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Stephanie

What are your endometriosis symptoms like? Fatigue, always even if I had a good night sleep. Pain, like I’m being stabbed in the pelvic. Nausea, regardless the amount of Gravol I take. 

What was your journey to diagnosis like? Took 10 years of gp brushing me off to finally get an obgyn who did laparoscopy to diagnose me but didn’t remove any endo. Another year to finally get endo excision. 

What has your experience with treatment for endometriosis been? It’s simple, I need excision surgery to get a 4-5 years of health quality. But to get to a specialist is always a 2 years battle specially if you have to start over cause you moved to another province.

How does endometriosis affect your day-to-day life? What quality of life?!? I can’t work, can’t have social life, can’t have intimacy with my husband, can barely eat because too many gastrointestinal issues, I can’t sleep cause the pain keeps me up. 

How does endometriosis affect your emotional well-being? It takes everything away from you: your job, your friends, your spouse, your ability to think clearly, because the pain is too intense.

How has endometriosis shaped turning points in your life up until now and looking toward the future? At 39 I got back to school once again to try to learn a job that won’t effect me as physically as the 20 past years have been doing to my body.

How have you found hope and support in your endometriosis journey? Support group on FB have been life saving for me.

What do you think healthcare for endometriosis in Canada should look like? We need to address the fact that gp are not always there for us to do referral for endo specialist. 

What do you think it is important for people to know about the experience of having endometriosis in Canada? It’s hurts, all the time no matter what you do. Now try to function in life with that kind of pain.