We are starting to see again a few experts in endometriosis suggest that endometriosis itself is not painful. This is very hard to believe that trained physicians can look at a patient demonstrating peritoneal signs and symptoms and say she is not in pain. We all (nurses, physicians, and other allied health professionals and care givers) have pretty much been trained to recognize peritoneal signs and symptoms because they are warning signs of significant disease. Bloating, nausea, pallor, sweating, restlessness, anxiety (not a mental symptom but rather a physiological symptoms due to pathology and pain) as well as constipation, diarrhea, or other gastrointestinal disorders, are all physical manifestations of significant abnormalities in the abdomen. To look at a patient exhibiting these and walk away without addressing the pain or referring the patient to someone who can address the pain is an act defying understanding. If we use our training, we cannot deny the degree of pain women with this disease experience. In any other situation we would react swiftly and decisively, relieving pain and then getting to the bottom of the underlying pathology. When we do not possess the skills to alleviate the problem then the responsible thing to do is to transfer the patient to someone with higher skill, and see that they are taken care of with compassion. To continue to deny the impact endometriosis has on womens lives is clearly misogynist and misdirected. We have known now for years with long term follow up studies that skilled removal of endo in all of its locations, appearances and manifestations restores lives. So why do we persist in leaving women to suffer severe pain and disability with lives, marriages, careers on hold?
Posted on: Fri, 26 Sep 2014 15:07:59 +0000
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