Tracy was 11 years old the first time she experienced the kind of agonizing pain that would haunt her for the rest of her life.
Every month, during the first one or two days of her period, she would be bedridden with crippling pain.
“From lying paralyzed in the nurse’s office in high school to blacking out after a pelvic exam at age 24, never once did a doctor seem to believe me when I said I needed help,” said Tracy.
On one particular occasion, the pain was so awful that she ended up on the floor, unable to do anything but lie there and writhe to try to relieve the pain.
She called up her boyfriend, and he took her to the ER.
Doctors immediately diagnosed the pain as a symptom of kidney stones. However, when they did a scan, they found nothing.
For another year, she continued in pain that only seemed to be getting worse.
So, like so many patients who are ignored or dismissed by their doctors, she turned to Google for help.
Her symptoms turned up an exact match: endometriosis.
Endometriosis is a little-known, but chronic condition that occurs when uterine lining is found outside the uterus. The result? Internal bleeding, and painful inflammation.
Estimates say that 5 million American women suffer from endometriosis, but doctors aren’t used to seeing the warning signs. So while Tracy doesn’t usually self-diagnose, she was convinced by the similarity in her symptoms.
Because endometriosis is related to tissue, it can’t be seen on an ultrasound. Diagnosis requires an invasive surgery. Once she was sure she was pursuing the right thing, she demanded that her doctor set up an appointment for this surgery. He was reluctant to schedule it for her, but she persisted.
During surgery, they discovered the truth. “Tracy, you definitely have endometriosis.”
Tracy is now promoting awareness for the condition, which has no cure and little treatment beyond over the counter painkillers.
“Be your own advocate,” she says. “Please don’t accept ‘fine’ when you know you’re not. Be proactive with your heath, speak up for what you need and don’t wait around with doctors who won’t work with you.”
