Hi, my name is Danielle.

I recently was diagnosed with a condition called endometriosis. It doesn’t get a lot of recognition in the medical field, unfortunately, and women can go years without getting the diagnosis they need for the incredible amount of pain it can cause every month during menstruation or overall pain in general. The pain can be severe. Severe enough to disrupt your life. I’ve been suffering from it most of my life secretly, but wasn’t diagnosed until this year. It shouldn’t take 30+ years to get a diagnosis, but I finally found the right doctor.

I kept my pain to myself and went on with my life all these years because I was dismissed so many times.

This year, I had surgery to diagnose it.

During my laparoscopy, I was diagnosed with Stage IV endometriosis. It was everywhere. They also found a huge fibroid tumor inside my uterus during the procedure. A double whammy. My fibroid causes severe bleeding every month during my menstrual cycle. It’s an overall exhausting battle.

Still, I keep fighting this battle despite my pain and suffering and show up to work because I have bills to pay. I already went through the process of trying everything to help manage my condition, but my next step is trying to get a hysterectomy, which I discussed with my doctor, and it costs thousands of dollars even with my insurance. Which is fine; I’ll do what I have to as far as a payment plan goes, but it’s the recovery time I’m concerned about.

Recovery time can be 6-8 weeks.

I plan on using whatever paid time off I have, including sick days, but it isn’t enough to cover my bills for the extended amount of time needed.

This is where I’m hopeful. I don’t give up easily. I will continue to fight for myself and other women who suffer from fibroids and endometriosis. I am blessed to be alive and able to hold down a full-time job considering the chronic pain I am in. I am hoping to be able to know what it’s like to live without pain and severe bleeding. I want to feel the normalcy of going about my life and not worrying about whether I’ll bleed through my clothing and be laid out from severe pain. This has been my reality for too long, and I’m ready to become an advocate for myself as well as others in the same situation.