New here - feeling frustrated!

[rhitrvl]

So I've never posted here before but I kind of just feel like I need to get things out today!

I have endometriosis and am pretty much in constant pain from it. It gets so extreme at times that I'm unable to get out of bed for days at a time and it affects every aspect of my life. I recently had to leave a job that I loved due to the pain and now I feel like there's no way forward for me.

It's been a dream of mine for a long time to study for a degree in Psychology. So far I've not been able to attend uni because of the endometriosis. Recently I tried looking into Open University as an alternative, but found out that as my condition isn't classed as a disability, it would be impossible for me to receive a maintenance loan to study from home - something that would be essential to me as working part-time whilst studying would be out of the question right now!

I don't seem to be getting anywhere with anything and it really feels like my life has been on hold for years now! I'm 24 and have few friends left now as they've all gone on to do other things.

Does anyone else ever feel like this? It's awful and I'm completely lost when it comes to figuring out what to do next.

[Hidden]

Hi there. You are not alone sadly but people are here to support you. It can be very hard to cope with these symptoms as I find people who don’t have them have little understanding. I found I shut down talking about my symptoms to family and some friends as there responses where normally deflating. Are you being seen by a gynaecologist for this? I nagged my GP and eventually requested a second opinion. This eased my mind a little just to know someone was listening. Keep strong. X

[Pinkyandthebrain]

Hi, it’s funny timing because I made a post very similar to this a few days ago.

It felt like I’d been keeping everything in for so long and I just had to let it out somewhere.

I really understand when you say you feel lost, I sometimes feel very hopeless as well.

Something I find helpful is to talk to a counsellor; it seems weird to pay someone to listen to me talk about my period but it’s been ruining my life for 20 years so I figure why not. I appreciate you may not be able to pay privately if you’ve had to give up work but your gp should be able to put you on a waiting list if you explain how much it’s affecting your life; many towns have a free service if you look around on google a little bit.

Anyway, sending best wishes and hugs to you x

[endokicker1]

Hi,

I'm sorry about all the pain you are going through. Many women here are going through or have been through the same. We all have to stay strong and continue to beat this disease as best as we can.

I want you to know you are not alone. While waiting for treatments and surgery, I have found a few things have helped me and pain has reduced from 3 weeks out of 4 every month, to just my period.

I now stay away from sugar, gluten and wheat, alcohol, too much red meat, dairy. I increased my intake of anti-inflammatory foods like ginger, turmeric, berries, and healthy fruits and vegetable and nutrient dense foods. I also take vitamins and supplements which help. Are you making any lifestyle change? Sometimes they can help reduce the pain a bit. We are all different so we experience different things but a lot of people have had positive experiences by making these changes. If you want to talk more, I'm always here for you. You can message me either here or on Instagram notdefinedbyendo.

Take care xx