Hi there 👋 and thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page and read my story. I'm Lisa, a 34 year old woman and part of the 1 in 10 diagnosed with endometriosis. If you haven't heard of this, endometriosis is a disease defined as a long-term condition where tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows in other places in the body. The most common symptoms include pelvic pain and severe period pain but the truth is, it is so much more than that and can be completely debilitating. 

Endo is often considered a "taboo" subject because it is related to female menstruation and is at it's worst during a woman's period. Because of this, endo is often considered to be "just a bad period". This is not my experience, nor the experience of other women with this disease. 

I was informed in 2021 that I likely had endo following repeated pain under my ribcage during my period when I moved or breathed. After multiple scans, exams and a diagnostic laparoscopy in January 2023, my diagnosis was confirmed as deep infiltrating stage IV endometriosis as well as adenomyosis, endo's sister condition. The disease was found to be obliterating my left ovary, has grown all over my pelvis, is on my bowel, bladder and appendix. The impact of this on me is physically and mentally draining. Pain ranges from excruciating pelvic pain, back pain, pain in my kidney, leg pain, pins and needles down my leg and even sometimes a completely numb leg, shoulder pain plus fatigue, nausea and headaches. Having had 3 surgeries in 12 months, with surgery required every 6 months to manage the stent I have in place to help my kidney (and yes, a "period disease" is damaging my kidney), I am no closer to treatment for this.

This is barely the tip of the iceberg of how endo affects me, and unfortunately it is the same story for millions of women in the UK and all over the world. I was one of the lucky few who was diagnosed quickly, when the average diagnosis time in the UK is 8 years. 

Endo is vastly under researched, under funded and those suffering have to fight every day for the care that we need, often seeking out private healthcare to avoid the wait lists on the NHS (currently standing at between 18mth - 3yrs). Endo has been described as one of the most painful conditions a human can experience, compared to heart attacks and broken bones, it can cause infertility and a myriad of additional health problems and yet it still is not prioritised in the way it should be. 

This is why I am taking part in the Winter Walk for Endo 2024 - to raise awareness and break the taboo, to get people talking more about this horrible disease, and to say "F you" to this disease that has taken so much from me. Between 22nd - 28th January, I will be aiming to walk 8,000 steps a day representing the average 8 year diagnosis time, and walking 10k on Saturday 27th January representing the 1 in 10 💛

Anything that you can donate, no matter how small, will go a long way in contributing to funding and research for Endometriosis UK. Thank you for taking the time to read my story ❤️

From Endometriosis UK: 

This January, I'm taking part in the Winter Walk for Endo to ensure that everyone with endometriosis gets on the right pathway to care. Endometriosis is a chronic pain condition that affects 1 in 10 women and those assigned female at birth. Those suffering with condition are often faced with making challenging and difficult decisions during diagnosis, treatment and management of endometriosis. Endometriosis UK exists to offer support and reliable information as well as fight and campaign for change and better treatment options.