Don't give up hope

My life with endometriosis began when I started high school, though I didn't know it.  Some of my other friends had been having pain when they got their periods, so I had just thought that my pain was normal. What I hadn't realised was that mine was actually 10 times more severe than theirs.  After high school, my pain began to ease.  It wasn't until I was 28 that it returned with a vengeance. The pain was crippling. I would huddle up in bed for days unable to go to work. 

I was so annoyed and upset one day that I ended up going to my local GP who referred me to a Gynaecologist. She was wonderful. One scan and there it was. Endometriosis and fibroids. We arranged to have a laparoscopy to clean it all out.

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.

Fertility and emotional wellbeing 

When I was diagnosed with endometriosis it came as quite a shock. I had regular periods and did not suffer significantly from period pain, so the diagnosis of stage 4 endometriosis following surgery to remove a cyst from one of my ovaries was quite unexpected.

What followed for me was a whirlwind of experiences and emotions, especially as I was informed that this could affect my fertility. I was engaged and looking forward to getting married and having children, but the advice from my specialist to start trying for a family immediately was something neither my partner nor I were ready for. I was only thirty and I had thought we still had plenty of time to decide when to have children.

Have hope 

In telling my personal endometriosis story, I would like to give hope to young women suffering from endometriosis.

I am now 56 years old, but when I was 22 years of age, I had been suffering severely painful and debilitating periods for some time. After being married at 25 and not being able to fall pregnant by the time I turned 26, my local GP began investigative procedures. I was referred to a gynaecologist/obstetrician (who specialised in infertility) who, after performing a simple laparoscopy (keyhole surgery), diagnosed widespread endometriosis and multiple adhesions on my ovaries, fallopian tubes, and bowel.

A name at last 

Like many women, my periods were never a pleasant experience. At times I would suffer mild period pain but at other times, the pain was incredible. I consulted my doctor when I was 20 and was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome, then later, spastic colon.

Investigate further 

My endometriosis began as a teenager, though I didn't know it at the time. Throughout secondary school, I would have one day off a month because of cramps. I went to the doctor, but was told I was just one of those young women who happened to get bad cramps, and that it was manageable with over-the-counter treatments.

As the years went on, I can remember feeling as though I was some kind of hypochondriac. Having one day off a month meant I used up all my sick days every year, and would have to take unpaid or annual leave when I was 'really' sick. I lied about why I couldn't come to work - no one would believe my period pain was bad enough to warrant a sick day. But the truth was that I was doubled over in severe pain. The pain would radiate down my thighs and up my back, and I had diarrhoea and bowel problems.