I have Endometriosis 

The “painful disorder in which tissue that normally lines the inside of your uterus — the endometrium — grows outside your uterus” (MayoClinic.org). Yes, I have that. And it sucks. I have suffered with this disorder for over 20 years. Suffered with it silently, every month, for over 2 decades. I suffered in silence because I didn’t know I had a disorder. Period pain and cramps was something that I assumed was normal. I didn’t know that severe pain was not normal.

It wasn’t until the pain became debilitating that I sought help. Yes, my pain was so severe that over the counter medications became ineffective. I started losing days of my life to this disorder because the only thing I could do when I had cramps was sit still with a heating pad all day. One thing I learned about myself during these times, my physical threshold for pain is astronomical. And that’s not a good thing. Eventually though, my endometriosis disorder was impacting my life so severely I had to get help.

Today marks the one year anniversary of my surgery.

The decision to have surgery to correct this disorder wasn’t easy. My endometriosis had become so severe however that cysts had formed on both of my ovaries. My abdomen started swelling. And at that point I wasn’t just losing a few days of my life each month, I was losing a whole week. I was sick. Very sick.

If you have had surgery before then you know it’s scary. And this was super scary for me. Surgery is a very serious undertaking with serious risks. However my disorder had gotten so severe that surgery was the best choice for me. My surgery was not without complications afterwards including a few trips to the ER. In fact it took about 6 months for me to start to feel like the surgery was worth the risk since the endometriosis pain still existed.

But now, a year later, I am grateful that surgery was an option. I have my life back, and it’s amazing! Sure I have surgery scars but they are tiny. And if I had to make a choice between those little scars and the pain I used to suffer through, I will take the scars again and again!

I write this blog for all the women who may be living with this disorder and not know they have it. If you are experiencing period pain to the point you can’t move, please see a doctor. It’s worth it. You may not need surgery but getting those days of your life back is worth getting help. Don’t keep suffering in silence.
~Kai

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