This week is Endometriosis Awareness Week
I am very aware of Endometriosis. I suffered from it myself but nowhere near as badly as my daughter is suffering right now. As this is Endometriosis Awareness Week I thought I'd do a bit of awareness raising myself so here goes:
A Pink Pants Challenge: If I was fitter and maybe a few years younger I would join these brave ladies. From 3rd to 5th May they are going to be climbing Wales' highest and most spectacular mountain, Snowdon, in the Snowdon Horseshoe Challenge. They're hoping to raise money for research into finding a cure for this painful and debilitating condition.You can read more about them here. I may not be fit enough to take part but I can and will be donating.
Endometriosis: If you are one of the lucky people who have never suffered from this condition then I'll explain. Endometriosis is when the lining of the womb spreads to other organs of the body. It creates sticky deposits causing pain and sticking organs together. The bowel is one of the common organs to be affected. We're not just talking about painful periods. This is an all month round, 24/7 kind of pain.
My Daughter: Last year my daughter was referred to the specialist Endometriosis Unit at London's University College Hospital. She has just had an exploratory laparoscopy to inform the surgeons in preparation for more major surgery sometime soon. We haven't got the date yet. Time feels as if it's standing still. She's been in pain for such a long time now.
Research: One of the problems for sufferers is the difficulty in successfully diagnosing the condition. While my daughter was in the hospital last week she agreed to donate tissues for research. They're hoping to develop a blood test to diagnose Endometriosis so that future sufferers won't have to wait until the Endometriosis is severe before a correct diagnosis can be made. They might even, one day, be able to dissolve it without painful and intrusive treatments. If you want to find out more about Endometriosis then please go and visit The Endometriosis UK site.
If you weren't aware before, then hopefully you're a bit more aware of Endometriosis now. Who'd be a woman!
