Diagnosed with endometriosis had no pain symptoms

by Elyse Sanders
(Columbia,SC, United States)

I went in to see the doctor but I had no symptoms of endometriosis. I wanted to check to see if my Mirena was still in place. When the doctor did a sonogram, he found a large mass on my ovary. He told me it was the size of a baseball. I was scared. He said he wouldnt know for sure what it was until they did laparoscopic surgery.

He said it needed to be removed as soon as possible. Well I had the surgery Oct 2010. After the surgery, he said that it was too hard to put through the belly button cut, so they had to cut me across my bikini line. I knew when I woke up after the surgery, that they had to cut me open. I was in terrible, terrible pain. When I went to my room, I heard it from my husband first that they had to remove one of my ovaries because the endometriosis had made it to where it couldnt be saved. That was shocking news.

I had to stay in the hospital for about 4 days. It was extremely hard to walk or go to the bathroom or anything, because I was in such pain I didn't want to move at all. Once I went home, I needed help to do pretty much everything. Even sitting down on the tiolet or to get in the shower. I had to sleep in a recliner for 2-3 weeks. I could not lay down on my bed.

Months after the surgery, I was given 2 lupron depro shots. 1 every 3 months. They were very expensive. It was supposed to help with getting rid of the endometriosis. But after the 2nd shot, I was told it could come back. I have not had a check up since my last shot the summer of 2011 to see if it has come back or not. But this is not something that can be unattended to. Especially when I want to have more children some day.

I'm in the process of getting Medicaid so I can get a check up and sonogram. And before I was diagnosed, I never had any pain symptoms whatsoever. The doctor even said when he found the mass, he was surprised I didnt come in the office hunched over. The only kind of pain I ever would have was lower back pain. But that was normal for me.