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For YEARS I had excruciating period pain. When my period came, I could not move. I had to cancel plans with friends, work calls, absolutely everything. It got to the point where when I would get out of bed to even go to the bathroom my vision was blurry and the entire world would start spinning. For years I had OBGYNs tell me this was “normal” period pain.
Last year, I woke up on the first day of my period and I knew it was not normal. I could not move, I was throwing up bile, and it seemed like my body was completely shutting down. I demanded my boyfriend bring me to the ER – as soon as I got there and the doctors saw how much pain I was in even after giving me morphine, they knew something was wrong. Turns out, I had an ovarian cyst that had burst and was bleeding into my stomach. What should have been a pretty standard laparoscopic surgery, turned into a complicated one after the doctors could not get through the massive amount of scar tissue (likely the result of an ovarian removal when I was a baby). They had to do an open surgery.
After the surgery, I went on birth control to stop ovarian cysts from growing this large again. Since, my pain has stopped!
With only one damaged ovary remaining, I immediately went to see a fertility specialist, who said that if I one day wanted the option to have children – we would need to do tests right away to find out if that was an option. After the test to determine whether or not an egg would safely be able to travel from my one ovary to my uterus failed, I decided to freeze my eggs right away.
In a way, it was a blessing in disguise that this lead to the discovery that I will not be able to naturally get pregnant, but it was also frustrating that I went to doctors for years and they dismissed this as “normal” period pain when it was literally causing me to put my life on hold for 5 – 10 days of EVERY month. Listen to your body!!!
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Allison,
WOW – first, thank you for sharing. Your words spoke WAY too close to home. I am so unbelievably sorry that your body had to experience those things.
The “cancel plans, could not move” is very real for me as well. And yes, me too. It’s all “normal” but it wasn’t. I thought I had a cyst a few years ago because the pain was just SO past normal – so I cannot even understand that emotion. (Turns out it was severe endometriosis that I had growing all over my linings). But I hear you & I see you! I suffered from endometriosis for almost 13 years and it took about 12 years to figure out. So listening to your body EARLY is key.
It’s pretty incredible that you found the silver lining. I’m SO glad & so impressed by you looking at this situation in this light.
“when it was literally causing me to put my life on hold for 5 – 10 days of EVERY month. Listen to your body!!!” THE TRUEST QUOTE TO EVER EXIST
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This is so heartbreaking and I am so freaking sorry that your Drs blew you off for so so long. And that it came to what it came to. I cannot speak to the pain of an ovary cyst but I can speak to being infertile and having to freeze your eggs. I can also understand the blessing feeling that even though it was so terrible, at the very least now you know you have eggs for when you need them.
Are you hoping you will still be able to bear children using those eggs? Or you won’t be able to do that either? I will have to use a surrogate. xx
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