Dr. Chandra Spring-Robinson

I am so sorry you are going through this, endo is awful! Excision is the gold standard for endo, not ablation, so you definitely are on the right track with finding a new doctor. In San Diego, Dr Spring-Robinson is absolutely amazing!! She was my surgeon and the best doctor I have ever seen and highly skilled in diagnosing and treating endo the right way.

Dr Spring Robinson is the best Dr I have ever seen in my life. She is incredible. I know that her office is very busy because she is one of the leading Endo Specialists, but it is well worth the wait to see her. It is critical to see an OBGYN that specializes in endometriosis, is MIGS certified, and has performed hundreds of surgeries. Just a regular OBGYN is not sufficient to treat this disease. I also found it very helpful to educate myself about endo-the book “Heal Endo” by Katie Edmonds was really great and helpful in my endo journey. I wild also encourage research on ablation vs excision. Excision is the gold standard in treating this disease.

Have you had your surgery yet? I just had my first appointment with her and what a breath of fresh air that has been! The specialist I was previously seeing at UCSD said I was not a good candidate for surgery because my "endometrioma was very small," and did not even mention the possibility of adhesions or scarring as other potential root causes for the chronic debilitating pain I've been experiencing for over a year. I've been on a few different estrogen blocking/reducing meds since February without much relief. Medications may help with slowing endo progression, but they won't help with pain from adhesions or scarring! I think the soonest I can have surgery with her is in November (after some more imaging, of course). I'm so looking forward to starting the new year as a free range human being :')

This makes me so happy to hear, and it means a lot to know that you are still pleased with the results a year later after surgery. I had a tentative surgery date for end of January next year but the surgery coordinator called me last week and asked if I would be interested in having the surgery this month on the 16th instead. I started gross crying tears of joy, I’ve been couch/bed bound for over a year and the pain has recently started to get worse. I can count on one hand the number of times I have left the apartment for something other than doctor’s appointments in the past 16 months (car rides are so painful and make me want to throw up). I was seeing an endo specialist who practices as a reproductive endocrinologist before my urologist referred me to Dr. Spring-Robinson. The endo specialist I was seeing before is considered the “guru of endo,” and wanted to try less invasive measures before considering surgery, which seems sensible. I was dead set on surgery when I first met hi

The surgery was a great success! I’m still waiting for her operative report to know the full extent of the findings. Long story short, I was diagnosed as stage 3. Dr. Spring-Robinson feels confident that she was able to get all of the endo lesions excised. I had a TON of scar tissue, my right ovary was attached to my uterus, and a nearby bowel was adhered to my uterus… and my ovary was pinned between the uterus and bowel. She took care of those issues as well.

Much better, besides the residual fatigue I feel just about normal again. I’m getting closer to my normal weight (wasn’t able to eat much before because of nausea).My hips hardly bother me any more (an d haven’t for a month or so). I walked over 10,000 steps in a single day last week and didn’t get crampy afterwards (but was pretty tired the next couple of days). I will become crampy for a week or more if I don’t take norethindrone acetate on time and if I don’t stick with an anti-inflammatory diet (I missed a dose by 2 hours around the holidays). I sometimes experience PTSD when I feel crampy (from diet or even digestive cramps) since I was in really rough shape for a long time before meeting Dr. Spring-Robinson.

Feel free to message me! My endo surgeon was Dr. Chandra Spring-Robinson in San Diego, she is too-notch. I’m a little over 5 months post-op and still feeling amazing. I stopped norethindrone acetate a few weeks ago since it was starting to make me crampy and spot for over a month. My period started 3 days after stopping and it was the easiest period I’ve ever had. Flow was much lighter than before, cramps were minimal (maybe reached a 3-4/10 pain-wise, which was a nice change from the 7-8/10 I was used to). The hardest part is getting my endurance back to speed since the endo left me disabled for a year and a half, but it’ll happen sooner than later!

Seriously, look into her. She found stage 2 Endo 2 years after my hysterectomy/excision surgery because the last surgeon missed some. She was so much better at surgery, I think her methods are better, and she uses Lidocaine in the abdomen to help healing pain. It was a game changer!! No other doctor had done that. She also uses anmioflex to help stop inflammation and bowel reattaching to places. It's supposed to be very helpful for Endo. She knows alot about endometriosis and she is the only doctor that REALLY cares. She took me seriously the second I sat down. You do have to wait pretty long st her appointments though. Each time I wait an hour or two sometimes after my appt to see her. But it's because she's GOOD and spends time with her patients. Like a doctor should so I accept it. All of us here deserve that time to be heard so I'll take a wait time. Even if you have to travel she is worth it.

Dr Spring-Robinson is my Dr also, and i had my 1st appointment with her early January. We went over my history and symptoms, and then she did an exam. I'm estimated a Stage 4. She had me schedule an ultrasound and MRI (which took some time to get scheduled). I had my follow-up for results last Thursday, and I was called Friday to schedule the surgery and will have the surgery in mid-April. She didn't just read the MRI report she also looked at the images herself to confirm the results. I have a history of medical gaslighting and was super nervous about the first appointment. She did her best to make me feel relaxed and was great at explaining the process to me. I wish I had written everything down before I went, but that was more for my benefit.

Hi OP! I just had my surgery today, so I just wanted to give you some info before I forgot in case you go the surgery direction. I did my surgery at the del mar location of scripps, and it was a super easy process for check-in and pre-op. The team of nurses I had were amazing. I seriously could not have asked for better. I was the AM patient, and my surgery went a little long, so I didn't get to talk to Dr Spring-Robinson after, but she did talk to my husband, who waited there. I woke up with the catheter still in, which seems to be the hospitals normal but it was a surprise for me so wanted to mention it .

Wanted to check in to see how you're doing! I had my follow up yesterday which I was really nervous for since the ultrasound tech said she didn't see anything. Dr S-R said that's totally normal and we are proceeding with surgery anyways - I schedule that on Tuesday. She said there will be four incisions, belly button, left and right side of it, and another further on my left side. Guessing 2 &1/2 hours with a 2 week recovery time (she said it could be 4 weeks but is guessing I will feel well enough to work after 2)

If you happen to live in the San Diego area check our Dr Chandra Spring-Robinson. She basically diagnosed me within 5 minutes of meeting me. I do have a family history of it, irregular periods, pain throughout my cycle and not just during my periods, and have been unsuccessful at getting pregnant after trying for a year and a half so that might have played a role in it but I had my first appointment with her less than a month ago and I schedule my surgery to explore/remove it today. I have heard that finding a doctor like this is practically unheard of since no one seems to take period pain seriously.

I did! I had it July 15th (it could have been sooner but I pushed it back because there were a few things I wanted to do before the surgery). She will definitely take care of your concerns about adhesions and scarring. She mentioned that I had a TON of that. She was the first doctor I went to where my endo was my main concern (everywhere else it was a concern but I was there for either my depression or fertility and the possibility of having endo was just something I mentioned). With that being said I only really remember these few things: Diagnosed stage 3 My operation took 3x longer than most A lot of it was on my bowels She had to mess around with my ovaries a lot which is why I felt like crying at nothing for almost two months. My only issue is my pelvic floor therapy referral was sent to the wrong location and with my insurance it took 47 days to get approved at the right location and they can’t see me until December 19th, that’s five months and four days after my lap. I

Recommendations pls Hi all, it’s been a while since I posted, but that’s because I went down a long, horrible rabbit hole with other providers (PCPs, GI docs, ENTs) that has led to no more answers than I had before. It’s been months since I last had an appointment with my old endo specialist (Dr. Chandra Spring-Robinson) and let me just say her office SUCKS. I thought she was so great on the first appointment, but it turns out she was just reeling me in for money. After that first appointment, she stopped listening to anything I had to say, and refused to let me in on her medical decisions regarding MY medical care. She did a hysteroscopy for absolutely no reason after wrongfully diagnosing me with severe endo after only a pelvic exam, and refused to allow me a more detailed scan outside of just repeated bullshit ultrasounds that obviously showed nothing other than obvious lumps (plus swelling) all over my right ovary. After that, she stopped responding to me and I never heard anything more about it, so I have no idea what’s going on in there. It’s been months, and i’ve only gotten worse. My PCP can’t do anything more for me, but he was able to find out that I have leukopenia and a few other secondary issues to a primary condition that he couldn’t find yet (he looked in my chest, heart, and liver trying to see if it could be lymphoma based on symptoms). He suggested cancer, that would be in late stages considering my long list of symptoms, and sent me off back to my GI doc and OB to get them to look deeper than he was able to. Problem is, my GI doc is struggling to figure out how to work around a colonoscopy as my body is too weak to be cleaned out (i’m less than 100lbs at 23 yrs old and still losing weight), and Dr Spring-Robinson refuses to answer my calls or call me back. I try calling her office, and all i get is voicemail during their open hours, and even when I do rarely reach a person they say they’ll take a message only to turn around and never give it to

I had it yesterday and the exam was so horrible that it literally sent me into my period a week and a half early… She is so all over the place every single time I see her, if they didn’t have the best rated surgical procedures in the area I would 100% leave. She did let me update her on my symptoms though this time which I appreciated, and she actually remembered me which was surprising. She just always makes me feel so much anxiety because it feels like she doesn’t believe me just based on how she talks, but i think that’s just how she is honestly. Have you had a lap with her yet? They’re going to be going looking into my diaphragm, colon, and ovaries during mine according to her

Ohhh I see, well I wish you luck with Dr. Tsai! Im pretty sure I worked with her husband who was the medical director at a local animal hospital, and he was always talking about how proud he is of his wife who ran OB at scripps. I’ve had a lot of my care done with scripps, and despite there being a few issues with receptionists which happens with really any place you go, they have been awesome. Robinson is definitely scary, and she’s very straightforward with everything. Kinda makes me think there’s more going on in her head honestly. When I first saw her she told me I had signs of cancer, just absolutely blurted it out at me with no further explanation other than “we’ll do tests”. It terrified me, and I still haven’t had a full explanation to this day! My PCP suspects cancer as a possibility as well tho, but she’s been so much more kind and gentle about it all. My lap consult was for the laparoscopic surgery that they do for endometriosis. It’s the only way that endometriosis can be

Hi did you have your lap consult with spring Robinson today? I also had a horrible experience with her recently. I also felt like I was an other number. She didn’t ask any questions. Just said to do the ultra sound. Bed side manners were horrible and the pelvic exam she performed was so painful I cried

I have only been to her once and it was because my integrative medicine doctor and physical therapist think I have symptoms. She honestly scares me. She has this glazed look in her eyes and I didn’t think she even asked nearly enough questions. I dk she made me feel very uncomfortable and she didn’t warm about the pelvic exam like others do. The whole “lots of lube” “pressure” warnings are appreciated. No she just rammed everything in. It baffles me that she could be so rough with women who are likely in extreme pain. I don’t even know what a lap exam is. What is that? Sorry. Totally new to this possibility. I got an appointment with Dr lily Tsai at Scripps. She was recommended by my same doctor after I told her about my experience.

Oh no :( that sucks! I hate insurance so much. She was fine! She wants me to get a pelvic MRI done. I did give Spring Robinson a second shot and got both a second consult and the ultrasound done at her office. She said I have adenomyosis. Tsai said she wants me to get an MRI to confirm that so now im just kind of bouncing back and forth. Spring Robinson was way better for our second consult so it gave me a tiny bit more trust... tiny!

Sore and achy but not too bad. The day of surgery was rough but mainly because I was throwing up from the anesthesia. She gave me a protocol of ibuprofen and Tylenol that I have been following and only needed to take an oxytocin last night otherwise breakthrough pain was limited. If I am being honest the breakthrough pain was no worse than the pain I have already been experiencing from endo. I know someone else that had her second surgery with Spring-Robinson and when she found out that was who was doing my surgery she said she was the best. My doctors office also said she is the best robotic surgeon for endo in San Diego so I knew I was in good hands.

Hi! I just wanted to thank you again. I saw Dr. Spring-Robin this morning (I can’t believe I waited months for a different specialist) and she is amazing! Luckily I got my MRI, started pelvic floor therapy and saw other specialists I was referred to so we weren’t starting from point zero. I have a surgery on 7/2! I wouldn’t have found her otherwise, I appreciate your comment so much ♥️

Hey,! My surgery’s was moved up to June. She got allll the endo out (it took longer than expected) and the recovery wasn’t too bad. Six months out and the endo pain is gone, although the ic prevails. Would recommend DSP for her expertise, amazing bedside matter, and wonderful staff.

I realize this is from 2 months ago, but I thought I'd share my experience in case you're still seeking input.  I live in Orange County California and started seeing a pelvic floor PT in Encinitas last August who connected me to Dr. Spring-Robinson in La Jolla (covered by my Anthem Blue Shield PPO). She's the first gynecologist who took the time to listen to me and tell me "I think you have endometriosis." I'm forever grateful to her for that. I didn't have a great experience with her practice though, and for a variety of reasons, I decided to go with a different surgeon. I ended up having my surgery done by gyn-onc, Dr. Vasilev, who I found through the i Care Better website. He was out of network, but he has a team of patient advocates who work for him and serve as a liaison between insurance companies and patients. They essentially make the case that he is the only doctor that is able to do the necessary surgery. I was approved for GAP insurance and Dr. Vasilev was approved to do

I replied to another comment on this post to agree that Dr. Spring Robinson in Encinitas is an excellent gynecologist. (I was originally referred to her by the first pelvic floor physical therapist I saw). I'm seeing a different PFPT now who is a bit closer to me (located in Orange County), and at different points she has mentioned some gynecologists in the area who are familiar with endo. I thought I'd also mention them in case traveling to Encinitas isn't an option for you: - Dr. Sadikah Behbehani in Newport Beach. I have no personal experience with her, but my PT seemed to think highly of her. - Dr. Mark Winters in Irvine. Again, I have no personal experience with him, but my PT has had good things to say. Though my PT recently mentioned he is retiring soon, so he might not be taking new patients.  I hope you are able to find a provider that you feel safe with, who takes your concerns seriously, and can bring you some relief. <3