You cannot truly appreciate your health until you don't have it
As a teenager, I struggled with fatigue and dizziness, the cause of which I never found out. I recovered and rehabilitated myself with yoga and exercise, but watched my sister battle symptoms caused by Crohn's Disease. I started training as an occupational therapist where I saw the significant impact that disease can have on a person's life. All of these things made me appreciate the value of good health, but I didn't truly understand how valuable it was until my symptoms began when I was 19, and after a few months I was in significant pain everyday, and having regular trips to A&E where I was given morphine and gas and air to control the pain. Now, I wake up in pain every morning, and cannot remember what it feels like to be pain-free.
You learn who your true friends are
Getting sick after my first year at university meant that nights out became very difficult for me; I couldn't balance university work and social life in the way that most of my friends could. In my second year, I spent more time in hospital than I did partying, and although I had amazing friends who supported me, I felt as though I missed out on a lot. After I graduated, I became so unwell that I had to leave my job at the same time as recovering from surgery. So many of my friends disappeared at this time when I most needed support, but this made me so grateful for the handful of close friends who stayed with me.
The hot water bottle becomes your best friend
I sleep with a hot water bottle every night, even in the summer. The heat helps to ease the pain and help me sleep. When I am out, I often use a TENs machine to control the pain as much as possible.
Periods are hell
No one enjoys that time of the month, but if you have endometriosis and/or adenomyosis the pain can significantly disrupt your life. My treatment aims to stop my periods and prevent the cycle of inflammation and growth of the disease, but I still have an occasional period, which can be a horrendous experience.
You get to know the pharmacist
Many women with endometriosis have to take a lot of medication in order to control the pain and the disease as much as possible. I take a daily cocktail of medication, which means I am on first name terms with my pharmacist.
Your pain will be dismissed
My pain is invisible, so I do understand that some people won't believe my pain. I have been accused of being addicted to painkillers, and of having a low pain tolerance by someone who didn't believe that the pain from my disease could be real. Even some doctors still believe that endometriosis only causes pain during menstruation, when many women are in pain every day of the month.
I am lucky
Having endometriosis and adenomyosis has taught me to count my blessings, and appreciate what I do have. I battle my disease on a daily basis, and I'm not yet able to manage a full-time job, but I have a loving, supportive family and boyfriend. I have a roof over my head and a flexible job. If I want to do something, I can do it, even if I have to plan carefully and pace myself. I was born in an era when there are treatments that can help me control my disease, even though there are no cures. I am treated under an amazing pelvic pain clinic, where my pain is never dismissed and I am given as much control as possible when it comes to managing my condition.
