Endometriosis (Endo-me-tree-oh-sis)
Endome..what? Unfortunately, this word is one I’ve came all too familiar with. This disease effects 1 in 10 women and there is currently no cure.
With endometriosis, the tissue lining inside of the uterus that is called endometrium, grows outside of the uterus involving other organs. This can cause inflammation, severe pain and more.
My battle with endometriosis started in high school but I didn’t know that then. I suffered painful periods, lasting often 10 – 12 days. I was told, it was just ‘part of being a girl’ and that stress was part of the problem. By the time I started college, I was having trouble just attending classes with the painful cycles. At 19 years old, I remember feeling such intense pain in my abdomen and thought I had appendicitis. I headed into the doctors and learned it was a cyst that ruptured on my left ovary.
It was then they suspected I had endometriosis and I went in for exploratory surgery. In July 2012, they removed endometriosis from my Fallopian tubes as well as my left ovary. A cyst was also removed from my left ovary.
Nearly 2.5 years later, the pain had returned. This time I found an excision specialist at Cedars Sinai and had surgery number 2 when I was 24.
Endometriosis has caused pain, stress and is the disease behind my infertility. I encourage you if you suspect you have this – to advocate for yourself. It’s not just a ‘bad’ period.
Learn more about endometriosis at: https://www.endofound.org/
My Spool of Life 