22 www.CharlestonWomenPodcast.com | www.ReadCW.com | www.Instagram.com/CharlestonWomen around town like every other 25-year-old, enjoying the small things in life and trying to keep my career afloat. I visited a handful of doctors, but it was my fifth doctor who would be my saving grace. He was a real testament to the definition of diagnosing patients, an honest doctor who was questioning the possibilities, listening and actively asking questions to further understand why I was such a unicorn in a sea of zebras. I had recently just completed a few weeks of check-ins and a few vaginal ultrasounds. Nothing showed abnormal on the ultrasounds. My ovaries were great, fallopian tubes were clear and good and my pelvic region didn’t suffer any present signs of nasty tissue. Thus, at last, my mother spoke up after she had been digging for the past few years to find answers on simple Google searches. She landed on the term “endometriosis” and asked my doctor, ‘Could it be this?’ She informed us that it could, but that we would have to do a laparoscopic procedure to see if endometriosis was present. Sure enough, it was! My pelvis was, in her own words, “studded with it,” and it was embedded into my pelvic wall. I heard the words “chronic illness” for the very first time; I will never forget realizing that I was that 1 in 10 being diagnosed. I’m a believer though, and where God gives pain, he also gives purpose. While this journey is never over as endometriosis has no cure, there are treatments and options including lifestyle changes to help maintain it. A handy heating pad, trusted endometriosis surgeon and a solid support system who respects your lifestyle changes and journey is key to getting through this first part of diagnosis. Endometriosis has not been heavily researched, funded or even respected in the medical community, and it is one that has many (including me) to fight to change the narrative. In past decades, a hysterectomy has been said to cure endometriosis. However, recent history has shown this to be incorrect. Also, as technology advances, we can progress and provide better patient outcomes and provide honest reporting and data collecting to see the patterns over decades. Pain can subside post-surgery and it is recommended to find a trusted endo-certified surgeon to do a lap then excision surgery to remove the tissue as much as possible. Endo also can fuse organs together — I think of it as a “sticky tissue” where it can travel throughout your body and stick to other organs. It has been found on every organ including the bladder, brain, lungs Charleston Women in Wellness Comfortable, convenient dental care with the latest technology. More locations: Daniel Island, North Charleston, Nexton, &Summerville 790 Johnnie Dodds Blvd. Mt Pleasant, SC Family Dentistry Cosmetic Dentistry IV Sedation Dentistry Crowns Implants Veneers Dentures Smile Makeovers and more! Call, text or visit our website to make an appointment (843) 242-0645 riverlandingdentistry.com Dr. Brian Kramer Mount Pleasant Location Now Open!
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