I'm Getting Surgery (Again)

had to go back for seconds

I hope everyone enjoyed their August and is just as excited for chillier temps as I am.  This will be the fall that I finally binge Gilmore Girls.  

Little life update...

It's been six years since my initial laparoscopic excision and diagnosis of endometriosis surgery and while I had a good run, endo inevitably grows back.  So, after a year and a half of increasingly brutal periods and symptoms, I've decided to move forward with a second surgery this month.

Endometriosis doesn't discriminate.  One in ten women suffer from this condition.  

When I first had surgery in 2018, I had had severe pain, as well as bladder symptoms from what we learned was due to extensive endo on my bladder.  There was also growth on other organs such as my diaphragm, appendix, etc.

Some of my surgical photos with "classic" endo lesions, dark brown spots. But more subtle are all of the clear bubbles, so-called vesicular lesions, which are also endo! 

This go-round, I'm definitely dealing with bladder issues, but more so horrific, debilitating period and ovulation pain that literally ruins quality of life every other week.  Last month, I spent half of my vacation in bed simply because I had my period.. not normal or okay for that matter.  You know it's time to get help when the hotel bathroom looks like a crime scene and you're in such severe pain you vomit.  

There is currently no cure for endometriosis. The goal of treatment is therefore to improve symptoms.

My surgeon is expecting to remove more endo from my bladder and mentioned that if there is growth on the appendix again, they'll just remove it because like, who needs their appendix actually?  Of course, we won't know for sure what we'll find until day of so stay tuned, ha!

Approximately 20-30% of women who have surgery for endometriosis experience a recurrence within 5 years.  So why have my symptoms worsened over the last 18 months?  Truth be told, we'll never know since endometriosis loves to keep us guessing, BUT my surgeon did note that many women who have gone through IVF with endo experience a "kick-start" in re-growth if you will due to estrogen and meds.  It was this time two years ago that I froze my eggs so this checks out.

I'll be keeping you all updated on the journey so please subscribe and send this to anyone who may be struggling as well since the goal here at House of Endo has always been to feel less alone on the road to diagnosis and thereafter.

And as always, I can only speak from my personal experience and am not a doctor so if you are suffering from any of the symptoms above, please see an endometriosis specialist/reach out so I can put you in touch with one.