This is just serendipitous timing!! I am so glad I found you. However I do feel like a bit of a fraud because my symptoms are not near as extreme. I am actually another one of us who hasn't been diagnosed yet, but is scheduling a lap any day. I went to my gyno earlier this month and after telling her what has been going on she feels fairly confident that endo would be the diagnosis and wanted to go ahead with a lap. I wasn't convinced so she had me go home and talk to Oh about it and call her back with what we decided. In the meantime she wrote me a prescription for Lortab to take at night (so I can actually get some sleep) and Ponstel to take during the day.

As far as me symptoms are concerned... I was a late bloomer I didn't start menstruating til I was 16 years old. I have always had rough periods, but everyone in my family always had so I just thought that was normal. It wasn't till about the time I got married though that I noticed that the symptoms were more plentiful and the pain more intense. Since then it has gotten progressively worse. Last month was the straw that broke the camels back. I spent 2 days crying, not able to sleep and in the fetal position. I took so many pain killers that I made myself ill. Strangely enough I have noticed that if I have a cycle that is dramatically worse than usual the next one will be mild.... comparatively speaking. I have always suffered from cycle time IBS. Never know what I'm going to get though because I get both extremes if you know what I mean! TMI WARNING: I also get bad cramping as well as tailbone area pain and pressure when trying to go #2. Anyone else have that problem? So thats me~ 24 yrs old. TTC for 1 year now...not a single bfp in my repertoire.... scheduling a lap....and highly inspired by the natural remedy talk going on around here!!!

Morning Ladies

I am so glad this thread was started. It's so nice to be able to talk to others about this. I'm the last of my friends to be childless, and although everyone seems to have a "friend" that has endo, there wasn't anyone directly I could ask, and my friends are sympathetic, but they just don't understand the frustration and anxiety. Love you girls already!!

On the whole naturale front, my Ma (bless her) rang me yesterday morning and I couldn't stop crying on the phone about how generally rubbish I was feeling...so she donned her googling fingers and went in search of something to help her baby. Guess what, ten mins later she's paid $24.47 to some lady in the US, and I now have a 30 page report of how to cure endo in 5 days. Somehow I don't think $24.47 is going to cure it, and especially not in five days...but it really has some very interesting stuff....and some not so...in fact a bit damn scary!!!

It goes into the healthy eating stuff, cruciferous vegetables....brocolli, kale, cabbage etc are good, beans are good, flaxseed oil is good (already take this post O), omega 3's ya da ya da ya da etc
Then comes the scary stuff, it suggests Borax (yup, the detergent) a very small amount mixed with water and sipped throughout the day to get rid of parasites and fungus in the body. Not sure about this one, as every other report I read said Borax was toxic. It's core element Boron isn't, but can be readily found in almonds, raisons and hazlenuts (might try them instead), but I think from what I can find, boron is good for warding off oesteoporosis (sorry spelling mistake), so maybe more for menopausal women. There's a endo tea to drink, an endo bath to take, then comes oil pulling!!!
I must admit I've just tried this and it did make me heave a little, but we'll see. You take a tspn of sesame oil and swish it round and round your mouth for ten mins and the spit. Rinse alot with water, then drink two glasses. It apparently pulls all the toxins out. It's gross!!!
It also says we should be eating organically as farmers pesticides use fake estrogen (which is apparently bad for endo). Would be nice if we could all afford to pay 3 times the amount for organic groceries, eh?
The other thing on there I might try is an apple cider vinegar mix, mix with honey, blitzed in the blender and then stored in the fridge and a teaspoon or two added to water or juice every day. I'd heard good things about the ACV, so thought it may be worth a punt. Helps with acid reflux and other IBS symptoms.

So that's where I'm at, I want to do anything to help with a BFP pre lap n dye. I've also popped into my local health store (or the saviour ladies, as I like to call them) and they've sent me off with some Maca and sage tea to help with the flushes. It's either working very well or the flushes are wearing off today, cause I slept so much better last night. Phew!

I anyone fancies a look or a laugh at this endo report, pm me and I'll gladly forward it.

Have a wonderful, stress and pain free day, my lovelies!!!

Big Big

Nicnac, I relate to you so much! I have tried almost everything under the sun for this wretched disease...but at the level mine is, I only noticed slight differences. I was doing a completely wheat and dairy free, no refined sugar, no premixed boxed foods, and so on. I eat very very well, vegetables and lean protein most of the time for meals, I stay away from caffiene and alcohol (this was hard for me, but I now have it whenever I want) as well. I exersized regularly, and I'm a pretty stress free person.
But even with that strict lifestyle I only saw a very minor improvement over the course of a YEAR. I gave it a good shot, and I still stick to that pretty closely with the exception of having the odd cup of coffee, and ice cream occasionally. I only saw a notable difference when I started the Maca and then the major turn when I took Immunocal.
Oh, and I just wanted to say something about the immunocal too, it's a nutraceudical-that means it's in your doctors 'Bible', the physicians desk reference, here in the US. Immunocal was formulated over 30 years ago by renowned doctors, one of whom discovered the importance of Whey protein, another developed the diet used for people who must be tube-fed. They know their stuff!!
If you want more info, please PM me, you can even go to webmd.com and type in Immunocal and get more info too.
I feel like nicnac, I love you already!!! ladies!!!
and welcome wishin2bmom-you're not a fraud!!! Pain is pain and I think we've become people who feel we have to say 'Oh, it's not bad, I'll be ok, and I'm not as bad as some people'.....if you're in that much pain sweetheart, you're no fraud!!

Oh, another thing......
ever wonder why we can't sleep well at night? That's when the body is repairing and the 'stress hormones' cortisol are working and as endo chicks we don't have the balance that allows our body to create the proper hormones and guess what.....our SEX hormones (testosterone and estrogen) CHANGE and are converted into stress hormones!!! This is why we can't concieve because our body thinks repair is more important than pregnancy! (how dare it! ) Getting our adrenal glands in check are EXTREMELY important!! I can get you info for this too

i agree, i havent been diagnosed with endo yet but im still absolutley certain that im suffering from it! and just because i havent been diagnosed with it yet doesnt mean i havent got it. i think ive been suffering from it for nearly 10 years and all the scarring its caused must be the reason for my infertility. will know when ive been opened up! cant wait! when its diagnosed they can certainly do something about it! i can live with the pain aslong as i can have my babies, just hope it goes once i do start having babies because i cant imagine having to deal with a screaming baby when im having a bad painful day! can hardly cope with getting out of bed and making my self a hot water bottle up! ive heard pregnancy can help it though, have any of you ladies heard this? if this is true then thats defo the treatment ill opt for i havent trie anthing really for pain relief exept lots of painkillers and a heat patch that i stick to my stomach that acts like a mobile un-noticable hot water bottle! sometimes painkillers dont work though and i end up crippled on the bed until it passes, trying to rock the pain out of me! thankfully though they havent been half as bad whilst ive been taking clomid, although the pains not so bad the bleeding is twice as heavy and scares me to death expecially after i go to bed at night and wake up 3 hours later to find ive leaked through my super plus tampon and covered the bed, my knickers and my pjs in blood! sorry tmi lol. and they clots are worse too. but it does say in the leaflet that cae with the tablets that they can make endo worse and it looks like it has done to me! anyways hope you ladies are having a lovely day, im just about to go out for a meal with my family now inc my younger sister who is 9 weeks pregnant and her 3 year old daughter! secret tourture!!!!!

Yes, I have heard that pregnancy can help with it, but it's not true for everyone. Hey I've been told that we shouldn't wear tampons, it can cause 'backflow' and that is really bad...partial potential cause for some types of endo adhesions. Since I've stopped I feel that it's made a difference, it's discusting but I'm willing to do it.

i couldnt not wear tampons! i used to use sanitary towels when i was a school but it always made me feel sick and uncomfortable! then i discovered tampons and thought they were the best inventions ever! i use them all the time now dont know what id do without them! af still hasn't arrived by the way

Have you any symptoms hun?

I use tampons on and off, but have lately been using pads more because tampons actually hurt sometimes. Mainly putting them in... sometimes taking them out but that's more rare......

Morning Ladies,

How strange the whole tampon debate has arisen, I was just coming to ask you girls a question or two on that subject!! Wow, at this rate we'll be synch'ing visits soon!!!

So tampons....I'd heard what Meli said about them, so this visit decided to try towels (have never really used them), and I've found that the witch seems to hang around for longer, do you girls notice this?

I tried the ACV & honey thing last night...doesn't taste too bad. 2 Teaspoons of each in hot water, was a bit like honey & lemon drinks for colds. Also got some Agnus Castus on the advice of the health food shop lady...any views on this either?

I'm beginning to recognise the high estrogen levels aswell. Still waking up really hot, and tearful. It's really not fair, is it?

Meli: The immunocal seems really good, but I'm struggling to find it in the UK, may have to import!!

Hope you're all enjoying your day