My Story...anyone with a similar story?

[june_jdr]

How I was diagnosed with Endometriosis.

[june_jdr]

I started my periods when I was only 8 or 9 years old, from day one my periods had always been heavy and extremely painful but I knew no better. I was told by my mother that what I was going through was normal. Unfortunately I was the only girl at school with a period ... I was so young...I didn't know what it was called or why I was loosing so much blood. I would make excuses why I couldn't take part in PE at school, why I couldn't go swimming...the teachers where getting fedup with me but I just didn't know what to say to them. In my early teens I took myself to the doctors only to be told again that I was going through something that is normal for girls my age....to get over myself...and learn to deal with it. This was case extreme pain, massive lost of blood through my teens into my 20s. Countless doctors and consultant sent me home feeling inadequate. I remember going back and forth to A&E with no positive outcome. One day I came home from work (i was around 24 years old) feeling extremely weak and in extreme pain, I ran myself a bath and as I tried to climb in the bath a massive clot fill out of me measuring around 40" by 20". The next day I took myself to work as normal eventhough I was extremely weak half way through the day my body gave up on me and it froze. An ambalence was called out and I was rushed A&E I was admitted but only for the doctors to come round and say you can go home nothing wrong with you. As he was telling me I could go home a female senior Consultant walked passed my bed and stopped the doctor from discharging me..."Can't you see this young lady is seriously ill", she said. Thank God for that Consultant...she saved my life!!!! They did an endoscopy and found that all my reproductive organs were damaged by the endometriosis, that it had travelled to my bowel (sigmoid) and bladder. Over the next few years I was in and out of hospital having operations to try and save my reproductive organs. Unfortunately for me it was too late I lost all my reproductive organs (I only have my cervix) I lost some of my bowel and bladder also. But most of all i lost the right to be a Mum. I was told it was all in my head...get over yourself...only to find that I was right all along and that the doctors, consultants and nurses were all wrong. I am now 45 and have just come to terms with not being a Mum...they took my life, my happiness, my self esteem and flushed it down the toilet. One thing I would like to say to the doctors etc is to think outside the box for once and actually understand and believe what their patients are saying to them...at least check it out.

[Ekmamtae]

Whoa June you were so young! I was 13 but from then on had extremely painful periods and nobody would ever understand, even until last year i was told by colleagues i should just get to work, every woman has it, get over yourself - its all in your head! It took passing out twice and a doctors letter for work to believe me that something wasnt right, being rushed to hosp at 19 with suspected apendicitus etc shows me now this has been going on a long time. At school forced to do PE whilst physically shaking, heaving etc and told by doctors back then it was all in my head. Wow some imagination i thought! Im sorry to hear your loss, so unfair Well done for talking about what you have been through - it has made at least me feel "normal" xx

[june_jdr]

Hi Ekmamtae, thank you so much for your message I do appreciate ii and any feedback. This is not normal and we and others should not be bullied into thinking that we are inadequate or that the problem is with us...we are quite ok with our mental self it is our physical self that is in trouble. I do believe that more education in health issues should be addressed. It was a nightmare for me at school and at work...i'm right there with you on that. I hope you are ok and pain free. xxxx