The average Endometriosis diagnosis takes 7 years. 7 years!! So, this is for the diagnosed, the waiting
to be diagnosed, and for those who have symptoms they don’t know how to manage.
Step 1 – Be honest & realistic
With your family and most importantly, yourself. Talk to your doctor about how endo may affect day
to day life, and what changes you may have to make. You may need to extra support with pain
management or need people to be more understanding when you are due on your period. I
personally took a while to accept that effect that endo had an impact on my fertility. But being
honest with my partner, and researching alternative methods to conceive made it all a lot easier to
cope with.
Step 2 – Research
The best way to tackle something, is to know it inside out. Spend time researching Endometriosis,
and not just the NHS or medical pages. Read books, read blogs, watch videos and hear personal
stories that will resonate with you. It wasn’t until I started reading blogs, I realised how many other
symptoms I had that I didn’t realise were part of the disease, such as painful urination and major
depression. Endometriosis is a common disease and you are by no means alone in your journey.
Step 3 – Pain management
Having done your research, you may have come across a whole host of methods for combating endo
pain. Endometriosis pain can be hard to treat, because we know little about the condition. This
means that apart from surgery and long term medication, lifestyle changes are the only way to see a
real improvement. I recommend hot water bottles, a stocked cupboard of painkillers, and a TENS
machine, which you don’t need a prescription for, and can buy online. Cannabis is by far the most
effective pain relief (personally), and if you don’t smoke you can make Cannabutter and apply it
directly onto the painful area. Different things work for different people, so don’t be afraid to
experiment.
Step 4 – Sex
This one is tricky. But don’t be put off. Patience is key, and finding positions that are the most
comfortable is important. Have a conversation with your partner about pain during sex, and keep
the communication going whilst you are having sex. Even if I’m feeling okay, things can very quickly
change with a position switch up or change of pace. Also be aware that pain can be delayed – e.g.
you feel fine during, but afterwards you get hit with intense pain and/or bleeding, so be realistic
about what you can actually do. Admittedly, I cannot have sex spontaneously, and that has changed
the way me and my partner approach sex. Before sex, I need to take medication, to ensure I am
protected as much as possible from chronic pain. If you can’t do it- you can’t do it. And make no
apologies for it sis. I wasted too much time apologising to men I didn’t even know, for my body not
working in the way they wanted it to.
If I could give you one piece of advice it would be this; Don’t allow anybody to make you feel like an
inconvenience, or a fraud over being in pain. It’s not in your head, it there and it’s real and you don’t
need to explain that to anybody.
