When I tell people that I have Endometriosis I feel like they don’t really understand what I have. Whenever I tell people I can’t go somewhere because of my pain or that I need prayer for my pain I imagine they think I am just complaining about “bad cramps”. I think many just assume it's the cause of my infertility issue, (and I have to admit that I am partly to blame because I don't want to tell everyone about my menstrual cycle) but it is much more than that; it’s chronic pain that seems to never end.
I was diagnosed with Stage III Endometriosis when I was 18 years old. I was very familiar with the word since my older sister and mother had already been diagnosed with it as well. I remember my older sister would vomit, faint, have fevers, scream and cry when her menstrual cycle would come and I learned how to help with her pain management and thought every woman had pain like this. Since I can remember I have always had severe pain the first day I would start my menstrual cycle. The screaming and crying from the pain was something I got used to and I thought it was normal to go through. But once I was diagnosed it all made sense.
Endometriosis is a disorder in which tissue that normally lines the uterus grows outside the uterus which causes most woman to have severe pain during their menstrual cycle. Doctors still have not figured out what causes Endometriosis, therefore, there is no cure for it either. So, all we can do is figure out how to manage the pain.
On the first day of my cycle, I really can’t get out of bed all day. I have chronic pain in my back, pelvic area and my legs get a numb cramping feeling. This usually lasts four days and while those four days are painful, each day the pain gets less and less. I can honestly say that it is like being in labor once a month, the only difference is that labor is temporary and goes away and this isn’t. It never goes away completely because it comes back a month later.
My pain management usually consists of ibuprofen 24 hours before I start my period (and the next four days depending how bad the pain is), really hot rice packs, and chamomile tea, but ti is still painful. After eight hours the pain slowly gets less painful. I have to admit the most challenging part is trying to hide the pain from my two year old, but at this point she is used to it and even runs to get the rice pack from my drawer. All the doctors I have been to have just recommended birth control to stop my menstrual cycle from coming but that just covers the problem. I also can’t judge their recommendation since there isn’t a cause or cure for endometriosis. I realize they are trying their best so I don’t feel pain anymore.
You might be asking yourself, “why don’t you just get on birth control then?” And the reason is that the desire for me to have a second child is much greater, and if I have to suffer every month so that we are blessed with conception than I will do it. All that pain will be worth it at the end.
I pray and hope that in the future there is more research done on Endometriosis so researchers can find the cause and cure for this horrible disease. Based on my personal experience, I would not wish this pain upon anyone. I would especially not want my daughter to go through this when it is her time to become a young woman.