Stop Endometriosis and Pelvic Pain: What Every Woman and Her Doctor Need to Know

It has for sure ensured that my quality of life will be better post surgery. I got it right before I was scheduled for have a hysterectomy by a doctor who wasn't going to do anything about my severe endometriosis. After devouring the book I found a true endo specialist and he is now scheduled to do my surgery. He will excise the endometriosis by laparoscope using a CO2 laser and will not remove any healthy organs. This way I will have a much better chance that the surgery will help or even erradicate my severe abdominal and pelvic pain. If not for this book I wouldn't have known about all the advances made in surgery for endo in the last 10 years, or that there are many doctors who bill themselves as endo specialists who are not. 9/2013 update: My surgery was 7/2013. Since then the book has helped me explain to family member the how and why of the fact that I'm still experiencing some pain, when they were otherwise sure it was my fault and I was just "dragging it out." The section on Pain Management helped us all understand why I'm being referred to a pain management specialist. This book remains invaluable. It has for sure ensured that my quality of life will be better post surgery. I got it right before I was scheduled for have a hysterectomy by a doctor who wasn't going to do anything about my severe endometriosis. After devouring the book I found a true endo specialist and he is now scheduled to do my surgery. He will excise the endometriosis by laparoscope using a CO2 laser and will not remove any healthy organs. This way I will have a much better chance that the surgery will help or even erradicate my severe abdominal and pelvic pain. If not for this book I wouldn't have known about all the advances made in surgery for endo in the last 10 years, or that there are many doctors who bill themselves as endo specialists who are not. 9/2013 update: My surgery was 7/2013. Since then the book has helped me explain to family member the how and why of the fact that I'm still experiencing some pain, when they were otherwise sure it was my fault and I was just "dragging it out." The section on Pain Management helped us all understand why I'm being referred to a pain management specialist. This book remains invaluable. Update 5/22/2018. The family member mentioned above was a bad penny. I had to get rid of her. At the end of 2016 I finally had the $ to go back to the Center for Endometriosis Care in Atlanta (because my di$ability finally came through), where they told me I have a damaged nerve on the vaginal cuff (if you want to read more about that, see my article on medium dot .com under @sherrillynn), and since they created my vaginal cuff I know they did it during the surgery. After more than 3 years of knowing it was NOT all in my head, finally vindication. I knew there was between 15 to 20 % chance of the surgery not being successful going in, so I was just glad to know what was wrong finally. Unfortunately just in time for the crisis in pain management care in the US of A but that's another story. Back to this book. My endo surgical doctor is Dr. Ken Sinervo. When I was in for my pre-surgical consult, I mentioned this book (they do really thorough background questionairre before they will even schedule this appointment for you), and Dr. S specifically asked me if it was the one by Dr. Cook and smiled and nodded his head when I said yes. We briefly said what a good book it is. That's not to say that you should have surgery with Dr. Cook. The Facebook group Nancy's Nook for Endo Education is very helpful pre-surgery (they were useless to me during the 3 years after surgery but before finding out why it didn't work--went so far as to delete my posts because 'they scared the girls') but they specifically WILL NOT RECOMMEND DR COOK. The Nook is the only reputable source of top docs for endo surgery that I know of. And all I have to say to all the doctors out there who say they are good endo surgery docs but aren't actually is that you had better start being a lot nicer to your patients AFTER the surgery. I'm still OK with my surgical results because I know I had the best surgeon money can buy. And I'm thinking of starting my own FB group for women who have a complete hysterectomy but are left with the same problems afterward. There's really a void out there in this area. I'll post it on my Medium dot com page when it happens. Last but not least, I was inspired to update this review because there's a new book on endo just out that Dr. Sinervo wrote the Forward for. It's called "Living With Endometriosis" and the author says she has done just that for years, and she's from South Carolina. If this review helped you, please do something for others with endo if you are able. TIME'S UP for gynecologists saying they know about endo but don't. I'm telling my local gyno this year. Do the same when you are able!

If I could give this book 10 stars I would!!! This book has FOREVER changed my life!! This is the only review I have EVER written on Amazon! (I'm on here daily...lol) If you have or know a loved one who has endometriosis or pelvic pain you must buy this book NOW! Don't wait! Worth ever penny and then some!! I bought two. One for myself and one for my family members to read. Both my mother and I have read this book so far and agree on this! Dr. Cook explains things in a way that no other Ob ever told me! He made me realize I'm not crazy, my pain IS real and there IS something I can do about it! When all my other Ob's would tell me "this is just your new norm with this disease, there is nothing else we can do." I finally got to a point of things being so bad (before finding and reading the book) where I couldn't just keep believing this is "normal." I became determined to get answers and act as my own advocate. Which lead to seeing a lot of Dr.s, doing even more research and finally finding this book! Thank God!! Dr. Cook is so spot on about everything and explained it in a way that was easy to understand. He has spent his life helping women with this disease and pelvic pain. I remember thinking to myself after reading the first few pages "this is the type of Dr. I need to help me, he knows his stuff" after fully reading the book I knew I had to meet him! Luckily I'm close enough to his facility to not have to fly to see him. I have had the pleasure to meet Dr. Cook in person now. He is the first OB that was truly compassionate, sincere, understanding, and really knew his stuff about Endo. To no surprise because he has spent his life studying and specializing in Endo! He isn't cheap but I can already tell he is worth every penny I will pay to have him be my Dr. I'm so fortunate to have found this book and him, I just wish more women knew about about both! Please do yourself a favor and READ THIS BOOK!!! P.s. For the 2 star reviews talking about not liking the only option being surgery for you to obtain your quality of life back, you are only continuing to compromise your quality of life from this disease until you remove the problem!!!! It will only get worse with time. I know this first hand after only having one surgery to remove it when I was 17. I have been living with this disease for 10+years now because no other Ob felt I needed surgery again and try other options. I tried EVERYTHING!! The only relief I got from this disease is the three years after my first surgery! Now things are so bad I am vomiting everyday, even with meds to stop me from doing so!! Don't wait like I did! Don't accept that your pain is "normal"! Be proactive and your own advocate! Don't stop until you find a Dr. that truly cares and wants to help you!! It will truly make the world of difference!

Well-written, easy to understand and very comforting. All aspects of the disease are covered: symptoms, co-conditions, other reasons for Pelvic pain, treatment options, types of surgery, what to expect post-op, managing the condition after surgery and resources for further research. I enjoyed the detailed explanations of the various ways surgery can be performed, as well as the many personal experiences and comments of endo patients and their partners. I found the book very balanced and encouraging. The author seems to really empathise with endo patients. Various treatments and approaches to healing are dealt with in a balanced, objective way. If I had to complain about something, I would say the book is a little repetitive, but this is usually because the author is determined to drive home the point that endometriosis is not the sufferers fault, that there is hope, that no one has to suffer with endometriosis, that a normal happy life is possible. I didn't mind having that reiterated, especially after all the years of blaming myself for being so tired for no apparent reason and thinking that I just needed to try harder, to be more organised and work harder at maintaining a healthy lifestyle. I recommend this book to anyone who suspects they have endometriosis, has been pre-diagnosed with endometriosis (an actual diagnosis can only be made by laparoscopy (belly button surgery)) or has already undergone surgery. I've even given copies to members of my family so they can better understand my situation.

I was diagnosed with Stage IV Endo 3.5 years ago but have been fighting it since my first period. It got worse and worse and worse over time. Over the last 10 years, I’ve seen 5 OBGYN’s, 3 urologists, 3 gastroenterolgists, 4 primary care providers and I’ve been to the ER with acute pain, dizziness, and intractable vomiting or hemorrhaging 6 times over the last 10 years. I was told it was all in my head or it was stress or misdiagnosed more times than I can remember. Although I have had 3 excisions by another GYN now and I’ve lost my fertility and my of my life to this disease... reading his book validated everything I’m going through and gives me hope that Dr Cook ya be able to help me. I plan to fly from Wisconsin to see him. I had educated myself about Endo after I was diagnosed the best that I could and I thought I was well Informed but this book provided so much more information and put all the pieces together. Every girl with Endo needs to read this book so she can become informed about her disease and how best to fight it. And I really believe the friends, family, and spouses closest to her should read this book as well so they can truly understand what she’s going through. ***MUST READ***

A must read for anyone who suffers from, or thinks they suffer from endometriosis! After 8 years of trying to find answers and finally getting diagnosed via laparoscopic surgery, yet still unable to find doctors with full understanding of the disease and its treatment, this book gave me reassurance that I'm not crazy and to not give up! I would give my left kidney to be able to see this amazing doctor! I wish there were more physicians out there with the knowledge and understanding that this man has. Don't waste another second MORE of your life (cause as you're probably already familiar with, it takes enough of your life already!)

This was a very interesting, informative book, similar to Dr David Redwine's book, '100 Questions and Answers About Endometriosis'. Both books describe what it takes to find endometriosis, and how to best treat it, along with adhesions. Hopefully, many in the medical profession will read and learn from it. I don't know if I have endometriosis, but I have had problems due to adhesions for over 30 years with no help. Adhesions, with or without endometriosis, are a very underappreciated problem. I don't think that patients should have to travel hundreds or thousands of miles to get help. Since adhesions, or adhesion related disorders are not searchable medical conditions, it is impossible to find any Dr who will even consider them as a cause of pain or problems. The book didn't really help in that regard.

Excellent book on endometriosis and pelvic pain. A must-read before having any surgery or start taking medication so you can make an informed decision. This books outlines all the questions you need to ask of your doctor, particular those related to surgery. Take my advice -- you want to get it right the first time! Dr. Cook was my surgeon and did a painstaking six-hour surgery to excise my severe Stage 4 endo. Much better results than the first surgery I had through Kaiser to say the least! I do think a big part of healing from endo has to do with diet and lifestyle changes, including helping the body detox estrogen (sauna time!). Working with a naturopath/functional medicine doc who specializes in women's health has been important for my recovery. My one criticism of this book is the diet advice, which I feel is a little outdated (low-fat, Mediterranean, etc.). Through tons of reading, talking with my doc, and personal experience, I'm in the camp that low-allergen/low-toxicity (i.e. gluten free), nutrient-dense, real, whole, non-sprayed food are best including meat and fat from healthy animals (see paleo/primal, Perfect Health Diet, Weston A. Price/Nourishing Traditions, Chris Kresser for more info if you're interested). Thank you Dr. Cook for writing this book and the amazing work you do!

Very glad I read this book before having surgery. The 1st two MDs I saw about the endometriomas were not giving me accurate information. Had I listened to the first to "just go home & come back in 3 months", I am positive I would have ended up with ovarian torsion, emergency surgery, & possibly more complications. The 2nd Gyn wanted to simply drain the cysts (higher chance of recurrence), & put me on Lupron (aka reversable menopause, though I'm only 32 years old. with all the side effects including loss of bone density). Thanks to this book I knew to keep searching. Finally found a surgeon who was in line with Dr. Cook's recommendations. We shouldn't have to weed out Mds who don't know what they're talking about, but unfortunately we do & this book will help you know when you are talking to someone knowledgeable. Ladies be very very picky about your surgeon- the skill of the surgeon will make a huge difference in the effectiveness of your surgery! I also tried the gluten free diet & for me it did nothing & made me weak. Though no one knows the cause of endo. ,myself & several of my friends who had it concur that we were all under extreme stress when the endometriomas developed.- Louie MMA's wifey