Hi,
I am sorry you are going through this. It really stinks that your Dr. won't listen to you, but really that isn't uncommon with this disease. :-(
I hope you don't mind but I looked at your profile and noticed you have Georgia listed as you home state. Well, I don't know how far you live from Atlanta Georgia, but there is a endometriosis expert in that area, the Dr's there are not just "specialist" they are some of the leading Dr's in the field of endometriosis treatment (finding an actual expert is very hard, so it is pretty awesome you have one in your state). It is called the center for endometriosis care (CEC). I have never been there myself, but have looked into them a lot and have heard a lot of positive feed back about them.
I do believe they offer to do a free consult as well. Also there website has a lot of helpful information about the disease if you are interested in reading up on it. Here is a link to their site, good luck!

http://www.centerforendometriosiscare.com/

I am so sorry. I think you need to find a doctor who will listen and who knows about endo. If you can't see the doctors vally recommended, call around and ask if they are experienced in treating endo. Keep trying till you find a good one! I know how awful it feels to not have a doctor take you seriously, but you must be persistent till you find someone who does!

In the mean time, we are here for you!

You must find another doc!!!!! Did you know on average most of us with endo will see 10 docs before we find help? Please do nor delay!

I am procrastinating on finding another doctor because it just feels like no matter what I do no one will help me. Also I am not experienced in finding good doctors. Another thing is our insurance is not the best... Do the symptoms that I have portray endo? Since I could not get a doctor to listen to me I did some research, and endo seemed to be one of the main problem I thought it could be. Endometriosis runs in my family along with PCOS and Fibroids. My aunt had a hysterectomy after her third child, and my cousin has PCOS..My last doctor told me it was not hereditary, although I read online it can be. If anyone has any ideas or advice it wouldhelp :D.

Im sorry you are having such a hard time, clearly your old DR really didnt have a grasp on things and so finding a new one who specializes in womans issues and Endo in particular is a must, I think one of the first posters had a suggestion on where to start. Unfortunately Endo can present as a number of different issues and so narrowing it down it often trick especially if you are not being followed by someone with knowledge on the subject. As for preparing and getting a little more knowledge yourself Id suggest go to the Mayos site, its pretty simple and has some suggestions as to what to do before your DR visit. There are others sites but this is not so busy.

Please dont put it off, I wish I had know what was happening to me before I did, could have saved myself time and pain. And Endo effects other systems/things in your body (part of the reason its a little hard to diagnosis) so the quicker you get to the casue the quicker you may find relief and lessen the potential damage/recovery time.

I'm glad you found us here, hope we can help, you're certainly not alone.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/endometriosis/DS00289

SPEAK UNTIL SOMEONE LISTENS! Although in all caps that was not meant as a yell, but just an emphatic plea. You have to be persistent and not give up. It is very frustrating as I'm sure many of the women here understand. I received so many diagnoses before actually being diagnosed. I did the same thing you're speaking of because I felt like people thought I was crazy and I felt like no one really understood me. Because of that I suffered in silence way longer than I needed to. Keep researching docs and keep going until you find one that will LISTEN and understand. Don't let the frustrations of endometriosis silence your voice.

Hello live...Ditto to EVERYTHING said here. Unfortunately, you are not the exception, but the rule. Diagnosis is most often delayed because most doctors "anointed" as the be all to end all of the female anatomy are arrogant jerks.

I understand your frustration, but I want to point out the obvious...which is very much in your favor. Humor me...
1.) Your age and potential for "early" diagnosis @ 18
2.) Opinions vary (mine included) but for better or worse, you've been on DP for a year (hopefully) suppressing new growth
3.) Your geographical location in GA...access to a renowned center for diagnosis and treatment of this disease. I'm thinking the cost can be exorbitant, but perhaps your insurance will cover. PLEASE check it out.
4.) You have access to digital information vs. Campbell Soup cans on strings that I used for a telephone pre-1993=) Sadly, most don't get the "joke". While the access to a wealth of information is a Godsend, it can be a curse if you "buy into" all of the charlatans who promise a quick fix or cure. There's NO CURE, so beware.
5.) There is a great potential for treating/managing this disease if you stay strong, push ahead and fight the good fight. Trust me...Denial or Delusion will feed this BEAST.

I must say to you that I am so sorry for the loss of your mother. DO THIS FOR HER if you can't muster the strength to do it for yourself. Remember...there are many ladies here who understand more than you have yet to imagine. You are NOT crazy. You need a GOOD doctor who is competent in this field to help you. I don't paint pretty pictures where they don't exist...BE YOUR OWN ADVOCATE and lean on us for emotional support. We care=)

~~Pup

I am so sorry to hear about all of the pain you have been through! I was diagnosed at 18 years old and I had been dealing with the pain and many other side effects including the nausea for two or three years before being diagnosed. I am actually really blessed that my first doctor listened to me and she tired to understand my symptoms from the beginning. Although it was necessary to monitor it for a couple of months and try a few things first my doctor and I both came to the conclusion that something had to be done about it so we scheduled a laparoscopy. My doctor knew going into the surgery that I was a little young to have this disease but it turned out that I in fact had endometriosis. I also know a girl who was 21 years old when she was diagnosed with stage 4 because she procrastinated her visit to the doctor. I'm not trying to scare you but only you can be responsible for your health and you have to find a doctor you can talk to and who will listen to you. If you do have endometriosis you shouldn't wait, if you feel like something is wrong listen to your instincts! Don't stop looking, the right doctor will come along! I would also say that because endometriosis runs in your family your doctor should already consider that a possibility. Don't give up!

The Endometriosis Foundation of America (EFA) has a bunch of really good resources (i.e. info packets). I wish I had found them when I was first diagnosed! Here's a link:

http://www.endofound.org/resource-materials

I'm sorry you're going through all of this. I hope you're able to find a doctor that finally listens to you. Keep pushing! There's got to be a doctor out there that's a good match for you.

I would like to add that the center for endometriosis care (cec) from what I understand does take insurance (although not all). I beleong to another support forum and there are a lot of ladies who have been treated there, many who traveled out of state to be treated by dr. Sinervo, and I have never heard one bad thing about their care through him. It doesn't hurt to call or email to ask about insurance and have the consult I recommened in my first post.

I am also sorry for the loss of your mother. I lost mine 7 years ago when I was 24, so I understand it can be scary and overwhelming to go through this with out a mother (yes, at 31 I still wish I had mine to hold my hand sometimes). But like the other ladies mentioned, you really shouldn't delay. I wish I had been properly diagnoised when I was younger.

Good luck, I hope you find a dr that is willing to listen to you.