I was treated for endometriosis twice. In my case, my periods got progressively more painful, where I was blowing through 12 ibuprofen before 10:00 in the morning.

My treatment both times was laparoscopic surgery. Recovery was fairly quick, although both times I spent a day feeling like I'd been run over by a truck. Both times I did the surgery on a Friday, and was in good shape to go to work on Monday morning.

Endometriosis can just happen, since there is a continuous opening from the uterus into the abdomen via the Fallopian tubes. It is possible for the endometrium to migrate out of the uterus and attach to other organs inside the abdominal cavity, where it will continue to respond to the monthly hormonal cycles of the pre-menopausal woman.

I don't have any insight into whether your oopherectomy caused the problem or not. I do know that both of my laparoscopic procedures took the pain away. The last one was eight years ago and I'm still fine.

That's great! Did you have any trouble getting the diagnosis?

I actually had one doctor tell me, "It could be endometriosis, but since it's nearly impossible to know for sure, we'll try this for a neuropathy." Then they put me on a neuroinhibitor that just turned my mind inside out! I felt like I was drunk for 3 days and put on 8 lbs. I had a hard time getting them to understand that going from "can't think because of pain" to "I can't think because of drugs" wasn't acceptable. I write for a living, I needed to think!

One did put me on depo (to stop my ovulating, hence stop my pain) but it did little for the pain, but brought on a heavy depression. Then that doctor got mad at me for refusing to take a second shot.

I, too, suffered from endometriosis for years, and had 2 laparoscopic surgeries, one for diagnosis & one for removal of the offending scar tissue.

Then one day I was doubled over in pain, drove myself to the hospital, and initially diagnosed with gallbladder disease. An MRI revealed a blocked ureter due to endometriosis, which caused my right kidney to swell & become infected. 3 surgeries later in that same week (they nicked the ureter in the first one & had to put in a 'stent' to keep it open), and 5 weeks of recovery, I was back on my feet!

I was 'gutted' 15 yrs ago (hysterectomy, bilateral removal of tubes & ovaries, bladder suspension, & A&P repair) and started on the surgically-induced menopause road. Now I have adhesions from the last surgery, but no insurance, so . . . pain is my game. LOL

I never had any problem in obtaining an endometriosis diagnosis, but maybe because I was a nurse & knew at the 'get go' to describe my symptoms as "cyclic". It didn't hurt that I had my hubby with me, either, to back up my complaints (particularly re: pain during sex).

The doctor told me, after years of BCPs for 'treatment', that my endometriosis was getting worse, so at age '33', if I wanted to have any children (we'd been married 13 years), then we better get to work. We had our one & only child 10 months later! That was 20 yrs ago.

After six months of complaining, my RNP told me to be sure to tell the gynecologist that I had pain during intercourse. I guess it's the medically universal code for "endometriosis".

One doctor I spoke to was insistent about putting me on HRT immediately after surgery (if I let him do it). When I told him I wanted to try it naturally (this was before I found out that the hormones would just feed the endo) he twisted off on me, saying, "You want natural? Heroin is natural! Cocaine is natural!" I told him, "Uhm, I was thinking more along the lines of nothing unless I actually needed it...."

I didn't look at the surgery as "being gutted", more as "closing down the factory and putting up a playground." =D I haven't had any pain (or HRT!!) since the surgery. It took forever (or what seemed like it) to get it done, but I'm pain free now.

You know, I think if doctor's can't prescribe a medicine for whatever they "assume" the problem is, then they just give up on you! That's a whole 'nuther topic.