I had excision surgery from Dr. Noah Rindos, who's at AHN these days but seems to do most of his work north of the city. He did a great job with the excision and I appreciate that he's an educator in addition to a physician. I was fairly early in my diagnosis and treatment journey when I met Dr. Rindos and he taught me so much about endo and how to manage it alongside my other conditions.

Best wishes on getting your next surgery! This condition is a bear to deal with and access is tough during COVID times.

I saw Dr Nicole Donnellan at Magee last year and was able to get in for diagnostic laparoscopic surgery with excision within a few months of the first appointment. It was clear that she had a lot of experience with patients like me and was also compassionate listening to my fears and stresses around the whole situation. (Endo is terrible and it took me 8 years to finally get diagnosed) I felt confident moving forward with her doing the surgery and it has made such a difference in my quality of life.

I was scheduled for my second ablation on 3/28/2020… so safe to say that didn’t happen! I love doctor maj but she delivered my step sister who has had 4 kids consequently. She’s just getting a little out of date in her current practicex and I really wanted a more endo specialized doctor.

Thank you for the rec!

I know you prefer AHN and S Hills, but if you’re young and looking for a hysterectomy - the folks at UPMC Magee will give you one. I was terrified to ask due to my age and lack of offspring, and just dipped my toe in saying “can you put in my chart I’d like a hysterectomy by age 30?” And the NP said she could get me one 4 months from my appointment if I wanted it.

All 4 docs in the UPMC MIGs department are fantastic (have worked with them for a month on a rotation as a student, seeing all of the successful cases they have performed). Dr. Ted Lee is one of the most renowned laparoscopic gyn surgeons in the world. I personally like Dr. Mansuria’s personality the most.

I’m actually scheduled with dr.mansuria for later February (earliest they could get me in).

Another for UPMC Magee. They listen. They will do whatever you need. And I truly truly recommend them.

So my insurance (BCBS) said UPMC Magee was in network. I think I’ve had such a horrible experiences with UPMC, that I’m so skeptical that it’ll be ok. Like I’m concerned they’ll mess up my billing or not file a claim correctly to my insurance.

I’m honestly not surprised.

I do think it’s YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary) depending on your doctor AND insurance.

However- you have a few things going for you.

One- if you get an estimate in writing from your insurance side, then it’s fantastic.

Two- the no surprise act was passed in January of this year. Basically- if they tell you it’s covered at no cost, it’s covered. And if they try to bill you later- it’s covered. There’s a whole website in the PA government that will fight it for you.

I know our situations are different but I just got sterilized. They tried to bill me for anesthesia for my surgery. I’m in the midst of fighting it because you cannot have a surgery without anesthesia. It’s a slam dunk case essentially (according to my auditor). It’s worth the fight to me, and I think you’d be ok!

Yeah, I was on my fathers union insurance where I could go to either AHN or UPMC for years. I’m just partial but from what I’m hearing, it’s UPMC Magee for any endo specialists

Dr. Mansuria is great. He did a laparoscopic excision on me, and then a year or so later put an IUD in when the doc at my regular gyne told me it would be “too much of a hassle” to try to place an IUD because my hip bones are narrow and my cervix is slightly tilted. His bedside manner is excellent.

Good to know!! Thank you. I’ve never had a male gyno so I’m kind of weary. I mean ultimately it’s a doctor. But to know there’s good bedside manner helps my anxiety for sure

He was the first male gyne I’d ever seen, so I was super anxious too (more than usual). He never made me feel uncomfortable or unheard or invalidated or anything though. It’s been several years since I’ve seen him, but if I ever have endo pain or complications again he’s the only one I’d go to. He really is great.

Actually, the reason I went to him for an IUD is because the doctor at my regular gyne office told me no and made me feel like there was something fundamentally wrong with my body. I was so defeated and desperate, and Dr. Mansuria was the only other gyne I’d been to. I went into that appointment telling him that I knew it probably wouldn’t be possible to do, and that it was fine, I just wanted to get a second opinion. When he did the exam, he said “it might be a little tricky, but we can definitely try.” He got an IUD in on the first try with no complications. And when I very nearly passed out from the pain when I sat up, he insisted I go to the cafeteria and sit and drink a cup of hot tea before driving myself home.

The only one I know who was able to help me is Dr Gary Bergman but he's located in Butler County. Idk if he has any offices outside of the BMH circuit. He really is an excellent doctor, I highly recommend.

I don't see her for endo, but Dr. Donellen is wonderful. She's my second doc at Magee and both were wonderful (1st left Pittsburgh sadly). Her NP is also great!

Yes Dr. Mansuria is awesome!! I’ve only been on the other side as a student but it’s great to hear patient stories :)

Yeah it’s def hard to get scheduled with them because of how busy they are. Dr. Mansuria is easier to get in than with Dr. Lee. Dr. Donnellan/Dr. Allen might be even easier to get in with. Dr. Mansuria also does surgeries at the UPMC Cranberry and Passavant hospitals, in case you’d prefer those locations over Magee hospital.

Are you familiar with how the insurance portion would function by chance? Like if I needed surgery but it was from an in-house doctor? Dr.Maj operates out of UPMC but was going to do my procedure at west Penn for insurance

This was back in 2016-2017. I’ve been singing his praises ever since. If you’re still in circles with him, please give him my thanks. I’m one of thousands of patients, but he’s one of very few doctors that I trust.

The other Dr. Mansuria story I like to tell is from right before my endo excision. I was nervous as all hell, ativan in my IV, laying in the pre-op area waiting. He came in to introduce himself to my family. I don’t remember much of the conversation, but I remember that he ended with “don’t worry, I watched a couple youtube videos, so I think I have a pretty good idea of what I’m doing.”

I guess some people might find that off-putting, but he must be able to read the room pretty well because it made me & my family all laugh.

I unfortunately don’t know anything about insurance, but you can probably call their office and they can help you

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Oh dear. I went to Dr. Majumdar and found she was totally unequipped to handle endo. I could tell you horror stories.

YES YES YES!!! Dr. Donnellan changed my fucking life and finally gave me my total hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy at age 33 and 15 years of endo torture and useless ablation or excision surgeries.

Very few gynos would even consider that surgery at that age. Even with me being FTM.

Dr. Donnellan never even had compunction. She respected my wants, my personal story, and my decade+ of endo history. It's a bit of a wait for appointments but it's because she's the best.

I'm going on 3 years pain-free in January from my hysto. I haven't had that much time pain-free since I was in high school!

Dr. Maj was out of date on endo back when I saw her c. 2005-2010. No one should go to her for it.

She told me as a 19-21yo to fix it I should "get married, have a baby"....I'm FTM. And also was a 19-year-old dumbass that had no business doing either.

I mean she diagnosed me with precancerous cells and gave me a cryro consequently after my first apt. Then diagnosed me with endo within my first 6 months of obscure complaints. Then had me on the table shortly after my sonograms. I always thought she was fine enough. I know some people take decades to get diagnosed. I do wish she would update her procedures since only doing ablations suck. I think she’s close to retirement now. Sorry to hear you had such a bad time