What’s the most frustrating part of your Condition? Take a Read, Comment on the Blog to show your Support and Share if you can Relate.
Hi, my name is Crystal and I would like to tell you all about my journey with endometriosis. My journey had begun about 6 years ago when I had ended my monthly menstrual cycle and about a week or two later I had started passing quarter size blood clots. I got kind of nervous thinking maybe I was pregnant but didn’t think I was. I then brushed it all aside and blew it off.
About a couple days later I woke up in fetal position unable to move due to being in such excruciating pain. I ended up yelling at my husband who had helped me the best he could and proceeded to take me to our local health department because at the time I didn’t have health insurance. They were able to help me a bit by giving me a pregnancy test to be safe in case I was going through a miscarriage. The test came back negative and the nurse immediately told me that I needed to go to the E.R in case it was more serious. They were thinking that I possibly had cysts (which I’ve had previously). I then proceeded to our local E.R to where I had a terrible experience.
First of all, the nurses couldn’t insert a catheter for a urine sample and then gave me absolutely no answers and said I needed to make an appointment with a gynecologist. I then went to my appointment two days later where the Dr. just told me they thought I had an infection that was already clearing up. I was frustrated, but, again, blew it all off.
For the next 3 years, everything was going well except for constant irregular periods and pain every now and then that I thought was just normal. Suddenly, one night, I was interrupted again by excruciating pain that led me to be in fetal position. I took pain meds and went to sleep thinking “Oh, it’s just probably a cyst that had ruptured” and was fine the next morning.
The discomfort became so frequent to where it finally had led me back into the E.R. This time I had chosen to go to a different hospital in which they did every test they could think of from checking my appendix, gallbladder, etc. Before I was discharged they told me that the only other thing they could think of was that I may have endometriosis. A word that turned my life around due to the fact that at that time I and my husband had been trying to conceive.
I then made my first appointment to see a gyno in which she was getting me in for ultrasounds and found multiple cysts. She decided that doing a laparoscopy was going to be the best thing for me in which I had agreed. My first visit with this doctor was in about September and we had surgery scheduled for January 3rd. I went in for another ultrasound and about 2 days later the nurse had called me with the results saying I had a mass 5x5x4 cm on my uterus and wanted me to go get blood work done to check for cancer. Hearing that word put me in deep fear like it would anyone else.
So I immediately went down and got the blood work and results were great. I was told they wanted to continue the ultrasounds to see if the mass was going to shrink or keep growing. By this time I kept asking if we were still going to be doing this procedure and they said they weren’t sure, that they want to keep an eye on the mass. Finally, by Christmas Eve of 2015, I had called the doctors office to see if it was still on. I got so frustrated that I had asked to speak with someone else. The manager that I had spoken with said that I didn’t have a mass in my uterus that I had a cyst on my ovary. So once again I am beyond frustrated. I decided that I wasn’t going to be dealing with this office anymore and I got suggestions on a new doctor.
I finally called them and explained the whole situation and they were able to get me an appointment for about March. I saw the doctor and explained everything to her and she was able to get me in for a laparoscopy in April of 2016. When I had the surgery, I had found out that I had multiple cysts on my ovaries, my left tube is fully blocked, my organs were being bound together, fixed my uterus to the correct position and found out I have both endometriosis and adenomyosis. This was definitely a life changer for me since again I have been wanting to conceive. Lets fast forward my story a bit. It is now December 2017 and I am scheduled for my second laparoscopy tomorrow. I’m hoping my endo isn’t as bad as it was the first time. I and my husband have talked about just possibly adopting a baby since we haven’t had any luck on our own.
Yes, I have two boys from a previous relationship that I am beyond thankful for. I just want to let every female out there know that we are the ones that know our bodies so if something is off please get it checked. Living with Endo sucks.
