The Unknown Pain

When I was 13 I started hormonal treatment (birth control) for painful periods. They were so bad I would miss school. One thing I would never miss was a workout. I never understood why I had pain like my period after every trip to the gym. I felt like I could never get a grip on my pain. Every time I told my doctors about it, they just said it was “normal” and brushed it off as if a woman’s body was supposed to endure constant daily pain.

I was at risk...

It wasn’t until I was about 19 that I had finally begun switching my birth control to see what else was out there. I didn’t know what I was looking for but I knew something had to work for me. Finally, my doctor told me that my constant migraines (where I lost my vision at times) were a sign that I was at high risk for a stroke and I had to take a break. I couldn’t believe it and had no idea what else to do.

My horrible experience with an IUD

My story continues on less than a year later, after relocating to another state, while I continued the fight to figure out what was wrong with me.

For the first time, I had made the decision to try an IUD. I was too scared because of all of the risk factors and lawsuits out there but I had to do something. My doctor did everything she could to make me feel comfortable. When the insertion happened and the pain hit, it only slightly dissipated. I left that office hunched over, sobbing, and ultimately waited in the hospital parking lot for 45 minutes vomiting hoping the pain would reduce. I waited another four days before I finally got a hold of my doctor to check the placement. The ultrasound said everything was where it should be but I could barely stand the mild pressure of the ultrasound machine on me.

It was time to try something else

We made the decision to remove it immediately and try out my very first endo medication, Orilissa. She thought it might help. She was wrong. I broke out in baseball-sized hives. I had to immediately take an antihistamine and cease the medication. It wasn’t right for me (but I have heard wonders for others).

Nearly a decade after my first symptom

It was then that my doctor and I decided to schedule the laparoscopic procedure. I was diagnosed with endo at 26 years old. 13 full years after my journey began.

I am still struggling to find what works for me and how to manage my pain. However, it is a battle I will one day win.