An open letter to Endometriosis
Start writing a post
Health and Wellness

An open letter to Endometriosis

I remember thinking, "If labor is worse than this, I don't think I can do it."

574
An open letter to Endometriosis

Dear Endometriosis,

I remember the first time I heard about you. I googled you and became kind of interested for a couple of hours, but got distracted by something else and forgot about it.

I never thought my periods were worse than everybody else's. It isn't really something that gets talked about a lot. I would have to miss classes and work for a couple days a month because of it, but doesn't everybody? Isn't it normal to vomit from pain and not be able to get out of bed? I had no idea what you were doing to me.

"Just take some tylenol."

"Have you tried using a heating pad or essential oils?"

"Everybody has pain with their periods, it is normal."

Why didn't the medicines work on me? Do I just have a lower pain tolerance than all other women? Why didn't I know about you sooner?

I figured everything was fine and got an IUD. A couple of hours after it was placed I remember thinking, "If labor is worse than this, I don't think I can do it."

A couple months later I was having weird pains. I figured I would just be having another period, but no blood came. I looked online to see if I could figure out if it was serious. Things about my Appendix and other organs that I knew were not the cause kept coming up. Then finally I read about ovarian cysts. I don't remember reading much about you.

I thought that I was fine and it would go away in a couple of days. A week passed and the pain just kept getting worse. I read up on the symptoms again, but I didn't seem to be having symptoms that needed medical attention according to the websites.

After intercourse with my husband one morning, I felt like my uterus was trying to kill me. I couldn't walk. I just curled up on the couch and tried to distract myself with the TV. I don't remember the pain getting better, all I remember is I woke up and it was still there.

I had some small pains with intercourse before, but nothing serious. The next day I went to an Instacare to see if I was okay. They forwarded me onto the ER and I spent 6 hours there. They said a lot of words and tested me and I just sat there feeling gross and bleeding all over everything I sat on. I remember them coming in after they got the results from my ultrasound and just hoping they would tell me everything is okay.

"We found a cyst on your left ovary and endometriosis."

I remembered all the research I did on you earlier. You are often associated with infertility. You grow in places that you aren't supposed to and cause pain. I just stopped thinking for a couple hours and pretended everything was fine. I had pain meds and they had to work because they were from an ER doctor, right?

The first pill I took made me sick. The next one didn't help. I tried the first one again and it didn't make me sick, but it didn't take the pain away either.

I just sat on the couch for days, reading about you and what you do to me. I found all the support groups and blogs and diets and people's experiences and I was just sad.

Are you going to let me have kids? Do I need to start earlier? How much damage have you already done? Will I need surgery? Is there anything that will take the pain away? How do I explain you when everybody has kids and I am still trying?

Pregnancy might be able to get rid of you, but will you let it?

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Student Life

Waitlisted for a College Class? Here's What to Do!

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

43711
college students waiting in a long line in the hallway
StableDiffusion

Course registration at college can be a big hassle and is almost never talked about. Classes you want to take fill up before you get a chance to register. You might change your mind about a class you want to take and must struggle to find another class to fit in the same time period. You also have to make sure no classes clash by time. Like I said, it's a big hassle.

This semester, I was waitlisted for two classes. Most people in this situation, especially first years, freak out because they don't know what to do. Here is what you should do when this happens.

Keep Reading...Show less
a man and a woman sitting on the beach in front of the sunset

Whether you met your new love interest online, through mutual friends, or another way entirely, you'll definitely want to know what you're getting into. I mean, really, what's the point in entering a relationship with someone if you don't know whether or not you're compatible on a very basic level?

Consider these 21 questions to ask in the talking stage when getting to know that new guy or girl you just started talking to:

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

Challah vs. Easter Bread: A Delicious Dilemma

Is there really such a difference in Challah bread or Easter Bread?

27491
loaves of challah and easter bread stacked up aside each other, an abundance of food in baskets
StableDiffusion

Ever since I could remember, it was a treat to receive Easter Bread made by my grandmother. We would only have it once a year and the wait was excruciating. Now that my grandmother has gotten older, she has stopped baking a lot of her recipes that require a lot of hand usage--her traditional Italian baking means no machines. So for the past few years, I have missed enjoying my Easter Bread.

Keep Reading...Show less
Adulting

Unlocking Lake People's Secrets: 15 Must-Knows!

There's no other place you'd rather be in the summer.

952358
Group of joyful friends sitting in a boat
Haley Harvey

The people that spend their summers at the lake are a unique group of people.

Whether you grew up going to the lake, have only recently started going, or have only been once or twice, you know it takes a certain kind of person to be a lake person. To the long-time lake people, the lake holds a special place in your heart, no matter how dirty the water may look.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 10 Reasons My School Rocks!

Why I Chose a Small School Over a Big University.

148342
man in black long sleeve shirt and black pants walking on white concrete pathway

I was asked so many times why I wanted to go to a small school when a big university is so much better. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure a big university is great but I absolutely love going to a small school. I know that I miss out on big sporting events and having people actually know where it is. I can't even count how many times I've been asked where it is and I know they won't know so I just say "somewhere in the middle of Wisconsin." But, I get to know most people at my school and I know my professors very well. Not to mention, being able to walk to the other side of campus in 5 minutes at a casual walking pace. I am so happy I made the decision to go to school where I did. I love my school and these are just a few reasons why.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments