anonymous, United States
I have endometriosis. My story is not uncommon. Delays in diagnosis have caused the disease to run rampant. I should have been diagnosed when I was showing advanced symptoms at 17. I wasn't diagnosed until I was 24. I had emergency surgery to remove a 9cm cyst from my left ovary that had displaced my uterus. My symptoms have only worsened and what little medical or surgical intervention exists leaves much to be desired. I struggle to function most days. I'm on a restricted diet, regularly visit multiple specialist, and will be beginning a new form of physical therapy that my insurance won't cover so I have to pay out of pocket. This disease has halted my pursuit of higher education and keeps me struggling to survive at the poverty line because I can't work for more than a year at a time. Pain medication is almost impossible to access. Few doctors have shown any sign of compassionate care or willingness to even believe my pain and daily struggle. It's exhausting. It hurts me, my family and everyone around me who has to watch me struggle. Some days I wish I was dead.