Some Random Stuff

Tomorrow I go back to the doctor (who I call Dr. K, since I have no idea if she wants her real name used in a blog, but I like her a lot).  When I first started seeing her, I would go every two weeks.  The staff and I know each other on a first-name basis.  Now I am going every three months.  Definite progress there.  I was hoping my mom would have surgery this week so I would have something definitive to say about how I've been feeling pain-wise and whether it's stress related, but since that's not happening, I may just schedule an appointment in one month to reassess. 

(hormone injection)

I also get my hormone (medroxyprogesterone) injection, which bothers me less each time.  It is a thick injection with a big, long needle, so when I first got it the nurse gave it to me in my arm and it was pretty painful.  The first couple times I got really dizzy and felt like my blood sugar dropped all of the sudden.  I also used to get it every month, so I learned as I go.  At the beginning I would get feelings of anger for no reason at all (other than pent-up frustration that might have been trying to force its way out) and cravings for foods like chocolate that normally I wouldn't eat.  As I no longer get the injection each month (which is 3x more than a person would get if wanting birth control), I don't notice mood swings or cravings really anymore and I also get the shot in my hip, a larger muscle so I don't feel much more than a pinch.

I have learned to write down any thoughts or questions I have for the doctor as they come to me in a little notebook that I bring with me to appointments.  It took me a few months to even learn what I wanted to ask since everything was so new.  For tomorrow, for instance, I need to refill some prescriptions, get some supplements I am out of, talk about the implications if endometriosis is auto-immune since I haven't really asked about that yet.  I will go over how I get some pretty severe back pain if I sit for long periods, ask about some stuff I've read on other women's blogs (such as the fact that surgical adhesions are a likely occurrence after removal surgery, some people refer to what stage their endometriosis is and that's not something my surgeon or doctor have mentioned, that pain areas can develop their own nerve supply so even after the endometriosis is removed, the nerves are still there telling a body it feels pain, etc).  I am very pleased to see that I know from my doctor of just about all the different options other women have talked about or that are listed on endometriosis forums.  It renews my faith in Dr. K to see that.  I will see if there is something more drastic that I can do to improve my quality of life but I pretty much ask that every time I go.  I know that the two options that I haven't done are a hysterectomy, which does not guarantee that symptoms will go away.  I would probably jump at it at this point if it was a guarantee that I could feel "normal" again but that is not the case.  There is also the option for drugs such as lupron, which induce menopause in your body and I have read they do very well with reducing pain but almost everything I have read suggests very strong side effects that don't really make it worth it to me.

Speaking of lupron, if my online research is correct, then the two clinical trials I have seen lately are both for a new oral form of Lupron (which is usually administered in an injection), so I am not feeling like I'm missing out on much, but I was hoping for something really new and exciting.  

Until tomorrow.... when I shall let you know if anything fun or interesting comes of my doctor's appointment.