Endometriosis Surgery

My name is Natalie Guy and I am 24 years old. Had anyone told me that 2 years ago that I would be diagnosed with Endometriosis I would not have believed them, in fact I would have told you that I had never heard that word in my life. When I was 22 years old in 2018, I was diagnosed with a chronic condition called ‘Endometriosis’, sometimes called "Endo," For those of you who have never heard of the term Endometriosis, let me stop here to define it. In a healthy reproductive system, the uterus lining grows inside the uterus each month so that a fertilized egg may implant there. When a fertilized egg doesn’t implant, the lining of the uterus sheds, and that’s what we call a period. Endometriosis is a chronic illness in which cells similar to the lining of the uterus grow on the outside of the uterus. These cells can attach to the reproductive system, can cause adhesions, gluing the organs in the pelvis together, and can attach to other organs in the pelvic and thoracic cavity, damaging those organs and their functions. Endometriosis causes extreme and chronic pain, can cause infertility and, in some cases, organ failure. Endometriosis is a chronic condition with no cure.  My endo diagnosis came in 2018 after many chats with gynecologists about the extreme pain that I was experiencing on a monthly basis. I went through more doctors than I can remember until someone took me seriously. I finally met a doctor that asked me, "Have you ever been diagnosed with Endometriosis?" after a quick answer no he decided in that moment that I would need Laparoscopic Excision Surgery.  There are effective treatments that are available to manage pain and fertility issues, such as medications, hormone therapy, and surgery. Which in my case is a surgery to burn the endo in my body, which seems to be every two years at this point now. The symptoms of endometriosis usually improve after menopause but being 24 I know that I have years before that happens.  It is imperative that this surgery occurs because I can’t continue to let this endometriosis grow and spread within my body as it will cause more damage than what it has already caused. It will eventually lead to problems such as infertility, possible removal of ovaries etc. which would be my worst nightmare because I am still young. I have a whole life ahead of me to live, my dream is to become a mother, start a family, live a healthy life, and travel the world. This is where you all come in. I am not often the person who asks for help, so bear with me as I type this out. I need your help to pay for my second surgery. Due to the move and the pandemic that we are experiencing it has been extremely difficult for me to find work making it nearly impossible to even pay the co pay needed for this surgery. Anything you can give will be greatly appreciated -- I know that with the pandemic, a lot of you are out of work and are struggling yourselves, but if you can donate a little something, I will be forever grateful. NO donation is too small, it will all be going to the surgery and the treatments needed after surgery.   If you have any questions, kind words, or just want to chat, my door is always open. If you want to learn more about Endometriosis, check out @endogram on Instagram to start, and I can suggest more from there. I love you all more than I can express. I am so grateful for you all and the support that I have gotten. Have an incredible weekend. God bless you all.  Love you love you love you!