I Lost Consciousness & Broke My Nose – Doctors Swore My Pain Was ‘Normal’

I’ve struggled with Endometriosis for a while… I’ve had unbearable menstrual pain ever since I can remember. When I was younger, I stopped trying to use over-the-counter medication because it just didn’t help. As a teenager, I tried birth control pills, but it was to no avail.

At the time, I didn’t know the pain I felt wasn’t normal.

After years of dealing with crippling pain that made me hate my very existence, things only got worse. Before long, my period pain came with extreme nausea and vomiting. One day, I lost consciousness from the pain. I managed to lean up against a door and slide to the floor so I didn’t get hurt.

What felt like seconds later, I woke up and felt better. Thinking that drinking water might help me recover faster, I reached for the water I had by my bed.

I don’t remember anything after that moment. Some amount of time later, I woke up with a very bloody face and had to go to the hospital. My nose had broken in two places, and I had a gash on my forehead, along with a split lip. I lost consciousness and hit my face on the table’s edge.

The doctor assumed that I passed out from dehydration, but it was from pain.

Following that incident, my period pain went back to “normal.” I was still in too much pain to leave the bed, but I was conscious. Out of grief from the visible impact of that night on my face and concern for the amount of pain I felt, I decided to go to the doctor, again. But this time I decided to see a top-rated doctor near my home.

I went to this doctor, and she was nice. She seemed like a caring and attentive doctor. To my surprise, even she said that it sounded like “normal” menstrual cramps. (Yes, she claimed this after I told her that it had caused me to vomit and lose consciousness.)

I had to urge my doctor to do something about my pain.

Because I knew that this was not normal for all women, I continued to push her to do more. Desperate for answers, I asked for her to see what was wrong. I wanted to know what was happening with my body, whether I should be worried, and if there was any real treatment for my pain.

Thanks to the research I did before I went in, I’d heard (or at least read) about Endometriosis. It cannot be diagnosed for certain without surgery, and I was afraid to have a procedure done — especially when I felt unsure of my self-diagnosis.

I told my doctor that I thought my pain could be Endometriosis and I asked how I could find out without surgery. She finally agreed to using an ultrasound to check. I had my ultrasound, and she told me that I had tissue around my uterus which looked like it could be Endometriosis.

But she still didn’t believe me…

For a second, I felt relieved. I felt like I finally knew what was wrong with me. But after the ultrasound, she explained that she didn’t think it was Endometriosis after all, despite possible evidence.

This doctor told me that I couldn’t possibly have Endometriosis because with it I would experience pain all the time. She told me that despite my extreme suffering every month, my pain sounded like normal menstrual cramps and she sent me on my way.

After that appointment, I felt defeated.

When that doctor admitted that it could be Endometriosis, I thought that would be the moment I would get help.

Instead, she dismissed it. What’s more, she even saw evidence of something and still told me I was fine. I lost all will to keep trying. After everything I went through, I didn’t want to keep explaining my symptoms to new doctors just to be dismissed again.

Eventually, my pain started affecting me for longer. I started experiencing new pain in other places. I had to stop using my menstrual cup because it would cause pain in my cervix and uterus.

Because I was having new pain too, I lost my patience. My mental health deteriorated, and I was worried that there was something else wrong with me. That’s when I sought out my new doctor.

My new doctor actually helped me.

I was mainly concerned about my new pain after being told many times that my pain was normal. However, I decided to describe all of my symptoms to my new doctor even though I didn’t think they were related. But my new doctor knew about Endometriosis.

She decided to check for herself and said that my regular symptoms and the inflammation of my cervix were consistent with Endometriosis. She told me that we can try to –treat it with an IUD. I had given up on seeking professional help for my Endometriosis, but this doctor knew and told me I was lucky to catch it earlier on.

I wish it had happened differently.

Because my Endometriosis got worse over time, I feel remorse for giving up when my old doctor dismissed my pain. Maybe if I was diagnosed sooner my situation would be better. But it can be impossible to keep up with something so difficult.

Never give up on your diagnosis and your treatment, because nobody cares about your well-being as much as you do. Maybe you’ll need help, but don’t let bad doctors keep you from getting your treatment.