My Story
What I wish someone had told me sooner — and the moment that changed everything.
After I gave birth to my son, I assumed my painful periods were a product of a uterus that just hadn't shrunk back down to its normal size. I assumed I was just now doomed to heavier, more painful periods because of that.
I was also dealing with some IBS-like symptoms, and since my mom has IBS, it just made sense to me that this would be something I might also suffer from. I went to the doctor and he told me that IBS doesn't just come on like that — so he sent me home with some laxatives, and that was that.
Within a fairly short amount of time, my period pain stretched further and further into the rest of my cycle. I went back to the doctor and he gave me a requisition for an ultrasound, but by the time I got the requisition, my pain was subsiding and I decided that whatever was going on had stopped, and I was okay. Within a few months, my pain was lasting three weeks out of the month, and I could no longer pretend everything was fine.
When I went back to the doctor, I mentioned this, and he gave me another requisition — telling me to go whether I still felt the pain or not, because it sounded like it was probably endo. I'm glad I went that time, because in that ultrasound they found an 8cm cyst on my left ovary.
I had to call my doctor to get the results. He called it an endometrioma and told me we should wait a few months to see if it grows. Before long, I was in the hospital with pain, and they confirmed it was probably endo and referred me to a specialist who could help me manage my pain and hopefully get me into surgery.
I'm working with a specialist and surgeon to get some more tests before I officially go under the knife, but I've learned a lot about endometriosis and women's health this past year — and I feel it's extremely important to share my story and the resources I've found helpful along the way.
