I know how you feel, I too cried buckets when I found this web site which was a short time ago. In fact it was about 5 weeks ago! I was researching before I was to undergo a laperoscopy to investigate possible endometriosis & adhesions. Ultrasounds also showed cysts in my overies.
All this was after a nightmare hystorectomy 12 months ago. I am reading through my notes at the moment so that I can ask my new ob/gyn why when & what.......
Deb, just know that you are not alone, and as sad as this sound, there is always someone worse off than you. Please don't take that the wrong way.......I suffer from unbelievable pain too. However I count my blessings in my 4 wonderful daughters & husband, and I participate in life as much and as often as my pain & my body allow me.
I am involved with my daughters school, I manage a marketing business with my husband and I volunteer for a very special program called Look Good....Feel Great. This program is for female cancer patients undergoing treatment. We teach them how to give themselves a facial, put on makeup, (especially to compensate for hair loss) and we try on hats & wigs etc. It is a wonderful morning, it is rewarding to see these women come into the room looking nervous and a bit sceptical, and to see them transformed into a happy and relaxed group. The cosmetic companies donate cosmetics and each patient goes home with about A$150.00 worth of cosmetics.
Deb, I use this practise myself, by putting on my make-up, and by taking care to decide on what I will wear for the day, really helps me to LOOK Good and Feel GREAT! I was down town yesterday for example & it was one of my bad days. I was on strong pain meds, and needed my husband for support. Deb, I felt so good when people I knew came up to chat with us & comment on how good I looked and how they were glad they were I was getting better. It was so nice to not have peoples sympathy & not to talk about my illness.
Please Deb, don't give up, take strength from your family, drop the unecessary chores that make your pain worse, and start surching for ways to make yourself feel better.
I have started on a chinese herbal therepy & I am feeling better for it. I haven't used as many strong pain meds & my skin & eyes look clearer. It is not a quick fix and I still may have to have surgery in the future. I just know I will feel healthier & I think I will cope with it better.
Good luck Deb, write to me if you would like to ask me anything.
God Bless, Wally
At Thu, 15 Feb 2001, Debbie J. Smith wrote:
>
>Oh my Gosh I am so thrilled to have found this web site and all of you!!
>Please know that this is the first time in 4 years of terrible suffering
>that I truly (crying hard)know
>my diagnosis. So many doctors have told me such hurtful and ridiculous
>nonsense!(even that I was suffering from a "birth
>defect" the MRI's "proved it" can you believe that???)
>My third ob/gyn claimed endometiosis and scheduled a total
>hysterectomy.....this took place only three weeks ago on the
>26th of January. A procedure that normally took only one hour....it
>took my doctor almost four hours to cut my uterus away from my bladder
>because he said they were "meshed together like superglue" from
>adhesions from
>my previous C-sections. Of course he poked holes in my bladder and had
>to suture that up as well (I just got the catheter out) By the
>way....pathology showed not one cell
>of endometiosis.....but I'm sterile now anyway....thanks doc
>Please help me.... because now that I know what my trouble was I am so
>scared that my symptoms will return tenfold due to this
>hysterectomy.....I have two fantastic kids that are depending on me
>(crying really hard now)....
>I thank each and every one of you who have taken the time to read this
>.....it felt really good to write....
>
> God Bless,
> Debbie Smith
-- You will never never know.......if you don't give it a go :)