Let& #39;s talk about #endometriosis . I was diagnosed at the age of 24 after suffering from symptoms for ELEVEN years. First started having issues when I was only 13 years old. My period skipped for 8 months, I was in hellish pain that crippled me, I was sick af
Went to the doctors multiple times about it. Each time they told me & #39;it& #39;s just your period.& #39; or & #39;lose some weight& #39;. Let me tell you, at that point, I was NOT overweight. I was hovering around a size 12/14, and a GP told a 13 year old to lose weight.
This went on for 11 years. Time after time, getting told it& #39;s just your period and to suck it up. I was in so much pain in the year leading up to my diagnosis that I was taking ibuprofen every single day, for an entire year. I told my GP about that and she said & #39;okay& #39;.
You& #39;re not meant to take over the counter ibuprofen for more than 11 days. I could have caused some serious stomach damage. The ibuprofen also didn& #39;t work most of the time. And now, because I took it so much, ibuprofen no longer works for me at all for anything.
I asked to see a gynaecologist. I waited a few months and heard nothing about my referral so I went back to my GP and asked about it. So glad I did because the GP that supposedly put the referral through, didn& #39;t do it. Didn& #39;t even write in the notes that I had even asked.
Finally got the referral put through. It took months for me to hear back. I got a phone call from the NHS telling me how long the waiting list was for a Gynaecologist. It was going to take a very long time for me to see one.
So they sent me to a private doctor in Glasgow. They were sending all the backlogged patients to private doctors. Thankfully footing the bill. Within 3 months, this doctor actually listened to me, ran tests and got me into surgery to test for Endometriosis.
I got an IUD put in after he found endo tissue outside of my uterus. I have not had any endo pain in 2 years, nor have I had a period. Thank god. I& #39;m only 26, but I already know that I never want another period. I& #39;m dreading having my IUD removed and replaced.
I& #39;m dreading the time when I decide if I want to have kids, cos it& #39;ll mean potentially going through endo pain again. I don& #39;t think I want that. No doctor will touch me in regards to stopping my periods or removing my uterus because of my age.
At the end fo the day, Endometriosis has a huge impact on fertility. If I want to have kids, I have a significantly reduced likelihood of getting pregnant, and carrying to term. I have a higher risk of miscarrying. I have higher risk of problems during pregnancy.
TW: Suicide.
Add on top of that the pain that comes with endometriosis. I don& #39;t think I can do it. I know what those 11 years were like for me. It was hell. I wanted to die every day. I even made plans for it. I got through it with the help of good friends.
When you live your life in pain every single day, it& #39;s so demotivating. You don& #39;t want to do anything, you can& #39;t do anything. I never want to do that again. I don& #39;t want to go through that again.
Anyway, thank you all for reading this far if you did. Endometriosis isn& #39;t somehting that is talked about frequently enough. It& #39;s important to know your own body, and demand to get seen by a specialist if your GP is being stubborn.
You know your body more than anyone else. If somehting is wrong with your periods, please talk to a gynaecologist about it. Remember to be persistent. Extreme pain is not normal when it comes to your period. It& #39;s not meant to hurt so bad that you want to die.
You can follow @AllieIllustrate.
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