
Help Fund Endometriosis Excision Surgery
Donation protected
I know this year has been unprecedentedly difficult for every single person out there, and I feel guilty for even setting up this fundraiser. However, I am trying to remind myself that there’s no shame in asking for help or needing help, especially after years of medical bills and the extreme difficulties of 2020. I know many of us are struggling with bills and financial anxiety, so please know that no contribution is too small. Every little thing helps.
With that said, here is my story.
I am 28 years old and I am in desperate need of yet another surgery to address my severe endometriosis. This will be my third endometriosis surgery since 2016 (first one when I was 23, and it was botched) and my 8th surgery in the last decade - which is why I am here asking for support.
My surgery is currently scheduled for February 8th, 2021, and I will need to pay a minimum of $3,500 upfront, with an estimated ~$2,000 of additional bills coming my way after the procedure (assuming no complications). I am trying to raise these funds within the next month.
For those of you who may not know what exactly Endometriosis is, it is a chronic inflammatory disease where tissue similar to the endometrium (uterus lining) is found outside of your uterus. This tissue creates endometriosis adhesions and cysts and has been found throughout peoples' entire bodies - not just in your abdominal cavity and on reproductive organs. Personally, my endometriosis has been found on my bladder, uterus, abdominal wall, ovaries, and bowels.
Endometriosis causes the obvious symptom of painful/heavy periods, but endo is so much more than painful periods.
When someone with endo menstruates those adhesions on their other organs also bleed and contract, causing deep visceral organ pain that is often ignored and not taken seriously - as well as about 100 other symptoms I won't list here. Below is a picture of my dark heating pad burns, the perfect visual representation for a disease that is considered "invisible".

Even though I have worked full-time since I was first diagnosed (a challenge in itself), the financial burden of the medical treatments I have required over the last five years is a heavy one for one person or even one family to bear, especially after 2020. The cost of the endless surgeries, physical therapy, pelvic floor physical therapy, pelvic floor injections, expensive supplements, and custom/special medications has broken me enough to ask for help.
My most recent endo excision surgery (the “gold standard” of endo treatment) was in January 2019. At the time, I was told that was the last endo surgery I would need to have based on how other "other young women" have responded to treatment - unfortunately, that was not the case, and only 2 years later, I am sicker than I was before. In 2019 that specialist removed as many of the endo adhesions as they could, but evidently, some DIE (deep infiltrating endometriosis) adhesions remained. Post-op picture from 2019 below.

This was recently discovered by my new surgeon when she viewed the video of my 2019 procedure. My past surgeon is a specialist, and one of the best, like 95% better than most regular gynos, but even specialists have their limitations and often won't excise adhesions in difficult places, which is understandable as there is an increased risk of complications when adhesions occur on sensitive areas such as the intestines or deeper under your superficial abdominal tissue.
I have been dealing with endometriosis (traditional and bowel) and several other chronic pelvic pain diseases (interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome, pelvic floor dysfunction, hypertonic pelvic floor, SI joint dysfunction, fibromyalgia, and pudendal neuralgia). All of these have developed over the last 5 years as endo has wreaked havoc on my organs and body, causing systemic inflammation which resulted in the development of all of these issues. All of these illnesses have their own complexities, needs, and, treatments, which is overwhelming in itself.
It is believed that my DIE (deep infiltrating endo) is on a ligament that runs parallel/near my pudendal nerve. This adhesion is causing something called Pudendal Neuralgia (please Google), which is a rare condition that causes intense nerve pain and bodily system dysfunction (digestive, urinary, sexual). PN is extremely difficult to manage and treat and is irritated by things like sitting, bending, using the restroom, and other everyday movements.
My current endo excision specialist is truly a blessing and she is confident that she can remove the old adhesions from before, and address the inevitably new ones that have grown over the last two years. Hopefully, by removing the endo, my overall pain will decrease, the endo will stop pushing on my pudendal nerve, and my body should hopefully be able to get out of this constant cycle of blinding chronic pain. My goal is not to be completely pain-free. I have relinquished that as a possibility in this life. My goal is to improve my quality of life enough that I want to exist and can enjoy my life.
I know this surgery is not the cure. I know that there will be hard days in the future and likely more surgeries, but I refuse to give up and will fight this disease with everything I've got.
Thank you for reading my story. If you're able to contribute to help with my medical bills I will be eternally grateful, and please know that I will pay it forward and support other endo/chronic illness warriors in the future. I promise.
Additional context from my IG:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CIYeEeXFSGG/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BtT4eczF1ld/
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs_rhj4Fnjk/
With that said, here is my story.
I am 28 years old and I am in desperate need of yet another surgery to address my severe endometriosis. This will be my third endometriosis surgery since 2016 (first one when I was 23, and it was botched) and my 8th surgery in the last decade - which is why I am here asking for support.
My surgery is currently scheduled for February 8th, 2021, and I will need to pay a minimum of $3,500 upfront, with an estimated ~$2,000 of additional bills coming my way after the procedure (assuming no complications). I am trying to raise these funds within the next month.
For those of you who may not know what exactly Endometriosis is, it is a chronic inflammatory disease where tissue similar to the endometrium (uterus lining) is found outside of your uterus. This tissue creates endometriosis adhesions and cysts and has been found throughout peoples' entire bodies - not just in your abdominal cavity and on reproductive organs. Personally, my endometriosis has been found on my bladder, uterus, abdominal wall, ovaries, and bowels.
Endometriosis causes the obvious symptom of painful/heavy periods, but endo is so much more than painful periods.
When someone with endo menstruates those adhesions on their other organs also bleed and contract, causing deep visceral organ pain that is often ignored and not taken seriously - as well as about 100 other symptoms I won't list here. Below is a picture of my dark heating pad burns, the perfect visual representation for a disease that is considered "invisible".

Even though I have worked full-time since I was first diagnosed (a challenge in itself), the financial burden of the medical treatments I have required over the last five years is a heavy one for one person or even one family to bear, especially after 2020. The cost of the endless surgeries, physical therapy, pelvic floor physical therapy, pelvic floor injections, expensive supplements, and custom/special medications has broken me enough to ask for help.
My most recent endo excision surgery (the “gold standard” of endo treatment) was in January 2019. At the time, I was told that was the last endo surgery I would need to have based on how other "other young women" have responded to treatment - unfortunately, that was not the case, and only 2 years later, I am sicker than I was before. In 2019 that specialist removed as many of the endo adhesions as they could, but evidently, some DIE (deep infiltrating endometriosis) adhesions remained. Post-op picture from 2019 below.

This was recently discovered by my new surgeon when she viewed the video of my 2019 procedure. My past surgeon is a specialist, and one of the best, like 95% better than most regular gynos, but even specialists have their limitations and often won't excise adhesions in difficult places, which is understandable as there is an increased risk of complications when adhesions occur on sensitive areas such as the intestines or deeper under your superficial abdominal tissue.
I have been dealing with endometriosis (traditional and bowel) and several other chronic pelvic pain diseases (interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome, pelvic floor dysfunction, hypertonic pelvic floor, SI joint dysfunction, fibromyalgia, and pudendal neuralgia). All of these have developed over the last 5 years as endo has wreaked havoc on my organs and body, causing systemic inflammation which resulted in the development of all of these issues. All of these illnesses have their own complexities, needs, and, treatments, which is overwhelming in itself.
It is believed that my DIE (deep infiltrating endo) is on a ligament that runs parallel/near my pudendal nerve. This adhesion is causing something called Pudendal Neuralgia (please Google), which is a rare condition that causes intense nerve pain and bodily system dysfunction (digestive, urinary, sexual). PN is extremely difficult to manage and treat and is irritated by things like sitting, bending, using the restroom, and other everyday movements.
My current endo excision specialist is truly a blessing and she is confident that she can remove the old adhesions from before, and address the inevitably new ones that have grown over the last two years. Hopefully, by removing the endo, my overall pain will decrease, the endo will stop pushing on my pudendal nerve, and my body should hopefully be able to get out of this constant cycle of blinding chronic pain. My goal is not to be completely pain-free. I have relinquished that as a possibility in this life. My goal is to improve my quality of life enough that I want to exist and can enjoy my life.
I know this surgery is not the cure. I know that there will be hard days in the future and likely more surgeries, but I refuse to give up and will fight this disease with everything I've got.
Thank you for reading my story. If you're able to contribute to help with my medical bills I will be eternally grateful, and please know that I will pay it forward and support other endo/chronic illness warriors in the future. I promise.
Additional context from my IG:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CIYeEeXFSGG/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BtT4eczF1ld/
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs_rhj4Fnjk/
Organizer
Camille Dollins
Organizer
Portland, OR