endometriosis awareness month: my story
for those that don't know what endometriosis is. endometriosis is a chronic meaning long term disease where the endometrium tissue that is in the lining of the uterus grows outside of the uterus. doctors still do not know what causes this to happen. there are a few theories but it is not 100% accurate. symptoms may include chronic pelvic pain at anytime not just during a women's period. painful cramps during a period, fatigue, heavy or prolonged bleeding,painful intercourse, gastrointestinal issue, and infertility. some women do not experience any symptom but have fertility issues which may be caused by endometriosis. there is no cure unfortunately but it can be managed by pain killers, hormones, and surgery. but everyone suffers in silence differently.
for me i had these issues since i was eleven years old. i would have debilitating cramps and heavy bleeding only during my periods. the pain would be so bad i would either have to stay home or if i started at school i had to call out because i could not function or move. i would be bedridden for three days and then once my period ended i was able to go back to my daily activities.
flash forward to when i was 17 years old. i was having the worst cramps ever during my period. i was sweating really bad the nausea intensified and i just could not move. my dad wanted to give him a hug and i had to slowly get out of bed and walk very slowly to my dad. then the pain became so severe i started to feel light headed and weak. i ended up leaning against the wall and told my dad to not come near me. so my dad picked me up to his car and took me to the ER.
they did some blood work and of course did a pregnancy test which at that time i wasn't dating anybody yet because my parents are strict about me dating so.blood work was normal and of course the pregnancy test was negative. so they did a ct scan and found a bunch of cysts on both of my ovaries. the PA said they looked kinda polycystic and advised me to see a gynecologist to be put on bc. they gave me 800 mg ibuprofen and a doctors note for my teacher for i couldn't go back to school for a couple of days.
a year later i saw my lady doctor and was put on bc and when i had my period. i was still experiencing debilitating cramps and heavy bleeding. then i started to have GI issues. to where i was constipated for more than a month. i tried stool softeners and espoms salt and drank a lot of water. in my house we had nothing but healthy and high fiber foods. that still did not help. then i started to loose a bunch of weight. so we scheduled any appointment with our GP who ordered a bunch of test which all came back negative. so he referred me to a GI doctor who did an endoscopy and colonoscopy on me to check for inflammation or crohns. and i was clear. so he diagnosed me with IBS and perscribed me some medication. which it did not help at all. a couple months later i was dealing with upper GI issues. i was having really bad chest pain that i was screaming in pain. my dad took me back to the ER again. they ran some tests all were once again normal. the doctor diagnosed me with GERD and wrote me a high dose of nexium and sent me on my way. i was still dealing with constant pain and i was loosing a lot more weight. so my parents thought it was all the medications. so i detoxed the nexium, stopped taking my ibs meds, and switched to a different bc. and i was still in pain.
so i saw a different lady doctor and i told her what was going on and brought up of it possibly being endometriosis. she was so nice and caring she listened to me and said she was going to help me. ran some tests because i was sexually active at that point 18 years old and everything came back normal. no infections or hpv. she did an ultrasound and i had one tiny cyst. so she have me try seasonique to see if it can help relieve my symptoms of endometriosis if not she was going to do the surgery for me. the only way for a diagnosis for endometriosis is a minimal invasive surgery called the laparoscopy. because there is no blood work or scans that can see the lesions or scar tissue.
so i tried it and it still didn't help the painful periods and bleeding it made it worse. and sex was still painful. which caused a strain and which my partner cheated on me. he couldn't handle my situation and since i would be in so much pain during and after sex his insecturties took over. hence the lying and cheating. ass hole. anyway, my insurance expired so i could no longer see my doctor or keep taking my bc. so i had to deal with the constant pain for four years.
i am 25 years old now, and my new doctor has scheduled me to get the surgery on march 20th. because she tried me on progesterone and physical therapy to see if can help and avoid surgery. unfortunately it did not help. i can finally get some answers to my pain. i also have a condition called pcos and yes you can have both endometriosis and pcos.i need help though. my insurance does not cover all the expense for my surgery. http://www.gofundme.com/nl0d2gplease go fund me so i can get the opportunity to live a better quality of life. the only way for a diganosis is this surgery and i have and is still dealing with constant pain. please share and donate maybe 5 or ten dollar a day i need to reach my goal before march 20th. thanks =D
