What the frick is wrong with me?!

One amazingly hot and glorious morning in June 2017 I woke up ready to setup the flat for my partner, Steven's, birthday.

Presents were ready and wrapped in typically offensive paper, banner was up and breakie was served. We had big plans for the day and I was prepared to go Victoria Park for a big picnic I had packed and planned in the sun. All morning I had felt a bit "squiffy". That sort of feeling where you are wondering if you bend over will you poop yourself or if you walk anywhere will you throw up like something out of an 80's horror film. Now, I should mention, I was on my period at this time, so presumed it was just the first day PMS I was used to but made worse from the heat. In waves, it came and went but as it was his day and I love making an effort and something special, I cracked on and ignored it all.

After presents were destroyed and food was inhaled, it was time to head out.

Suddenly it became too much and...well...( I think we should get used to that fact this blog will be full of TMI )......I was very ill and couldn't get off the porcelain thrown! Constantly running back and forth. When I say running, I mean I was hunched over hobbling like a little old woman and unable to stand up straight due to excruciating pain raging through my torso. I was in agony, sweating buckets and bleeding so much I was feeling faint and unable to rise from the sofa. We managed to get out, do as planned but it took the fun from the day, and constantly flooding every 15 mins was not a highlight either.

In the evening, after a meal with Steven’s friends they all wanted to go out celebrating more, sadly I was so tired and in pain, I couldn’t think or move and had to go home. This one thing happened regularly. I was the “Party pooper”.

For the next 2 weeks, I was poorly. Cramps, sickness, fatigue, and constant flooding. I was an emotional mess and completely confused to what was going on. Honestly, I was scared.

I booked an emergency doctor’s appointment and was told I needed an internal scan as soon as possible. Obviously with the UK NHS, straight away meant a wait but when that date came a month later in July it was a relief.

As I lay on the scanning table I had no idea what the outcome was going to be but my brain decided it would go full throttle with what it could be. Due to cancerous cells found in previous smears, this was constantly going through my mind that the big C was going to come up instantly. This was not the case.

The Doctor doing the scan told me that she couldn't see anything, there was no sign of cancer, scars, or endometriosis (which I had really never heard of or knew of.) I walked away happy and relieved and it didn’t really enter my head again.

August came and I chased my doctor as I had forgotten I had results to get really. Supposedly the results had been in a while and I was supposed to call (I was never told anything) and they needed to see me urgently.

I sat with a trainee GP and her senior behind her observing. She started by explaining that in actual fact I do have endometriosis but it was only over my left ovary. The endometriosis was pulling it down and attached to the side of my uterus. When I asked what we do from here, they handed me a crappy printed out leaflet, put me on the mini pill and showed me the door.

I carried on like normal with things not getting better. The pain got worse, and I was off work more and more during my cycle and like I explained to them I would do and why I didn’t like the pill, I spotted and bled throughout the month and had to return to the GP and find out what was happening.

Thank god, I got a different and the most amazing GP. He booked me in immediately to have a further scan and to investigate more.

At the 2nd scan my new gynaecology doctor was shocked instantly from looking at the screen. He explained that the information they had given me was incorrect and turned out, from instantly seeing the ultra sound screen, that it was far worse than they said. It turned out I was completely covered!

Both ovaries were pulled down to the side of my uterus and the only way to know if this was worse or on my bladder/bowel was to have a Laparoscopy.

"I’ve been wondering whether to post something for a while due to the nature of it but, f*** it- here we go! So I want to introduce someone to you, this is my little tummy buddy....“Endo belly” (how many of you thought I was gonna say baby when you first saw the pic!? Haha- Steven get up off the floor!) In August I was diagnosed with endometriosis. I’ve not been well with “something” for quite a while and it was only when I couldn’t walk due to pain, nearly fainting, being sick and was brought to tears that the doc took me seriously. Sadly this has now started to make me look 🤰 and feel pants at the end of most days where my pelvis is killing me, I feel sick and exhausted. I’m now booked in to have this removed and explore how bad it is. The more I’m reading about it the more I’m shocked at how little people know. So I thought I’d say something and share my endo journey. •It takes an average of 7.5 years for a woman to get diagnosed. •1 in 10 women of reproductive age in the UK suffer from endometriosis. •10% of women world wide have it - that's 176 million worldwide!!•Endometriosis is the second most common gynaecological condition in the UK and is a chronic pain condition with no cure. Not enough women know what it is and what the signs are. Its almost taboo possible due to it regarding a woman’s reproductive area (boys I’m talking about the “lady garden”, “growler”, “wizard sleeve” what ever you call it if that makes it easier for you?!). I’m not surprised men hardly know it as we all know how they react when you say “Period” or “heavy flow”, they go all squeamish and cover their ears and some go floppy like a puppet who’s had their strings cut. So what is endo? In simple terms it’s when your lining of your uterus grows outside of your uterus and on other organs. It can grow on your ovaries, bowel, bladder and even your lungs and eyes!! (Men can even get it if they’ve had chemo and hormones!) Symptoms of Endo include: •Fatigue •Painful pelvic area •Painful and heavy periods •Pain when urinating, during/after sex. •Sickness and many more. If you have any concerns go see Your GP or go to the endometriosis UK website." #endometriosis #chronicillness #speakENDO