Help with endometriosis treatment & bad doctor? (long, but please read!)?

First, I've been complaining of severe menstrual cramps since I was 13. My gyno always just switched my birth control & never bothered asking any of my other symptoms. He's always in such a hurry. Finally, (I'm 19) I asked him to go ahead and do a laparoscopy & see if I have endo. I've been bleeding for 4 months because of the birth control he had me on. They did a laparoscopy, hysteroscopy, and a d&c. After the surgey, he came around & just said "you do have endometriosis. we removed some of the scar tissue. come to my office next week & we'll discuss your options." & that's it. I go to his office & he said "basically, at you're age, you're only option is the lupron shot" he didn't tell me anything about the shot, what it's for or what it does, just that we'd process it with my insurance & scooted me out of his office. I've done a lot of research on the lupron shot & haven't found ONE success story. Please, does anyone know of ANY other options?

Gah! Do NOT agree to Lupron as the first thing you do. First of all, get a second opinion. Even a third opinion. Some docs are good at treating endo, others are not. It's a tricky tricky thing. I can't advise you on any successful treatment, though. The only person I know who had a successful treatment went to a Chinese herbal doctor, for what it's worth.

immediatly seek another doctor. and if they say the same thing then you need to ask as many questions as possible to figure out all your options. if you are uncertain of your doctor then you need to find a new one right away. dont ever take serious advice from one source. you need to get multiple opinions.

Hi,
I understand where you are coming from - being 30 and putting up with Endo and PCOS from 13 and doctors being a pain in the *** with never having enough time for you.
Check out all that you can on the internet as well as ask a pharmacist about the drug and reactions. You should also go see another doctor (if you can) to check out other options.
Incase they did not tell you - your chances of babies is reduced due to this and you may require fertility drugs later when/if you do want a family (my guy and I are going through this right now and it is a wee bit frustrating).

Good luck and remember - you don't have to do everything that one doctor may tell you, always get a second or third opinion on things when your "gut" or intuition are telling you not to trust their advice.

Birth control for endometriosis SHOULD be decreasing your periods or flow not increasing them. I'm not confident your doctor is spending enough time with you. Even with all the "work" they did on you, he should have given you more information, like where the endometriosis was occurring, all the other options that are usually available, and WHY certain ones may not apply to you.

First I'd recommend you finding a better doctor.

I don't know if there are very many "success" stories with endometriosis in general, it's mainly about coping with the disease and the best methods of reducing the symptoms. Sometimes people go through surgery to remove it all, but even that has complications. One person I knew had it on her bladder and then had a tear in her bladder after the surgery which added to all her other problems.

Your first and foremost option should be to drop this guy like a mad hatter. I would not see a doctor like the one you've explained here. He is doing as he wants with absolutely no imput from you and this is your body honey and you have every right to have a say as well as to have a doctor willing to spend time in the room with you. This guy is a jerk and believe me I went through years of female problems and had idiots like this and dropped them asap ! I've had doctors tell me I didn't know what I was talking about and then had to apologize to me when they found out that I was exactly right. No..... first on your list is to get a second opinion by a doctor with a better bedside manner and one that is able to keep a good doctor/patient relationship.
Take it from one who knows. I saw a doctor like your seeing now (not a gyno but a doctor all the same) and he too was a "hurry up" kind of guy. I gave him the benefit of the doubt and let him do surgery on me. As a result, he messed up and I now have a condition known as RSD and it's incurable. I was in a wheelchair for a year then had a spinal cord implant put in along side my spinal cord to control my pain. I'm now out of the wheelchair and no longer need two canes to walk. The implant remains in place and most likely will for my life.
Did I learn my lesson when it comes to choosing a good doctor ? You can absolutely bet on that ! Please do yourself a big favor and unload this guy. Personally, I now see a lady doctor. In my opinion men are great for men but who knows a woman's body best ? That is just my opinion but I will tell you, I'm not sorry I made that choice and my care has been excellent.
Good luck to you honey, I wish you all the best. You are too young for such problems but unfortunately they do happen to some of us. It's your right to have a say in your body so please don't back down to them and let them call all the shots. Degree's are fine but this is your body and your life and your right.