4th Lap Around

Let me just start by saying endometriosis sucks.  Okay now that I have that out there I will continue.  I have done what seems like every treatment possible for endometriosis.  Yeah, pretty sure I've done it all.  To flash back to 2010, I was on a daily birth control pill that stopped my periods so the endo wouldn't grow back so fast.  Out of the blue I started getting major migraines that mimicked mini strokes.  Not a good sign.  Long story short, I was immediately taken off the birth control containing estrogen and put on a progesterone only pill.  Also known as POPS or pills that women take during breast feeding.  Oh and can I mention I had a quite large hole in my heart.  You can learn more about it here  

Two months later we were picked to be parents by a wonderful women who will forever be our angel.  Ems was born and we were shiny new happy parents.  At that point my abdomen was not so happy.  The pill was just not working so I went in to my doctor and had a long tearful, okay bawling talk.  He is the sweetest doctor, but he made it very clear, I NEEDED to get pregnant.  Meaning, more infertility fun for my husband and I.  But, my daughter is only four months old I blubbered out.  What really scared me wasn't the prospect that my kids would be close together, it was that I was tired.  TIRED of infertility.  I just wanted to enjoy my life as it was at the time. 

I went on Lupron (a drug that shrinks endo) and had my third laparoscopy to give us the best chances to get pregnant.  After what felt like a thousand months of infertility treatments, we came out the other side battered, egos bruised, and not pregnant.  My periods were becoming unbearable and after a particular HORRIBLE cycle I decided I could not handle them anymore.  I went back on a birth control with both estrogen and progesterone.  My heart had been fixed so my doctor figured I'd be okay to go back on the stronger birth control.  

He was wrong.  About five or so months later I got a migraine.  I hadn't had one since my heart surgery.  Once I started feeling better from that one, I immediately got the aura (flashes of light) and went into another one.  After having six in three days I called my doctor and he had me go off the birth control at once.  He said I will NEVER go on that type of birth control again.  The risk of stroke would be too high.  Estrogen and migraines just don't go together.  So then came the question of what to do next.  I know what you women are thinking.  Why not use an IUD?   IUDs are not an option because they don't block the right hormones that stop endo from growing.  

So options are as follows...

-Go back on POPS. Which is pretty temporary and doesn't stop the pain completely

-Do a round of Lupron.  Which makes me super crazy and mean and also is a temporary fix

-Do another Laparoscopy.  Also temporary, but can ease some of the pain.  Surgery is never fun though.

-The ulimate, Hysterectomy.  Permanent fix, but it's just that...permanent.  I wouldn't have to worry about my endo ever again though and after having pain every day for years, it was sounding better and better.  

I decided to go back on POPS while I thought and prayed about what answer would be best.

To not make this whine fest eight pages long I will continue in another post.