Depo Lupron, endometriosis, and depression

[endosufferer]

I suffer from endometriosis and had surgery four and a half years ago. After the surgery my doctor put me on depo lupron for 9 months. Since them I have had numerous health problems and suffer from severe depression. My depression is so severe I had to leave my job and move back in with my parents. I have been on several antidepressants, none of which have worked, and am a complete mess. I have recently started looking for natural cures to get through this and get me life back. I spoke with a lawyer in Florida that handled a class action suit for this drug and he told me that the women affected were never going to get better, but how can I accept that? I have spent the last four years in a fog, crying all the time. I recently started reading some self help books on natural cures for depression. I haven't been able to sleep unaided for all this time and have found a way to sleep through the night using deep breathing techniques and 10 mg of melatonin which feels like a major victory. I was wondering how other women have coped with the effects of this medication and how they function with this disease. I have been at my wits end for a long time and simply want to get better and get past this and start living again.

[luvy298]

I was on lupron for one year and I must say that the side effects were really bad it was like going through menaupause and I was only in my early 20. I had a procedure done about 10 years ago called a balloon ablation (sorry medical terminalogy spelling is not my thing); anyways with this procedure I was able to cut my menstrual cycle in about half. I use to bleed for 10 to 14 days straight and with this procedure I was only on my period for 3 to 4 days tops , but of course to be able to get this procedure you have had to already have children or do not want any; as this procedure is to burn the lining of the uterus. Thankfully I do not have any depression since I stopped Lupron, but my endometriosis is back; therefore I have to get the same procedure that I mentioned above. My doctor put me on Provera 5mg for ten days for two months before this procedure can be done. I hope you find the help that you need as I know what it is to live with endometriosis and the painful menstrual cycles; along with everything else this disease brings.

good luck to you!
Your friend
luvy298

[endosufferer]

Thank you, but I no longer have health insurance. I was feeling positive earlier today but then the cramps started. I've just been siiting in a chair with a heating pad since taking advil and the pain is horrendous. I only bleed for about five days but the cramps start first and last anywhere from 7-15 days. How did you deal with them before your procedure? I used all my savings to have surgery four years ago and am still paying it off. I really thought the surgery would work and it didn't. I am 40 and don't have any children. At this point I would get a hysterectomy if I could just to make the pain stop. That is not an option so I need to find a way to cope with this long enough to get a job with health benefits. I have two degrees and shouldn't be like this. The last job interview I went on was a disaster when they asked why I have such a long gap in my employment. Have you ever had to explain that? How did you do it?

[luvy298]

Thankfully I was working for a company that understood what my life was like with endometriosis. My doctor's put me on so many medications from birth control to the lupron shot (which the side effects like I said before were horrible). I was lucky because at that time I was eligible for the Department of Social Services health insurance so when I got my baloon ablation it was paid by the State. Maybe you can find out since you are not working and living with your parents to see if maybe there is a way that you can apply for health insurance. I do not know what State you are in, but where I live it is very easy to get health insurance through the State as long as you make a certain amount of money or in your case not working at this time. For the pain I took Advil, Tylenol, but what really helped was the Motrin. Like I said before the procedure does not last forever and I had to put off the procedure for a couple of months because where I was working at before they did not have any health coverage, I just started a new job and thankfully enough they have health coverage so in that aspect I was blessed. I too eventually am going to need a hysterectomy, but I am trying to put it off for a while because I just started this job. The cliniic that I attend was able to help when I did not have health coverage they put me on a sliding scale depending on my income because I tried applying for the state insurance before I got this job and they denied me said I made too much money (yeah right). The state medical plan I believe is called the Husky plan (nowdays they keep changing the names), but if I were you I would try and see if maybe you can apply with the State health insurance and see if they can help you. I hope this helps and I am so sorry this is happening to you I know what it feels like to live with endometriosis.

Your friend
Luvy298

Thank you, but I no longer have health insurance. I was feeling positive earlier today but then the cramps started. I've just been siiting in a chair with a heating pad since taking advil and the pain is horrendous. I only bleed for about five days but the cramps start first and last anywhere from 7-15 days. How did you deal with them before your procedure? I used all my savings to have surgery four years ago and am still paying it off. I really thought the surgery would work and it didn't. I am 40 and don't have any children. At this point I would get a hysterectomy if I could just to make the pain stop. That is not an option so I need to find a way to cope with this long enough to get a job with health benefits. I have two degrees and shouldn't be like this. The last job interview I went on was a disaster when they asked why I have such a long gap in my employment. Have you ever had to explain that? How did you do it?

[endosufferer]

Thank you again. I've tried to get health insurance through the state but was rejected. I qualified for the indigent program at the local hospitals but they were only treating the symptoms for a while and now the doctors tell me not to come back to the er because they can't do anything for me, they said I need to go see an obgyn which I can't afford to do.
Medication doesn't work anymore for me. I think my body has gotten used to it. I was on lyrica for over a year and it stopped working, and the same thing happened with tramadol. I'm on my 5th day of heavy cramping and I haven't even gotten my period yet. I've just been sitting with my heating pad on crying. The pain is going to get worse once the bleeding starts and I don't known how to keep going like this. Thank you again for answering, this feels so horrible and so hopeless. I just can't get past the depression. The pain obliterates all the progress I make in the two and half weeks I have each month.

[NoMoreLies]

I'm so sorry that you are in so much pain. I also have endometriosis, although it's been well controlled since my last surgery. I've had 3 surgeries and 6 months of Lupron shots - my last surgery was followed by the Lupron and that is what finally seems to have helped me. I remember many days laying on the couch with my heating pad, my heart goes out to you!

[luvy298]

Do they have any type of clinics where you live? Sometimes they can help you to find programs that you can qualify for. For instance when my son did not have health insurance he went to the clinic and they actually had a program that would help him as long as he did not make a certain amount of money per month.

My heart does go out to you. I know what it feels like. I wish there was something I can do to take away the pain. I am so sorry you are going through this.

your friend
Luvy298

Thank you again. I've tried to get health insurance through the state but was rejected. I qualified for the indigent program at the local hospitals but they were only treating the symptoms for a while and now the doctors tell me not to come back to the er because they can't do anything for me, they said I need to go see an obgyn which I can't afford to do.
Medication doesn't work anymore for me. I think my body has gotten used to it. I was on lyrica for over a year and it stopped working, and the same thing happened with tramadol. I'm on my 5th day of heavy cramping and I haven't even gotten my period yet. I've just been sitting with my heating pad on crying. The pain is going to get worse once the bleeding starts and I don't known how to keep going like this. Thank you again for answering, this feels so horrible and so hopeless. I just can't get past the depression. The pain obliterates all the progress I make in the two and half weeks I have each month.

[endosufferer]

There is a clinic, they have been really awful. I went there for years in desperation until I finally gave up. One doctor told me to read a book called younger next year, like this is an aging problem. He tried to put me on birth control pills which I've had problems with in the past. Another doctor told me she wouldn't give me birth control pills because of my age and the fact that I smoke when I was just trying to ask her if it was safe for me to take the pills her colleague prescribed for me. The third doctor there told me I had to learn to live with this disease. I ran into the same probem at the ER. I think they must have wrote something in my chart because the last four or five times I've gone the different doctors I have seen have told me they can;t treat this and I have to go see an OBGYN. I saw another doctor over the summer at a free clinic two hours away. He said he would do a hysterectomy and not charge me, the problem was he only had privledges at private hospitals that did not have indigent funds. I've been to other clinics in the area and basically been told this is something I can live with.
I have three degrees, I went from having a career to working part-time as a waitress to pay my few bills and I'm still paying off the surgery from four years ago. My cramps are getting worse every day, which I'm sure you know happens every month. Thankfully I finally got my period so I only have another three or four days of this. I had to work tonight and I couldn't think straight through the pain. I walked in on my coworkers talking about me saying I couldn't do anything. The only reason I've been able to hang on to this job is that I told them about my depression and it is illegal for them to fire me. This disease is so miserable. I look sick all the time because it just wears me out. By the time I recover the pain is starting again. I guess I was hoping there was something out there that I could try, something I haven't tried yet. I really appreciate your advice. The problem is I live in South Carolina which is a very poor state. The bottom line is I need to find a job with health insurance, but I don't look healthy and the job market is just horrible in my area.
My frame of mind is not very good right now. I don't sleep well while this is going on. I think I'm just stuck with this. I apply for hundreds of jobs out of state each month. All I can hope for is that one of them will come through at some point in time.

[endosufferer]

I've been thinking about this a lot. What state are you in? South Carolina is a very poor state and there is not much funding for programs like that. I hope I'm not repeating myself, but I didn't qualify for medicaid because you had to be under 18 or over 65, have children, or get on disability. I went through the disability process and was turned down. I've been to every clinic within driving distance of my home. I now realize I made a grave mistake when I had surgery four years ago. To put this in context, I've been having a lot of problems at work. During the ten days of cramps I have each month I am barely functioning and my coworkers are not very understanding. I can't say I really blame them, but they have been quite cruel. My last period was very bad. A few of them were yelling at me and then laughing at me my entire shift. I guess one of them went home and put my phone number into those ads for health insurance. I was bombarded by phone calls all day. I talked to quite a few of them and was told over and over that they cannot cover me because I have a pre existing condition. It felt so horrible. The doctor four years ago did not want to do the surgery because I was uninsured and she didn't think I would pay her. She was supposed to do a hysterectomy but decided not too. My parents said the surgery lasted about 15 minutes. I shouldn't have put my health and my future into her hands because now my condition is pre existing and even if I manage to find a job with health insurance I won't be covered. This might sound crazy, but I'm thinking of just going to another state and finding a shelter and trying to get surgery again. Nothing is going to change if I don't. I don't think I can try and work through another period. The harrassment at work is making me lose it. I tried to talk to my manager about taking a few days off when the cramps are really bad and he said he can't do that. I just don't know what else to do at this point in time.

[NoMoreLies]

Endosufferer - Have you signed up for FMLA protection at work? If not you should speak to human resources and see if you qualify. I had FMLA at work for several years because my endo pain caused me to miss so many days. It's the only thing that kept them from firing me. Does your state have a high risk insurance pool? Here in California uninsured people with pre existing conditions can buy into the pool, you may want to see if such a thing exists in South Carolina. It sounds like you need a full hysterectomy with exploration to find and remove all the endo that may have migrated away from the uterus. Good luck to you!

[HydroBGone]

Hi there,

I have endo and I've had two surgeries for it, and it's likely I'll need a hysterectomy eventually. The cramping used to trap me in my house for 1-2 days every month.

I never had any luck with cramp medication except for this stuff: naproxen, which can also be called naproxen sodium. It's amazing. It sounds like no one has told you about it. Maybe you can go to one of the clinics that was relatively helpful and say you want to try it? It's not a narcotic, etc.

~A

[endosufferer]

What else can FMLA protect me against? I have told them about my depression already which prevents them from firing me, so they are making things very difficult for me trying to get me to quit. I feel like I'm having a breakdown. I am being treated by a doctor for a workers comp injury and I am a mess. He has told me I should get a lawyer, but do I really have any ground to stand on?

[endosufferer]

The clinic I go to doesn't prescribe pain medication of any kind. There's signs on the wall saying they don't doo pain management. I will ask my back doctor about that though. He just gave me nyucenta so I will see if that works next time.