My endometriosis journey

My journey with endometriosis started eight years ago when I was 16. I started to have bad period pain and pain during sex to the point where it got to be impossible. I went to so many doctors and specialists and they all seemed to say the same things, it was in my head, there's nothing wrong, it's just period pain, etc. Luckily, I had and still have an extremely supportive partner, who helped me and stood by me the entire time. 

After a failed, pointless, vaginal surgery I ended up moving to the city and eventually, I found a gynaecologist who believed me. We did a million tests and eventually I had surgery to confirm it and then I finally, after four years of pain and self-doubt, had a diagnosis, thank god. 

But my story doesn't end here, in fact, it's still ongoing and always will be. My endometriosis came back one year later, I had another surgery after that I ended up getting two infections whilst recovering. This surgery only worked in helping my pain for one month and then all hell broke loose. My pain has only gotten worse and will continue to do so. I have tried so many medications, heat therapies, TENS devices, and surgery but as it stands today, I am in constant pain. I am on pain medication to manage the symptoms but it only just gets me through the day and sometimes it's not enough.

I have been told that I will probably never have children, my endometriosis is severe, however, due to my age they will not give me a hysterectomy (and there's no guarantee that will work anyway) and I honestly can't even remember what life was like before this. My mental health has been up and down and I put way too much pressure on myself to be happy and okay all the time. However, I am still with my amazing partner and now husband, so there is happiness there.

My takeaway is if you believe that there is something wrong with your body, listen to yourself and keep fighting until someone helps you. Also, it's okay to not be okay, keep fighting and find someone that you can talk to about this openly. 

Endometriosis is a chronic illness and it's not going away, so I'm learning how to live with it the best way that I can and I keep fighting to be heard.