I am personally one of the lucky people who got misdiagnosed with IBS instead of endometriosis. This has come up quite a bit and I know I've posted a lot about it, so if you do a search for "endometriosis" with no time limits, some of my posts should have quite a bit of info.
The most common signs of endometriosis are painful periods and pelvic pain, but GI symptoms can occur as well. Usually women w/ endo have diarrhea, though, not constipation. Birth control pills are usually used as the first line of defense for endo, so if you're on BC it can often mask or reduce some symptoms.
Currently the only 100% way to diagnose endometriosis is to have surgery -- typically a laparoscopy. It's not major surgery, but it's not trifling, either. If you don't want to do surgery or can't afford it, other things you can try is to get a CA-125 blood test -- levels are often elevated in women with endometriosis, but since CA-125 is also often elevated in women with ovarian cancer, this might cause you unnecessarily sleepless nights. Ultrasounds don't usually show anything. An ultrasound with a saline injection can see if your tubes are blocked, which can indicate endo. If you have cysts on your ovaries caused by endometriosis (endometrioma), that can also be an indication, but, again, not totally reliable either (tumors and other masses can also be mistaken for endometrioma).
Endometriosis is just another disease that ought to be ruled out before being diagnosed with IBS. Heather has a list of these and I really wish I'd printed that section out and taken it to my doctor when I first started having problems -- I might have spared myself a lot of misery.
--------------------
jen
"It's one of the most serious things that can possibly happen to one in a battle -- to get one's head cut off." -- LC
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
Posts
I know all about endometriosis
