Category: FAQs

Endometriosis of the Lung – from Dr Cook Archives

Question:
I’ve been told that endometriosis can spread outside of the pelvic area and I even heard of a woman with endometriosis who’s lung collapsed every time she had a period. Can endometriosis really spread to the lungs?

Answer:
Yes, while it is rare, endometriosis can grow in the lung…

. This is also known as thoracic endometriosis. There are two basic types of thoracic endometriosis. Thoracic endometriosis can be divided into pleural endometriosis (the lining of the lung) and parenchymal endometriosis (the lung itself). The majority of cases of pulmonary endometriosis occur in the pleura rather than the lung itself (about 5:1 – pleura:parenchyma).

PLEURAL ENDOMETRIOSIS:
The vast majority of patients with pleural endometriosis experience difficulty breathing (shortness of breath), pain, and pneumothorax (collapsed lung) or pleural effusion (water on the lung). Over 90% of cases are right sided. It is not uncommon to find small holes in the diaphragm. The majority of patients with pleural endometriosis also have pelvic endometriosis, raising the question if spread of the endometriosis is via the small holes in the diaphragm.

for more information visit
http://www.drcook.com/adca8.html

The above information is an excerpt from the weblink above from the Dr Cook website.

Adhesions in relation to Laparotmy and Laparoscopy

This article goes into some details on adhesions and Laparatomy and Laparoscopy operations.

Both of these methods can cause adhesions – laparatomies are more invasive and have got a higher incidence of adhesions. This is probably because less tissue is actually handled and therefore damaged in a laparoscopy.

Most adhesions apparently occur on the ovary causing moderate attachment to other organs.

However information points to the fact that at the actual site of incisions the chance of adhesions are the same – some stats from clinical studies are:-

Removing Endometriosis with a Laparotomy the chance of adhesions is 85 percent.

Removing Endometriosis with a Laparoscopy the chance of adhesions is down to less than 5 percent.

This implies that laparoscopies are significantly better in respect to removing endo – and indeed many more laparoscopies appear to be being performed nowadays than ten years ago helping endo suffer’s obtain some relief.

The information in this article is a compilation of articles found during a search on www.google.com

How To Find a Good Endometriosis (Endo) Doctor.

These tips were posted on alt.support.endometriosis by Eileen. She has been good enough to let me post them on our site in hopes of helping others find a good doctor.

How do I know what doctor to use, if they have extensive experience with endo?

This is a great question. Too often we find out after the fact. that there is a great “skill gap” in doctor’s understanding of and ability to treat endo.
1. First and foremost YOU get educated. Then when you are talking to a doctor YOU will know if they are educated on the topic or not.
Read the Endometriosis Sourcebook by Mary Lou Ballewig. Its an easy read.. and then you will be more knowledgeable about endo than most
run of the mills docs.

2. Talk to other women with endo… who are “ahead” of you in the game. You will find out what did and didnt work for them. You will find out who got relief and how.

3. Read the web pages of a few of the top pioneers in endo treatment. These guys have done thousands of cases of endometriosis. It is the sole focus of their practice… endo surgery. They have a lot of important information. ( for example…. they can all tell you about the numbers of women that have come to them AFTER hysts.. because of ongoing endo pain… Well.. of course this is contrary to doctors who will tell you that the hyst will cure your endo… in these cases… the women had hysts… BUT the unskilled gyn did not remove all their endo at the time of hyst )

4. Accept the idea that this is not a perfect world and that doctors do not always know everything.. also..many doctors will not TELL you when they dont know ( this is unethical in my opinion.. but nonetheless it goes on all the time ) Many women when first confronted with this reality that their gyns dont have a clue in helping them with their endo… they cant “believe” it. I guess because we are brought up in a culture that glorifies doctors and gives them status… no matter what they know or dont know. I always tell women… Don’t screw around with the B team. Go right to the A team.. and get the best treatment for your endo.
YES it might cost more
Yes you might have to travel
Yes its not convenient.
Yes insurance will complain and not want to pay
Yes.. you may have to take out a loan to get good health care

I know.. none of that is “fair”… but as years go by and the quality of your life.. your pain.. your phsyical welfare suffers… how much is that worth
??? That question is eventually answered by each of us who has endo. Dont “wait” for the any system to help you.. Give yourself the best shot you can. There ARE doctors who have made it their business to know endo.. and help us with it. Give THEM your money.

Finally, while these top experts are all great.. there is a new group of doctors who have come up.. learning from these top guys… and they are practicing good endo treatment…. and they might not have a web site..or a national reputation… BUT.. they will have studied what the experts have published and proven.

I wish you the best.. in fact I wish all of us the best. I encourage each of us to love ourselves enough to keep partnering with health care practicioners who are educated, skilled, and caring.
Love to all
Eileen K

Does Endo grow back ? If so how long does it take to grow back?I have it lasered out last Monday should my symptoms have gone away yet ?

Yes endo can grow back. There is no time length for how long it will take – as it is different for every person. It can take several weeks, if not months, for you to notice any difference as the operation will have left your insides very raw and bruised. Make sure you take it very easy for the first couple of weeks and don’t rush back into anything.

Visitor’s Question No. 1

I have a question about me.For about the past 6 months i’ve had rectal bleeding ONLY when I have my period. I tried going to a clinic and the doctor told me there’s no way it is endometriosis. I know it is and am scared to death. what do I do? I have n

I would go into your gp and ask to be sent to a bowel specialist to start with as having rectal bleeding every month during your period is not normal at all.

What is Danazol?

What does it do?
Danazol shuts down the pituitary gland and puts the body into pseudo-menopause. You shouldn’t have any periods while on this treatment but the periods usually return 2 to 3 months after treatment is stopped.

Side effects:
-acne, decreased sex drive, headaches, hot flushes, oily skin
-oily hair, reduction in breast size, weight gain (up to 10 pounds)
-abnormal facial hair and body hair growth, emotional instability, depression
-nervousness, fatigue, fluid retention, muscle aches and cramps
-vaginal dryness and irritation, breast pain, deepening of the voice
-insomnia, nausea, rash, visual disturbances, dizziness, appetite changes
-stomach upset, bloating, anxiety, chills, nasal congestion

Notes:
Make sure you use another form of birth control (ie. condom) as danazol may cause harm to the fetus. If you think you might be pregnant, stop treatment immediately.

What is Zoladex?

What is it?
It is a GnRH injection that is given every 28 days in the stomach. It is also known as Goserelin acetate. It is used to put the body into a temporary menopause.

Possible Side Effects:
-a small loss of calcium from the bones
-Hot Flushes and sweating
-Reduced sex drive
-Headaches
-Mood Swings including Depression
-Vaginal dryness and change in breast size
-Tingling in the fingers and toes
-skin rashes
-rare allergic reactions
-pains in the joints
-change in the blood pressure

Notes:
Sometimes women enter menopause early and when treatment is stopped, menstruation does not start again.
The symptoms are known to be worse within the first month of treatment.
It is possible that you will experience vaginal bleeding during the first month, but this should stop after that.
Not all women will have these side effects, or even have any of them, this is just a guide of what might happen.

How is endometriosis treated?

Treatment for endometriosis varies from surgical procedures to hormonal treatments.

It is advised that before you undergo treatment, you gather all the information possible in order to make the decision that’s best for you.

How is endometriosis diagnosed?

There is only one certain way to diagnose Endometriosis and that is by a minor surgerical procedure called a laproscopy. During a laproscopy, the patient is put to sleep with anesthetic and their abdomen is distended with carbon dioxide gas to make the organs easier to see. While the patient is under anesthesia, a laproscope is inserted into a tiny incision in the abdomen and by moving it around, the surgeon can check the abdomincal organs to see if there are any endometrial implants.

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