LavendarKate
For you and your sister. No this is not soemthing that you should just get on with!.
Read www.endometriosis.org advising on how to approach your GP, how to hold your own & stand firm in knowing who you want referral to. Advice is given on how to prepare yourself before seeing the consultant & questions to ask. Do not be afraid of checking his/her knowledge & experience in deciding whether you feel comfortable with them. Remember it is your illness, your health, your life. You are in equal partnership with the people caring for you.
www.endometriosis.org/endometriosis_centres_of_excellence
Choose the specialists you want to see, narrowing your choices to say three. Below is an excellent site enabling you to search for gynaecologists (or any other consultant) in or out of your area, enabling you to check their areas of special interest. You can then locate those with specialty in endo & laparoscopic surgery. DO NOT SEE ANYONE ELSE.
www.drfosterhealth.co.uk/consultant-guide
If you feel able, it is a good idea to write to them with your history/concerns, copies of any scan/biospy results & hopes for treatment. The replies will tell you a lot about them - their enthusiasm about the condition as well as their level of expertise.
Your GP will probably want to follow tradition & refer you 'locally' but the patient's right to choose now allows NHS patients to choose a specialist out of the area. You must impress on your doctor that you must see an endo specialist & he/she is obliged to refer you. Even after seeing one you might feel you want a more expert person & most consultants should be happy to refer you on again if necessary.
If you are unhappy with one you have chosen & gone to see don't be afraid to see another for a second opinion. Most of us only have one chance to get this right & avoid future complications of inappropriate treatment or have them put right.
The moral has to be - take charge of your own health, don't be afraid of standing firm in your knowledge of yourself, your illness & what you want. There is a specialist out there who will find your endo but you just need to be prepared to put time & effort in to finding them. And never give up!