As I was sitting at lunch the other day with my mom, I thought out loud and said “I have cramps right now,” and smiled as big as I could. My mom looked back at me extremely confused and said, “Okay? And that is a good thing?” I looked back at her, “Yeah, I have cramps.” My mom still didn’t understand.

You see, so many things come with endometriosis. Migraines, debilitating cramps, chronic fatigue, leg and back pain, pain with bladder and bowel movements, clotting, heavier flow than most other women- and these are just most of the symptoms I experienced. I know there are women that experience things on a higher pain scale and more wide range symptoms.

When I say migraines and debilitating pain, I really mean pain that has had me bed ridden for days at a time, even after taking doctor prescribed medication. When I say heavier flow and clotting, I mean going through a super plus tampon and overnight pad in an hour (give or take a few minutes). These are not things that are fixed by using a run of the mill over-the-counter period medication. I couldn’t even really shop at smaller drug stores for my feminine products anymore, I had to go to wholesale stores.

Another reason my mom was confused is because she knows that I took my last doctor mandated birth control pill two weeks ago and we are trying to conceive, so any time I tell her anything now she thinks I’m pregnant. When I told her I had a huge announcement for her and then told her I’d been accepted for my graduate coursework, I know she was proud of me but I think she was just the smallest bit disappointed that I didn’t have baby news for her.

So with my mom looking at me with complete perplex, I said again “I have cramps. NORMAL CRAMPS.” I was on the verge of tears. “It is the first day of my period, and I’m assuming this is what women who get NORMAL cramps feel like. I COULD take a Midol or Aleve, but I just want to bask in this moment and know that I wasn’t crazy all those years that I was in so much pain. In this moment I can recognize that I’m in pain and it’s such a low amount of pain that I don’t even want to take anything.” I meant every single word.

I have walked around for a whole decade or more in severe pain that has made me miss work, important events, and classes in high school and college. I never knew anything different and my mom and most females around me just thought I had a low pain tolerance and everybody has cramps. I don’t blame them for anything, I would have never known had I didn’t receive a diagnosis and really start doing some research.

So, three months and four periods later, excision surgery was still the best decision I could have made for myself. Finding a specialist was tiring and expensive, but worth every penny and anxious night waiting for my surgery date. Many people who get diagnosed listen to whatever their doctor says, because that’s what we are told to do. However, I am glad I listened to my gut and researched many more options and found the one I thought would be best for me. Some people do well with pain management, suppressive hormone treatments, and ablation surgery; I chose a different path. Upon finding my colon was close to 75% blocked from an invasive nodule from endometriosis, I could have ended up with a blockage and/or ostomy bag if I went for these other options first.

So, here’s to endometriosis awareness month, choosing what is best for your own body, and my first virtually pain free period since excision. I hope you liked this entry. Please read, share, like, and comment!