Get all the Tests

I, like many of the other stories on this website, never knew I had endometriosis.

Growing up I had painful, heavy periods and my family wrote it off as "part of being a woman". I never mentioned it to my OBGYN because I thought the pain was normal.
 
One Saturday I was on my way to the grocery store and I had debilitating pain in my stomach. I was two weeks away from my period. I ended up in the emergency room where a transvaginal and normal ultrasound were performed as well as a CT scan. I was sent home with pain meds and asked to consult my OBGYN. I was told that a cyst had burst and I had adenomyosis.

The next week I saw my OBGYN who was shocked that signs of endometriosis had shown up on the CT scan. She immediately referred me to a surgeon and sent me for an MRI. Not much was shown on the MRI except a small mass near the bowel. The surgeon suggested a laparoscopy to remove the endometriosis.
 
The one and a half hour laparoscopic surgery turned in to a three and a half hour major ordeal. I ended up having a laparotomy. Once the surgeon was in and had removed what he considered was all the endometriosis, he went to look at what the small mass (that was on the MRI). He discovered a tennis ball sized endometriosis mass between my bowel and colon.
 
I am currently recovering from surgery. I can't imagine what would have happened if my OBGYN had not ordered that MRI and if the surgeon hadn't been curious enough to investigate the "small mass" it showed.
 
Ladies, please urge your doctors to run all the tests they need to, and don't be afraid of them. You know your body better than anyone else and if something is wrong find a doctor, surgeon, or a good hospital that will investigate the problem properly. If you live in a small town, head to a big city. I am lucky to live near one of the best hospitals in the country, and have amazing doctors that listen.
 
I wish the best for you.

Content updated December 16, 2008