Meet Our QENDO Ambassadors: Alicia Evans
By Alicia Evans
We love our QENDO Ambassadors, they’re out there in YOUR community advocating for women with Endo, adeno, PCOS and infertility. Alicia Evans is the Sunshine Coast QENDO Ambassador and works in Administration/Accounts. She is also a qualified personal trainer. Currently 29 years old and recently diagnosed with stage 3 Endometriosis in 2018. Endometriosis has taken its toll on her health and vitality but she refuses to let it define her. She still enjoys crossfit training, the occasional triathlon, walking her pup and hiking local mountains. Despite the frustration of the disease, she feels very blessed to have met the amazing women in the QENDO community who have similar lives.
Hi I'm Alicia Evans and I'm a born and raised Sunshine Coast girl who joined the QENDO Ambassador team in 2018 after my sudden diagnosis of Endometriosis.
I grew up as a healthy active kid. There were never any major health concerns. I developed a keen interest in sport at a young age and spent most of my schooling life playing sport and representing my schools and regions in different events.
I married my husband in 2011 and by 2015 we were setting off to travel around Australia in a motorhome. It was at this point that some symptoms began to occur. Randomly, my skin started to break out tremendously, I was feeling fatigued daily and my menstrual cycle had started to change in heaviness.
By 2016, ready to start a family, I knew something wasn't quite right. Along with my fatigue and acne, I was now starting to wonder if I had fertility issues. Upon seeking a diagnosis from my GP it was brushed off as fatigue from sport and that sometimes adult acne just happens. Nothing major going on. After almost a year of failing to fall pregnant we sought assistance from our GP again who granted me an ultrasound. This showing a 2.4cm cyst on my left ovary. After seeing a specialist it was decided that the cyst be removed from the ovary given the circumstances of fertility problems, and if there is any endometriosis or anything of the like as well, they would remove it while already completing a laparoscopic surgery (save doing a second so soon after). Luckily I was admitted to my surgery with 2 months of being put on a waiting list. I feel extremely grateful to have been offered surgery so quickly, as some women wait months and even years.
Awaking from surgery, I was told stage 3 endometriosis was found during the laparoscopy and removed via both excision and ablation techniques.
Follow up appointments also revealed a "possible" diagnosis of Adenomyosis which may also be affecting the uterus. This alongside the endometriosis has been treated as best as possible under the watchful eye of experienced endo & adeno professionals!
It's important to be aware that my symptoms weren't necessarily that which are linked to endometriosis. I had cystic acne breakouts, fatigue, some pain, but not severe pain, and in the end fertility issues. I believe that because pain wasn't my main symptom it made it hard for doctors to initially diagnose. It's a reminder that endometriosis affects all different women at all different ages and affects them with all different symptoms!
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