She was right to be scared 🥲. Endometriosis is a disease that is grossly underfunded and under researched even though it affects 1 in 9 women. Endo is where the uterine tissue grows outside of the uterus on other parts of the body such as ovaries, bowels, bladder, and sometimes even the lungs, heart and brain. It causes debilitating pain that can leave women disabled and unable to function. It can’t take up to 10 years to get a diagnosis since women’s pain is often overlooked and misdiagnosed. It is also not considered a disability even though 1 in 6 women with endometriosis lose their jobs due to the disabling nature of the extreme pain we experience on a day to day basis. Last Oct. my period pain got so bad that I would faint and throw up and be bed ridden for 4 days straight. The attacks became more frequent and would come even when I wasn’t on my period. Fast forward to June, I went to the ER twice in a month thinking I was having an appendicitis attack. The doctor told me that I needed to see a specialist because it was out of his expertise. A few weeks later I had surgery with a Gynecologic Oncologist and they found a 10cm cyst (size of a large orange) on my ovary and growths/lesions all over my bladder, colon and pelvis. After 13 years of inexplicable debilitating pain I was diagnosed with a severe case of Endometriosis and prescribed Orilissa to stop the spread. Even with the medication, it’s only a short term solution and I’m starting to accept the fact that this is something I am going to deal with for the rest of my life since there is no cure at this moment. I’ve always been someone to be positive and hopeful but I am going to be honest I have been pretty hopeless and angry at the medical system for how much they FAIL women. There is a HUGE gender disparity in the way diseases are funded and researched. Across the board, it takes women 4+ years longer to get diagnosed than men. I’ve attached more resources on my profile if you are curious to learn more. If you’re experiencing extreme period pain do not let doctors tell you it’s normal and keep pushing to be heard and seen. We are in this together❤️‍🩹 #endometriosis #endometriosisawareness #idpwd