Breaking Down the Stigma with Mel McInerney
By Melissa McInerney
Endometriosis;
Pronounced [ N-Doh-Me-Tree-O-Sis ]
I am a 27-year-old that moved to Australia in 2013 from small town in Tipperary, Ireland. My current situation has me in menopause (Zoladex) and to be honest, I am not sure whether to laugh or cry lol. Hot flushes in the Australian summer are far from my idea of fun.
This is my journey so far with Endometriosis:
I had my first laparoscopic surgery in Ireland when I was 15, there was no findings during the surgery. They removed my appendix, and I was told it was pretty much just growing pains and it was likely to just be IBS.
Although I always had on and off pain since the age of 15, it only really started to deteriorate in 2017 (23 years old), when A&E visits became more frequent. Until then I was told ‘you must have a low tolerance to pain, every woman has these pains’.
I never openly spoke about it, simply because there was “nothing” wrong, a lot of my tests would be fine and to look at, you would not know anything was wrong. I did not want to be moaning and negative, when, I was still managing to live a good life.
June 2019, I was in A&E (again) and a female doctor asked me if I was ever investigated for endometriosis?
It was the first time I ever even heard the word.
From that day on, I did not stop hearing that word. I found a new GP. He was amazing at getting the ball rolling.
My first surgery was in Feb 2020.
After surgery, I was still having the same pain complaints. Even though I had got a diagnosis, I felt that was all I got. There was little or no aftercare, so I got in touch with ‘QENDO’ and they helped build my courage to get a second opinion, providing me with a lot of useful resources.
I changed GP and was referred for a second opinion, I was back under the knife in July 2020.
More endo was found in my pelvic area and was removed through excision surgery. I was also diagnosed with PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome). The aftercare this time was very different, there was a plan.
Update to follow as there has recently been some setbacks.
I have learned that trial, error, and process of elimination is literally the only way to figure out what works for you, not one size fits all.
Now I look back, there was signs that suggested something might be wrong.
I miscarried in 2013, bleeding between periods was common, very painful ovulation, I often puked and suffered with nausea too..... there were signs, but unfortunately I did not know the common symptoms of Endometriosis, so it was never on my radar to ask about.
It was very difficult mentally being so far away from home. Aside from the pain, I struggled immensely with fatigue and weight gain was a knock-on effect of that.
I am a very driven person, when I put my mind to something nothing will stop me achieving it.
My social media is filled with images of me in places all over the world and I just want to remind people that I was sharing my good times. Things I was proud of achieving. That one photo probably took 30 seconds to take, I do not show the 8 hours from the day before where I am curled up in bed with a heat pack, crying in pain.
While I have bad days still, I like to think I am optimistic about its majority of the time. I genuinely try to be positive and do things that make me feel good. What will feeling sorry for myself achieve?
My goal is to raise awareness about Endometriosis, break down the stigma that surrounds women’s health and to give back to the organisations that have given me so much support over the past few years. I aspire to be a real-life example to other women that you can still achieve things.
Always remember, speak up and keep pushing for answers. Listen to your body.
We may not know what someone is going through so if nothing else, be kind.
Melissa McInerney
You can follow Melissa on Instagram @melmcinerney
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