Thank you for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

I'm walking 8,000 steps a day to represent the 8 years on average it takes for a woman in the UK to be diagnosed with endometriosis.  All funds raised go towards paying for research and support  to Endometriosis UK to help women get the care and cure they deserve.

My story

I was diagnosed with Endometriosis in October 2021 after laparoscopic surgery. I was diagnosed with stage I endometriosis (superficial). Stage I may not seem to be a cause for concern as such but unfortunately it is. This type of endometriosis is superficial. Meaning a surgeon can try and take it out through surgery, but unfortunately it will just grow back within 6-9 months. Making it harder to manage.

Endometriosis is where tissue similar to that of the uterus lining grows elsewhere in the body. This tissue grows and bleeds in response to hormones, and this can cause injury to tissues and inflammation, which can lead to the formation of thick scar tissue (or adhesions) as the body tries to heal itself. This often leads to complications such as organs becoming stuck together, ovarian cysts forming or infertility.

Unfortunately, when I was 13 my life just suddenly felt like it had been turned upside down. I was in and out of hospital with cysts, debilitating pain to a point in which I was living in and out of wheelchairs and constantly being hospitalised because the pain was so bad I physically could not walk.

 Every time I went to hospital I would get the same comments of "you're too young" "It's just a bad period your body will adapt". I would present with awfully heavy bleeds, horrible clots, the pain caused from the adhesions/ inflammation, nausea, bloating, extreme bowel habits and just overall fatigue I could not live a normal life anymore. After years of fighting my cause with my family alongside me I finally got a laparascopy. This is keyhole surgery to find the endometriosis as only large chunks of endometriosis can usually be seen on scans. 

My endometriosis was found in my Pouch of Douglas (this is around the bowel, bladder and womb).

There is no cure so far. Yes, there are ways of managing endometriosis but those methods don't work for everyone as this illness is very specific to the individual. For me personally, I am yet to find a happy medium as I will have to take the medicinal pain management route. The mirena coil has helped me personally in some ways but not enough to where I am back to my normal life (this may work better for others).

I also wanted to speak out and say that I am walking with endo to help raise awareness on the mental aspect of this illness. With this illness comes a need for mental strength in bucketloads, as women face the struggles of worrying about their endo belly and how that makes them look or the worry of not being able to conceive a child and just the over all struggle with this life changing illness and adapting to the pain and symptoms. I want women to know it's okay to worry about these things from time to time and have bad days. But to remember to pick yourselves back up and push to make everyday a brighter day and step in the right direction!

Everyday is a struggle and I wish I had not been brainwashed into thinking I was "crazy " for knowing something was genuinely wrong with me, something more than "just a period". I wish I had the knowledge of signs and symptoms sooner because I truly believe I would be feeling and living a more normal more managed pain life than I am now.