I came from a very strong family and was the baby, thus when I would complain about something they always just said it was because I was the baby. So I understand your struggle of explaining the pain you are in. But no matter what just be honest, if it is the worst pain you have ever experienced than tell them that. Also just because they recommend Lupron (the medicine you were referencing) doesn't mean you have to take it. You are your own best advocate and if something doesn't feel right for you, it probably isn't.
My last doctor, who I thought I really liked, would only talk about Lupron with me and when I would ask about other options he in not quite these words would say it is the gold standard and call me back when you are ready to start. I was fine for a couple months after surgery to do nothing but it only got worse. So I decided to look for a specialist who may be able to tell me about other options. NO matter what one doctor will tell you, you always have other options.
I do think it is good to always take someone with you, even if your mom can't make it this time. I find I forget to mention things while I am there, so I make a list of topics I want to cover and bring a second set of ears to help me process what I heard.

Write it all down. Take it with you, and when the doctor comes in, hand it to her and tell her you always have trouble remembering what you want to say. I did that with a long list of bullet points and it was the best appointment I ever had :) I am the same way - I tend to freeze up and minimize my symptoms and forget to ask the really important stuff. Good luck!

I completely understand where you are coming from. You want the doctor to understand the full extent of the pain, without seeming overly-dramatic. I have a few lines that have worked well for me. Try things like:
-I can still go to work and be productive with the pain, but it really wears on my patience.
-I am not nauseated to the point of throwing up, but I have tried ginger ale, sea bands, zofran, etc. and those things have not helped.
-It is frustrating to feel like...
-It's still not as bad as before surgery, but...

I find my doctor is much more receptive to comments like these that help put my pain level into real-life terms. She can understand the extent to which it is affecting my life. She wants me to do lupron and talks to me about it every time I go, but also understands why I don't want to do it and respects that. Good luck!

Thanks everyone! Definitely good advice. I will bring my mom with me for sure tomorrow. I like the idea of just handing the Dr. the list, I tend to bring one and even still I minimize what I have written down! (I seriously have a problem with being afraid of sounding dramatic! lol). So I think I might do that. I might even give my mom a run-down on my list so she can make sure I don't blow anything off... Ah! I'm so nervous. I'm afraid that there won't be any good options for me.

I have one more thing I wanted to discuss... Bloating. Is it worth mentioning to the doctor? I have been having pretty severe bloating and especially with the pain. It has really increased lately!

I am still new at this whole "being sick thing," it has been just over a year since I started to notice symptoms.But I feel anything that is worth your worry is worth mentioning to your doctor. What's the worst they can tell you? But if letting your doctor know could tell you more about yourself than I think it is worth it.
I have started logging any differences in myself (mood, sleep, weight, pain level, etc.) and hope by logging it and letting my doctor know it can tell us more about what is going on with me.

Please don't think twice about being 100% about your pain in fear of strong meds; I assume you're referring to Lupron and Depo, and meds like that. Always, always, always remember, you are in charge of your body, and you have the final say in your medical care.
You should tell them exactly how much pain your in, describe it as accurately as possible, its very important because you need to be treated, even if you can only presently treat you pain. Plus it all should be documented and monitored.
If a Dr. pushes medications at you that you do not wanna take, simply do not take them. I know its uncomfortable, and you don't want to appear difficult (at least that's how I feel when I refuse certain meds), but you know whats best for you!
Ive had so many stories of Dr's pushing especially Lupron at me and now a complete hysterectomy. A Dr. went to far as to order Lupron for me, I told him I would not take it, he ordered it, and I had to pay for the shot and I didn't take it. Unfortunately with endo, we get a lot of harmful drugs shoved at us...but we need to say "no".
You take charge. And you don't have to be nasty, just well informed, assertive, and self assured.
I don't know your endo history, so I don't know what advice to give you on treatment options,
Good luck!

I'm right there with you! I was afraid to bring things up because I kept comparing my pain to other women's experiences.... And then coming to this group, the lovely ladies here reminded me that the only thing I can judge my pain against is my own life. Just because I'm not knocked out for an entire week every month doesn't mean my pain isn't valid or that it isn't still interfering with my own life.

So rather than waiting until I wanted to start a family to have a lap -- my new doctor's first recommendations -- I decided to have the lap, and my doctor was able to get it all scheduled in a matter of weeks. (Just had it on Tuesday, so I'm still recovering.)

I was so exhausted from putting on a good face around everyone and pretending that I felt better than I did, because I didn't want to feel like I was constantly complaining or bringing everyone down, that I couldn't take it... so I HAD to take care of myself. This is step one for me. And finding a doctor who I feel actually cares and listens to what I want/need has been amazing, even if it took me 3 years after being hospitalized to find her.

Keeping you in my thoughts!

Re: bloating. I recommend bringing it all up because If it is bugging you, it is a problem.

I told my doc that I had horrible heartburn (I am currently 21 weeks pregnant, go figure) and each time I mentioned that the heartburn was still there and I was taking Tums for it. Finally the doctor said 'you keep complaining about this and I keep telling you to take XYZ, you know I took that too when I was pregnant." and that was that. I realized that she was right and that I should stop downing 10 tums a day. ONE DAY later, and my heartburn is gone.

I now see doctor's visits as a series of appointments. We rarely get much solved in one visit, but if we are consistent and continue to bring up things that bug us, then the doctors eventually get the message. So I also recommend repeating yourself at every visit. Continue to tell them what is going wrong, when, and how bad it is.

My doctor is also pushing Lupron and I will likely decide against it. Other doctors have recommended girls on the board get a hysterectomy (at the age of like 20!?!?!) and that again is a decision for the patient to make, not the doctor. We can be polite and say 'thank you, I know you keep saying this and I appreciate it, but it's not the right choice for me right now. What else can I do?'

Hope the visit went well. Also, with my pregnancy I bought a pregnancy journal which asks about appointments. Date, questions asked, answers. I think it is brilliant and think I'll create that for my endo visits too. Heck, who can remember what they asked or what was said 6 months ago?

I completely understand. I have a $50 co/pay just to step into the doctors office, then you add all the "misc" charges insurance likes to apply and the cost of medication you want to make sure you get your monies worth. The last thing you want is to go in, have an appointment and forget to mention something important and have to do a followup. I am a writer of things. I write down all the key points that I want to address before the appointment and bring it with me. The doctor should be very understanding and take time to address all your concerns, no doubt he/she has had experience with other patients who have had the same concerns.
If you have one of those wham-bam in/out in 10mins or less doctors I suggest looking for a new one

Thank you again everyone :)

I had my appointment two days ago and it went very well! I addressed everything, except I forgot the bloating issue, but I think I covered what was most important to me. She was very helpful and really took her time. I like that she is not anxious to cut and really keeps surgery as a last resort. As soon as I mentioned that I like the pill that I am on she agreed that I should stay on a pill I like and am comfortable with. She advised me to upkeep my pelvic floor treatment and really focus on IC diet (recently diagnosed with that -_-) and gluten free (another recent diagnosis) to keep everything calm in the area. After probably the 5th follow up where I have mentioned my left side pain, she has decided that an ultrasound would be wise, which sounded reasonable to me. also prescribed me a different non-narcotic pain reliever to try. I feel happy with how it went. :)