I was stuck in my house in high levels of pain, trying to navigate a job I barely knew how to do because I was so new. Suddenly she found herself working from home trying to support others while dealing with her own excruciating pain at the same time. It hasn’t.”Īt the same time, Ellen had just started a new job as a Social Worker after graduating from RMIT University and was two weeks into her role when self-isolation started. Both times I was discharged with no follow up care or referrals made and told to wait to see if the pain went away on its own. Both times the results came back with a high white cell count and clear of appendicitis – but did find a 3.6mm cyst on my right ovary. “Both times I was checked for appendicitis and given ultrasounds and CT scans. Both times I felt like I was being stabbed with a hot poker and was doubled over on the ground crying in pain,” she said. “I’ve been to the emergency room twice in the last four months for the level of pain. They are the most intense she’s ever experienced causing such severe bloating, she says her stomach looks like she's full-term pregnant. It was in February of this year, just prior to isolation coming into place that Ellen’s flare ups started to get worse. Stress is another big trigger, with heat packs, hot showers or baths and light exercise like walking being helpful but difficult to maintain. I’m also on a regime of daily high-level painkillers that also contribute to feeling tired and impact my daily functioning.”įood can also be a trigger for Ellen’s endometriosis so she tries to avoid dairy, processed meat and food high in saturated fat. So I am also incredibly fatigued and have experienced depression and anxiety as a result. “These symptoms take a toll on your body. I also experience a lot of digestive issues and bloating – I haven’t been able to wear pants comfortably in months,” Ellen said. “I get cramping pains in my pelvis all day every day, as well as intense stabbing pains where my ovaries are. She’s grateful to have a wonderful GP who kept digging and referred her to a specialist, yet now at 25-years-old Ellen said she still wakes up every day in pain. However, there was no details on the report about what stage of endometriosis, what method was used to remove what they found or if they even removed what they found.”Īs a result, Ellen was routinely misdiagnosed and underwent countless ultrasounds and tests, while her pain was dismissed as being caused by sexual trauma. “It wasn’t until my GP managed to track my report down earlier this year that it was finally confirmed that endometriosis was found during my first laparoscopy. So I never knew if they found any endometriosis,” Ellen said. “I personally had a really bad experience with my first laparoscopy, I didn’t receive any follow up from the hospital and my laparoscopy report was actually lost for four years. The laparoscopy would diagnose her endometriosis – the only way it could be known for certain. While some of these methods helped slightly, it wasn’t until Ellen was 19 that she saw a different GP who gave her a referral for her first surgery. So I was put on a number of different hormonal contraceptives such as the pill, the rod and the contraceptive injections to help the pain.” “I was incorrectly told that nothing could be done if I did have endometriosis as my doctor said surgery would just make my pain worse. “I now know you can’t diagnose endometriosis from an ultrasound, but if things are immobile it can mean there’s a possibility that there are adhesions on your ovaries or uterus that are caused by endometriosis,” she said.
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