Dear friends & family,

I’m writing to share and spread awareness about this difficult journey I’ve been on. Most people who know me have heard me talk about my health issues to one extent or another. After 15+ years of searching for answers, I was (finally!) diagnosed with endometriosis, focal adenomyosis, and large uterine fibroids by a specialist in Washington, DC. I’ve decided to schedule excision surgery on October 13th of this year, which is currently the gold standard of treatment for these conditions.

What is it?

Before sharing my personal story, I want to give some insight into what these conditions are. Endometriosis is a whole-body, debilitating disease that affects 1 out of 10 women, but typically takes an average of 10 years to get properly diagnosed due to lack of knowledge in both the general population and medical community. Unfortunately, many people (myself included) get misdiagnosed multiple times and receive improper treatments (even surgeries) before getting it right.

Endometriosis occurs when tissue similar to the uterine lining grows OUTSIDE of the uterus, and it can be found on any organ in the body (including intestines, diaphragm, lungs, and sciatic nerve). The endometrial-like tissue responds to monthly fluctuations of hormones, so it continues to grow, become inflamed, and cause scarring/adhesions around the organs that are impacted. Common symptoms include severe pain, brain fog, fatigue, IBS-like symptoms, neuralgia, headaches/migraines, painful intercourse, infertility, and anxiety/depression. Adenomyosis occurs when endometrial tissue grows into the muscular wall of the uterus, causing severe pain, excessive menstrual bleeding, enlarged uterus, and anemia.

My Full Story:

My symptoms began when I was just 12 years old struggling with severe cramping in my abdomen/pelvis. At first I was told “it’s normal to have bad cramps”, but I ultimately got passed around to a few different doctors. I remember getting countless scans, barium swallows, and bloodwork before finally signing up for “exploratory” abdominal surgery in 2010. They found an inguinal hernia and hoped that repairing it would help (looking back, this surgery only made my symptoms worse due to additional scarring). In 2012, I got a second hernia repair in a frantic effort to fix my pelvis/abdominal pain before college. At this point, I had missed out on significant parts of high school, especially cross country and track seasons my senior year, and I was nervous about how it would impact college.

Throughout college, my symptoms seemed to progressively worsen. I started dealing with severe pain that would end up with me in the emergency room multiple times a year. I had ultrasounds done revealing large cysts on my ovaries, and was then given the improper diagnosis of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). I spent significant time/resources trying to manage PCOS with no luck. At the same time, my GI symptoms started to ramp up. I tried to stay positive, but it felt like my intestines were constantly inflamed and I had trouble finding food that didn’t upset my stomach. I started seeing various gastroenterologists and endocrinologists as I attempted to get a diagnosis, but left each appointment feeling more and more frustrated.

Once I started my career as a physical therapist, I continued to struggle with symptoms each day. My fatigue alone has caused me to miss out on social events, say no to time spent with family and friends, and very regularly call off sick from work or have to change my schedule last-minute. I suffer from “endo belly” which is severe and painful bloating as well as IBS symptoms. This is all in addition to the seemingly unrelenting pain that has impacted my quality of life and morale daily.

Sharing this does not come easy to me, but it feels like an important thing to do. I have spent so much of my time going to doctors appointments that ultimately led to dead ends, recovering from unnecessary surgeries, taking medications with terrible side effects, enduring medical gaslighting on multiple occasions, and feeling overall hopeless about my future. I am so grateful to finally have a doctor who is confident he can help. For the first time in years, I feel optimistic that I can get my life back and potentially think about starting a family with my husband, Zach ♥

The surgery for endometriosis and adenomyosis is costly, and completely out-of-network due to the complexity of the operation and specialized skill set required. My cost due before surgery is greater than $20,000 and that does not include any of the various post-operative care required (hello, physical therapy!). Any help received, no matter how big or small, is extremely appreciated. Simply sharing this page to help spread awareness about endometriosis makes a huge difference.

Thank You:

Thank you for taking the time to read this. This surgical treatment will be life changing for me, and although I’ve struggled for many years, I really do believe everything happens for a reason. I’m looking forward to taking this important step in my own recovery so I can begin helping others. My goals are to become certified as a pelvic floor physical therapist, to be an advocate for those struggling to get answers, and to help instill change in my community around me. Thank you again for all of your support through this process!

Love,

Morgan