"Invisible pain" is the best way to describe this.

by Rebecca Yarlott
(CT)

My name is Rebecca and I've had horrible periods ever since i could remember. When i did get my period i couldn't move, couldn't go to the bathroom because it hurt so much, couldn't do anything any other normal girl with her period could do.

One day the pain was so bad my mom had to drive me to the emergency room because no medicine or heating pads were helping.

They hooked me up to an IV for the pain and advised me to start taking aleve instead of tylenol. I did start to do that which helped very much.

After about 3 years of just taking aleve and using a heating pad .. something odd started to happen ... my periods were still just as painful but even when i wasn't on my cycle i would have cramps like I'm having my period.

I now have cramps every single day. I'm more moody, i just feel so angry that no one understands the pain and that there's no actual diagnosis for this.

I told my OBGYN about what was going on and she said she was 99% sure that i did have endometriosis .. she explained to me my options.. birth control, which would only cover up the pain not help heal it, a drug called lupron which would put me in a state of menopause and shut my whole reproductive system down, or of course surgery.

I was about to do the lupron shot until i talked to a friend of mine who happens to be a nurse. She told me to maybe go see a urologist before i start taking the drug because this drug puts your body through so much. And because I'm only 24 she didn't wanna see me suffer if there was a slim chance endometriosis wasn't the case.

I took her word for it and found a physician. They took about 8 tubes of blood in total and said nothing was found to even predict i could have it ... even after an internal exam.

I was prescribed naproxen for the pain, and referred to a urologist for a second opinion. My doctor told me if the urologist thinks it is endometriosis then we can proceed with deciding what the best option would be.

I already made up in my mind that i want the surgery because for the most part I've heard good things about it. All i know is everyday i suffer greatly from this lingering pain in my abdomen that no one quite understands.

Some days there's hardly any pain and other days I'm laying down crying because not only do i have the cramping, my back is always in pain. I just wanna know anyones feedback on if they've had the surgery how they feel after, and if my symptoms do sound accurate for endometriosis.. all i know is i wanna have kids someday and i hope its not too late:( thanks