Laura was only diagnosed with Stage 4 Endometriosis last year (2023). Making her one of our most recent inaugurators to the Chronic Club.
Stage 4 Endo is not something to take lightly, and for Laura, it was an uphill battle to diagnose and find a management plan. Last year she had her laparoscopy – which is the only way to officially diagnose Endometriosis. It’s a serious surgery and for Laura, it was a lot harder to recover from than she imagined.
It took a few episodes of crippling, balled-over pain that pushed Laura to get help.
Her relief in finding a Doctor who would help her was soon trumped by the extent of what a surgery like this can do to a person. Her surgeons took longer and had a lot more to do than expected. With her Endometriosis being quite widespread by this time.
The recovery was exhausting and frustrating. Laura is now left with a management plan for her ongoing pain.
Our conversation was open about the struggles that diagnosis does not mean cure. For people with a chronic condition, a diagnosis is a recognition and access to a management plan for the symptoms. Nothing yet can be done about removing the pain forever.
Laura’s body is still recovering from the surgery and getting her mind around life with chronic pain. (The genius of strap-on heat packs!) Like all my guests, all I can hope for is that more people understand a day in the life of a chronic sufferer. Some days we can wear a loose shirt and hide the wearable heat pack. On other days, we need flexibility to work from home so we can focus on getting the work done as best we can while we privately struggle.
To Listen to Laura’s story
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mia-de-rauch/episodes/Endometriosis-with-Laura-e2g2at3
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/chronic-convos/id1000646062617