Endometriosis

Endometriosis 

I have decided to create a post to talk about my experiences with Endometriosis.  I was diagnosed with Endometriosis in 2012 at the age of 13. I was in and out of hospital, 2 operations later, minus my appendix's but I got my diagnosis that would change my life. This blog post will contain my own experiences plus extra information about symptoms, diagnosis and treatment. Enjoy x


Firstly, symptoms!! I have include a list of my own personal symptoms but these pretty much cover the majority of symptoms for Endometriosis.

• extremely painful periods / bleeding / spotting 
• Unable to have pelvic examinations due to the pain 
• Cramping in my back, abdomen, pelvis
• Pain throughout my legs 
• Nausea 
• Painful urination (this comes across as UTI but only ever had a handful of them in my life. Even with going to doctors and hospital regarding them being so severe. No sign of infection basically ever! Only had 3-5 in my life but antibiotics every time I went regarding painful urination!) 
• Frequent urination - this is due to the endometriosis being on my bladder. I went to see a bladder specialist where they said they have messed up the lining of my bladder when they looked inside of it in 2012) 
• Ovulation pain 
• Diarrhoea / constipation 
• Bloating 
• Blood clots 
• Fatigue 
• Back and leg pain 
• Sometimes dizziness 
• Gallbladder pain when digesting fat - I have had various scans on my gallbladder to see if I had stones / inflammation but turns out they believe that endometriosis has taken over my gallbladder too and this is why I experience a lot of pain in my right side and through my shoulder blade (like symptoms of an issue with your gallbladder!) 

Diagnosis -
Endometriosis is diagnosed through laparoscopic surgery. This is when they use key hole surgery to insert the camera and other instruments into the pelvic area. Usually, you have 3 excision ports but this can vary depending on surgeon and what they like to do and also severity, needing extra ports for other instruments for examination. It all depends on circumstances. They look for signs of Endometriosis within the pelvic cavity and other locations nearby. Usually, a sample is taken and sent off to confirm or deny Endometriosis.


Treatment Options - 
Treatment options vary from women to women on what they prefer. Some may want pain relief such as mefenamic acid, codeine and paracetamol etc (They are what I normally use for pain) or they may want to go down the contraception route, which I also have. There are many different types of contraception available but as I said before, this all comes down to your own preferences and to some degree, what the doctor recommends too. Contraception can vary from the pill, patch, injection, implant and coil. It is best to research into each type if you are looking for a new form of contraception and see which one suits you best! Another treatment option is surgery. Surgery will be performed the same as stated before - laparoscopic surgery. The surgeon will go in, look for the sights of Endometriosis and remove them. This can be either through excision or removal by head/laser. Excision is probably the best option, in my opinion, for longer pain relief as they cut out the Endometriosis, rather than just taking the top off it. 


If you have any concerns over your symptoms or anything else related, please visit your local doctors and express your concerns. You know your body! Also visit Endometriosis UK (https://www.endometriosis-uk.org), they provide helpful information if you want to seek any further research of your own!

Follow my Facebook page - My Journey with Endometriosis and my Instagram page - @caitlin_mylifeonablog for daily health updates, related issues and also other topics such as mental health! 

Thank you all for the continued love and support.  Stay safe guys,
Caitlin x