My name is Grace McCafferty. I was diagnosed with endometriosis when I was 16 years old. I have chronic pelvic, leg, hip and low back pain. I also have trouble walking, pain with urinating, frequency and trouble emptying my bladder, as well as chronic constipation. I have been in chronic pain for a little over 3 years.
Here is where my story begins. One day I woke up with a stabbing pain on the left side of my body. It was down near my ovary, but I had never felt pain like this before. I had always had pain with my periods but that wasn’t like this. It was a stabbing unrelenting pain, that I did not know would be my new normal.
I have had 2 laparoscopies. The first was to remove an ovarian cyst, and the second was to diagnose my endometriosis. My first lap I was told that I had no endometriosis and that all the pain I was feeling was from the cyst. Wrong. I continued to have chronic pelvic pain for months because the ovarian cyst was not the source of my pain. After millions of doctors appointments and being told that no one could help me I stumbled across an endometriosis specialist. In the fall I got my ablation surgery.
I continued to have extreme pain after my surgery. Nothing seemed to work. I was told that I needed a stronger hormone so I was put on Synarel (a nasal spray form of Lupron). After months of constant bleeding and extreme pain, we came to the conclusion that the Synarel was not working. My doctor looked at me and said “I dont think your pain is caused by endometriosis… so I can no longer help you”. And just like that I was kicked out of his office. This was a year and a half into my journey. What was I supposed to do now?
Pain clinic after pain clinic nothing seemed to work. I had a million so-called “strategies” but unfortunately they were not effective. I went gluten free, dairy free, did yoga non stop, heating, taping, foam rolling, stretching and I felt no differences. Literally no differences.
I was approaching the 3 year mark for my chronic pain, and I felt like I had gone nowhere. I had been chasing my tail all this time with nothing to show for it. Then I came across excision, and that is where we are meeting. After months of interviewing excision specialists, and attending every endometriosis panel I could find, I am officially on the list for excision.
Now all I can do is wait. My Petite Uterus is helping me do so. In the time it takes me to get to surgery, if I can help one person out there then I will have done my job. It is time for me to do my greater part for this overlooked and disrespected community. So, hang in there. You are loved, your pain is valid, and I see you. We will get through this terrible disease together!