I have endometriosis.
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Intro

I spent most of 2025 disabled from stage II deep infiltarting endometriosis. Endometriosis is estimated to affect 11%-15% of women aged 15-44. The condition has even been documented in men (fewer than 20 cases, but nonetheless). Widely dismissed as "just a bad period", it is a scary inflammatory disease that spans far beyond purely gynecological medical scope. Endometriosis is a social issue, too. The stigma surrounding women's health, lack of societal awareness, lackluster research, and overall societal expectations that ignore the reality of infradian cycles all contribute to the gaslighting and delays in appropriate care that almost all endometriosis patients experience. The average diagnostic delay can be from 7 to 11 years. I didn't realize I had endo until I was 29, but from the moment I suspected it, it only took me a 1.5 months to receive a diagnosis via MRI, and only 8 months until I was carted into the operating room while "Mea Culpa" by Engima accompanied my slow fade into anesthesiological bliss. I am writing this blog post with the hope that it reduces guesswork for somebody else. Whether you suspect you have endometriosis, another hormonal or pelvic issue, or whether you just know some women, work with them, or interact with people at all, learning more about the issue could be the difference between a lifetime of suffering through complications and an early intervention strategy.

Medical Timeline Summary

I was able to fast-track my progression towards an excision surgery due to several factors I will be getting into later, and here it is exactly:

Slow Collapse: Is Something Wrong?

In November of 2024, I began to feel somewhat burnt out and lethargic. I attributed this to the stress of studying for EMT exams, but even asking my psychiatrist for beta-blockers didn't seem to completely remediate the issue. Even with managed anxiety, I was still slowly, but surely developing some sort of anhedonia. I then had a terribly uncomfortable and painful period, which I ignored because I was trying to be functional, and I didn't want to complicate things with my medical training beyond the student accomodations I had already requested for my auditory processing issues that already felt needlessly bureaucratic and complicated. My December period was unremarkable, so I thought all was fine. The ovaries will alternate each menstrual cycle, so I knew that I should just keep an eye out for what happens once my "bad" ovary menstruates again. I would typically experience premenstrual cramps 1-2 days prior to the first day of my period (when blood appears). In January of 2025, however, I had a lot of (pre-menstrual?) pain in my lower back, which was concerning. After about a week, I finally got my period and sighed with relief that everything is fine, I'm not dying, it's just my period. As time passed, my concerns came back: I didn't see much blood the first day, and what I did see was abnormally dark and thick. The second day there was nothing, and only on the third day did it feel like a more normal period. What else was strange – the pain was present the entire time. My "normal-ish" period ended, but the pain never went away. I was in pain about 80% of the time, easing up during the day. It would come back with intensity towards the evening and keep me from falling asleep, sometimes it would wake me up at night and I wouldn't be able to fall back asleep.

I was afraid to eat. My appetite completely disappeared and I didn't even want to look at fried, sweet, fatty, carb-rich, salty or spicy foods. I could only think about tea, soup and smoothies, but I no longer had any energy to cook myself soup.

The BRCA Layer (still writing...)

oh no i also have brca oh yay i have a bunch of doctores that can help make this all speed up

also i studied ems and have flexible work hours so i was able to call for cancellations a lot.

Care Timeline

Pre-excision Pain Management (still writing...)

tldr TAKE NAPROXEN BABE pain became structural in daily life: fatigue, nausea, constipation, hormonal chaos. loss of exercise tolerance, dizziness, brain fog, POTS overlap. ambition vs chronic pain and chronic fatigue.

Endometriosis Excision Surgery

So are you better now?

Do I feel better than I did at the start of 2025? Absolutely. I can sleep through the night with no disturbances from pain. I can eat mostly whatever I'd like. I rarely have strange sensations in my pelvis, legs, lower back or abdomen now. I am not taking NSAIDs at a rate that is dangerous to my stomach lining. I have put away my heating pad in the shape of a giant diaper and not needed to take it out of the drawer since I've recovered from surgery.

But I still have endometriosis, and I always will. I still have flare days. I have naproxen in my bedside table and purse. My electric blanket is always plugged in, and I often turn on the heated seats when driving in the car. I include pelvic floor exercises in my gym routine. I regularly attend breathwork classes and have been focusing more on somatic modalities for therapeutic release. I say no to a lot of opportunities and invitations. I take a low dose of a GLP medication. I'm still in the turbulent IUD adjustment phase as I wait for my hormonal cycle to stabilize. And I am still frequenting the doctor's office for my BRCA prevention plan and my POTS complaints. I am still learning about the intricacies of my neurodivergence and the relationship it has to my "physical" health. (I'm not a dualist. You can leave the Descartes at the door.)

So am I better? Yes. But I'm not "fine", and I never will be, and I don't plan to hide that.

What others should know (still writing...)

everything