Life Lessons From Living With Endometriosis

Living with endometriosis for 20 years has taught me a few important lessons. This life has taught me not to expect too much from other people.

Never depend on anyone but yourself

This is one of the most important lessons that can be learned. It is not easy to remember that you cannot expect other people to act as you would.

This has been shown to me several times. Unfortunately, this is a hard lesson that can hurt sometimes.

One of the ways that I learned this lesson was when I called my sister to take me to the emergency room. She said she could not take me to the emergency room because they were planning on going out to a bar.

That night I learned my best friend was the person who would pause her life to help me out. I just assumed that because I would change my night for my sister, it did not mean she would do the same for me.

Things can be overwhelming

Another lesson that endometriosis has taught me is that things in life can become overwhelming. We face many things, such as pain, doctor appointments, medication management, etc.

Sometimes all of these things can add up and take a toll on us.

We need to remember that it is okay to feel overwhelmed. What is important is how we handle being overwhelmed.

Feeling overwhelmed can easily turn into feeling stressed. Sometimes these are the best times to implement some sort of self-care.

I find myself taking time to enjoy a cup of hot tea or a lavender Epsom salt bath to unwind some.

Do not fear challenging your doctors

Another thing that I have learned is to be more assertive about my healthcare.

When I started seeing doctors, I felt they would run the appointment. The doctors controlled the pace of the appointment, and most of the time, I would find myself sitting in my car with unanswered questions in my head. This taught me to stop being passive with my doctors.

I take control of my doctor appointments by creating a list of questions and concerns before my appointment. This helps prevent me from forgetting to bring up any of my concerns.

If treatment stalls, I push the doctor to change treatment or get another doctor's opinion.

Appreciating your pharmacist

I have developed a deep appreciation for my pharmacist. He helps me so much with my medication management.

This pharmacy automatically refills my prescriptions. They also automatically contact the doctor for refills when I am out of refills on a prescription.

One of my favorite things about my pharmacy is that they deliver my prescriptions to my front door.

These may seem like small things, but they add up over time. I have a lot of prescriptions; some are daily, and some are as needed. But my pharmacist makes sure that I never run out of my medications.

What lessons have living with endometriosis taught you?