Endometriosis, Fighting my way back!

Endometriosis , Fighting My Way Back

By Lisa Ann Noe

Word Count:1,379



At age 21 Lisa began having severe stomach pains, it was a pain that was unbearable, her stomach cramped so bad that she decided one day to go to the doctor so she made an appointment with an established gynecologist.

The Doctor was from India, All of her staff or at least the majority of them were from India.  They had no trouble communicating with each other, Lisa liked her the doctor was very kind.  Her name was doctor S. Majumdar and she proceeded to give her an exam. 



That night Lisa began cramping worse than ever, she couldn't stand it, she began bleeding and was scared, she let it go until her next appointment.  Lisa told Dr. Majumdar that she hurt like a 10 on the pain scale.  she also told her she was bleeding, which concerned the doctor. She immediately wanted to run a bunch of expensive tests. Lisa had to have an x-ray then an ultrasound and a Kidney x-ray, which is no fun,  and a ton of blood work.  Dr. Majumdar said that she probably had a cyst to rupture.  But when she got the results of the tests she Immediately told her she would need surgery to remove a tumor from her ovaries. There were two tumors a large and a small one.



They are from what is called Endometriosis, which is where the endometrial tissue spreads beyond the uterus and grows in the uterine tubes or on the ovaries, uterine ligaments, and can spread to other sites;

such as the colon in severe cases.  The ectopic tissue is responsive to the reproductive hormones and undergoes the same cyclic changes that would be seen in the uterus,  Endometriosis  is thought to occur in 3% to 10% of the women of reproductive age, but many of them are asymptomatic  and the endometriosis was discovered while examining the patient for some other condition.



The symptoms of endometriosis are pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea, constipation, dyspareunia, painful defecation, abnormal vaginal bleeding, and infertility. The diagnosis is based on the symptoms,  family history, laparoscopy and biopsy; treatment is aimed at alleviating pain, halting the progress of the disease,

And restoring fertility.      Treatment strategies depend on the patient's age, and the desire to have children in the future. Options include hormones such as oral contraceptives to suppress growth of the ectopic tissue as possible, and surgical removal of the uterus, and ovaries followed by hormone replacement therapy, unfortunately, nearly half of the women treated experience a recurrence of endometriosis within 5 years.



Dr Majumdar was a very good doctor and took Lisa to have surgery, knowing that she wanted to try to have children.  she was 21 and ready to start a family.      However, the tumors were just the tip of the iceberg and Lisa had to be sent away to the UK Medical center where she would be operated on by Dr. Evans.  Evans was not a good doctor, as he did not explain things to Lisa.  This would be Her second surgery to remove the endometriosis. Dr. Majumdar performed the first surgery to remove the tumors.

Now Evans had her on the table. He was not as careful a person as her other doctor. During the surgery, Lisa must have lost a lot of blood because she had to have a blood transfusion.  The pain was unbearable when she awoke from the surgery.  Tears filled her eyes and she called out in pain. The nurse came and gave her a shot of pain medicine but it did not help so they hooked her to a machine that dosed out the morphine at the push of the patient's button.  After a while, the doctor ordered an ultrasound, and when they took her for the x-ray they then rushed her back to emergency surgery, in which they removed the entire reproductive organs and the appendix.  Lisa was terrified, she prayed and cried and prayed some more.

She begged them not to take her back again to surgery. But they had to It was of dire emergency to operate.  She had several blood clots that formed along the incision line. After it was over with, Lisa began to say, well I can't have children and I'm 24 with the symptoms of a 50-year-old. 



Lisa was not informed by her doctor about the fact that as soon as she got her reproductive system removed she would go into menopause. This, for a 24-year-old young lady, is a nightmare.  Hot flashes, night sweats, and all of the menopausal symptoms took their toll on her.  She was snappy with her family, her hair became brittle and thin, and she lost interest in sex, she lost much weight and so on.    Depression soon dropped in and this just devoured the young woman.  All in all she had three surgeries and two blood transfusions all in a two year period. After the physical pain subsided, she began having problems with her Hormone Replacement Treatment (HRT), Lisa was having sinus problems and chest pains, they feared it could cause cancer. So after a few years of HRT, she discontinued the treatment.  Lisa went back to see dr. Evans and she told him of her symptoms and he talked to her like she was crazy, and that it was all in her head.  Lisa knew from reading books that there was something out of place. 



Endometriosis is a killer according to Lisa, It took my sons and daughters that I might have had, to love and care for to make a family.  Yes, endometriosis can be cured in some instances when you get pregnant, because when you are pregnant you can't get endometriosis, however, it usually can come back in many cases.  Lisa had it so bad that her doctor told her it was packed inside of her like cement.  There was surely no way Lisa was going to get pregnant nor could she have ever carried a child.



Oh she's older and some would say wiser, and she lived a life without the benefit of a child. Well, she's had many cats which she treats like kids but that's it.  She does have her nephews though and she loves them as her own.     

Medically speaking  the endometriosis, at such a young age, caused a secondary disease called Osteoporosis,

It is a bone disease that causes her bones to break very easily. She has had both arms both legs and several ribs broken and her collar bone as well.  All of these broken bones then set up Arthritis which causes severe pain in the extremities.



Lisa's case is over, it's been about 22 years since her hysterectomy, and much other illness has befallen her.  If you are diagnosed with this disease:



Get a second or third opinion

Check out the doctor's credentials

Make sure they disclose everything you need to know; like the menopausal symptoms and such.

Make sure you understand the risks involved

Make sure this is what you want to do, there is nothing you can change about this once you've done it.

Know that afterward you won't be unable to have a child.



Learn about all of these subjects at your local library.



This has been a story about endometriosis, It can cause you to be barren, have menopause, develop Osteoporosis, feel abdominal pain, and lose blood in some cases. 

Our subject, Lisa,  was a woman in her early 20's that felt severe abdominal pain and could not conceive a child upon trying.  She was diagnosed with the disease, had surgery to remove tumors, and was treated with male hormones for months then female hormones for months. Lisa was going nuts with all of that, so she quit taking any of the hormones.  After doing this her bones deteriorated to where she can barely stand on them for any length of time.



All that can be said is to protect those bones, take vitamin D and Calcium, magnesium and drink plenty of water and milk, get exercise at least 30 minutes a day.  If you don't take care of your bones they'll not take care of you. Lisa adds.



Lisa's a fighter, she has to be she's had 25 years of health issues, you have to fight to stay alive; and if you are smart you'll get that little bit of exercise, some fresh air, and a tray of fresh fruit and vegetables."