others get a bloated belly and become not hungry. It just varies from person-to-person. cjlevett.proboards33.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=general&thread=1139418533&page=1
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Post by ouchy on Jul 10, 2006 17:34:45 GMT -5
just realized i didn't answer all your qustions. will have to post you back later. sorry.
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Post by erzulie on Jul 10, 2006 19:55:14 GMT -5
Laura, I couldn't help noticing that you are from Georgia, which means you are in the same state as the world-famous Center for Endometriosis Care. They do excision surgery, which is the best surgery to have for endometriosis, and not many doctors are trained in that. That doesn't do you much good now since you don't have health insurance, but it might be good to know for in the future. Here is a link to their website: www.centerforendo.com/As for the connection to auto-immune disorders, I've certainly read that a lot. A lot of people think endometriosis itself should be classified as an auto-immune disorder because it coincides with so many other auto-immune disorders. There seems to be a link between all of them. About the laparoscopy, what ouchy said is true. It really depends on where it is and how bad it is. If I were you I wouldn't wait longer than necessary to have surgery done because it can really mess up your organs. If you've only had symptoms for a year, you'll probably be ok for a while. I had symptoms for over 9 years before I had surgery, and I was mostly ok. Aside from some scarring on my ovaries and fallopian tubes, and one of my utero-sacral ligaments becoming deformed, I was ok in there. It's different for everybody, though, so if there's any way you can get insurance soon or work out some way to pay without insurance it would be a good idea to have the surgery as soon as you can.
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meka
Full Member
Posts: 164
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Post by meka on Jul 11, 2006 2:52:18 GMT -5
Hi Laura, I agree with what erzulie and ouchy said, for the most part. I do want to say that since everyone's body is different, and considering your auto-immune disorder (which very well may be linked with the endo in some way), you should let as little time pass as possible before you get the surgery, if that is what you ultimately plan to do. Hopefully ouchy's tips on where to go for assistance will be helpful to you. The reason I say "ASAP" is because my endo has gotten really bad in the span of a year. I've always had extremely painful periods, but just over a year ago it go E.R.-bad. I got an ultrasound that showed signs of endo. Now I have pain for two weeks straight each month, and my recent ultrasound shows a progression of the condition that I only pray can be fixed through surgery. Since insurance is an issue right now, in the meantime maybe take a look at the alternative treatments section/threads (i.e. herbals/ supplements) to see if anything there might help you with your symptoms. I hope things get better for you soon!
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laura
New Member
Posts: 3
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Post by laura on Jul 11, 2006 20:29:33 GMT -5
Wow--Thank You for all the replys and I must say quick replys at that... Meka, You said that your endo got bad in the span of a year, I myself always had BAD periods which I thought were normal. Then one day it was just totaly unbearable, and I went to the ER and thats how I came to find out. Anyways you also said "If I decide to get surgery"-- What else could I possibly do about it. I read that birth control pills are supposed to help. I guess what I'm wondering is -- Will I eventually have to get surgery??? I know that endo does not just go away but do women actually have it their whole live and never have it removed? Thank You -- Dream Sweet--Laura
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Post by lisa31 on Jul 11, 2006 21:34:16 GMT -5
Laura, I'm new here, but I have an auto-immune disease, Lupus. I definitely think they're all related. If you have one auto-immune disease, you will often have more...I have several (interstitial cystitis, endometriosis, lupus, sjrogen's, PCOS). I think it's a real raw deal we're given. My rheumatologist says that endo. is linked to other auto-immune diseases. Here's my thought....if steroids help (a little anyways) almost all other auto-immune diseases, why don't they help with endometriosis? Anyways, good luck to you.
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meka
Full Member
Posts: 164
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Post by meka on Jul 12, 2006 1:49:39 GMT -5
Hey, Laura. Yeah, my endo into was just like that. Bad periods, then, all of a sudden one night--POW!-- Hello, ER; hello, endo. I said "if that is what you ultimately plan to do" because that is not what I planned to do at first. In the beginning, I was pretty confident that I would be able to kick this thing. I had heard of someone doing it through natural means, and of cancer patients cured naturally, etc. etc. Plus, the endo seems to come back for most women after the surgery anyway. Why put my body through that? So, I tried. Oh how I tried. But it has only gotten worse overall. And it is only now that I am considering surgery. There are still people out there who aren't willing to let go of the natural fight, and for whom surgery is absoulutely not an option. Some have varying degrees of success. So, no, you don't eventually have to get surgery. It's always going to be your choice. You just have to decide what it right for you, and when.
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Post by erzulie on Jul 12, 2006 10:47:37 GMT -5
Some people really do go their whole lives without surgery for this, but it scares me because it does sometimes do real damage to your organs and I think it's good to get in there and find out what's going on, at least once.
That being said...surgery didn't help me at all. I never had any relief until much after the surgery when I found a combination of herbs that really helped. So, sometimes those thigns do help more than surgery, but every case is different.
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