Liver Function

One thing Dr. Stalling found during my laparotomy was a white spot on my liver, one she could not identify the source of.  I don't yet understand the significance of this, though I hope to gain more insight at my post-op appointment this week.  I understand that if the liver is not functioning properly, it cannot deal with the toxic load from the environment and also from the inflammation caused by endometriosis.

Benefits of Exercise

An article from Fitness Magazine on the benefits of exercise in managing endometriosis:

Diagnosing and Treating Endometriosis

A diagnostic laparoscopy -- which is what I had -- is currently the only way to confirm that a woman has endometriosis and begin to treat it. During the procedure, if endometriosis is found, surgeons remove as many lesions as possible. Even so, up to 60 percent of women can experience a recurrence within the first year, according to the Endometriosis Research Center. Another, more involved procedure is called advanced laparoscopic excision, where the surgeon attempts to remove the "roots" of the endometrial growth. Although the procedure has a higher successrate, it is not widely available.

Hormone Treatment, Conventional vs. NaPro

When I first began to seek help in determining the reason for our infertility, I found an ob-gyn that I really liked.  I had some tests done, the basic preliminary tests that check the levels of hormones on a specific day of your cycle.  What this conventional approach failed to address was the fact that my cycle is irregular.  A conventional approach tests the levels of estrogen and progesterone on day 21 of a woman's cycle, assuming ovulation occurred on day 14.  When my hormones were checked, the tests showed my levels were within the normal range, so the doctor then referred me to a fertility specialist for further testing.

Laparoscopy/Laparotomy

Ten days ago I went in to the hospital for an outpatient exploratory laparoscopy.  I expected Dr. Stalling would find something, based on preliminary tests including an ultrasound that showed suspected endometrioma on my left ovary.  Eight hours later I woke up to the news that things were so messy inside the procedure was converted to an open laparotomy.  Surprise!  I had discussed with the doctor that I wanted the diagnosis and the excision to take place at the same time.  As a singer, I want to minimize the number of times I need to be intubated and have my most important muscles altered.