At Such a Young Age

In 1998 at the age of 18 I was finally diagnosed with endometriosis. This was after years of going through excruciating pain. In and out of hospital and Dr's appointments, hospitals would say they have no idea what was wrong even after multiple pelvic exam. Dr the next day would say hospital was wrong it was an STI.

They treated me like I was a promiscuous child

It all started at the age of 14 which is when I got my 1st period. I knew my Dr was wrong, he was treating me like I was a loose child who was sleeping around. Whenever I did have sex it was always protected. So to tell me every other month that I had an STI was just not sitting right with me.

When I first heard about endometriosis

So soon as I turned 18 yrs old I decided to see a gynecologist. It changed my life! I wasn't in his office for 30 min and he was telling me about endometriosis and felt strongly that, that was my problem. He immediately scheduled me for a pelvic ultrasound and endoscopy to confirm his suspicions. And 1 month later he gave me the bad news. It was endometriosis and it was bad.

My endo had spread

Because of the misdiagnosis for so many years, the endometrium growth had already spread over all of my reproductive organs, fallopian tubes, ovaries, and uterus. And because of that surgery to remove would be nearly impossible. Because it would take multiple surgeries to do it, and by the time he would hit the last section growth would already be coming back.

My fertility came into question

But also, my chances of ever having a family were pretty much nonexistent. I was devastated. I was 18 yrs old and I definitely wanted kids when I got older. This was life-changing for me. And I had no one who could understand what I was going through. His only option was to put me on an injection that would put me in premenopausal stages. It sucked and really didn't help. I was still in pain.

A miracle happened

This went on for years but in 2002 another gynecologist decided to do another expository surgery to see if the endometriosis had spread even more. And it did, but there was also a lot of inflammation so he decided to remove some of the inflammation the best he could in hopes of easing some of my pain. After surgery, he put me on depo for a couple of years. And I don't know if it was the surgery, the depo, or both. But In August 2005, I was given a miracle. I was 3 weeks pregnant. I can't describe the joy that I felt at that moment.

My endo turned me off to relationships

I went years of avoiding relationships because I couldn't guarantee my partner that I could give him children. So I had stuck with relationships based off friends with benefits. That was it. But soon as I started to get close or they did. I would end it.

Telling my new partner I was pregnant

And this man at the time that I was pregnant by was just that. A friend s with benefits, no strings attached. And now I have to tell him I'm pregnant after I already told him I couldn't have kids. Surprisingly he took it better than I expected. He was genuinely happy for me because I was given a godly blessing. But stressed because he was about to be a father.

I have something I never thought I'd have

Today not only is our daughter a healthy 15 yr old but I am married to her father. And we now have a 4 yr old adopted son. I had to have a hysterectomy in 2009 due to the endometriosis which again was devastating to me. And I still have lots of pain. But I have something that I thought I would never have. A FAMILY!

My daughter is facing the same challenges now

But unfortunately, I do believe my daughter now has it. And have just recently scheduled her an appointment with my gynecologist.

Pray for her, please! I hope she doesn't!
Thank you!