Smile, Kirsty, keep smiling.

Well, I can say the one thing that cheers me up is that I am not alone! Even when the drs may not take you seriously we are here and we know just what you are going through!

I just joined this discussion group and find all of your posts very informative. I am 49 and really wish there had been somewhere to go for this information years ago.I just had my 7th surgery on Oct. 29th from this disease. I just wanted to say to all of you that endometrosis is something that does go on and on and that the only positive you will ever get from this disease is the innovative ways that you deal with the life that you are dealt. It takes great courage and strength to get up and go on day after day with the pain and loss of time. Thank God that you guys have one another, for that is a positive.

I'v been thinking about this since this morning.... tough question...

I'd say the best thing I got from endo was the ability to be empathetic....

Our pain and trouble make us very skilled at noticing other peoples pain...many of us use our pain to help others...

Thank you for all your comments. It is so true that we get empathy for others i never thought of it like that before. Also the best thing like bngo7 and Jana49 said was that we have each other to advise and talk to when the medical profession lets us down. I will keep smiling thanks guys. I hope I have a better day tomorrow

have a great story...I battled endo for 6 years. Never thought I would get pregnant or have kids...had accepted it after they took an ovary. But, I did get pregnant, 4 times and I have 3 beautiful children. I ended up having a full hysterectomy, so I would never have to go through the pain again. Know that there are other options out there if you have the mind to try them. take care!

There are positive stories of endo being cured if you know where to look for them. Google the name "Dian Shepperson Mills" & read all about her endometriosis clinics in England & how she is changing the lives of many suffering people thru educating endo patients on better nutrition habits & narrowing down their body's reactions to different food allergens. Similar to the way diabetes is caused by the body's inability to digest sugar, there have been very positive findings that would link endo with an allergy or sensitivity to wheat.

I have been lucky enough to find that eliminating wheat from my diet has made a huge difference in my symptoms.

Have you hit rock bottom yet? After the pain came back worse than before my 3rd lap surgery, I was ready to try anything!!!

It certainly requires a major change of lifestyle habits (I'm not saying it is easy to do in our fast food nation) but maybe it can help you?

Good luck!!

In the last week I have met 3 women through my work who have had treatment for endometriosis with no return of symptoms, their treatments were a total hysterectomy, a partial hysterectomy & medically induced menopause!
Generally people only tend to look for sites like this when their quality of life is suffering & they are looking for other people in the same situation, or are just diagnosed & looking for information.
Every day I look for something to be thankful for. To KNOW that there will always be people in a worse situation than you. To take every good day as a gift & make the absolute most of it. To do something you love every day. To treat yourself with kindness, love, respect and empathy. Hope this helps.

Thank you Elf that is really valuable words I know they are true but when you endure pain day in and day out it is hard to be positive. The other day I watched a programme called Mummies diaries it is of women who are dying of cancer and have children. They had a counseller to show them how to say goodbye to the children, they were taught to do memory boxes. Once they had died the children opened the boxes it was incredibly sad. That is when I feel so fortunate to not have a turminal illness. But may be I am selfish as when my pain comes on so strong I can't get out of bed or even go to the loo I can't help feeling down. I am only 27 and I know I shouldn't be so self absorbed I hate it when I see others who are, and I would normally tell them to kick themselves up the bottom. On Friday my husbands work van was stolen with thousands of pounds worth of tools, a 10 year collection, some with sentimental value. The thieves stole the van from right under my husbands nose. You may think where are you going with this, it is back to your words of others are going through worse than you. My husbands livelihood was taken there and then, I realised I had to be strong for my husband. It shows I can do it, so thank you for your kind words every body. My health is still really bad but I am putting myself to the background right now whilst I support my husband.

Hi Kirsty, I think it is fantastic that you are finding the strength to support your husband when he needs you. What an awful thing to happen, at least belongings can be replaced.
Being diagnosed with an illness that has no cure, endometriosis as one example, you go through the same processes as you do when you are grieving following a death, they are anger, grief, denial, then eventually, hopefully, acceptance. The first 3 can be in any order, as with everything else, everybody is different, but last is always acceptance, it is by far the hardest & unfortunately as following a tragic death, some people can never get there. It doesn't make the disease go away, or the continuous pain to magically vanish, it just helps you find a mindset in which you can & do cope. I hope you find a way to deal with all that your going through & I hope this helps.