December 27, 2007

I am 25 years old and have been dealing with pain from my endometriosis for about 9 years. It started out as just cramps during my period that would be relieved with the use of over-the-counter medication. It progressed to the point where I was using several types of pain medication prescribed by my OBGYN that barely worked. I just knew something was wrong, something that the doctors weren’t seeing.

I had been suffering from headaches, fatigue and abdominal pain and just knew it all had to be related. However, through all the tests and numerous doctors appointments I was always told that everything was normal. It wasn’t until I started trying to conceive that the doctors began to believe that maybe something was wrong with me. I was referred to a reproductive endocrinologist who performed a LAP with laser and diagnosed me with endometriosis, Stage 3. She told me that she had gotten rid of all my endometriosis (later I found out the laser barely breaks through the surface of endometriosis) and that she wanted to put me on Lupron for 6 months. After researching Lupron I knew it wasn’t the right choice for me. The doctor told me that my only chance of getting pregnant was through IVF. She reassured me that endometriosis and miscarriages were not related.

After going through IVF, I got pregnant and shortly had a miscarriage. The pain from the endometriosis got so severe I knew that it had to be on my bladder and rectum because I was having so much pain going to the bathroom. My RE reassured me that it was only on my uterus and not to worry. After reading so many stories online and  seeing so many women with endometriosis having miscarriages after miscarriages and LAPS after LAPS (with laser), I just knew that somewhere there had to be a better way to treat this disorder. The doctor told me that there was no other way to treat this disorder, but I was determined to find an answer, so I began to do research.

After researching numerous doctors I came upon Dr. Kanayama’s website. I immediately picked up the phone and spoke to Sabrina, the office manager. After a few minutes of speaking with her I knew I found my answer. She asked me if I wanted to speak to Dr. Kanayama. I was so taken back. I thought to myself he has never seen me before and he’s going to speak to me on the phone now. I can’t even talk to my regular doctor on the phone; they always put me on the phone with the nurses. Dr. Kanayama answered all my questions and explained to me how endometriosis and miscarriages are related, and that the only proper treatment of endometriosis is through excision. I was so excited, for once it seemed like someone knew the answers, so I called my family members to tell them the good news.

My first appointment was amazing. Just sitting in the office and listening to all the stories of what everyone had been through and their successes with Dr. Kanayama was such a relief to finally feel like I was at a place that finally understood m. Dr. Kanayama was able to locate the endometriosis right from the sonogram machine and was able to pinpoint all the areas where I was having pain, just from the exam. That was amazing. In the past I was told that endometriosis could only be seen through surgery, but Dr. Kanayama explained that a doctor would need to have a high quality sonogram machine and be well-trained to detect the endometriosis in this manger, combined with a meticulous pelvic exam to detect endometriosis nodules. He went through everything about the surgery and explained the benefits of his technique, as compared to the way most other doctors treat this disorder. I was in his office for about forty-five minutes and even though his waiting room was full of people he never once looked at his watch or made me feel rushed. He took his time and kept asking me if I had any more questions.

The day of the surgery was wonderful. Greenwich Hospital was breathtaking. I felt like I just checked into a hotel. I didn’t even feel like I was in a hospital. This was definitely the nicest hospital I had ever seen. My whole family was impressed. The nurses were wonderful. Nurses almost always have difficulty starting my IV and they usually just jam it in. The nurse here wrapped my hands in a warm wet towel to help the veins come to the surface. I felt like I was at a spa. The trick worked and my IV went smoothly. The anesthesiologist was great. He came to the room and answered all my questions. He escorted me to the operating room and told jokes the entire time to take my mind off everything. Dr. Kanayama also came to see me and went over everything again before the surgery. He checked on me several times throughout the day to make sure everything was going smoothly.

At my follow-up appointment I was amazed how caring he was to make sure everything was healing well. He spent about 20 minutes just cleaning the incisions and putting special tape on them, so the scarring would be minimal. In the past my last doctor barely checked my incisions. My scars are so minimal, about the width of my pinky nail and turned back to my normal skin color after only 3 weeks. In the past my scars were red for several months. Dr. Kanayama diagnosed me with Stage 4 endometriosis. He said the endometriosis was all over my uterus, ovaries, bladder, fallopian tubes, rectum, urethra and intestines. I asked him if he believed that it was just on my uterus when I had the last surgery about 8 months ago like my other doctor said. He said that it was definitely all over everything. He said that he didn’t believe that it could have spread that fast.

I am so grateful for Dr. Kanayama. He is truly a Godsent. He said he had to cut through 5 layers, but he was able to remove it all. He took over 50 pictures, where my last doctor only took 8. The pictures of the surgery were like night and day. You can definitely see the success of the surgery from the pictures.

It has been a little over 3 weeks since the surgery and I felt extremely optimistic for my future. Dr. Kanayama had given me great hope. He said he will continue to monitor me and that I will have about an 85% chance of conceiving naturally!!! I am looking forward to fulfilling my dreams of having a child and of living a life free of pain. My only wish is that I would have found Dr. Kanayama sooner. I will never be able to thank him enough for all that he has done for me.

In addition to Dr. Kanayama, Sabrina, the office manager, has been wonderful. She has helped me deal with my insurance company to get them to cover the cost of the operation. She definitely went above and beyond her job to help me throughout the entire process.

Thank you to everyone at the New York Endometriosis Center!

Danielle