Hormones or surgical procedure?

[@llli*holly25]

I saw my GYN yesterday and she thinks I have endometriosis and gave me the options of hormones that she said would probably dry up my supply or doing a surgical procedure (can't bfeed for 24 hours) to see how bad it is and burn off the places where it has effected. I was wondering if any of you mommies have dealt with this and what you chose to do. My other option is just waiting but I'm in a lot of discomfort for 2.5 weeks out of the month. My daughter is 13 months and still bfeeds 6-8 times a day so she is no where near weaning and I don't want to wean her. Any suggestions or tips would be great. Thanks!!

[@llli*mommal]

I'm sorry about the endometriosis! I know a few people with that, and they have told me that it is absolutely excruciating. . My best friend from college recently had a laproscopic procedure to deal with her endo issues, and it was a long recovery. I think she said 6 weeks before she felt totally normal.

I think you need to go in to talk to your doc- or a second doc, because you want at least 2 opinions- and ask the following questions (and probably a lot more- these are just the ones that leap to my mind):
- Exactly what hormones does she want you to take? A combination estrogen-progestin pill would probably damage your supply. A progestin-only pill might not, especially since you've been nursing for 13 months and have a well-established supply.
- What drugs would you be given if you chose the surgical procedure? If you have the names of the drugs, you can check with Infant Risk (http://www.infantrisk.com/) and determine whether or not you really need to abstain from breastfeeding for 24 hours. Most doctors give over conservative answers when it comes to the use of medications during breastfeeding.
- Potential side-effects of the surgical option. Would it have the potential to impact future fertility or birth choices?

[@llli*holly25]

It really didn't start bothering me until my daughter stopped her night time feedings. Then it just came one so suddenly and so so painful. This is my second opinion. The first dr told me that she THOUGHT I had a uterine infection and gave me abx... There was no infection... So I found this dr. She suggested Lupron, that she said would shut my ovaries down, combination BC or the laproscopic procedure. I told her that my hubs and I would like to have another and she said that fertility shouldn't be an issue and that she could clean it up in there if they found the lesions. I'm currently on the progestin only pills and have been since 6 weeks after I delivered my baby. They don't help at all that I can tell. I did read where there was an option to stay awake for the laparoscopy with a spinal. I thought about asking her about that. I figure if you can feed after a c-section with a spinal if would be the same in that situation too?

[@llli*blue2000]

It really didn't start bothering me until my daughter stopped her night time feedings. Then it just came one so suddenly and so so painful. This is my second opinion. The first dr told me that she THOUGHT I had a uterine infection and gave me abx... There was no infection... So I found this dr. She suggested Lupron, that she said would shut my ovaries down, combination BC or the laproscopic procedure. I told her that my hubs and I would like to have another and she said that fertility shouldn't be an issue and that she could clean it up in there if they found the lesions. I'm currently on the progestin only pills and have been since 6 weeks after I delivered my baby. They don't help at all that I can tell. I did read where there was an option to stay awake for the laparoscopy with a spinal. I thought about asking her about that. I figure if you can feed after a c-section with a spinal if would be the same in that situation too?

So I can't comment on the treating the endometriosis issue but a couple of things about the operation in general. First, I personally would not recommend getting a spinal for a laparoscopic procedure, on two counts. One, the fill your belly with air, and it can be pretty uncomfortable even with a spinal -- it would need to be a very high spinal, high enough that you may feel as though you can't breathe, even if you can. Secondly, it'll probably take the surgeon longer to do the procedure, which has consequences for you as well. I personally would strongly try and talk a patient out of a spinal for a lap procedure.

That's the bad news. The good news is that most medications that they give you for anesthesia these days are pretty safe and don't usually go through breast milk. In my hospital, the policy is that if you are awake enough to breast feed after an operation, then you are ready to breast feed. And many times anesthesia is "light" enough that you are awake enough within, say, 30 minutes of the procedure.

Just to give you additional food for thought.

[@llli*holly25]

Wow, that would really freak me out if I felt like I couldn't breathe! I'm just terrified of going under and I don't know how DD will make it 24 hours without the boob. I'll talk to her again and see what she suggests and maybe I can ask the anesthesiologist too the names of the meds so I can look them up on infantrisk. Thanks for the info!!