Alexis Clayton – Endometriosis
For some time now I’ve been experiencing pain in my abdominal area. This was causing me to be physically sick, almost every single day of the month, over the last ten months. When it first began I thought that I might have been pregnant, my husband and I patiently waited during the “2 week wait” and we were excited at the possibility of becoming parents. When the results, blood and home pregnancy tests all came back negative, we decided. “Now’s a good time to have a baby, so let’s just keep trying.With close monitoring by my Dr. all looked good and we were given the green light! Time passed and no pregnancy, however almost every month I had symptoms of a pregnancy. After several visits to the emergency room, one of the most recent visits showed a minimal amount of fluid was spotted in a fallopian tube, not great news, but we didn’t get discouraged. Finally I could no longer handle the pain that just kept increasing over the last ten months. I went to my Dr. and he saw a large cyst and scheduled me for laparoscopic surgery to remove the cyst. I was relieved and happy that I would finally be rid of the pain, and hopefully we could finally conceive!Prior to surgery my Dr. ordered an MRI and it was clear I had Endometriosis practically everywhere in my abdomen. It’s so bad that my bladder has attached itself to one of my ovaries. Just to give you an idea of the amount of Endometriosis I’ve been living with these past ten months. Unfortunately that’s not all the Endometriosis has comprised…
After the surgery and not the laparoscopic kind, I had to have an actual old fashion surgery, like a C-Section. I found out that I’ve been suffering from severe Endometriosis along with the types of cysts that don’t go away on their own. My Doctor was able to remove the cyst and the wall of the cyst , that was almost as big as a baseball. Right around 6 cm and a cyst on the other ovary, burst right before surgery on its own.
I’m recovering well, even though it is painful and to be honest at times depressing. Being limited to what I can and cannot do isn’t easy, however I need to give my body the time and TLC it needs to recover properly. My scar is a strange new thing and I don’t like looking at it. I’m not cured and I still experience “healing” pain as well as the pain from the Endometriosis, so it’s been a rough road this far.
I have options and am exploring them all, however it’s a tough decision about what to do at times and I’m saddened by most of the news I got from my Dr. after my surgery.
I’d like to share this experience with you… Hopefully my story can help someone else. By my sharing treatments offered and information as I get it, with those of you who are going through the same thing I am. We can all share our experiences with each other and hopefully find a solution for each one of us. I will continue to update this journey as it progresses. I also encourage you to share your story with this illness, about how you cope and treat Endometriosis. We are not alone in this and can be a support to others who also experience this illness.
All my love,
Alexis