Endometriosis and the changes in my life

by Dianne
(USA)

I was diagnosed with endometriosis just as I was leaving college and hoping to embark on a career. It hit me very suddenly and not like some women whose symptoms seems to gradually get worse.

My diagnosis of endometriosis was with a laparoscopy which was performed not long after starting my first job, which was a job I loved. I started having to take time out of work due to my severe pain and I began to feel washed out and weak for much of the time.

It was not long before things got 'difficult' at work because of the time I was taking off sick. My colleagues were making remarks behind my back and I felt marginalized. Eventually I had to leave my job, partly because of my symptoms and partly because how I was made to feel by others.

My social life suffered too, as friends stopped calling round or inviting me to social events. My symptoms left me feeling too sick to get involved socially. I felt very isolated, rejected, lonely and began to get very depressed.

Most of my family were supportive but could not really understand the full extent of what I was dealing with.

I tried to get relief from the pain using the hormone meds, but I started to feel far worse than I did without them, so I stopped taking them.

For the past 9 months I have been using natural therapies, supplements, and changed or improved my diet. I have been feeling gradually better so I will continue on this route.

This disease has affected so many parts of my life. My finances have suffered (thankfully I have a supportive family), my social life, my confidence has taken a knock, and forming an intimate relationship is something I have had to put on hold for the time being, I want to focus on improving my health before I am prepared to get involved in a relationship.


COMMENT

Name: Teresa

Title: Endometriosis and changes in my life and medications that have helped

Reading your story is just so wrong, that you had to give up your social life and work career, it's just so frustrating. I was never at school or work and had to give up work when i was 34 years old.

As for sex life, well i have just given it up as it was just making the pain worse. To tell you the truth i am much happier without it as it was causing just continuous pain, but our lives shouldn't have to be like this.

Like you I have a very supporting mother who I still live with as finances are a big problem when I cant hold down a job because I would never be there.

As you say, this disease takes over your life, and has done so for me for nearly 30 years as I had endometriosis since i was 12 years old, when I first started my periods. I would just be in pain and sick all the time so i know how you feel.

I have been on all the medications, zoladex implants in the stomach every month for 1 year and a half and the mareana coil, the pill but nothing has worked. At the end of the day I think I would like the womb taken away now but I know that they won't do it.

So until they find a cure we all still have to suffer. Hopefully the doctors will come up with something for you soon. I will say the only medication that worked for me was the yasmin pill which I take for 84 days without a break, and then have a period. So you only have 3 periods a year which is a god send.

But now after 3 years of being on this pill I am really starting to get strong pms symptoms so it might be a time for a change. But it did help me so I don't know if this option would suit you but anyway bye for now.



Name: Anonymous

Title: Endometriosis and my life

I am 29 years old and my experience with endometriosis started 3 years ago, just after i got married.

I have 2 boys, 11 and 4 so I'm very lucky in the sense I was able to have a family. I had just started my new job which I love and then all these symptoms started up - painful periods, vomiting (I think from the pain), couldn't eat because of the pain, and pain in my stomach, back and legs ALL the time. I took painkillers all the time and nothing worked.

I went to my doctor who said it was IBS because I couldn't go to the toilet. It was so painfull but refered me to gyne. I waited 7 months and no appointment. My friend who worked as a secretary for a gyne doc got me AN APPOINTMENT WITH HIM IN 2 WEEKS AND HE SCANNED ME. He found nothing but put me on injections - 1 a month.

It helped for a while, then 1 year later I got an MRI and it showed old endometriosis. So in my review I was seen by a new doctor and she was telling me it wasn't gyne related, but my doctor said to keep on the injections.

So 1 yr later again on 3 months injections. They didn't work, but had sweats and mood change from injections. Finally got an endometriosis expert in new hospital and he did a laparoscopy and found I have a large tumor of endometriosis in womb pushing up into my pelvis, other lesions in my womb, and my bowel is covered in it. It has twisted my bowel real bad now.

I have to get another surgery for 90 mins to try and get rid of it, so back on waiting list for that. So I am still in chronic pain and my mood is awful. My husband doesn't know want to do, and I'm now anaemic because of it as well.

Thank god my boss is understanding and supportive. They tell me to take the time I need to get better but I'm so fed up of being sore, sick and tired.

I feel sorry for my family who have to live with me because I'm so depressed. I cannot wait to finally get sorted and feeling well. Good luck to everyone out there with this because it really does ruin your life xxx


Name: Germaine


Title: Difficult to live with day to day

7 years ago I experience problems with IBS, so I thought. Doctors thought I was crazy!!! Had so many test, but never reveal IBS. Went back to doctor. Found a good with DR. Pamala. I now had a name for these symptoms - Endometriosis.

Bleeding for 4 months still. I was told to take birth control for bleeding & symptoms. Did not help.