Endometriosis: My Story

Hello! I hope you're well.

Lads, brace yourself for a pretty personal health post that I've wanted to write for a long time.

Periods?! Amirite? A pain in the ass, well, vagina If we're being technical. And ass. Everywhere actually. I started my period when I was 11 years old. I was one of the first of my friends to start and I felt a total bad-ass. For a few years my periods were 'normal' I experienced slight cramping and discomfort, but nothing extreme.

When I was around 14 years old, periods started to become a nuisance in my life. What once made me feel grown up as a woman, was now becoming something I was dreading every single month. The pain seemed to get more intense every time. I remember sometimes I would be sat in school on those ridiculous plastic chairs, wriggling around trying to find a position to sit in that would offer a moment of relief from the pain. One day in fact the pain got so intense that I flipped my shit. I walked into my IT class, someone said hi to me and for some reason, that was the tipping point. I walked out of class, walked straight out of school and walked home. As soon as I got home I curled up on my mum's bed, tears flowing down my cheeks as I frantically scrambled around to find a way to soothe the pain. I didn't have a hot water bottle handy, so stupidly I filled up an empty juice bottle with boiling water, and laid on top of it until I eventually fell asleep (do not advise)

From then on whenever I've had a period my life was, and still is, a never ending story of vice-like period pains, stabbing pains in my lower abdomen, shaking legs (sadly not in a good way if ya kno what I'm sayin'), sore back, sore hips, crying, nausea, pain after sex, pain going to the toilet... the list goes on.

Journey to diagnosis:

I was sat at my Dad's house talking to him and my Step Mum about the pain I go through every month. I knew that my step mum had been through issues with her periods so I thought I'd seek advice. I remember her saying 'has anyone ever talked to you about Endometriosis?'

I had never heard the word before! I'd been to see countless different doctors and the general message I received was that I just didn't have a high tolerance for pain. After hearing the symptoms from my step mum, who also had Endometriosis, I decided it was time to step back into the doctor's office and get some answers.

I told the doctor about my chat with my step mum and weirdly, a smile washed over her face as she said:

'You're too young for Endometriosis. I mean, I'll test you if you're absolutely insisting. But I can say I'm certain it isn't that'

I was referred to my gynaecologist and we starting planning an assortment of tests. First I had an ultrasound. Which is an external scan done over your stomach, like when someone is pregnant. Ultrasounds very rarely pick up Endometriosis, so that came back clear. Then I had an internal scan. This one was obviously a little more invasive than the ultrasound. They take a long wand, cover it with a condom and some lube, and they insert it into your vagina. As they're doing that, you're laying on a bed with a TV monitor in front of you. They then showed both of my ovaries on screen, it was pretty cool to see! Sadly though, this scan also struggles to detect Endometriosis so the results were clear. Eventually I was scheduled for a diagnostic Laparoscopy, which is performed under general aesthetic. They make an incision in your belly button, and then another incision just above where your underwear line would sit. They fill your abdomen with gas and they have a lil' dig around looking for signs of Endometriosis.

I woke up from my operation and my surgeon came to see me. She told me I have Endometriosis on my left ovary. I felt a weird mixture of sadness and relief. Sad because I knew that this was something I'd have to learn to live with, as there is no cure for Endo. Then I felt relief that I finally had confirmation that the pain was real, that it wasn't all in my head.

Since that surgery I've been through a range of different treatments to 'manage' the pain. I am currently waiting for another Laparoscopy where hopefully the Endometriosis deposits will be removed. Removing the Endometriosis is a temporary relief from pain. Unfortunately, it is very likely that it'll come back.

Remember: If you're worried about your periods, talk to your doctor about Endometriosis or any other reproductive conditions. Don't let them tell you it 'can't be' what is causing your pain. Stand your ground and make sure they test further, don't let things go unnoticed. You know your body better than anyone. If you feel like something is wrong, push for answers.

1 in 10 women suffer with Endometriosis. Symptoms include:

• Pain from my mid-abdomen and lower back, that radiates down my legs and up to the bottom of my ribs.
• Stabbing ovulation pain in lower abdomen and down my leg.
• Bloating.
• Pain that stops me from doing normal activities. Pain that stopped me working or going to see friends etc.
• Pain when going to toilet/being constipated before and during my period.
• Nausea/vomiting due to pain.
• Feeling faint or dizzy.
• Fatigue/general lack of energy.
• Symptoms similar to IBS.
  

I wrote this open article about my experience so far to reach out to anyone who is suffering with Endometriosis, or anyone who is worried that their periods aren't normal. If you feel like you want to talk about anything please feel free to reach out to me on Twitter through either a tweet or a DM.

Find me on Twitter: @gmmlsknny