My concern with you thinking about doing Lupron (which i'm currently on for the 3rd time along with progesterone to combat side effects and It generally works well for me) is that you have not had surgery to take a look in there for approximately 3 years. Also that your doctor doesn't administer the injection too??? That seems odd to me. Perhaps it's time to seek an opinion of a specialist if you haven't already. I have a fabulous endo specialist in Denton, Tx. named Dr. Dulemba. He is extremely intelligent and a great surgeon. I have to travel across 2 states to see him but so far it's been well worth it. I would definitely consider getting a second opinion at the very least. Not sure what your current pain levels are, or if it comes and goes? Is it making it difficult to work and/or function in general? Lupron is a very extreme drug and even though i have been lucky with it, many women on here have had it literally destroy their lives. Please do tons of research on it before deciding whether or not to get it, and should you decide to go ahead and get the shot, i would advise you to get it while on your period and to definitely take progesterone while on it as the physical/mental side effects without add-back therapy while on it proved to be horrific the first time i did it. Hope this is helpful~ HUgs~Jenny

Thank you Jenny! I'm not worried about them not taking a look in the last 3 years because the entire purpose of Lupron is to essentially make everything die- My ob is a certified midwife too which is why she does not give the injections, she is not a GYN. The GYN that I am seeing for the injections is a specialist that did my surgery in 2011 so I am confident with his knowledge of endo and skill level. I do not take Lupron lightly and have considered it for several years just never took the leap to do it. I have pain every day and it does not come and go, it's a constant pain- it would be wonderful to get a break from that!!! Thank you for the feedback on add-back-therapy!

I started lupron while on nuvaring my dr had me leave in my nuvaring for 2 weeks. I was able to use the discount card at my local walgreens. I did also take the add back therapy. I had occasional hot flashes the first few months but was able to deal. However lupron did not help me because come to find out my pain was from not endometriosis but adenomyosis which is endometriosis inside the uterus. I only received 4 of my 6 injections and I gained 30lbs. I also had breakthrough bleeding during my 3rd month.

I'm relieved to here you say that you have done the research and are not taking this lightly. Lupron basically puts me into remission. Unfortunately, it comes back. Sorry to say and it's different for everyone, but on the bright side...it did give me my life back for 6 months while on it. I was only concerned about surgery because I went without surgery for a few years and then almost died in January because of Endo. I had it near my ureter on a surgery back in 2010 and scar tissue developed because of it and my ureter was bent in half like a straw during this last surgery I had in May. Which is why I love my new specialist so much. He literally saved my life! I got suddenly really sick in January and ended up in the hospital for 6 days in critical care because my kidneys were failing due to that ureter. I was fortunate not to have gone on dialysis and with a catheter in place and the IV flowing my kidneys improved on their own thankfully. The hospitals kidney specialist didn't listen to me of course when i told him about my troubles with endo and blamed my getting so sick on the motrin i was taking because they couldn't figure out what was wrong. I was released from the hospital finally, still in acute renal failure and went straight to Dr. Duiemba as soon as I could. I'm not telling you all of this to scare you in anyway. This was just one of those odd rare things that happened to me and that i wanted to share.
I just had my surgery in May, but the adhesions have already turned and attached my left ovary to the back of my uterus and my right one is already unfortunately attached to my intestines along with whatever else.
I'm having back to back surgeries at the end of October (while on Lupron) in hopes of reducing the amount of scar tissue/Endo while my ovaries are suppressed and while i'm still in remission. Praying that it helps for at least a few years. I'm sick of being sick as I'm sure you are too. So, just a suggestion to look over your last report and make sure endo wasn't near any vital organs. Also, having surgery while on Lupron makes sense to me...because my thinking is that it will allow my body to heal without my hormones screwing up everything. I just wanted to share with you as much information as possible.
I truly wish you the best of luck with the Lupron and pray it works as well for you as it does for me. Make sure you take extra vitamin D to help reduce bone loss while on it and it suppresses your immune system too so be careful when you go out in public and ask your doctor(s) about whether or not you can get a flu shot while on it. Oh and definitely take vitamin C while on it!!!! Supplements that are good for your skin, nails and hair are also advised. Lupron causes my nails to be brittle and my hair to shed...BIG time! Vitamin E is great to take as well. Hugs~ keep us posted. ~Jen

Ive done two stints with lupron depot each for 6 months. The first time I did not do the add back therapy and my side effects were manageable: night sweats, hot flashes, some mild mood swings and a few lapses of memory. At the end of the 6 months I felt much better but not fully better so my doctor had me do another 6 months and add back. The add back helped get rid of most of my side effects. This time however my memory problems and mood swings got way worse. My mood could change like switching a light switch and could happen over nothing at all. Only my closest friends noticed. No matter how hard I tried I could not control them but I could often hide them. You cannot use birth control while on lupron. The side effects suck but I had a good friend who i told everything. She understood as best as could be expected.

Thank you both for the input and feedback! I guess I'll wait until my appointment in October to decide for sure- the one thing that concerns me in the story Jen shared.... In my last lap they removed part of my bowel and bladder due to endo. It is possible that by this point it could have also grown into other organs. That is definitely something I should be mindful of.

I'm glad to have been able to share my story with you. Especially after hearing that you had to had part of your bladder and bowel removed during your last surgery!!! WOW!!! It's so scary how this disease can affect our vital organs. Hope all goes well for you in October and that you are able to get the treatment you need and the relief that you so deserve after all you have been through. You are definitely in my thoughts and i hope all goes well so that you are able to go ahead with the Lupron. Hugs and keep us posted!!! ~ Jen