Meet Victoria. She is a mother of a beautiful little girl who has been recently diagnose with endometriosis, despite having it for seven in a half years. She was being dismissed at the hospital multiple times when she arrived with crippling pain. The way she was treated, or rather untreated in this case, cause her feeling alone, confused, and depressed. The doctors told her that the pain was all in her head or it is just simply irritable bowel syndrome. One time a doctor even shouted at her because he believed she was lying about have a child and he refused to treat me. She has since reported him. People need to be more aware of the mental and physical effects this can have on you to be treated the way she has. She went into the surgery expecting them to not find anything because all her life she has been told it’s nothing and it’s all in her head. She was in surgery for 4 hours. Victoria cried that day as she woke up with a diagnosis of the most severe form of endometriosis, an incurable disease. This experience has completely changed her life. It’s awful what she had to go through and this could have been avoided if more doctors really listen to their patients. This is in no way a dig at doctors as it is a highly challenging and stressful career, but it is to highlight that some health issues in women are harder and more complicated to diagnose.
So what is endometriosis?
Endometriosis is a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the womb starts to grow in other places, such as the ovaries and fallopian tubes.
Each month these cells react in the same way to those in the womb, building up and then breaking down and bleeding. Unlike the cells in the womb that leave the body as a period, this blood has no way to escape.Â
It is a chronic and debilitating condition that causes painful or heavy periods. It may also lead to infertility, fatigue and bowel and bladder problems. Around 1.5 million women in the UK are currently living with the condition.
To learn more please visit: https://www.endometriosis-uk.org/understanding-endometriosis
This series is a reminder that not all disability is visible so please be kinder to one another.