Endometriosis?

Question

I have very painful periods and heavy bleeding every time but every month it gets worse. The pain is getting too hard to handle. It actually keeps me bedridden for a day or two. All signs point to endometriosis. The only way to confirm diagnosis is a laproscopic surgical procedure. I do not have any medical insurance and I really doubt the county health department (which is where I get my primary medical care) will cover such a procedure. Is there any other way I can have this procedure done? I can't afford to lose anymore work time to this disorder.

Answer 1

I have endometriosis, and had a laparoscopy about 5 years ago. The surgery was to diagnose/confirm the disease and also to excise (remove) all the endo lesions the doctor could find. It did help tremendously with the pain, but it was temporary. After less than 2 years the pain came back, and I will probably have to have surgery again. This is true in many endo cases -- I've heard statistics that say about 80% of cases recur after surgery! I do not do well with the anesthesia, so frankly another surgery scares me.

Something you may want to try that has helped me is Progesterone Cream. You can get it at health food stores, and online. It is used daily for approx. 3 weeks out of the month (can be used more if your endo pain is severe). The progesterone is a natural hormone that the body produces, and can be found to be deficient in many women, esp. those with endometriosis. This causes an "estrogen dominance", which worsens endometrial lesions and pain. The hormone in the cream is absorbed into the body much more effectively than if you took something orally. It does take about 1 or 2 months for the cream to help, but it is a much more natural and less costly method than surgery. You can learn more about this topic in the book "What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Premenopause" by Dr. John R. Lee. It's a very good book and available on Amazon for $5.99.

By the way, my doctor told me than even though birth control pills can lessen the symptoms for some women, it can actually make the situation worse for others (because of the estrogen in the pills). Also, there are other stronger drugs that your doctor may try to get you to take -- esp. after the sugery (to try to prevent recurrence). Lupron is what my doctor wanted me to try, but after researching this drug, I decided that the side effects and possible long term effects were not worth it (and many women have worse pain after discontinuing this drug). Lupron actually "shuts down" your ovaries during the course of treatment, so that they will not produce estrogen. As you can imagine, this would have many side effects on your body!

Even though I am somewhat glad that I had the laparoscopy to confirm my endo diagnosis, in hindsight, the pain and cost of surgery, and the fact that my endo returned, make me wonder if I should have forgone the surgery and just used the progesterone cream. I hope some of this information helps you with your decision. I hope you will be pain-free soon! God bless!

Answer 2

That's a difficult situation. You really should talk to your doctor about options s/he can offer if you pay cash. My surgery was $2400 without insurance for my OB/GYN. It was $750 at the negotiated rate with the insurance company. The anesthesiologist and surgical staff will cost more.

You may also look at medical schools in your area. Sometimes they have options that other hospitals or doctors don't have.

It is true that the only way to confirm endo is with a laparoscopy but they can do a "clinical diagnosis". The doctor will rule out other possible causes and then treat your condition as if it were endo. If your condition improves then they can assume that you have endo. It's not the ideal situation but if finances are a problem it may be a temporary solution.

I had the surgery with excision. After the surgery I still had the pain. I went on birth control pills and that helped immensely.

Answer 3

You really need to read "Endometriosis Bible & Violet Protocol" by Zoe Brown (also available in electronic format here: http://www.endometriosisbible.info ). It's about how to eradicate endometriosis disease forever. It worked for me, you will see results in only a matter of weeks. Good Luck!

Answer 4

There was an article in the ERC's newsletter about this. I found it online at http://www.hcgresources.com/insurance.htm. I hope it helps. Also contact the ERC directly at http://www.endocenter.org. Also, hospitals cannot turn you away based on your ability to pay. Medicaid also covers surgical procedures. http://www.cms.hhs.gov/center/asc.asp. Good luck to you and feel better.

Answer 5

you need medical insurance. thats the only way you can pay for it. GET SOME!! people arent just gonna give you medical help on a silver platter.

Answer 6

You should DEFINETELY get this checked out, but I don' treally know what to tell you about the money problem. Could you possibly borrow the money? God bless!