My periods were HELL. I was told that I would get periods. But what I wasn’t told was that they would hurt like they did. I would have these huge clots come out every period (TMI? Sorry, not sorry…this was my life), but I was never told that they were abnormal. I mean, how would anyone know when I didn’t ask? Every month I thought the pain and clots were what every girl goes through. I didn’t want to be a pain bringing it up in conversation or a wuss for not being able to deal with my period. I went on with periods lasting anywhere from 6 days to 6 weeks. And let me tell you, if you thought a 6 day period was bad......you've got it wrong! 6 weeks on a period is like a blood donation that never stops. You feel weak and drained and white. Majorly white, lol. This Minnesota girl was used to being white, but this was a whole new level of pasty! I was on birth control after birth control. A total of about 19 different kinds. I would breakthrough bleed all the time on one pill and the next would make my pain worse instead of better. Yet I would continue switching and trying to find the best thing to help ease my pain and struggle.
Fast forward to college. I was now 17 years old. I would be in choir and I would have to leave the room to go to the bathroom and curl up on the floor and cry. I remember calling my mom and barely getting a word out because I hurt so damn bad. Sometimes I couldn’t even breathe, because not breathing was better than breathing and feeling the pain. I went to various doctor’s appointments throughout the years to figure out this pain. I heard time and time again that I was “mental” or “imagining things” because I’m “too young to have endometriosis.” I can tell you right now that I was not imaging the pain that I went through.
Be an advocate for yourself. Constantly question doctors and get second opinions. Not one doctor will know what is best for you. If you feel in your heart that something is wrong, trust it. Trust yourself. I was so glad that I didn’t just listen to the doctor’s when they told me that I was “mental” or “imaging the pain.” I got second and third opinions and believed in myself with the help of my family and my husband. Come back next week to read about how I finally made the decision to act against my endometriosis.
This video is kind of dry and the voice is kinda creepy, but it gives a good amount of information about Endometriosis. :)