Endometriosis diagnosis - info and advice needed

[MabelMay]

Hi all
I am 34 years old.

I have two young DCs under 5 (and was hoping at some point in the future to have another).

Since having my last child (by C-section) two years ago I have experienced regular - and increasingly strong - abdominal pains, pains in lower back, heavier and more irregular periods and often find sex mildly painful.
My GP thinks I have endometriosis but says I need to have a laporoscopy to have this confirmed.

Has anyone here had a laparoscopy to diagnose endo?

What was it like? What was the recovery like?
Did anyone out there with endo have it diagnosed by any means other than a laparoscopy?

Is there any other explanation do you think for my symptoms? I always worried that the C-section might have done some damage. But I wouldn't expect these pains over two years down the line.
Does endo just come out of the blue like this?

What can I expect in the future if I do have it?

Sorry - lots of questions! Hope someone out there can offer some experience/advice. Thanks!

I had endo diagnosed my laparoscopy - unfortunately the op was to deal with an ectopic pregnancy and the endo was diagnosed almost by accident, so it was rather out of the blue as I'd never suspected that I had endo.
I then had another laparoscopy to check tube viability and clear away the endometriosis as much as possible.

Recovery times from the ops are pretty fast -although it was a couple of weeks off work from what I recall. I think I had 2 or 3 tiny wounds at the bottom of my tummy and by the time the stitches were taken out I was pretty much recovered.

The first day or two afterwards are uncomfortable as you'll be full of gas (they pump it into your tummy to make room to look around), but I drank loads of mint tea and burped hugely and soon felt better.

It wasn't really painful - more a sensation of being a bit battered.

4 years on from diagnosis and I am lucky enough not to need any further treatment or medication at the moment - it doesn't really impact my daily life too much, although I do find ovulation and day 2 of my period very painful.

Sorry I can't be of more help, I'm sure some one with more experience will pop by soon.
I hope you get the answers you are looking for.

I had a laparoscopy to diagnose it. It was like being kicked in the stomach after for a good few days.

I had another one the year after to laser away what was there. I was being treated for fertility problems though and I have been told that my health trust won't treat me the same again if it does come back as I have a child now and they only offer laser surgery to childless women.

I think mine did come back tbh, or they never got it all. I have pain the the back passge when I go to the loo during my period which is a tell tale sign on endo. My doc told me the above though and it will now only be treated with an implant or coil, something to stop my periods as this is suppose to help.

I am pregnant at the moment though so not experiencing any symptoms. Some docs say that pregnancy is the best 'cure' for endo.

Try and find a specialist who deals specifically with endo and not just a gynae doc. They often don't really understand it, so I have heard and what they find inside if often just the tip of the iceberg and there is often more around that isn't found.

I have endometriosis diagnosed initially by my Gynae consultant then confirmed by Laporsocopy.

I have had surgery twice to laser away the endo, had the coil fitted and after being referred to an endo specialist rather than just a gynae doc I have had 2 courses of Zoladex injections that placed my body into menopause for 6 months

At the moment I am taking the pill back to back so just have a break every 6 months (in theory although I do bleed most months but the pain, bleeding etc is much more manageable than before)

The Zoladex worked really well for me, although they were very painful and I had HRT but because they can cause Osteoporosis I can't have any more.

I completely agree with Detective - my treatment improved dramatically once I was referred to my Endo specialist consultant, however I had to have a Laporoscopy and the endo be at a level deemed serious enough for him to take me on.

Hope that helps!

I had endo diagnosed by laparoscopy, I went for a scan some months before but they were very dismissive and said there was a small cyst, turns out I have a cauliflower cyst with lots of nodules and the person carrying out the scan could only see one nodule.

I second what DP says, try to make sure that you get investigated by an Endo specialist, because if they do find something then they should be able to treat it at the same time, thus saving you having 2 ops. Also it may be worth having an initial private appointment with a specialist ( costs around £100) because you can then get referred on to the NHS list directly without having to wait for so long.

Recovery time from the op itself wasn't too bad, my shoulders were very sore for a few days which apparently is normal because of the air they pump into you. Physically I had recovered within a couple of weeks and this is with extensive surgery to remove the endo being carried out at the same time. Unfortunately I was also put on Zoladex which turned me into an emotional mess, which happens with some people.

It's good news that your doctor is taking it seriously, I hope things work out ok for you.

thank you all - i am unexpectedly away from computer for most of evening so won't be able to read properly until tomorrow but thanks to all who have posted so far. am completely ignorant about this so any experiences gratefully received.
will check in again tomorrow. MM.