"I got my period when I was 10 years old. From then on, my cycles were debilitating. I would take the strongest dose of ibuprofen just to be able to function. Doctors told me I just had painful periods and to get used to it. So, I kept quiet & dealt with it.
Fast forward to last spring- 21 year old me. I got a heavy period that lasted for 5 months. I started having severe abdominal pain, & wound up in the ER multiple times. On one visit, a nurse berated me for not getting checked out sooner- she said I was dangerously close to needing a blood transfusion.
Desperate to stop the bleeding, I finally saw a gynecologist. She told me I was fat and that if I just lost weight everything would go back to normal. I left in tears, embrassed, with birth control. I was constantly throwing up from pain, & the birth control did not stop my bleeding.
So, I saw another gynecologist who said I probably had endometriosis. Then came my first surgeries. He found endo during the lap, and he also performed a D&C/ ablation. My bleeding finally ceased thanks to the hysteroscopy, but my pain got substantially worse. The gyno put Mirena in & told me to take Orilissa. He said the endo was “only Stage 2” and I would be better soon. I went back 2 weeks after the IUD placement with awful cramping- this was when he told me he couldn’t treat me anymore, that I don’t handle pain well. More tears. In the mean time, I had a colonoscopy & endoscopy. They found grade D esophagitis due to frequent vomiting & GERD thanks to my constant use of NSAIDs, but couldn’t pin point my bowel problems.
Finally, this year, I found a specialist. Now, I’m recovering from extensive excision surgery & an appendectomy. I had Stage 4 endometriosis on nearly all of my abdominal organs. My bowels were fused to my cervix along with my uterus & rectum, explaining my stomach issues. My bladder was covered with endo; the lesions went all the way up to my liver. My ovaries were twisted and glued behind my uterus & there were cysts wrapped around my tubes.
More than a bad period.
This journey isn’t easy, but I’m grateful for answers & validation. Keep fighting the treatment you deserve & remember you’re not alone💛”
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