Monday 19 July 2010

Endometriosis-My Story.





Suffering with Endometriosis is a long and painful journey. I have always had Endometriosis although I didn't know that was what it was at first. As a teenager aged fourteen I would faint when my period came and throw up. Every month I would spend day 1 of my cycle rolling about in agony in bed, my legs and tummy cramped and bloated. Most women suffer from cramps and bloating but what Endometreosis brings is hellish. Once when I was about 15 i was staying at a friends house I sat at the top of her stairs holding my stomach praying for the pain to stop when the next thing I knew her Dad was standing over me. Her whole family was there all looking horrified. I was spralled out across the hall carpet, I could have broken my neck. I'd fallen face first down the stairs, a huge friction burn all across my face.


My family got used to it, a local shop called my Dad one morning I'd fainted in the street on the way to school. Casually he swung by in his car, put me on the back seat and took me home for another days agony. I never really thought that anyone else believed the amount of pain I was in every month or understood the mental effects. Always knowing every month suddenly on a unknown day I would be hit by a crippling pain for about twelve hours. While I was in the grips of the pain every month I would think my life was awful, that I'd rather be dead than go through this every month for the rest of my life...I thought about asking for a hysterectomy so I could just get on with my life pain free. Of course as I got older I got used to it. I was less dramatic in my mind but the pains never ceased.


I started taking the pill, I would back to back take them for months to avoid the problem but it always made it worse when it did come. I planned holidays, nights out everything around my cycle. When I got to stage I wanted children i saw my gyno and he said it would happen. He just couldn't say when or if I'd need help. Years past, I had a laporoscopy where they removed as much as they could see. No change, I had IUI fertility treatment three times in the end and still nothing. 


I gave up, I began a new life where I had settled with the notion I wouldn't have children. I was newly single and I was resigned about the future not including motherhood. Still I had the pain every month and I was seriously thinking about getting a hysterectomy rather than pointlessly suffer every month. Then two years into a new relationship I found myself moaning to a friend that I had an important meeting in Birmingham that week and was expecting my period 'knowing my luck ' it would be that day and I'd be too ill to go. She asked if I might be pregnant and I laughed it off.


Two days later I was sat on the bathroom floor in tears, a pregnancy test in my hand. 


Ever since Tabitha was born I have had no pain with my periods. 


She has fixed me.




If you have an experience of Endometriosis you would like to share please send it in to my email link top right hand corner and I'll be happy to publish it.

20 comments:

  1. Omg poor you! I always suffered with really bad period cramps that would last for hours so I can maybe sympathise a tiny bit. It's just such a horrid feeling and I didnt get it probably even half as bad as you! You poor thing I don't know how you coped. I can't bear thinking of the cramps you must have had.
    It's such great news that T-Lo has turned all of that around for you better to be tired all the time then after all! My pain is not as bad since I had B which I am relieved about as I was dreading having to cope with him and my period pains!
    I bet childbirth did not seem so bad after all those years of severe cramping?
    I am so pleased that your illness seems to have gone and so must you
    Lovely post very honest and heart felt. Xx

    ReplyDelete
  2. Amazimg and im so glad she got that happy ending!

    ReplyDelete
  3. So glad the story had the right ending. A really honest post.

    ReplyDelete
  4. What an amazing story. Fixed by your little girl, I just love that.
    I fear many many people suffer with this and it goes undiagnosed: I guess when you grow up with it there is always that danger that you think 'this is what being a girl is like' and suffer in silence.
    I honestly had no idea it was that painful. x

    ReplyDelete
  5. So glad you made it through and that being pregnant got rid of it. How terrible to have suffered for all those years with it. I had what they thought was it and had all the tests - laparoscopy etc - and was so relieved when it wasn't. They just told me to have a baby and the pain would go. Which, considering I was 19 and not in a relationship, was not that helpful.
    But they have definitely improved since having children.

    I can understand what you say about not being taken seriously enough before diagnosis - even though I didn't have endemetriosis I was sick of doctors telling me it was women's stuff and to get over it.

    Thanks for sharing this.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I have never suffered with period pains myself but always felt for people who had a bad time of it! Such a fab story to have a perfect scrummy little girl and no more pain,hooray!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. The way you write is amazing, and yes you brought a tear to my eye.... I'll be tough again soon! Love to that daughter of yours, will she ever know what a hero she is xxxx

    ReplyDelete
  8. thanks for sharing your experience! I have suffered terribly too from endo...I keep meaning to write about it but it's taking the step to look back over it all...you've encouraged me to though x

    ReplyDelete
  9. I have never suffered with period pains myself but always felt for people who had a bad time of it! Such a fab story to have a perfect scrummy little girl and no more pain,hooray!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. So glad the story had the right ending. A really honest post.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I had hormones to induce the menopause, countless cauterisations - eventually they told me to expect to not be able to have children and there was not much more they could do. About 6 months later I found myself pregnant! Since 2004 nothing, unfortunately the symptoms have started to re-appear over the last 3months, only slightly though. I hoping it is just a twinge.
    Thank you for a great blog. Bx

    ReplyDelete
  12. My history is almost identical to yours, except that childbirth made my endo worse, not better, and last week I had a hysterectomy. That should be the end of it. Ghastly pain and so very impactive on one's life.

    ReplyDelete
  13. It really is a hideous illness. I get twitchy every month it may return.

    I hope you can enjoy the freedom of not having it in your life every month from now on and hope you feel better soon. x

    ReplyDelete
  14. I too suffered from endo. I was told the cure was pregnancy. Eventually we got pregnant. It was an eptopic. We lived 15 hours from the specialist. We lost the pregnancy through surgery and were told you can have a child or a life but not both. What a choice. I am so glad it worked out for you. Enjoy your little one.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Glad to hear everything worked out in the end. Chronic pain is just awful.

    ReplyDelete
  16. What a heartbreaking story, it is not fair you had to go through so much. I'm so pleased you had a happy ending. x

    ReplyDelete
  17. Hi to every body, it's my first go to see of this blog; this web site includes awesome and actually fine material designed for visitors.
    My webpage : los angeles property management

    ReplyDelete
  18. This web site truly has all of the information I needed
    about this subject and didn't know who to ask.
    Here is my weblog : click through the following article

    ReplyDelete
  19. Good post. I am going through some of these issues as well.

    .

    Visit my page - noticias primero

    ReplyDelete