Endometriosis Support Group

I have Stage 4 Endo, very painful, it's all over my abdominal organs, and it has messed with my hormones.
With that being said, YES, I feel distant from my husband in the intimate sense. Because of the pain, I do not want to be intimate with him, I do only when I have to. He is very needy in this sense, accuses me of not caring, accuses me of leaving him, etc. I know he tries to understand, but frankly I just think it's too much for him.
Everything he does irritates the living crap out of me. I don't express any of this to him, because he is verbally abuive and I just don't need it. I look back to when I was married before, and I think, well, I wouldn't have been irritated with that husband, so is it the Endo or is it the husband?
For me, probably both.
On the other hand, I think that without my stressors at home with my current husband, my Endo symptoms would not be as severe !!!
I'll bet I did not succeed in helping you with your questions, LOL LOL sorry

thanks so much i guess i want to know what is going on with my body and what is "normal" i mean i am 41 and my joints ache, i am grouchy and things just set me of-i am dreading christmas and i just wantto be alone and more than anything i think no one really cares about me-even though i know my husband loves me-i am a mess

My joints ache, too. People with Endo are prone to Fibromyalgia, have you been tested for this? That is a possibility.
I know what you mean about wanting to be alone. I have spent a few holidays alone, and I was fine. I was not lonely, and I think I just prefer to be alone. If that's not the usual case with you, though, you could be depressed, and I mean, ongoing depression. Can you talk to your doctor about it?

O yea, im an emotional mess most of the time.. and i think what Rachel said is true.. without my bf, i dont think my symptoms would be so bad. i never want to have sex, it hurts to even think about it and i am always such a bitch. i always want to be alone too. i never want to do anything because im always in pain. i feel like my period never ends.. whether im bleeding or not. its been really hard on my relationship and im not sure we're going to make it.. but my bf is also very verbally/emotionally abusive and there are many other factors to the demise of our relationship than just the endo. anyways, sorry for rambling about my own crap.. what im trying to get at (lol) is that i think what your feeling is all pretty much normal with endo. Hang in there girly, this is a great place for advice, info and support. Good luck to you, i hope this helped :)

This might help, it's from the Mayo Clinic website:

Coping and support
Left undiagnosed or untreated, endometriosis can be a frustrating condition. Painful periods can cause you to miss work or school and can strain relationships. Recurring pain can lead to depression, irritability, anxiety, anger and feelings of helplessness. Infertility linked to endometriosis also can cause emotional distress.

That's why it's important to seek treatment if you suspect you may have endometriosis. Keeping a record of your symptoms can aid your doctor in your diagnosis.

If you're dealing with endometriosis or its complications, you may want to consider joining a support group for women with endometriosis or fertility problems. Sometimes it helps simply to talk to other women who can relate to your feelings and experiences. If you can't find a support group in your community, look for one on the Internet.

I know how you feel! I loved Christmas years ago. But, with the pain and always sick (it seems like it), I just want to be alone this time of year. Not having kids, painful sex. God, I know what your going though. Hope the new year brings better health for you & everyone. =-)

I can certainly identify with the 'can't stand my husband' and being emotionally unstable. Even as I'm screaming and yelling at my husband, my head tells me that I'm being irrational. He isn't capable of understanding and I get very angry and upset when it feels like he doesn't even want to understand (though this might be imagined).

Has anyone managed to successfully cope with this (other than dumping the guy)?

With the emotions, for me it's the Endo. My GF is sooo loving and understanding but I get very irritable sometimes and I'm sure I'm hard to deal with at times. I just try to keep my mouth shut if I think I'll say something hurtful. I can't even count all the times that has been a wise choice! :-)

I've found keeping my mouth shut helpful as well. It helps me to avoid screaming :)
I'm not always able to do that though.

I get endometriomas so baaaaaaaaaaad. I've been through one laparoscopy and one laparotomy to remove them and other crap. And they just kept coming back. And they get so HUGE and have been very damaging to my ovaries. :( This last time I went on Femara and BCP and that seemed to stop the growth and even shrunk one! My RE drained the last two during an IVF procedure (egg retrieval) and now I'm on CBCP which is working great for me. Have you been on Lupron or tried Femara yet?? They might be some possible options instead of a hystorectomy. At the very very least couldn't he just remove the offending ovary?? Seems like a drastic measure to take out everything but I'm certainly no doctor.