Help!! I need advice about women issues.??
Question: Okay I have been looking into endometriosis and I know what it is but what I don't know is why it takes so long to diagnosis it.
I believe I have had endometriosis since I was atleast 17. And here is why?
When I was 17, I was a month late and when it finally came I was passing tissue. Then I went on Birth Control pills and no problems. A couple of months later I quit the pills and started passing tissue again. I was told it was normal. Okay, that's fine but this stopped again when I went on Depo for 2 years. I got off the Depo shot and wouldn't start my menstral without the pill. Now I have been off all birth control for 8 months and I have passed tissue every month.
This wouldn't be so hard for me but I am upset because I went to the ER in June for a swollen lymph node in my groined area. They did a pelvic exam but nothing was said. Please help me. I don't know what to do next because I have no insurance. Please help. I live in WI.
Answers: On average it takes just over 9 years for a woman to be diagnosed. I think it takes so long b/c endo can only be diagnosed through a laparoscopy, a minimally invasive surgery. So, most dr.'s will see if they can prescribe something, such as b/c pills, that will take away the pain before they result to surgery. Some patients would prefer to try treatment before surgery just b/c it is a surgery. But above all I believe that it takes so long to diagnose b/c of the lack of knowledge on the general population of obgyns/dr.'s. Having cramps with your period is normal but pain that affects your daily activities and other symptoms are not. A lot of times we are just looked at like the weaker sex, the dr.'s dismiss our claims b/c they think the pain can't be that bad, it must be all in our heads or we just have a very low tolerance for pain. They believe what we experience is common-it comes with the territory of being female. It's all very unfortunate. I would request your med records from the ER-just call the main hospital number and ask for med records-tell them you want them. You'll probably have to fill out some form and even give them a copy of your driver's lisence and some charge for them but that way you can get the records and review them yourself. Use the internet to help decode the medical jargon and see what you can find out. I'm not sure what other symptoms you have or not but some women will see their pain/symptoms decrease when they go on birth control so maybe that was the case with you? It's hard when you don't have insurance b/c the dr.'s who are knowledgable in endo are hard to find in general, let alone throwing no insurance to the mix. Request your records, see if you can get something like state med insurance and then go from there in terms of trying to be seen by a competant dr. Good luck.
You really need to go see your gyneacologist, and if you have, then you should go see another one! Keep seeing gyno's until you find one that will listen to you and your symptoms and that is willing to help get you a diagnosis!
Endometriosis can be very hard and tricky to diagnose and no matter how many pelvic exams, tests, swabs, ultrasounds, x-rays, ct-scans or anything like that you have, it cannot diagnose endo. The only way to tell for sure is to have a laparoscopy but you need to see a gyno who specialises in endo and has experience with endo.
Good luck :)
If ur income is low , u might qualify for a Medicaid card that will pay for ur health care. Call ur Social Security Office Or the Dept of Welfare. If ur income is too high, maybe they can advise u where to obtain help, if they refuse to issue a Medicaid card. U should have asked the doctor at the ER what his findings were with the pelvic exam and swollen lymph node, regardless of ur inability to pay. He should have advised u of his findings one way or another.
HMMM
I believe I have had endometriosis since I was atleast 17. And here is why?
When I was 17, I was a month late and when it finally came I was passing tissue. Then I went on Birth Control pills and no problems. A couple of months later I quit the pills and started passing tissue again. I was told it was normal. Okay, that's fine but this stopped again when I went on Depo for 2 years. I got off the Depo shot and wouldn't start my menstral without the pill. Now I have been off all birth control for 8 months and I have passed tissue every month.
This wouldn't be so hard for me but I am upset because I went to the ER in June for a swollen lymph node in my groined area. They did a pelvic exam but nothing was said. Please help me. I don't know what to do next because I have no insurance. Please help. I live in WI.
Answers: On average it takes just over 9 years for a woman to be diagnosed. I think it takes so long b/c endo can only be diagnosed through a laparoscopy, a minimally invasive surgery. So, most dr.'s will see if they can prescribe something, such as b/c pills, that will take away the pain before they result to surgery. Some patients would prefer to try treatment before surgery just b/c it is a surgery. But above all I believe that it takes so long to diagnose b/c of the lack of knowledge on the general population of obgyns/dr.'s. Having cramps with your period is normal but pain that affects your daily activities and other symptoms are not. A lot of times we are just looked at like the weaker sex, the dr.'s dismiss our claims b/c they think the pain can't be that bad, it must be all in our heads or we just have a very low tolerance for pain. They believe what we experience is common-it comes with the territory of being female. It's all very unfortunate. I would request your med records from the ER-just call the main hospital number and ask for med records-tell them you want them. You'll probably have to fill out some form and even give them a copy of your driver's lisence and some charge for them but that way you can get the records and review them yourself. Use the internet to help decode the medical jargon and see what you can find out. I'm not sure what other symptoms you have or not but some women will see their pain/symptoms decrease when they go on birth control so maybe that was the case with you? It's hard when you don't have insurance b/c the dr.'s who are knowledgable in endo are hard to find in general, let alone throwing no insurance to the mix. Request your records, see if you can get something like state med insurance and then go from there in terms of trying to be seen by a competant dr. Good luck.
You really need to go see your gyneacologist, and if you have, then you should go see another one! Keep seeing gyno's until you find one that will listen to you and your symptoms and that is willing to help get you a diagnosis!
Endometriosis can be very hard and tricky to diagnose and no matter how many pelvic exams, tests, swabs, ultrasounds, x-rays, ct-scans or anything like that you have, it cannot diagnose endo. The only way to tell for sure is to have a laparoscopy but you need to see a gyno who specialises in endo and has experience with endo.
Good luck :)
If ur income is low , u might qualify for a Medicaid card that will pay for ur health care. Call ur Social Security Office Or the Dept of Welfare. If ur income is too high, maybe they can advise u where to obtain help, if they refuse to issue a Medicaid card. U should have asked the doctor at the ER what his findings were with the pelvic exam and swollen lymph node, regardless of ur inability to pay. He should have advised u of his findings one way or another.
HMMM
More questions & answers: