On February 3, 2014 I finally got to meet with and be examined by an actual Endometriosis Specialist. In the middle of a big battle with my insurance company I was finally given permission to be evalutated by Dr. Andrew S. Cook.
The visit was very educational. The easy way to put it is that Dr. Cook knows his stuff. He spent a great deal of time reviewing my records, explaining procedures and listening to and answering my questions. I received a very thorough examination in which he determined and confirmed some of the issues that I am facing.
I never felt rushed and Dr. Cook was open to answering or repeating answers to the many questions I had during my appointment. His office staff was very nice and accommodating, offering me water and trying to calm my frazzled nerves.
So... down to the nitty gritty of it all. If you don't want any gory details please skip to the last paragraph.
My Stage IV Endometriosis was confirmed with suspected possible bowel resection and pelvic floor dysfunction. The recommended treatment is wide excision, sometimes known as peritoneum stripping. Dr. Andrew S. Cook will remove all the Endometriosis and a portion of healthy tissue surrounding. It is suspected that most of my peritoneum is impacted by Endo, which would result in most, if not all, of my peritoneum being excised. (He will only remove what is necessary) It was determined that I either have cyst(s) on my left ovary or a hydrosalpinx, which is a blocked fallopian tube that is filled with fluid. The possibility exists that my left Fallopian Tube would need to be removed and possibly, if the left Ovary is too intertwined, this would have to be removed as well. (although I am hoping that does not happen.) He was able to determine through ultrasound that my right ovary is cemented onto my uterus. He was also able to determine both by reading operative reports and ultrasound that my culdesac may be very affected by Endo. There was no mention of removal of my Uterus at this point. The only purpose for doing that would be if he found that my Uterus was affected inside the walls (called Adenomymosis). This is not suspected at this point.
I am asking to keep my Ovaries and Uterus. Besides allowing for child bearing, and bone growth, the Ovaries and Uterus provide a womans body with many things it needs as her body progresses into menopause and beyond. (Please stay tuned for up coming post on the importance of Ovaries in women.) Removal of those organs as a treatment for Endometriosis alone is an ineffective, damaging and outdated solution.
Now that Pelvic Floor Dysfunction is under consideration and a mention of possible nerve issues, the surgery might not produce immediate relief from pain. With this in mind we first seek God as healer and also plan to set up physical therapy and other necessary treatments to fully recover from leaving this disease for so long in my body.
The battle for surgery will wage on again with Kaiser. I will begin my phone calls again tomorrow and try to push through an approval based on Dr. Cook's evalutation. Please pray for God's wisdom and our Peace in this situation as the timing for this is very delicate. Jason and I are putting our full trust that God will make the decisions and choices very clear for us. Please pray that God will move Kaiser or open up other doors if He wants us to have this surgery.
