Endometriosis with Sleeve

[DivaDee84 12]

Hi everyone! So I'm scheduled for surgery June 29th & found out today that I have endometriosis. Any ladies out there with this condition?? If so, does it cause problems having the sleeve?? Any replies would help!!

[Amanda131 214]

Hi DivaDee-

I've been dealing with endometriosis since I wasa teenager. I actually had to have a couple of cysts surgically removed. Since the birth of my daughter, the endometriosis had been relatively quiet. Regular use of birth control has been the only needed intervention. I am only 9 weeks post-op but I have noticed that the rapid weight loss has completely up-ended my cycle and made for a slightly more difficult TOM. I have only gone through two cycles thus far though and things may even out. Any complications have been minor and not worth worry over, at least for me.

Good luck!

Amanda

[DivaDee84 12]

Hi Amanda! Thanks for the info..I wish u the best with everything & I hope I do just as fine as ur doing...I'm in a lot of pain right now but hopefully it'll go away soon! I will inform Dr Almanza just so that my record can be updated...Thanks again!!

[Amanda131 214]

If you are new to dealing with endometriosis, let me suggest the use of a heating pad. Be leary of any tight clothing across the abdomen. Also, a small pillow to apply pressure against the abdomen can be very helpful when pain is severe. Hopefully, your doctor has prescribed some decent drugs. Are your dealing with a cyst now? Those lil' boogers can make some serious trouble. Just so you know, in my opinion, the surgery was a walk in the park compared to the endometriosis pain I've experienced.

[DivaDee84 12]

Yes, I'm new to this and I've been using a heating pad for the longest cause it helps with my pain, but I've been getting misdiagnosed...finally got a dr that knows what's wrong with me. And yes I have a cyst on my left ovary and it's so painful!! I was prescribed Tylenol 3...first day of taking them was today and I'm still in pain so I'm unsure if this will help at all..YIKES!!! I've never heard of this condition before today. But I'm glad the surgery is not as painful as this!! :-) I'm so glad that you've given me this great info!! Stay in touch!!

[clk 3,519]

I have endo and have also been dealing with it since the teenage years (though I wasn't diagnosed until five years ago). It caused me no issues with surgery. I develop adhesions (usually on my back and bladder) but since the areas with adhesions are totally unrelated to my stomach it didn't even come up. The only real concern I had were my previous laparoscopy scars, but it was no problem.

Yes, our hormones go CRAZY post op as we lose weight. I've read that our fat cells store hormones and as they get used up the hormones are released into our bodies. I don't know what exactly causes it but I have had my struggles here and there since surgery.

My TOM is tough - I lose no weight and sometimes I even gain a couple of pounds during my cycle. The pain initially got worse for me but has eased as time goes on.

My only advice is to be very careful about how you treat your endo post op. I used to use hormonal birth control to ease the pain and skip periods. Post op I find I am ridiculously sensitive to hormones and my weight loss all but stops when I'm on something. I've tried Mirena IUD (great for controlling endo, BTW, if you don't have hormone issues like me) and Nuva Ring - both of them stall my loss out to 1-4 pounds a month. So I'm not taking anything to control my endo until AFTER I hit goal.

This might never be an issue for you. I hope it isn't! But watch everything carefully and be aware that it could be a concern.

And I TOTALLY agree - nothing during surgery (or even childbirth!) is even remotely close to the pain I was in on a daily basis because of my endometriosis. I had my doc tell me what a champ I am after having my Mirena inserted with no flinching - I was like, "YOU endure an unmedicated childbirth complete with back labor every month and tell me how your pain tolerance grows!" If you're in pain from endo, I'm sure your VSG will be a piece of cake. A few days of discomfort, a few nights afterward of not sleeping comfortably, and then the pain goes away and never comes back.

Best of luck to you on your new journey!

~Cheri

[DivaDee84 12]

I have endo and have also been dealing with it since the teenage years (though I wasn't diagnosed until five years ago). It caused me no issues with surgery. I develop adhesions (usually on my back and bladder) but since the areas with adhesions are totally unrelated to my stomach it didn't even come up. The only real concern I had were my previous laparoscopy scars, but it was no problem.

Yes, our hormones go CRAZY post op as we lose weight. I've read that our fat cells store hormones and as they get used up the hormones are released into our bodies. I don't know what exactly causes it but I have had my struggles here and there since surgery.

My TOM is tough - I lose no weight and sometimes I even gain a couple of pounds during my cycle. The pain initially got worse for me but has eased as time goes on.

My only advice is to be very careful about how you treat your endo post op. I used to use hormonal birth control to ease the pain and skip periods. Post op I find I am ridiculously sensitive to hormones and my weight loss all but stops when I'm on something. I've tried Mirena IUD (great for controlling endo, BTW, if you don't have hormone issues like me) and Nuva Ring - both of them stall my loss out to 1-4 pounds a month. So I'm not taking anything to control my endo until AFTER I hit goal.

This might never be an issue for you. I hope it isn't! But watch everything carefully and be aware that it could be a concern.

And I TOTALLY agree - nothing during surgery (or even childbirth!) is even remotely close to the pain I was in on a daily basis because of my endometriosis. I had my doc tell me what a champ I am after having my Mirena inserted with no flinching - I was like, "YOU endure an unmedicated childbirth complete with back labor every month and tell me how your pain tolerance grows!" If you're in pain from endo, I'm sure your VSG will be a piece of cake. A few days of discomfort, a few nights afterward of not sleeping comfortably, and then the pain goes away and never comes back.

Best of luck to you on your new journey!

~Cheri

Thank You Cheri for the info! I can't believe that I have actually been diagnosed. I know that I have been experiencing these problems since I was about 16 but years went by and I was told that it was normal. I knew that the pain wasn't normal but finally I am going to get things under control since my new doctor has a diagnoses for my condition. The pain is almost unbareable at times. I can't have anything that contains hormones so the doctor is going to have a hard time trying to help me out. :-(

Congrats on your weight loss and keep it up!! I can't wait to let you know how my procedure turns out. I really enjoy this forum and thanks for giving me this info.

Cheers~ Devan

[Band Be Gone 0]

Hi, I am scheduled for the sleeve on June 28th. I had a hysterectomy 9 years ago due to endometriosis, but they left 1 ovary for estrogen. I have been having pain on both sides of the abdomen. They discovered a cyst on the ovary and believe that the endometriosis is throughout the pelvic area and are sending me to a surgeon. The outcome will be to clean up the endometriosis and probably take out the ovary (because I'm 45 & near menopause). Do you suggest that I get this all taken care of before WLS, or continue w/ the June 28th surgery date and get the endometriosis taken care of afterwards? I'm concerned with hormonal changes either way I go. Any suggestions would be helpful. Thank you.

[AMLP 4]

I had cysts on my right ovary and had it removed one month prior to my WLS. I also had my other tube tied while he was in there removing my right ovary. My WL Surgeon said as long as it had been a month out then I could still have my WLS. I have a lot of scars on my tummy now, but all is good. I am 4 months out and have lost 60 pounds.

Good luck!

[re7777 1]

I had (have?) endometriosis when I was a teenager. I had a cyst the size of a grapefruit removed from both ovaries. Was on depo provera for 8 years until one of my docs put me on BCPs. I haven't had cramps as bad as they were 20 years ago, but mine have been getting more intense over the past 5-6 years. At present, I usually take 3-4 advil every 4-6 hours,when I have cramps. That helps dull the pain. Not looking forward to how things will go after I get sleeved on tuesday. Can't imagine tylenol is as potent. I think that would be the main problem w/ endometriosis and the sleeve. Good luck!

[Heatherr 149]

The female pains I endure are the main reason I chose to go with VSG. I broke out into a cold sweat thinking about how I was going to go through all that pain 5-6 days a month without the use of a NSAID.

[baytee 1]

I was diagnosed with endo at age 20 now 35. I have had 4 surgeries for endo, I am getting a revision from the band to VGS on June 4th. My lifesaver dealing with endo pain is a magic little pill amitryptaline can knock some people out but man this is the only thing that kills the cramps! Email me if you have any questions endo is a crazy thing!!

[LR6909 10]

Wow, I don't have endo but I have fibroids. I had 13 removed from me in 2003, one the size of a grapefruit and several little golf balls--which weighed 8.6 lbs. Yep, the equivalent of a baby. Since then, I have had a reoccurrence and I just deal with the pain. No pain medicine, Vicodin, Tylenol 3, etc, seems to help. I sure hope having the sleeve will give me a least half of the benefits it has give you all.

Thanks so much for sharing.

[Band Be Gone 0]

I had cysts on my right ovary and had it removed one month prior to my WLS. I also had my other tube tied while he was in there removing my right ovary. My WL Surgeon said as long as it had been a month out then I could still have my WLS. I have a lot of scars on my tummy now, but all is good. I am 4 months out and have lost 60 pounds.

Good luck!

Wow! Congrats on your 60 pounds. I hope that I can get the endo/ovary taken care of quickly and get on w/ WLS. Probably will have to postpone my date. Thanks for sharing your experience about the 1 month wait.