Failed treatment and pain of endometriosis never ends..

by Jessicah Preacher
(Australia)

Moderate to severe endometriosis:

I remember before I started bleeding I could have even been 11, occasionally I would wake up during the night with a furious pain. Like knives constantly stabbing all through my stomach. I only ever told my mother about it once and she said it was from hunger. It didn't happen every night, so I eventually said I was a sook and forgot about it.

I started my periods when I was about thirteen.

My family and I had not long moved, and I was having troubles as it was to settle in this new town.

THE START OF A VERY PAINFUL FUTURE:
I was fourteen. I woke up one morning with the stabbing pains I usually only ever got at night. I decided to go to the toilet and discovered I was bleeding. I thought they were just cramps so I thought brekkie and a shower would ease it. I almost collapsed in the shower.

I walked with my back so arched, to the toilet and vomited as if my body hated my insides. It hurt to scream, my sister came in, and she ran to wake my parents.

By this time, the pain was more than unbearable. It was on the inner and outer of both my thighs. My stomach was doing all sorts of things. Tightening like I hadn't eaten in three weeks, and loosening.

My mother ran in. I could barely hold my head over the toilet. She asked what was wrong, I told her "there's so much pain, it's everywhere, I can't walk, there's so much pain." she screamed for my father and he carried me straight to the car. We went straight to the hospital.

My father carried me to the emergency, I think the doctors let me in almost straight away. Mum was slightly panicked. I told the doctor what I felt so he said "you're having contractions, we'll do a pregnancy test." My mother was mortified. "But I'm a virgin?" I told my parents after the doctor left.

He gave me a needle of something for the pain, I think I was also on a drip.

The doctor said "The pregnancy test came back negative, all I can think of is endometriosis. You'd have to get cut open to get tested, the minor cases are usually the ones with pain. But it could just be a bad day for bleeding."
He sent me home in the afternoon.

It would feel as if my insides were ripping. I thought I had no choice but to toughen up. I chose not to even take the ibuprofen the doctor gave me. I wanted to have a better pain threshold. Turns out, I became too strong.

I was now almost sixteen, my mother was concerned, she had put us on private healthcare. Pap smear results came back from my GP, she told me I have the symptoms for herpes. She said I'd probably never have a child, which killed me.

She referred me to a brilliant gynaecologist, Dr. Hall who worked in Brisbane but comes to small towns to see the little people too. He doubted very much I had an STD. (I was now sexually active).

Pretty much diagnosed me on the spot. I had the operation, laparoscopy. There was extremely heavy bruising and endometriosis all over the vagina wall, there was endometriosis on I think on one of my ovaries, which was atachted to my bowel, which also had endo.

So halfway between a moderate and severe case. I had a capsule thing inserted into my stomach once a month for six months.

He said I was very lucky to have seen him when I did and he told me I'm fertile. Not how recurring endometriosis can be.

Apparently eating disorders and alcohol aren't very good for fertility either.

Now, one month till my eighteenth birthday, I've bled twice this month. Now not bleeding, I've been in non stop pain for about five days straight.
I'm scared, but I know my stubbornness won't help, I know I must see the doctor.