(((((((Mickey)))))))I'm so sorry this happened. I hear you w/ being scared especially with being so young. My heart goes out to you. I was young, too when I went in for a lap. and they found a lot more,too. I was going in b/c of the endo. but they found a tumor on 1 ovary and a cyst on the other. They did a D&C to try to help w/ the pain,too. I've also had cervical cancer - w/ a recent recurrence.

I'm not sure what the doc means by expensive meds. The doc put me on birth contol to help w/ the endo. I'm now 40 and have had endo. since my young 20's. I'm not saying it hasn't been a pain and I've been through an awful lot w/ my health and female problems but I was able to go to college, became a teacher, and even got married and was able to have 2 children. My gyno told me I couldn't get pregnant b/c of the endo. and was going to put me on fertility pills. I even went & filled the RX -- and I was already pregnant! So, please don't think your life is over b/c you have endo. I understand your feelings but I would hate to see you not go to college b/c of the endo. I'm not trying to tell you what to do - just trying to encourage you. I hope this help a little. Take care,k. ~hugs~

hello mickeyN, so sorry to read ur story, but hopefully ul find some help & info on this site, im alittle the same as you but i am waiting to go to hospital this wed and im scared,i also worryed that they wont do much and ill come away feeling no better off!! i cant belive how tired i feel all the time i fall asleep and the next thing i know my h2b is trying to wake me saying i been sleeping 4 ages and i jus cant seem to come round i have never felt like this ever i always av bags of enrgey or should i say had, sob, i av pain most of the time but hot bots do help. i worry about going to work in case it comes on bad like it has done in the past. im also getting now only in the last week sharp pains in my right shoulder. if u need to talk there r so many of us on here to try and help you take care xxx

We are here to talk to anytime you need it! I have had endo for so long it seems to have bc a part of everyday life. Everything is overwhelming and scary, but remember WE are here for you! You are NOT alone! It will get better!

What meds was he talking about? Do you remember? I have had endo since I was probably 14...but I was just diagnosed a year ago, when I was 30! So one thing that is positive is that you found out right away! That is very rare....it usually take an average of 9 years after getting symptoms to be diagnosed. Birth control isn't too expensive and that is usually the first route they try to take. Lupron is VERY expensive...even with insurance I ended up paying $2000 for a round of it (2 shots...6mos of treatment). Try not to get frustrated if you have to go thru many things to find something that works...most of this is trial and error...and something may work for a little while and then stop working. There are lots of frustrating things that come with this disease but we have all been through them and are still going thru them....so we can all relate 100%! And we are always here to talk and support you!

Hi, Mickey! I am very sorry that you have to go through this! I know it's not easy. I have had endo since my early teens, and nobody knew what was happening to me. I was misdiagnosed with gastritis, irritable bowel syndrome, cystitis, vaginal infection, urinary tract infection, appendicitis, acid reflux...I can keep going on and on. At one point, they almost took out my appendix, thinking it was the cause. Then, they thought it was gas!!!! I would curl into a ball and crawl around from pain, I would vomit, pass out, get constipated for days, cry, sleep, wake up from pain and scratch the walls, and they though I ate something bad and had gas!!! Everything changed, when one day I realised I needed to take control. I was the only one who could change things. Anyway, I went to the medical library ( ironically, I worked at a hospital at that time), and started researching on my symptoms. Soon enought the word endometriosis started coming up in the books.
I went back to the doctor who said I had UTI and asked him to check me for endometriosis. After several ultrasounds and a laparoscopy, they diagnsoed me with this annoying disease. That was 10 years ago, but I believe I had this disease for at least 16 years. Now I am 35 years old. I have a husband, and 2 beautiful kids (4 year old twins), I have two degrees from two different colleges. I live with pain every day, but I realised one thing: the minute I let my pain think that it owns me...it actually does. Remember this: your body is not you, it is yours. You need to take control of it and make the best out of this situation. Be positive!
Just remember one thing, Mickey! Do not let anyone decide what works for you and what doesn't. Do not just go to a gynecologist, but find a doctor who specializes in endometriosis. I have been through every doctor,hormone, and surgery that was available, and I even had my kids through surgery. At one point I was told I would never have kids, until I found one doctor who thought positively and decided to make the impossible into a possibility.
Do your research, go to several specialists and make sure you find one you feel you can trust. Don't always go with everything that doctors tell you. Ask around, reasearch, get a second and third opinion. I know you are in a lot of pain right now and things don't look that great to you, but you will slowly find ways to deal with it and not let it control your life. I promise you that much. If you need any moral support, we are always here for you.
P.S. Even though six months ago I was told to have hysterectomy and Lupron, I refused and I am still med free. I go to acupuncture, yoga, walking, no smoking or coffe (which was my favorite social activity with the girls).
Check out Fibrovan on the internet. I took it for three months now, and feel better. I have a follow up appointment in two weeks,and can't wait to see if Fibrovan made any difference.
Good luck and don't stress too much. It's not the end of the world even though the illness is called endo. It's just to scare us :). My best wishes to you.

..Hugs.. I'm so sorry. I know exactly how u feel. The same thing happen to me. One day i woke up and the was the end of my life. I stay home to. For me it dont make sense to go out all i do is turn around and go home. Please dont be scared as long as you do what you gotta do you will be fine. yes you will have the pain. But i know u will fight it. Please dont let ENDO TAKE OVER YOU LIFE. If u need to vent im here.....
take care i will check on u soon.

Hi Mickey,
I am sorry to hear that you found out so suddenly and that you are feeling scared. I think it is normal to feel scared, I sometimes feel very scared and miss my old life, but the trick is to keep on top of it and take control, find out as much information as you can and get into the natural therapies and accupuncture for the pain relief. I find that it works really well.

Keep those plans for college. There is no reason why you cannot still achieve your dreams. Now I am in Australia and so I am assuming that you are in the US so I am not sure if it is the same there, but in Australia there are anti-discrimination laws that say employers or education providers cannot discriminate against people with a disability. Endometriosis is considered a disability here as it is a chronic medical condition. This mean that at Uni's here there is additional support available for peole with endo. At my University there is a 'disability liaison officer' and a disability fund that can help with modifications that you might require. You should be able to have special consideration such as extra time during exams or flexibility with deadlines for assignments as well as flexibility or modifications required for any field work. Of if you need to miss classes for a week or something if the pain is really bad then there should be arrangements made such as they will record the lecture for you and send it to you etc. You should also be able to get help with library resources ie. if you cannot go into the campus because of pain they could post you the papers or books you might need. And if you are on campus then they might provide a rest room for if you need to lie down during the day or something. Anyway, this is the kind of thing that is available in Australia at most Universities and supposed to be the same for most work places as they cannot discriminate. I hope that this is the same in the US and if it is then you could look into it and find out what kind of help might be available for you. You shouldn't have to suffer or change all your life plans because of this.

goodluck,
feel free to message me whenever you like!

Cheers, M