Dealing With Endometriosis and Psoriatic Arthritis At The Same Time

I heard the word, endometriosis for the first time at age fifteen. "You have endometriosis." the doctor cowered. "What? I have a disease?"

As a young adult, I didn’t have a clue what this meant. All I know is how much pain I was in during my cycle at that time of the month. I would literally find myself having to crawl to the bathroom and missing school.

What is endometriosis?

Endometriosis is a condition in which the uterine tissue grows and overwhelms certain parts of the body. It can affect the ovaries, fallopian tubes and outside of the uterus. As hormonal changes occur during our cycles, the tissue becomes damaged and can cause painful adhesions.

I remember having to have what they refer to as minor surgery to get a diagnosis, but that was all that was done at the time. They didn't have a standard procedure and I was young and naive and just dealt with the pain.

When endometriosis met psoriatic arthritis

I would have the worst pain during my cycle. Occasionally, I would have pain in the pelvic area and lower back. Many women who have endometriosis have mild or even insignificant symptoms. Symptoms can vary depending on the location of the growths.

I started having the effects of psoriatic arthritis at a very early age. My doctor told me I was too young and that it was all in my head. My joints were hurting, my fingers swollen and the lower back pain was excruciating.

On top of all of this, I was having endometriosis pain that was killing me. My doctor at the time told me to have a baby and that would improve my symptoms. At the age of 35, I decided to go for the “big surgery”. It was the best decision that I made for myself. For 20 years, I had been living with this pain and now it was finally gone.

The emotional consequences of endometriosis

In addition to the pain, I suffered through emotional consequences as well. At such a young age, I didn’t fully understand what was going on. These weren’t the type of things you talked about with women in my family. My mother was old school. Everything was taboo. Of course, this made me feel weak.

We have come a long way, but I still don’t hear women talking about endometriosis. Is it still taboo? For me having the pain alone took a toll on me. Even after marriage trying to explain this to my husband was confusing to me. Try to communicate with your significant other, you both need to understand what is going on.

Be strong in self-care

I remember my grandmother telling me that if a woman was having any type of pain or sickness in her day, it was always considered a female issue and you just moved on. Nobody wants to talk about women and our sexual organs. 

People need to understand what it means to be a woman in the 21st century. You got to understand that this is an open voyage that we are tired of going at it alone. So, if you are having symptoms that you don’t understand, go see your doctor.

Next be strong, you know something is wrong, take care of this. Learn self-care and connect with people who are dealing with the same thing that you are. I believe in support and that you are never alone. Come check out the community at https://endometriosis.net.