Alexis’s Story (Endometriosis)

Hi everyone,

I had an unexpected life event recently. For some time now, I’ve been experiencing pain in my abdomen area. This was causing me to be physically sick almost every single day of the month over the last ten months. When it first began, I thought that I might be pregnant. My husband and I patiently waited during the “2 week wait,” and we were excited at the possibility of becoming parents.

When the results, blood work and home pregnancy tests all came back negative, we decided, now’s a good time to have a baby, so let’s just keep trying. With close monitoring by my doctor, all looked good, and we were given the green light! Time passed and no pregnancy. However, almost every month, I had the symptoms of a pregnancy. After several visits to the emergency room, one of my most recent visits showed a minimal amount of fluid in a Fallopian tube. Not great news, but we didn’t get discouraged.

Finally, I could no longer handle the pain that just kept increasing over the last ten months. I went to my doctor, and he saw a large cyst and scheduled me for laparoscopic surgery to remove the cyst. I was relieved and happy that I would finally be rid of the pain and hopefully we could finally conceive!

Prior to surgery, my doctor ordered an MRI, and it was clear I had endometriosis practically everywhere in my abdomen. It was so bad that my bladder had attached itself to one of my ovaries, just to give you an idea of the amount of endometriosis I’ve been living with these past ten months. Unfortunately, that’s not all the endometriosis has comprised…

After the surgery, and not the laparoscopic kind, I had to have an actual, old-fashioned surgery, like a C-section. I found out that I’ve been suffering from severe endometriosis, along with the types of cysts that don’t go away on their own. My doctor was able to remove the cyst and the wall of the cyst, which was almost as big as a baseball, right around 6 cm. A cyst on the other ovary, burst right before surgery on its own.

I’m recovering well, even though it is painful and, to be honest, at times depressing. Being limited to what I can and cannot do isn’t easy, however, I need to give my body the time and TLC it needs to recover properly. My scar is a strange new thing, and I don’t like looking at it. I’m not cured, and I still experience “healing” pain, as well as the pain from the endometriosis. So it’s been a rough road thus far.

I have options and am exploring them all. However, it’s a tough to decide what to do at times, and I’m saddened by most of the news I got from my doctor after my surgery.

I’d like to share this experience with you. Hopefully, my story can help someone else by my sharing treatments offered and information as I get it with those of you who are going through the same thing. We can all share our experiences with each other and hopefully find a solution for each one of us. I will continue to update this journey as it progresses. I also encourage you to share your story about this illness, about how you cope with and treat endometriosis. We are not alone in this and can support others who also experience this illness.

All my love,

Alexis
United States
Submitted 04/14/2016

The informational content of this article is intended to convey a personal experience and, because every person’s experience is unique, should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional healthcare advice.

This story is intended to convey a personal experience and, because every person’s experience is unique, should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional healthcare advice.