Hi . I wish you were not in so much pain. Here is an article about pain management options you might find helpful: https://endometriosis.net/living/pain-management. I hope you find something in the article that helps. Have you talked with your doctor about the purpose of the surgery? Without performing a laparoscopy, doctors can't be 100 percent sure that you have endometriosis. That's because endometrial tissue can be hard to identify in ultrasounds, MRIs and CAT scans. So, yes, laparoscopy is a tool for definitively diagnosing endometriosis. Still, not everyone needs to have laparoscopy or wants to go through with it, especially if treatments are helping.
There are benefits beyond diagnosis, however. Laparoscopy can also help doctors determine whether endometrial tissue is attached to organs or breaking through organ walls, making your pain worse. They can also remove much of the endometrial tissue during the surgery, which can bring relief, at least for a while. The problem is that it's not a cure. The tissue eventually grows back, possibly leading to more surgery.
I can see why it's a tough decision. My daughter had laparoscopy three years ago at 20 years old after she landed in the ER with severe pain. She is now on hormone treatments and is mostly comfortable, but I'm sure she'll need it again someday unless we find a cure or better techniques for managing it. Her recovery from laparoscopy was fairly easy and she is glad she did it, but others are not so lucky. Either the pain isn't relieved or it returns quickly.
It's a very personal and individual decision. I hope you get more responses here and that you eventually find relief. Please keep us posted. I'll be thinking of you. - Lori (Team Member)