Doc #5

I am at a total loss for where to turn next. Each month my cycle repeats with pain. And each month I try the best I can. I sleep with a heating pad to sooth the cramping, George and I are not having much sex to speak of bc it hurts so much, I am constantly taking over the counter painkillers and nothing is getting better. In fact things are getting worse. There are more days filled with pain and the pain is growing in intensity. In a given monthly cycle I hurt for 2 of the five weeks. There are days at the office were I just sit there barely able to move out of my office chair.

We are now a year and 1/2 into this process and no one will help me. Have you ever felt so alone? Doctors are suppose to listen to you and help. But I am getting brushed right out the door.

It’s the spring of 2007 and things begin to get a little better. I have a referral from a friend to see Doc #5. His nurse staff takes great attention to listen to me. When I see Doc #5 he is concerned about the cyst and orders that we have another ultrasound of it. He wants to see if it has grown and get better measurements of everything else. The files I brought with me are not enough for his liking, he wants to get better pictures. He mentions that he is concerned I may have endometriosis, but says there isn’t much he can do. He is willing to do a lap on me to confirm his thoughts, however, if we are thinking kids in the immediate future he would prefer we try to get pregnant. He feels the lap will just complicate things now. If we have trouble getting pregnant he is open to getting more aggressive with surgery.

At this point in my journey I am beginning to see that your regular OB/GYN really doesn’t know what to do with a possible endometriosis case but two things: #1 prescribe the birth control pill (which will stop the growth of the endometriosis, but the problem is still very much there and may cause more problems to deal with later) and #2 get pregnant.

I really appreciate the attention this new doctor is giving me. He seems concerned about the cyst and we schedule an ultrasound that week. It turns out the cyst seems very normal (and is common for those who suffer from endometriosis). However, while its a normal cyst, is there anything more to worry about? I am still in so much pain. Are we really OK to try and get pregnant? All of this is taking place the summer of 2007. We have been married for 2 years and we are open to starting our family....but something was still nagging at me.