Dr. Gaby Moawad

My only symptoms were sciatica (only sometimes would travel to my foot), pain in my butt cheek, and groin pain. I also had bladder issues. Zero menstrual cycle pain/ issues. Question: was your sciatica ever cyclical in nature? If you have a MRI, consider doing a virtual consult with a leading endo specialist before the surgery. That’s what I did. Dr Gaby Moawad looked at my MRI and saw signs that were indicative of endo. This was extremely helpful for me as my symptoms were very atypical. After I saw him, I felt way more confident going through my laparoscopy

My only symptoms were sciatica (only sometimes would travel to my foot), pain in my butt cheek, and groin pain. I also had bladder issues. Zero menstrual cycle pain/ issues. Question: was your sciatica ever cyclical in nature? If you have a MRI, consider doing a virtual consult with a leading endo specialist before the surgery. That’s what I did. Dr Gaby Moawad looked at my MRI and saw signs that were indicative of endo. This was extremely helpful for me as my symptoms were very atypical. After I saw him, I felt way more confident going through my laparoscopy

I'm seeing him, and he's not at the university of Florida to my knowledge. I'd love to know where? I have to have surgery at an HCA hospital where we met him in Miami, which I'm not looking forward to with everything I currently know about them. I'm in Orlando by the way, and if you are looking for someone that does take insurance you can see Dr Courtney Paradise (Dr Paradise is well known within the endometriosis community and people do fly into Orlando just to see her she does take insurance because she works out of Winnie Palmer which is a branch of Orlando Health) ***but she has a pretty long list of people trying to get in with her. She's absolutely phenomenal and I would be using her for my surgery but I have a very complex bowel issue involved with stage 4 deep infiltrating endometriosis being all over my rectal sigmoid I have very little colon left and so things are very complicated so I had to find someone that specialized in this kind of surgery specifically and moawad is one of the top on the list.

Nezhat vs Moawad *STAGE 4 DIE EVERYWHERE - including inside bowels* Nezhat vs Moawad *STAGE 4 DIE EVERYWHERE - including inside bowels* I live in Florida, But I honestly don't care where the doctor is located - I just need honest feedback on both. Context: I have stage 4 deep infiltrating endometriosis that is completely taken over my abdominal and pelvic cavities. It has invaded my rectal sigmoid and I only have roughly 20 cm of colon left so this is extremely problematic as there's nothing left to be resectioned and I would likely end up with a colostomy if I went with just any endometriosis specialist. NOTE: I'm a very complex patient because I have ehlers danlo's syndrome as well as an intestinal mal rotation, which has led to several abdominal and pelvic surgeries before this point, which is why I need someone that is next level specialized. (I also have mixed feelings on Nancy's Nook as I'm not a fan of gatekeeping information after doing this my whole life I have always gone by the motto of anytime I find anyone that needs help with anything in this regard I am always there to provide them with anything I possibly can so I can't understand for the life of me why anyone wouldn't want to do the same) I'm considering both options and I'm curious which one you would choose if you are presented with the option. I'd also love to know opinions on what the aftercare was like at both the Miami facilities and the Stanford facilities in Palo Alto California. I know we are all scrambling right now due to the incoming party, and the potential for us to not be able to have these surgeries done. That's a major point of contention for us as well. I definitely need my uterus removed I'm not looking to have a total hysterectomy Just get rid of my periods because they are absolutely beyond excruciating. But with the incoming party I have been told by several endometriosis specialist that that's going to be more difficult moving forward. I'm not sure how this is going to play out in California versus Florida as I would expect it's going to be a little bit more difficult for the government to tackle them in the same way that Florida's just going to roll over for it. Any and all advice experience and input is greatly appreciated. Thank you all so much and if there is any other specialist that comes to mind that you know of that's highly skilled specifically in bowel endometriosis where every other highly specialized person within my area has said I will end up with a colostomy no matter what and that is what I'm trying to avoid please feel free to direct me in that direction. Thank you all 💙💙💙💙

That's so interesting. I'm sorry the doctor I was referring to was doctor Gaby Moawad. Can I ask if you have a complex case? I ask because I'm in Orlando trying to figure this out. I have stage 4 DIE with T2 hypointense lesions everywhere. My fear they've told me is I'll end up with a colostomy. I'm trying anything I can to avoid this. I'll definitely look into this doctor because he's close to me, and sounds promising. Thank you for clarifying :)

Nezhat vs Dr Gaby Moawad vs Sinvervo? Vs.. any one! 👇🏻 Help Nezhat vs Dr Gaby Moawad vs Sinvervo? Vs.. any one! 👇🏻 Help I live in Florida, But I honestly don't care where the doctor is located - I just need honest feedback on both. Context: I have stage 4 deep infiltrating endometriosis that is completely taken over my abdominal and pelvic cavities. It has invaded my rectal sigmoid and I only have roughly 20 cm of colon left so this is extremely problematic as there's nothing left to be resectioned and I would likely end up with a colostomy if I went with just any endometriosis specialist. NOTE: I'm a very complex patient because I have ehlers danlo's syndrome as well as an intestinal malrotation, which has led to several abdominal and pelvic surgeries before this point, which is why I need someone that is next level specialized. (I also have mixed feelings on Nancy's Nook as I'm not a fan of gatekeeping information after doing this my whole life I have always gone by the motto of anytime I find anyone that needs help with anything in this regard I am always there to provide them with anything I possibly can so I can't understand for the life of me why anyone wouldn't want to do the same) I'm considering both options and I'm curious which one you would choose if you are presented with the option. I'd also love to know opinions on what the aftercare was like at both the Miami facilities and the Stanford facilities in Palo Alto California. I know we are all scrambling right now due to the incoming party, and the potential for us to not be able to have these surgeries done. That's a major point of contention for us as well. I definitely need my uterus removed I'm not looking to have a total hysterectomy Just get rid of my periods because they are absolutely beyond excruciating. But with the incoming party I have been told by several endometriosis specialist that that's going to be more difficult moving forward. I'm not sure how this is going to play out in California versus Florida as I would expect it's going to be a little bit more difficult for the government to tackle them in the same way that Florida's just going to roll over for it. Any and all advice experience and input is greatly appreciated. Thank you all so much and if there is any other specialist that comes to mind that you know of that's highly skilled specifically in bowel endometriosis where every other highly specialized person within my area has said I will end up with a colostomy no matter what and that is what I'm trying to avoid please feel free to direct me in that direction. Thank you all 💙💙💙💙

I should add context. I've already met with Moawad. I live in Orlando and he opened a satellite office in Miami. We're looking at possibly booking a surgery date before the 20th of January with him due to the inauguration and things changing. I need my uterus removed. I asked all of these questions up front because I've been doing this a very long time. I'm unfortunately very used to working with surgeons. I'm sorry you didn't have a good experience. I know they can all be a bit frustrating. Did you see him in DC or Miami? Thank you so much for your feedback!

That would be me! I had the same issue only mine was really dangerous because I only have 7 inches of colon remaining from previous surgery. After that, everyone where I live locally wanted to just give me an ileostomy from the DEI endo covering the bowel and call it a day. Dr Moawad saved my intestines! That's why I saught him out. He was recommended to my husband at a biotech conference in Europe with some of the top physicians in the world. They said he was the guy, and we were shocked because we were already considering him, but had never mentioned the name and I don't live near him. My surgical experience with him in Miami was amazing. Everything was handled incredibly well. He found that my heart liver and bowel were all tethered together with extensive amounts of Endo. I had stage 4, and it was everywhere. We did a hysterectomy, but I kept my ovaries. We'll see how long they last? I had an abscess post surgery because I'm extremely complicated and my body over reacted. This was once was already back home. He managed my care though, he spoke to the surgeons in the ER at 3am and made sure to call directly everyday to go over my labs and test results. I can't recommend him enough. I called at 3am when they wanted to rush me into emergency surgery, he answered! Very caring doctor!

Oh wow im sorry to hear that happened from your surgery! Did they tell you something went wrong during the procedure to cause that? I just had a consult with Dr. Larish (the urologist) because Dr. Liu didnt haven't availability until March! I actually left the call feeling really good about him and Dr Liu, but still have a couple of more consults before I make a decision. He said that he would be following up with me so much post-op that I would start to get annoyed, so very interesting to hear the opposite! Thank you for sharing!

Would you be willing to share the cost of the surgery or at least how it is billed? I know it is out of network, but I'm curious because they use a team of three surgeons if you pay three separate surgeon fees in addition to whatever the hospital ends up charging. I just had a consult with Dr Larish last week and so far I am leaning towards using him and Dr Liu for my stage 4 d i e surgery, but I still have a few more consoles ahead of me.

Are you still going with Dr. Moawad in DC? He just did mine two weeks ago and I am THRILLED. Obviously don’t know about endo pain relief, but he has been the best doctor ever. This was my second lap and he said he was surprised just how much endo I had because of my previous surgery three years ago. He also said he “excised the hell out of it”, so my hopes are high! If you’re going through GW, I also had a great experience at GWUH! The discharge nurse was abominable and I told Dr. Moawad about her at my post op, but other than that it was fantastic. Advice: bring a blanket if you can because it’s FREEZING there. Wear really really loose sweatpants (I got joggers 2 sizes up so they didn’t squish my belly). Have whoever is taking you fill your meds while you’re in surgery so you don’t have to stop on the way home. Stock up on things to do (books, puzzles, cross stitch, coloring, whatever you’re into) because you’ll be laid up for a few days. Wash your sheets so your bed is nice and clean and cozy. I used a body pillow for keeping my shoulders elevated to reduce the gas pain and for sitting up in a chair, which I thought helped a lot. Walk as much as you’re able to but don’t push yourself! Also, if you want any other tips or have questions specific to Dr. Moawad or GW, I’m happy to answer/help in any way I can! Good luck!

Yes I love Dr. Moawad. I’m moving to Hawaii at the end of the year with my soon to be husband and I am planning on coordinating my visits to family in NJ with appointments with Dr. Moawad because he is the first doctor to actually tell me I had a problem and offer to help me. My first visit with him, I told him my history and how I had ablation and he said “why’d they butcher you?!” In that first visit he ordered the pelvic mri and blood tests, and was telling me to get geared up to do surgery. It took me 10 years of begging for my first surgery, and it took me 5 minutes of listening to get the second one😂 Honestly, I had a really positive outlook on my first surgery, but within 2 months my periods were worse than before (heavier, more painful, still irregular). I didn’t have high hopes for this surgery until I came out of it and had my post-op this past Tuesday. Dr. Moawad was like “I was surprised at how much I found and where I found it. But I excised the hell out of it!” When I was leaving he shook my hand and said “thanks for letting me take care of you!” and I broke down and sobbed! He’s the first doctor who’s acted like helping me was a privilege. I was blubbering when I left and I said you know, I’ve been dealing with this for 13 years and this is the first moment I feel understood and heard and validated. It means so much to me! So he pulled me into another room and we were talking about how he’s sick of having patients feel like they’re crazy or like there’s nothing that can be done to help them. He was like “I bet it took at least 10 years for your surgical diagnosis” and I said it took 10 years almost to the day. He was telling me it’s so common for women to say that to him and he’s so fed up with it. He said he thinks doctors who refuse to diagnose or misdiagnose should be punished! Dr. Moawad has really made it worth it. He actually listens, he explains without talking down, he came out of another surgery to see the shirt I had that said “I’m not ovary acting”, and he seriously has just made me feel like a priority. When I told him I couldn’t take birth control pills because of the weight gain and mood swings, he was like “say no more!” and didn’t try to force one on me anyway. I told him I was getting married in November and I’m not about to retain 15 pounds of water in the next three months. He said “oh perfect so now you can have a baby!” And when I said fuck no he laughed and said “okay but you’ll come back to me when you want to right?” He’s really just been phenomenal and I never want to lose him as a doctor 😂 The surgery itself took just around an hour. I got to the hospital at 8am for a 10am surgery time. They brought me up to the surgical floor around 8:15 and got me changed and hooked up to the IV within a half hour or so. My pre-op nurse was the best! Her name was Zhara and she was just the nicest. Between 8:45 and 10 Dr. Moawad, the anesthesiologist, the resident anesthesiologist, and the assistant OBGYN came around to do their pre-op checks and questions. The resident anesthesiologist and the assistant OBGYN took me to the OR at 9:59. Just before that they gave me some drugs through my IV and those hit INSTANTLY. I felt super tipsy and I was just like “this is some good shit Dr. Scott!” I remember I got into the OR, they were like “this is your surgical team there’s too many to name” so I was like “hi team!” Then they pulled me up next to the table, had me climb onto it, asked a few questions, put a mask over my face and gave me more IV meds, and I was out. I woke up FREEZING and in a lot of pain, but I was back asleep within maybe 45 seconds. They asked how I was and I just yelled “cold!” and they asked how my pain was and I just yelled “hurts!” because I was so out of it I couldn’t speak in full sentences. I was alone in the post-op “room” for a while, then they brought my parents up for discharge instructions. I had a really shitty discharge nurse and so she basically was like “all you have to do to leave is go to the bathroom you know...” like she was trying to rush me out. She left me alone to get dressed and I was really unsteady, so I felt kind of uncomfortable trying to get my clothes back on. She also left my IV in and nobody realized it until I was getting in the wheelchair to go down to my car and I said “should this still be in?”. She did tons of other shit too that is super bad and I’m still contemplating reporting her. My recovery has been pretty good! As of today I am 15 days out. It’s been slower than my first surgery, but this was more intense than ablation. I still can’t wear pants besides sweatpants because they push on my stomach and I’m still so swollen. My incisions have scabbed over and are healing really well. The first few days, my shoulders KILLED me, so I had to have my dad or sister scoop under my shoulders and lift me up out of bed. It felt like someone had cut my ab muscles and I couldn’t sit straight up, I kind of had to do a weird leg swinging roll out of bed (which is quite a pretty picture I’m sure!). I would say by day 4 I was back to 50% and by the 10 day mark I was probably at 80%. I’m still in just a small bit of pain and discomfort. I didn’t take the pain killers much because they didn’t really help, but after the first week I didn’t feel like I needed them anyway. I’m really hopeful for my future and obviously a very large part of that is Dr. Moawad. I also just have a way better feeling this time around and I trust that he got all of the endo he could see! And yes seriously, I know experiences are kind of universal, but it’s nice to have someone who’s seen the exact same doctor so recently! If you have any more questions definitely let me know! And sorry this post is long but I wanted to give you the full run down of my experience!

I would tell Dr. Moawad about the nurse if you’re comfortable with that. Half my post-op was me bitching about my nurse to him! Like I’m still probably gonna report my discharge nurse to the board of health, but he was livid when I mentioned what she did to me!! He said he’d let the charge nurse know, so I’m going to call the office Monday to see if there’s any update. And yeah I’ve been told if I exercise and lob off 20 pounds I won’t have any more pain. I’m tall, but I’m still a little overweight, so every doctor thinks if I slim down I’ll be much happier. But like, a lot of my stomach size is due to the bloating not my weight. Some days I wake up almost flat-stomached, some days I wake up with my stomach hanging out over my pants. Not much I can do in that department! And also, some days I can barely get out of bed or make it through work, how am I supposed to find the energy to exercise? My first surgeon told me I wouldn’t have endo too bad so I should be an easy case. He came out of it saying “how did you live for so long being so sick?!” Uhhh, because you wouldn’t do surgery on me you dumbass! I started seeing specialists at 12 years old and I had to fight for 9 years until they diagnosed me. My symptoms started at 11 so I went to the GYN and they did the “well it’s just your first few periods come back in 6 months if it still hurts.” And they never actually let me see a doctor, it was always a nurse practitioner which sucks!! My mom also had endo (she had a full hysterectomy in 1997) and she said that Dr. Moawad was the most phenomenal doctor she’s ever met including all the doctors she saw in the 70s-90s when she was dealing with it. She was like “I see why you chose him and I know he’s going to help you so much”. I’ve been so happy since my appointments with him started. I think back on all the things other doctors have said to me and it’s so crushing and defeating to have spent 12 years of my life fighting for substandard help and treatment. I’m so uplifted and so grateful that he heard me and was immediately like “let’s get some tests done so we can do surgery”. Like I didn’t have to beg, I didn’t have to explain myself, he just knew I needed help. And yes my fiancé is army. He’s at Fort Bragg right now but he has orders for Oahu in December!

Oh wow im sorry to hear that happened from your surgery! Did they tell you something went wrong during the procedure to cause that? I just had a consult with Dr. Larish (the urologist) because Dr. Liu didnt haven't availability until March! I actually left the call feeling really good about him and Dr Liu, but still have a couple of more consults before I make a decision. He said that he would be following up with me so much post-op that I would start to get annoyed, so very interesting to hear the opposite! Thank you for sharing!

Would you be willing to share the cost of the surgery or at least how it is billed? I know it is out of network, but I'm curious because they use a team of three surgeons if you pay three separate surgeon fees in addition to whatever the hospital ends up charging. I just had a consult with Dr Larish last week and so far I am leaning towards using him and Dr Liu for my stage 4 d i e surgery, but I still have a few more consoles ahead of me.

Oh wow im sorry to hear that happened from your surgery! Did they tell you something went wrong during the procedure to cause that? I just had a consult with Dr. Larish (the urologist) because Dr. Liu didnt haven't availability until March! I actually left the call feeling really good about him and Dr Liu, but still have a couple of more consults before I make a decision. He said that he would be following up with me so much post-op that I would start to get annoyed, so very interesting to hear the opposite! Thank you for sharing!

Would you be willing to share the cost of the surgery or at least how it is billed? I know it is out of network, but I'm curious because they use a team of three surgeons if you pay three separate surgeon fees in addition to whatever the hospital ends up charging. I just had a consult with Dr Larish last week and so far I am leaning towards using him and Dr Liu for my stage 4 d i e surgery, but I still have a few more consoles ahead of me.

Hi there! I ended up having excision surgery with Dr Gaby Moawad (then at GW, now unfortunately in private practice) and honestly it’s been life changing. My surgery was in Jan 2019 and while “full” recovery took well over a year, I’m now mostly back to what I used to do before I got sick. My periods are minimal and barely painful and though some things about my body will never be the same (I still struggle with fatigue and pelvic floor issues occasionally, and my energy levels will never be what they once were), I would wholeheartedly recommend surgery. I never saw Dr Simpson, so I really can’t say much about her. I never went through with a consult at Hopkins because I met Dr Moawad first and GW is significantly closer for me. I ended up having a follow up at GW in 2021 and saw Dr Acosta and Dr Marfori. They’re no longer at GW and are currently at INOVA Shirlington, which might be an option for your insurance? They are both excision surgeons though I don’t know how much of their practice is endo patients. Best of luck to you!! I’m so sorry that you’re going though this too💛

Oh man, I’m so sorry! I’ve been there and it is really rough, but don’t give up! I had my area’s “best endometriosis” gyno do an exploratory lap and he found “absolutely nothing”. I felt so damn defeated but with encouragement I went to a proper specialist for a second opinion. (Dr. Gaby Moawad helped me so quickly and efficiently. He is amazing, so knowledgeable and was the first doc who I felt completely safe and in confident with. He is so knowledgeable and kind. He is in the DC area for anyone interested in checking him out, I highly recommend him. On YouTube there is a Endometriosis summit video featuring him about bowel endo, sorry can’t link) Anyhow he identified it immediately through questions, looking at my first lap photos, and it felt like he already knew so much about my experience with pain and where it was in my pelvis. We already had a game plan before surgery because he did an MRI to map it all out, and asked incredibly thorough questions. And once I had the surgery it was just how he thought it would be. I had masses of adhesions from endo as well as adenomyosis that caused constant pain. I had DIE on my bowel, it caused wicked digestive troubles for me. Anyhow I just want to encourage you to keep searching. Get the right care and the help tht you deserve! Find docs who listen to you! Sadly it takes research and a very qualified specialist sometimes. And if it is not endo they should absolutely be able to help you identify what it is. Like others have said, there are a slew of issues that could be causing the discomfort. Best of luck, I hope you find the right path to a pain free future. (Or at least way less pain!)

I am so sorry you’re dealing with this, it is so so frustrating. When I had my first diagnostic lap with a gyno he found nothing. I woke up from surgery and asked right away if they found it, the doc was there and he said “nope! Nothing wrong at all!” I actually started crying because obviously something was wrong, the level of chronic and acute pain I was experiencing was not normal! The nurse said to me “why are you crying this is good news! You don’t want endometriosis, it’s a horrible disease!” Which just infuriated me, because nothing happened that was going to relieve my pain and I still felt so far away from answers. I felt rushed out, and at the follow up the doc told me he was 99% sure it was nerve related and there was nothing structurally wrong with me. I felt so lost and disheartened. I pursued a second opinion with a specialist. I took the pictures I was given from the first lap and got an appointment with a specialist (Dr Gaby Moawad in DC area). He looked at the pictures, and identified endo. He asked so many very thorough questions. He validated and understood the pain that I was experiencing. He ordered an MRI which conclusively diagnosed endo and adenomyosis (first doc never even mentioned this as a possibility). I went in for an exam and to review the MRI I had brought on disc, and had an excision surgery/hysterectomy set up for the following week. From the time I called for an appointment to the time I had surgery was just under a month. It was a whirlwind, but it also was amazing to be seen by an actual specialist whose confidence and knowledge was so reassuring and evident. It was costly, but it was worth it to me. When all the dust had settled I was so angry at the first gyno who talked a good talk, but ended up knowing very little. I learned a lot through that process. I regretted not seeing a specialist from the get go as I had seen recommended here before. Unfortunately our experiences are a common problem in the endo world. Here’s the thing- maybe you don’t have endo/adeno and there is another issue going on. But I believe a second opinion (with a legit specialist) is critical to identify if it is endo or another issue. Hopefully then you will finally have more answers and a path towards healing! Don’t give up OP! I wish answers and relief for you, and all the good luck!

I love Dr Moawad! He has performed 2 surgeries for me, at about 15,000 each. I had a great experience with him, he really listened to me and took all of my concerns seriously. Very compassionate and incredibly knowledgeable. Also, we were able to schedule surgery very quickly which I very much appreciated. It’s expensive but he is a very skilled surgeon. Also, I’m not up for elaborating on why I had to have 2 surgeries at this very moment (haven’t gotten my coffee yet:) but if you have questions feel free to ask!