Letty’s bowel and bladder resection

When I first got my period in my early teens I had mild cramps that would go away with two Motrin pills a day. As I started getting older, I noticed my cramps getting worse, by my late teens I would be vomiting the first day of my period and would spend three days in bed in pain. In my early 20s, the vomiting went away but the pain did not lessen and my doctor decided I should go on birth control pills to help shorten the days of my menstruation and help with pain. It really didn’t, I learned from a friend to start taking Motrin three days before my period and that helped lessen the pain. 

In my mid 20s, on a routine GYN exam, my doctor felt lumps in my abdomen, an ultra sound showed five cysts: two on my right ovary and three on my left that were huge. After the surgery, the doctor explained there was a lot of scar tissue in my abdomen and he told me he took out as much as he could in the allowed time,; he said everything was “stuck together” and I was diagnosed with severe endometriosis.
I was told the devastating news that I might not be able to have children and I needed to stay on the birth control pills, which I had stopped taking a year before my surgery. He said I was a candidate for getting the cysts again in 10 years.
Well, I proved the doctor wrong and was able to conceive and have my son two years later.

In late 2004, I stopped my birth control pills because I lost my insurance but luckily I was able to get it again in early 2005.  When I went back to my doctor to go on the birth control pills again, the doctor felt another cyst on my left ovary. Since it was small, I was given a Lupron shot to shrink it, and three months later I had laparoscopic surgery to remove the cyst. In 2008, my husband and I decided to try for a second child and I got off the birth control pills. Sadly my husband was diagnosed with cancer and passed away in the summer of 2009. In my grief, the last thing I thought about was going back on the birth control pill but without it I would get cysts again. 

A year later, I went back to my doctor to go back on the birth control pills, I did not want the cyst to appear again, and they appeardid along with a fibroid tumor. This time the doctor talked about doing a hysterectomy because of the other surgeries in the past. I was fine with it since I was in my late 30s and the idea of having children died with my husband. After my surgery, I learned they could not remove my uterus. The doctors said it took them a lot longer to get to my ovaries to remove the cysts and the tumor from my uterus because there was a lot of scar tissue. I was told that if they would have gone ahead with the surgery to remove my uterus, my other organs would have had to have been removed and reconstructed.  

I had complications in my recovery and almost had another surgery because of problems with my bowels. Under my doctors suggestion, I was put on Lupron shots that would go on for the next 10 to 12 years of my life until menopause. I was fine with the idea since I was given the shot once and the only side effect I suffered those three months were the hot flashes. But three months after the first shot I started eating a lot, gained weight, and slowly started getting depressed. It went from mild to full-blown suicidal thoughts.  I started suffering from migraines, panic attacks, anxiety and I would cry for no apparent reason.

I decided to do research online about the effects of Lupron and was astounded to discover other women who have gone through the same thing I was going through. I immediately went to my doctor and begged her to get me off the Lupron but I was told it’s the only thing to help with my severe endometriosis. I remembered the offer to have the surgery again and told her I wanted it; my request was denied stating it was something they did not want to do and I was convinced that Lupron was the only way to go.

Two more months passed and I was still in my Lupron hell, so I decided I would not go back for my next shot. I felt my doctor was not listening to me; my mental and physical health was in  danger. A few months later I started feeling normal again, the migraines, panic attacks, suicidal thoughts and anxiety went away, and I even lost weight. At this point, I went back to my doctor and put my foot down with her: no more Lupron shots! I wanted to go back on the only thing that worked for me, the birth control pills. At first I was happy but two months later I noticed the birth control pills were making me feel shaky and anxious. My doctor and I decided it would be best for me to be off them and she would see me more often to make sure when the cysts would appear again, I would have laparoscopic surgery to remove them.

I noticed after Thanksgiving I started getting lower back pain that would not go away.  The pain increased to my abdomen as well and I would visit my doctor who said the pain were from the endometriosis and to increase my pain medication.  By Christmas, I was suffering horrible pains on a daily basis. I was taking a thousand milligrams of Naproxen and Motrin and they were not helping!

My family started urging me to find a specialist on endometriosis because my pain was not going away, and we all felt something was really wrong. I searched online and found a couple of specialists; then I called the second number on my list, Dr. Seckin. I spoke to Lucy who was really sweet and listened to my story; she answered all my questions and concerns. I told her I was going to speak to my family and get back to her.  After speaking to my family and reading all the other testimonies online, I called Lucy back and set up the appointment.  A week later I met Dr. Seckin who listened to my story and examined me, and sure enough the ultrasound he did in his office showed I had cysts again on my ovaries and a fibroid tumor, as well.  Dr. Seckin promised I would feel better after the surgery.

Kim, the office manager and surgical coordinator, asked when I wanted to have the surgery and I said as soon as possible. She saw how much pain I was in and was able to schedule the surgery three days later.
When I awoke from surgery I immediately felt a difference, the lower back and abdominal pain was gone. I learned the surgery lasted 13 hours! Dr. Seckin explained the endometriosis was snaked around my bladder, uterus and bowels, because of this he called in specialist to reconstruct parts of my bowels were the endometriosis was attached to and my bladder. My bladder was another story: it had to be fully reconstructed because the endometriosis attached was severe. Recovery was not fun but today I feel great!  

After years of suffering from endometriosis, I am finally free from the pain. My energy level is even higher than it was before and now my bottle of Motrin which I used on a daily basis in the past is now collecting dust. I owe it all to Dr. Seckin who was able to do what the doctors in the hospital were not able (or were too scared) to do. I sing his praises wherever I go. How many people can say they had a surgery three days later after a consultation?  
It shows the dedication of Dr. Seckin, Lucy, Kim and the rest of the staff. Thank you Dr. Seckin for giving me back my life.

Letty