An Illness Without A Name: Part 3

Continued from Part 1 and Part 2. A story from community member Rylee7.

The early days of my illness were at a time when no information was available and physicians were baffled as to what was happening to me. By the 1990s, I finally had a diagnosis and a name for my period experience: Endometriosis.

Facing infertility

Getting pregnant took a long time to accomplish. I had been married for seven years before conception. I was told by my doctor that based on my menstrual cycle history, my fallopian tubes were diseased. There were adhesions, mucus, and blockages in my tubes, and I had a tilted uterus as well. They said that with those issues and the multiple operations I received dealing with endometriosis I would not be able to conceive to have a baby. There was not a chance!

I was devastated and didn’t know how to feel. Here I have been married and had to tell my husband that I would not be able to have children. His response was, "First of all, I did not marry you to have children, I married you because I love you." He was okay with me not being able to have children.

I tried the advice of an infertility specialist for a year. I went through in vitro fertilization (IVF) and all the shots that went with trying to conceive, but that didn't get me pregnant, either. After all this I was satisfied not having any children, but I still had endometriosis. I didn’t want to call out sick every month, but I was still struggling. Years of taking Motrin had taken a toll on my stomach.

A natural approach

One evening I was laying in my bed, and I heard my grandmother’s voice say, "You know what to do.” As a young person, I watched my grandmother cook with herbs and grow her own vegetables. Her knowledge of herbs, now called holistic medicine, stayed with me.

A friend came over one afternoon after I had been in the hospital for 11 days. I developed another cyst which needed to be removed, and had staples and an incision. She came to see me and we talked about my difficulty conceiving. She suggested that I make a boiled drink of mauby bark and sorrel to help.

This led to my research on infertility. I read books like Jethro Kloss' "Back to Eden" and then I stumbled upon others from Louise Tenney and Dr. James Balch and Phyllis Balch. I ended up using herbs to heal my body and was able to conceive my daughter -- even my doctor was surprised.

What I learned

Endometriosis was a life-changing condition and had a profound effect on my life. I’ve had to pull myself out of darkness with each menstrual episode. I fought to turn every month into a lesson. My circumstances tried to take my life on so many levels. I chose to believe in God’s goodness, mercy and grace. I had compassion for other folks who were suffering.

I thought that by telling my story, perhaps I could help someone else who experienced the same frustration I went through. I hope that this helps others feel understood and less alone.