My journey through the public health system (Aus) with Esmeralda, my dermoid cyst.
I have known for a while something wasn’t right with my health. Blood tests, showed nothing. My PMS got worse and worse, I got really tired, just figured i was getting old. Eventually, I got cramps so bad I couldn’t speak, breathe or anything. It passed a little and i was able to text my boyfriends “HELP” He saw it shortly after and came running and provided me everything I asked for; a warm wheat bag and some over the counter pain pills. My knight in shining armour, if you will. Getting such horrible symptoms I decided to turn to the only place I could on a weekend..... the internet. I am a member of a group on facebook called “lady parts” it was set up by an old housemate and it is a private group, a safe space for woman to talk freely. I took to the group and asked if anyone had experienced PMS getting worse as they got older. A myriad of suggestions and experiences were offered and it all lead to the same end point...... DOCTORS! So I did it, I booked a docs appointment, it was a few days away but i didnt think much of it. I had already had blood tests, they had been negative. Surely this was nothing and I would be put back on the pill maybe to level me out a bit and it would all be fine.