YES! I have benn told I have diverticulitis only to be put on antibiotics that made me sooooo sick. I was told I had an appendicitis, which turned out to not be true. I was told I had gout, and was prescribed medication with out ANY TESTING, thank god I was smart enough to know that Dr. was an idiot. I have a history of numerous "simple cysts" although now I am willing to assume it was endo the whole time. For painful sex I was told my partner was probably "too large" for me (no, seriously that is what she said). I was told by another Dr. I just needed to get "more sleep" and was prescribed sleeping pills...It took 10 years plus to get a proper diagnosis of stage 4 endo, and it was really found by accident...Oh and this is off topic, but my brain tumor took 4 years to diagnose, 2 PCP's, 2 neurologist and numerous nurses telling me it was all in my head and I needed therapy I finally demanded an MRI, that's when my tumor was found. I almost never trust Dr's, people think I am nuts but I research almost everything my Dr's tell me, and cross reference all treatments presented to me.

I was told for years by many-a-doctor that my pain, bleeding and ridiculous symptoms were all normal. They would say that I was just on the extreme end of what's average. One of my breaking points was when I was told the only thing they could do for me was to put me on anti-depressants. Apparently "I am in pain" meant I was depressed.

@vally My husband was diagnosed with a brain tumor called a prolactinoma and it took 4 years as well. They thought he was a hypocondriac and when someone finally took the time to do an MRI they found a quarter sized tumor.

I was mostly just ignored by doctors, but the one misdiagnosis I got was a real doozy.This pediatric GI I went to told me that my severe pelvic pain was heartburn and tried to put me on prilosec... Needless to say the prilosec did not help my period pain.

I've never actually had heartburn in my life, but I'm pretty sure if I ever did get it I wouldn't be feeling it in my uterus lol

Oh my goodness....Where to begin?

1.) You need to "adjust" to your new weight loss

2.) You're just not comfortable in your "new" body

3.) This is nothing gynecological...refer to urologist

4.) Urologist says "classic endometriosis" within 5 minutes just from
my description of pain...sends me back across to GYN

1991---The FIRST time hearing the word ENDOMETRIOSIS...had no clue, but was "happy" there was a diagnosis for my agony=)

5.) Same GYN (as #3) says "Bahh...endometriosis is just a catch
phrase used when they can't find your problem"

6.) Admitted through ER due to dehydration/starvation, kept there
for 9 days. I was told by internist and GYN #3 to go home and
take Tylenol as needed for pain.

7.) Gastroenterologist does extensive tests and says Diverticulitis
and splenic flex syndrome...Sends me to GYN for pelvic pain.

8.) Gynecologist blames "menses"...changes BC pill. He tells me
painful sex is all in my head. He suggests I have a glass of wine
every night to "relax". He also suggests I "visualize" myself as
feeling better.

That's just a BRIEF synopsis. I won't bore you with more, but you can read my journal if you like.

I find myself these days having a glass of wine while I VISUALIZE ALL of those "gynecologists" being castrated like pigs, (I'm holding the knife saying "you've just not adjusted to your new body") as their testicles lay quivering on the ground and the GYNs bleed out.
(insert SPOOKY MANIACAL LAUGHTER above their screaming and begging for mercy)

~~Pup

kDeezy,

I collapsed from my pain at age 17, after years of dealing with it. My parents thought it might be my appendix because my pain was so severe, but it was the left side so it couldn't have been. Little did we know at the time it was ovulation pain! The ER didn't find anything and suggested I see a Gyn. My mother also knew I had terrible pain with my periods and had already told my small private school that it would be expected that I would miss at least one day a month. Well, the Gyn examined me and found nothing. She scheduled an ultra sound and they found a cyst on my left ovary. But she just shrugged it off as the normal cyst that occurs during ovulation. Yeh, right. Seven years later, that cyst had grown and finally imploded! I had a chocolate cyst. New town, new doctor, I was finally diagnosed with Endo.

I've been to so many doctors. I suffer from vulvodynia as well (now cured) but it's wayyy worse than endo. I went from Dr to Dr who all said it was normal for the bleeding and that I had infections. Than I kept coming up with reoccurring UTI's (which were documented). From there they thought I had IC and was about to do a potassium challenge test until I realized what that entails. I said no. Plus it didn't hurt to pee and it was def a UTI. I went to this doctor a million times, finally, he tested me for some bacteria that "everyone in his office was getting." Turns out he wasn't sterilizing properly so we all ended up with the same infection. Thank god it wasn't an STD I would have sued. Than I got diagnosed with a strep infection and BV (which I did get BV because the amount of antibiotics I was on made my bacteria crazy). I was on 18 prescriptions in 7 months. Than the same doctor said I probably had endo and he wanted to do a laparoscopy but I had to postpone it because I was going out of town. I called back and tried to schedule it and they said there was no documentation in my chart that he wanted to do surgery and to stop "being dramatic". What the FUCK?! Than he couldn't see anything obvious with my vag that was causing me pain and it was just in my head and to switch positions and date guys with small penises. What the??!

So then I went to a new doctor mainly due to my vulvodynia. She actually diagnosed me correctly, but than gave me herpes medicine to treat it (newsflash that doesn't do anything for vulvodynia).

And than FINALLY I found the doctor who I have now. He was the first person to show me exactly where the problem is and he "cured" my vulvodynia. Now I'm working on endo, but not too thrilled about having a lap. We'll see.

@ JenC,
it is crazy to me how you have to go through so many doctors just to receive proper treatment. My brain tumor is called a meningioma (fairly uncommon in a younger individual) I demanded an MRI, I told them if you give me an MRI and don't find anything, I will then see a therapist (bc honestly, I felt pretty insane at that point). Turns out the radiologist who read a CT scan they had run several months earlier for a sinus infection completely missed my silver dollar sized tumor. All I can say is thank god I was young (23 at dx) because I was told several times had I been older my surgery would have 100% disabled me for life. As it is I have nerve damage that causes vision issues, but other than that I am intact.
Did your husband have his tumor removed?

@vally. No it'll be there forever it's on his pituitary glad and can be controlled with medication. The surgery to remove it has a 50% chance of damaging the optic nerve and causing blindness. It's non cancerous. It makes him produce prolactin a hormone that occurs in women during pregnancy and stops his production of testosterone. He takes a drug called cabergoline twice weekly which stops the prolactin production and is on a testosterone patch to replace it.

thank goodness for modern medicine. Brain surgery and"poking" the brain is never good, so I am glad he didn't have to go through that. My tumor was removed in a 8 1/2 hr surgery, it was growing into my trigeminal nerve causing SEVERE pain. My other option was radiation, but due to the location, it likely would have caused more harm than good.

When I first saw a doctor for my endo pain it was at my college health center. I was 19, in college, and sexually active, so of course their first thought was an STD/pelvic inflammatory disease. They tested me for every STD they could think of. My boyfriend also got tested around the same time. When both of us were negative they shrugged and referred me to a gynecologist.

She was worse. She insisted that it must be PID, despite the complete battery of negative tests two months prior, insinuating she didn't trust my story that we were faithfully monogamous and thus there was no possible way I had gotten an STD in the past two months. She put me on heavy-duty antibiotics, which I was at the time trusting and obedient enough to comply with, which made me too nauseous to eat anything but Triscuits for two weeks.

oh ya, STD, diverticulitis, PID, ulcers, all in my head, and more that i can't remember

I was always told I had gastritis. I get nauseated and throw up when my endo flares, so those are the only symptoms my internist cared to listen to. My gyn at the time found uterine polyps, so she told me it was that. When I continued to have issues after she removed them, she told me it was impossible to still have a problem.