Hello, I am 3 weeks post-laparoscopy. After years of pain, I have being diagnosed with stage 4. I had endometriosis removed from left pelvic side wall, right uterosacral ligaments, and rectovaginal space. I also had a right nephrectomy 3 years ago. With previous history of kidney reflux as a child(I am 37 now) I also have psoriatic arthritis, fibromyalgia, Vitiligo (about 40% of my body). During my appointment with the gynecologist, I never really mentioned my awful chest pain as I didn’t think it was something he would deal with (we have no specialists in endometriosis in Ireland) it was only after educating myself once I knew I had endometriosis that this awful chest pain/spasms/right shoulder blade pain I’ve been dealing with for years could actually in fact, be Endometriosis. I was just in A&E last night with the pain. They put me on IV, x-ray was clear, and the bloods ok. Referred me to cardiology and totally dismissed endo. I sit here me today still in pain with my chest; the tightness and stabbing feeling just won’t leave. Could I be right in thinking it’s endometriosis on my Diaphragm? Sorry for long post. I’m just worn down by feeling like no one listens. Thank you
Endometriosis
Top Endometriosis Specialist Florida: Your Path to Pain-Free Living
Endometriosis affects approximately 10% of women in Florida, impacting their daily lives and overall well-being. This chronic condition, characterized by the growth of uterine-like tissue
March 17, 2025
Diaphragmatic endometriosis can represent with shoulder pain and chest pain. I have had patients with this condition.. You are not crazy. You should speak with the surgeon who just did your laparoscopy and discuss. Did he/she look into this? You have the symptoms but getting a thorough medical evaluation to rule out other conditions is also important.
So sorry that you have been dealing with these symptoms for so long. Your chest pain, spasms and right shoulder pain could very well be due to diaphragmatic endometriosis. If your symptoms are worse around the time of your cycle, that could be an indicator that diaphragmatic or thoracic endometriosis is causing your symptoms. Diaphragmatic endometriosis is also most commonly found on the right side, where you have symptoms. Treatment and assessment for this condition benefits from a multidisciplinary approach as combined video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery and traditional laparoscopy has been shown to beneficial for the treatment of abdominopelvic, diaphragmatic, and thoracic endometriosis. It sounds like further assessment and differential diagnosis is needed to determine the cause of your right sided chest and shoulder pain, but endometriosis could very well be the cause.
Dear patient,
I fully understand your concerns regarding the symptoms you are presenting. It is essential that you communicate any questions or concerns to the healthcare professionals currently managing your case or to the endometriosis specialist surgeon who performed your procedure.
During deep endometriosis excision surgery, it is standard practice to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the entire pelvic and abdominal cavities, including the diaphragmatic region, to identify potential endometriotic lesions. In many cases, the surgical procedure is recorded for documentation and further evaluation.
Although diaphragmatic endometriosis is relatively rare, it is crucial to assess for its presence in patients with a known history of endometriosis, particularly when clinical symptoms such as thoracic pain associated with menstruation are reported.
It is important to emphasize that both the diagnosis and management of diaphragmatic endometriosis must be conducted by a multidisciplinary team, comprising an endometriosis specialist gynecologist alongside a thoracic and cardiovascular surgeon.
Diagnostic modalities with higher sensitivity for detecting diaphragmatic endometriosis include thoracic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and, in selected cases, bronchoscopy.
Management may be either medical or surgical, depending on the severity and progression of the disease, but it should always involve a coordinated multidisciplinary approach.