My experience with endometriosis

Did you know that roughly 1 in 10 women suffer from endometriosis? I didn’t, until I turned 18 and finally had an answer to my excruciating pain that others seemed to not understand. Leaving school every month in indescribable pain, making a mess of my clothes no matter how much I tried to stop it, blacking out because my body couldn’t handle the pain anymore. Month by month, from the age of 12, the pain grew in intensity, and nobody could give me an answer until I was an adult.

What is endometriosis?

Endometriosis is a disorder in which tissue similar to the tissue that lines the uterus grows outside the uterus in places where it doesn't belong.

Did you know?

Did you know that endometriosis affects approximately 1 in 10 women, but this number could be much higher due to lack of adequate care in the field of women’s health?

Did you know that endometriosis takes on average 4-11 years to be diagnosed from the onset of symptoms? For years, most women are told to “suck it up”, “stop being dramatic”, and “it’s all in your head”, until they finally receive a surgery that diagnoses the condition.

Endometriosis may cause…

🩸severe pain

🩸infertility

🩸abnormal, heavy, and/or irregular 🩸🩸🩸

🩸fatigue

🩸gastrointestinal issues like diarrhea, constipation

🩸painful bowel movements

🩸nausea

🩸pelvic pain

The science around the condition is all relatively new, thanks to the fact that women’s issues are often overlooked by the medical field and we aren’t taken seriously.

What can be done to ease the symptoms?

This is a tricky one. In my experience, not much helps. Applying heat, taking OTC pain medication, hot baths, massages, nothing works. Usually I just writhe around and cry in pain until it stops, about a day or so later, coming in serious waves similar to labor contractions (yes, I’ve given birth). I’ve had one laparoscopic surgery so far, which is a procedure where they use gas to inflate your abdominal cavity and they use tools to burn out the endometriosis tissue. It’s not fun. It didn’t do much in the way of helping the symptoms. I’ve tried birth control such as pills and the IUD, both of which made my pain much more intense.

I haven’t had a period in over two years because I got pregnant and have been breastfeeding. It is yet to return, and I’m grateful I have a little break from the excruciating pain… but when it returns, I am afraid. My only tip is to give yourself grace when the pain hits. Let yourself rest. Chronic illnesses are no joke.

My advice? If you have the symptoms listed above, talk to your gynecologist. If they don’t take it seriously, find another. Then another. Then another. Don’t stop until you find a doctor who is willing to help you, even if it’s strenuous. Your health matters.

#HealthTips #lemon8challenge #endometriosis #endometriosisawareness #womenshealth