Christa's Story
Hi Everyone! My name is Christa and I am currently 31 years old.
I was officially diagnosed with endometriosis in December 2010 at the age of 30. I’m pretty sure I’ve had it since the age of 14 or 15, or maybe since I first got my period 2 years prior, but in high school is when I started showing symptoms that I now know are symptoms of Endo. It has taken approximately half my life to get diagnosed.
In high school, I would miss days of school because the pain was so bad. I’d get light headed and almost pass out, and I would throw up from the pain. I was given prescription pain killers for Dysmenorrhea (menstrual cramps) and later in high school I was put on the Birth Control pill to manage the pain.
I didn’t really know any better, but I always said there was something wrong, that it wasn’t normal to have pain this bad. I was always told by my doctor that some women just have more pain than other women. I was on 5 different brands of Birth Control pills during my life so far because they would only last for so long before the pain got unbearable again. Don’t get me wrong, it was never good when I was on the pill, but it was better than it could be and I was able to set it up so I would only get my period’s really “painful” days on the weekend so I wouldn’t miss any time at work.
I had been asking for a few years for a referral to a specialist because both myself and my doctor thought it could be Endo, but I was always told that there was nothing they could do for me until I start trying to have children since the only thing they can do is laser it off, but it would grow back.
I went off the Birth Control pill at the end of 2009 since it had stopped working again and was causing missed periods. I also hoped to start a family. I had 2 okay months, and then in January 2010, the extreme pain came back again. In February I was able to talk my doctor into giving me the referral I had been wanting to a Gynecologist. The appointment they gave me was September 2010, 8 months after I asked for the referral. This was very discouraging to me.
The next months that followed, my period got worse each time. I started missing a few days of work each month, and the pain was unbearable. In June 2010 I decided to also consult a Naturopath since I was having so much trouble with the pain, and I started having really bad Irritable Bowel-like symptoms, which are also symptoms of Endo, but I didn’t yet know that.
The Naturopath adjusted my diet, and I started taking supplements to help clean out my liver from the Birth Control pill, and help with the Endo. I’ve learned that Natural solutions are great, but they do take a long time to start working. In the fall the pain got so bad that I started throwing up like I did in high school, and I started loosing a lot of weight because I couldn’t eat when I was in that much pain.
After seeing the specialist in September 2010, she told me right away she wanted to do the Laparoscopic surgery as soon as possible and she was 99% sure it was Endo. It was a hard decision to make since I didn’t want surgery, and I had started on my path of natural healing, but after talking to my Naturopath, and my husband, and going through another extremely painful period, I decided to go ahead with the surgery and it was scheduled for December 2010.
In the months waiting for the surgery my Naturopath tried a few different things to try to find the one fit for me. By this point, I was an emotional wreck, and the pain was effecting me at work and with friends. I would cry a lot and I became the queen of the question “Why me?” Unfortunately there is no answer to that question.
I had the surgery the week before Christmas, and to my bad luck, I developed an infection in one of my incisions. Since it was over Christmas, my family doctor and surgeon were both off for the holidays. I was able to talk to the nurse just before the holidays and she informed me that I was stage 4 with lots of adhesions, so I might be in more pain than normal, and she told me what to use to help the infection.
After Christmas I was able to see my family doctor to get antibiotics for the infection since it still hadn’t gone away, and was getting worse. I went back to work, only to have to be off again. I was supposed to be back to normal after a week, but I ended up missing 3 weeks of work for the recovery.
I was finally able to find out a bit about the surgery when I saw the surgeon right after New Years when she was checking the progress of the infection. I found out about the Stage 4, and that they couldn’t remove too much because it was located mostly around my bowel and ureters. She wanted to put my on Lupron for 6 months, and then later do a hysterectomy after I was done having children, but my chances of having children without assistance were very low. It was an emotional day, and I left very upset. I wish I had asked my husband to come in the room with me, because I forgot to ask questions after I got upset.
My follow up from the surgery was scheduled for mid January 2011, so I did a lot of research between those appointments. I decided the Lupron was not right for me, and that I’d work just with my Naturopath. We were going to continue to try to have children naturally, as we decided In Vitro was not for us. My husband and I were prepared for the follow up with a list of questions, and I asked for a copy of the surgery report. I left the office with a “Good Luck” from my doctor and my faith in doctors had completely gone, but there wasn’t much left by that point anyway.
My husband and I had decided to adopt a child since we both really want to be parents and have a family. Not being able to have children of our own naturally is not going to stop us from this dream to have a family. We had decided that In Vitro was not for us, and are happy with our decision to adopt. We have completed the PRIDE course that is needed for adoption in Ontario and we are currently waiting until the right time to start the Home Study portion of the adoption process.
Since all this I have continued with my research and decided I want to spend my life helping other women like me. I had looked for a support group in the area, to find none. I was introduced to Jaclyn through a mutual friend, and talking with her has really helped me. Together we have decided to make our dream to help other women like us a reality.
Thanks everyone for taking the time to read my story. There’s lots of different treatment options out there, you just need to find one that’s right for you. Keep positive and know that you’re not alone! Christa
July 2011
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© 2011 - Endometriosis Awareness KW
I was officially diagnosed with endometriosis in December 2010 at the age of 30. I’m pretty sure I’ve had it since the age of 14 or 15, or maybe since I first got my period 2 years prior, but in high school is when I started showing symptoms that I now know are symptoms of Endo. It has taken approximately half my life to get diagnosed.
In high school, I would miss days of school because the pain was so bad. I’d get light headed and almost pass out, and I would throw up from the pain. I was given prescription pain killers for Dysmenorrhea (menstrual cramps) and later in high school I was put on the Birth Control pill to manage the pain.
I didn’t really know any better, but I always said there was something wrong, that it wasn’t normal to have pain this bad. I was always told by my doctor that some women just have more pain than other women. I was on 5 different brands of Birth Control pills during my life so far because they would only last for so long before the pain got unbearable again. Don’t get me wrong, it was never good when I was on the pill, but it was better than it could be and I was able to set it up so I would only get my period’s really “painful” days on the weekend so I wouldn’t miss any time at work.
I had been asking for a few years for a referral to a specialist because both myself and my doctor thought it could be Endo, but I was always told that there was nothing they could do for me until I start trying to have children since the only thing they can do is laser it off, but it would grow back.
I went off the Birth Control pill at the end of 2009 since it had stopped working again and was causing missed periods. I also hoped to start a family. I had 2 okay months, and then in January 2010, the extreme pain came back again. In February I was able to talk my doctor into giving me the referral I had been wanting to a Gynecologist. The appointment they gave me was September 2010, 8 months after I asked for the referral. This was very discouraging to me.
The next months that followed, my period got worse each time. I started missing a few days of work each month, and the pain was unbearable. In June 2010 I decided to also consult a Naturopath since I was having so much trouble with the pain, and I started having really bad Irritable Bowel-like symptoms, which are also symptoms of Endo, but I didn’t yet know that.
The Naturopath adjusted my diet, and I started taking supplements to help clean out my liver from the Birth Control pill, and help with the Endo. I’ve learned that Natural solutions are great, but they do take a long time to start working. In the fall the pain got so bad that I started throwing up like I did in high school, and I started loosing a lot of weight because I couldn’t eat when I was in that much pain.
After seeing the specialist in September 2010, she told me right away she wanted to do the Laparoscopic surgery as soon as possible and she was 99% sure it was Endo. It was a hard decision to make since I didn’t want surgery, and I had started on my path of natural healing, but after talking to my Naturopath, and my husband, and going through another extremely painful period, I decided to go ahead with the surgery and it was scheduled for December 2010.
In the months waiting for the surgery my Naturopath tried a few different things to try to find the one fit for me. By this point, I was an emotional wreck, and the pain was effecting me at work and with friends. I would cry a lot and I became the queen of the question “Why me?” Unfortunately there is no answer to that question.
I had the surgery the week before Christmas, and to my bad luck, I developed an infection in one of my incisions. Since it was over Christmas, my family doctor and surgeon were both off for the holidays. I was able to talk to the nurse just before the holidays and she informed me that I was stage 4 with lots of adhesions, so I might be in more pain than normal, and she told me what to use to help the infection.
After Christmas I was able to see my family doctor to get antibiotics for the infection since it still hadn’t gone away, and was getting worse. I went back to work, only to have to be off again. I was supposed to be back to normal after a week, but I ended up missing 3 weeks of work for the recovery.
I was finally able to find out a bit about the surgery when I saw the surgeon right after New Years when she was checking the progress of the infection. I found out about the Stage 4, and that they couldn’t remove too much because it was located mostly around my bowel and ureters. She wanted to put my on Lupron for 6 months, and then later do a hysterectomy after I was done having children, but my chances of having children without assistance were very low. It was an emotional day, and I left very upset. I wish I had asked my husband to come in the room with me, because I forgot to ask questions after I got upset.
My follow up from the surgery was scheduled for mid January 2011, so I did a lot of research between those appointments. I decided the Lupron was not right for me, and that I’d work just with my Naturopath. We were going to continue to try to have children naturally, as we decided In Vitro was not for us. My husband and I were prepared for the follow up with a list of questions, and I asked for a copy of the surgery report. I left the office with a “Good Luck” from my doctor and my faith in doctors had completely gone, but there wasn’t much left by that point anyway.
My husband and I had decided to adopt a child since we both really want to be parents and have a family. Not being able to have children of our own naturally is not going to stop us from this dream to have a family. We had decided that In Vitro was not for us, and are happy with our decision to adopt. We have completed the PRIDE course that is needed for adoption in Ontario and we are currently waiting until the right time to start the Home Study portion of the adoption process.
Since all this I have continued with my research and decided I want to spend my life helping other women like me. I had looked for a support group in the area, to find none. I was introduced to Jaclyn through a mutual friend, and talking with her has really helped me. Together we have decided to make our dream to help other women like us a reality.
Thanks everyone for taking the time to read my story. There’s lots of different treatment options out there, you just need to find one that’s right for you. Keep positive and know that you’re not alone! Christa
July 2011
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
© 2011 - Endometriosis Awareness KW