I'm new here... just saying hello!

[HyperEndo]

Hi everyone,

I am 22 years old and I was only diagnosed in August with endometriosis so I'm very new to this whole world. I was relatively lucky with my diagnosis as thankfully it only took a few visits to the GP for someone to take me seriously when I was saying the pain when I was going to the toilet when I was on my period was not normal; they tried to tell me I had IBS for 2 years.

Sorry I'm rambling now. Basically I've got a few questions that I would appreciate if someone could just tell me if they've experienced similar things.

- Does anyone else have excruciating pain when they go for a number 2?

- Does anyone else legs go numb when its you're menstruating?

- Does anyone else struggle to exercise when they can feel their uterus' brewing?

- Has anyone found that changes to their diet make a real difference?

- Does anyone else feel pathetic when they moan to those around them their in pain because I don't or haven't been hospitalised with the pain?

- Do most people have laparoscopys and surgery with endometriosis?

Sorry if these questions seem stupid, they've just been whirling round in my head for months and a male consultant is about as useful as a chocolate fireguard sometimes.

Thank you!!

[Indeedido]

I occasionally get pain when doing number 2, but mainly i find that my endo and bowel symptoms are linked and it's sometimes hard to tell which is which. When I'm having a few bad stomach days, it aggravates my endo pain.

Never had numb legs, but before my lap, had constant hip pain and lately, occasional upper leg pain.

My endo pain isn't anywhere near as bad as some people's, so the pain itself doesn't necessarily stop me from exercising. But because it's often accompanied by bowel upsets and bladder issues, that can make me feel crummy and not want to exercise. Mostly, I find it is general fatigue that gets in the way of any exercise other than yoga.

Yes, i feel bad complaining sometimes because I know some women have excruciating pain. But i just count myself lucky and figure that im entitled to the occasional whinge. Endo sucks. I never feel pathetic complaining about my pain to health professionals though - how else are we meant to get them to take us seriously?

I can't speak for everyone, but my friend and i have both had a laproscopy and extrication of endo. I'm a big believer in not beating around the bush and just doing what needs to be done. But everyone is different, has different manifestations of endo and different GPs and specialists. So it will depend on the experts around you and your personal preferences (whether you're willing to give birth control etc a shot, or if you're impatient like me)

Hope that helps!