"There Is a Light at the End of the Tunnel": Lianna's Endometriosis Story
By Lianna Lazzaretti
There is light at the end of the tunnel
My story started when I first got my period at the age of 13. My first period hit me like a tonne of bricks - heavy bleeding for up to 7 days and so much pain. I was lucky to have a comparison, my twin sister Clarissa. Clarissa got her period nine months before me and she only ever had light bleeding and rarely any pain. This was strange because I seemed to be significantly worse off, and it only became increasingly worse as the years went on.
Fast forward 4 years, I went to see a gyno. She did a few scans and an unnecessary Pap smear and found a 4cm cyst on my left ovary. She decided I needed surgery to remove the cyst. This was terrifying for a 17 year old as I wasn’t given any other option at the time. The gyno removed the cyst, however the pain continued and actually got worse. Juggling full time university and part time work with this pain was a struggle. I tried 4 different pills within the year and nothing seemed to work.
A few years later I had my first severe pain episode. I was walking to my bedroom and collapsed in excruciating pain, unable to move or talk. I ended up in the ER, green whistle not assisting at all. I was told it was a ruptured cyst or even my appendix and the pain would go away in a week or so. As expected, it didn’t.
The pain was still excruciating after over a month, so my gyno decided to perform surgery again. After surgery, she told me I had severe endo on my pouch of Douglas and all on the back side of my uterus. She initially tried to cut it out but then resorted to burning it off, which lead to whole new kind of pain. In the process, she also perforated my uterus, leaving me with a blood drainage bag. After an extended hospital stay, I went home and, of course, the pain continued.
For the rest of that year the pain did not go away. I tried numerous treatments, including medication, acupuncture, yoga, meditation, supplements, herbal medicine, physio, mindfulness, diet and exercise - nothing worked. With no other options, I finally booked an appointment to see the (angelic) Dr Graham Tronc. He put me in surgery 9 months after my previous surgery and removed more endo, found evidence of Adenomyosis and inserted one Mirena.
Unfortunately, the Mirena was so painful and the bleeding didn’t stop. I needed two extra hormonal pills to control the bleeding. I went back to Dr Tronc to find out my options to get the pain under control. He suggested another surgery to insert two Mirenas in January 2020. This has been my saving grace. I am finally (almost) completely pain free and can go about my daily life like a normal woman. This has honestly been the best I have felt in years. The bleeding is finally under control and the pain is finally under control. This is a timely blessing considering I’m 3 months from graduating from university and heading into full time work.
After talking to so many women with this disease, it has become obvious that every woman’s story is so different and the treatment combinations are so unique.
Endo isn’t just about the pain. It’s the effects on every facet of life. It’s sometimes difficult to get up and go to work. It’s sometimes difficult to explain to friends or family why I just won’t be able to go out. It’s sometimes difficult to get someone to believe your pain.
Having the support of family and friends really assists with these isolating diseases. If it wasn’t for talking to family and friends about my condition, I wouldn’t have found out about Dr Tronc and I wouldn’t be in the much better position that I am today.
Endo and Adeno are invisible diseases. It’s not a broken arm. People never assume you’re in excruciating pain simply because they can’t see it. Finally having doctors believe my pain is what makes awareness so worth it. We need to get these diseases out there so there is a better understanding of these debilitating conditions.
I hope that sharing my story can give other women hope that there is a way to manage your pain. Don’t give up and try as many different options as you can. There is light at the end of the tunnel!
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