It all began when I was 22.
I've always had a lot of medical issues;
asthma,
allergies,
eczema,
bi-polar,
depression,
and anxiety to list off a few of them.
I am a little overweight which doesn't help with my overall health,
but I try my best to lose weight and keep a healthy lifestyle.
Whenever something is off with my body,
I normally try to get them taken care of as soon as they start,
since I have so many health issues.
My problem began around July of 2018.
My menstrual cycle had always been the same.
It started around the second week of the month
where I would have moderate cramps the first day
and slightly worse the second.
I would bleed heavier on day two and three with no pain on day three
and end on day four.
This had pretty much been constant
since I first began puberty.
The only time it changed was
when I would hang around a certain friend longer
and I would sync with them.
I have also never had sex
so there was no chances of me getting pregnant.
I noticed something was off
when in July my period never hit.
I had recently lost my job
so I had been depressed and put on some weight
so I thought maybe that's what had changed it.
I forgot about it until two months later
I still hadn't had my period.
I couldn't go to the doctor
because I didn't have health insurance
and I had not yet gotten a job
so I was a little worried.
Luckily in October,
I got hired at a new workplace.
I planned on going to the doctor after my first paycheck.
I went to an anime convention
and the day after I got back...
I finally got my period.
I was so relieved.
My cycle was a little messed up
with terrible cramps and heavy bleeding for 8 days.
I had just started my job
so I worked through them and on day 9
it seemed to stop.
Two days later, I started bleeding again.
It was light at first
but then the previous cycle repeated
with terrible pain and heavy bleeding again.
I started getting more and more tired
because the cramps would be so bad at night
I couldn't sleep.
I would go to the bathroom at work and lean over the toilet,
feeling like I was going to throw up
because the pain was so bad.
Christmas came and went
and I still was bleeding and cramping.
My period had not let up
and I had spent well over $200 on period products,
supplies to clean up the blood
and new clothes of mine getting ruined by bleeding through.
I had put up with it for so long
until I started getting dizzy at work
and snapping at people.
My iron count was low due to all the bleeding
and I was exhausted from not sleeping.
The pain only got worse
and half of the time I felt like I was being stabbed in the side.
The real breaking point was the clots.
I would pass clots several times a day.
They were so painful
and they made my hips hurt so bad.
One time at work,
I was in the middle of cleaning and
barely made it to the bathroom
where I passed a golf ball sized clot.
I was crying
from being in so much pain I couldn't stand it anymore.
I applied for health insurance and went to the doctor.
Turns out what I have is called endometriosis
which causes abnormal tissue to grow outside my uterus.
It causes problems with periods,
cramps and can even makes it hard to carry children.
It is something a lot of women have
and can be treated in different ways.
I am currently on birth control to control my period
and get it to stop long enough for them to do a full pelvic exam
and figure out which treatment would work best for me.
I still have to deal with the pain
but I have found ways to make it more tolerable.
buprofen and Midol no longer work
so I have to use stronger medicines to help.
I have been taking iron pills and sleeping aids to help.
I finally had to tell my manager about it
because it was affecting my work
and it turned out she had the same thing.
She was very sympathetic and gave me advice to help.
She had been a big help towards my recovery.
My condition had been tough at times
but luckily,
everything had gotten better
and now I have people helping
and supporting me.