Endometriosis and me

So that weekend flew by really quickly! It was spent mostly resting so I am surprised it did fly by. The clocks going forward as always messed my body clock up. It thinks it’s an hour earlier than it is so I’m hungry an hour earlier, sleepy an hour earlier and generally confused at what the time is. Ok, so the not sure what the time is is nothing unusual but you get my drift.

My arm is now mostly un numb and paining, just the bottom of it and two of my fingers so that’s progress. I spent a lot of yesterday sleeping, which is not something I tend to do, I think the rubbish nights sleep and the pain helped me doze as I did and it was a blessed escape from that reality for awhile. I had another night of painsomnia so I am feeling a tad out of sorts at the moment, I would love to just go back to sleep but I have phone calls to make, one being to the pain clinic to check for cancellations.. yup I am continuing to bug them 🙂

Something I haven’t spoken about or mentioned on here is that I also have endometriosis. This isn’t because I don’t think it’s relevent or I am in any way ashamed of it, I was planning to do a blog on just endometriosis and letting it stand alone. Unfortunetly because of my struggles with writing at the moment I have to put it on hold so I will write a little about it today. If you are a guy reading this, well you might get a bit squimish..

I had treatment for cervical cells in 2006 at the age of 25. I had spent months in pain, bleeding, unable to sit or walk well with the pain in my hips. I went to the Doctors and at first they just said it was heavy periods or my body changing because I was getting older. They offered to put me on the pill, but I had trouble with that before so politely said no and they ran some blood tests. They came back clear. A month later with increasing pain and now bleeding practically every day to be asked if I could have an STI. I said there wasn’t a chance as I was single and had been for some time. I could see the disbelief that I wasn’t being sexually active and when the Doctor said oh we will see anyway I there and then said I would have the tests in case there was an infection such as thrush etc but I wouldn’t be seeing them again and booked myself in to see another doctor next visit. I was very un impressed with his manner, his attitude of brushing my symptoms off and the way he asked and acted questions. Just because I was a woman in her mid twenties didn’t mean I was jumping into bed with every Tom Dick or Harry. I choose not to be active or have any relations unless I was in a relationship. Each to their own, but I didn’t like the un said accusation. I thank God I did change Doctors because as soon as I saw the new one they asked if I had ever had a smear and I said only after having my son. He listened and straight away said it could be a cell problem and then examined me could feel my left side was swollen and lumpy and told me to rest up and gave me pain killers and got the nurse to give me a smear. He warned that it could be a four week wait for the results but I would be contacted as soon as the results came in. I was so relieved that something was actually being done and thanked him saying that. The results were back within 5 days and I was sent an appointment to see a gyno the next week. To put it mildly I was scared. I knew what that abnormal diagnosis could mean and hoped that it wasn’t too bad. But I think you know when you’re unwell, you get a gut feeling in your stomach that something isn’t right. I knew something was wrong within a month of my symptoms but it took four months for the doctors to do anything.

I went to see the gyno and she told me I had abnormal cells, it had gone through three layers in my cervix and they had caught it just in time. I would need laser treatment as soon as possible to stop it getting to the final layer. An appointment was made for that in four days. I remember walking out into the waiting room and all I could hear was white noise. I motioned to my mum who was waiting and sat and told her, still in a daze. I then had my next appointment slip went outside the hospital and smoked three cigerettes in a row and downed a black coffee.  I was lucky that it was caught before it became cervical cancer. To this day I know that if the doctor had instantly given me the proper respect and test my cells would never of escalated as quickly as they did and the endometriosis I ended up having because of the severity of the cells would never of happened. Because that was the cause of it. After the treatment I was ok at my follow up appointment and for a few years after. Then the symptoms came back, and the bleeding and pain was worse than ever. After more tests, smears, I saw a consultant was examined and told I had endometriosis. I needed an colposcopy then an op for the lesions. I was also now practically infertile and wouldn’t be able to conceive or carry a child again.

Two years later I started becoming unwell again, which I knew straight away wasn’t my endometriosis getting worse because the symptoms were so different. And as it turned out it wasn’t, it was M.E and Fibro.

So I live with three chronic conditions. Strangely since having M.E and Fibro my Endometriosis has taken a back seat and although I still suffer from cramps, bleeding, pain in my pelvis and stomach it’s not as fierce as it once was. Thankfully I add, because with all three fighting in my body daily if they all were at full speed I really dread to think how I would be.

So that is my endometriosis story. My blog is a bit longer today because of it but I felt it needed to be out there. It is endometriosis awareness month and if anyone reading this is worried about any symptoms I urge you to get them checked. You know when somethings wrong and if it turns out to be nothing serious then at least your mind will be at rest. Doctors are there to help you, and if they don’t listen persist and even change your Doctor if you have to. Because as I found out, the longer you leave things the worse they become.  You could catch something before it does serious damage, and not have your world tipped upside down as I and so many others have.