Endometriosis impacts many aspects of one’s life and when it starts from a young age it impacts education. Katie, from Ireland, is one of millions of women that has endometriosis. Starting her periods at the age of 9, soon after her endometriosis kicked in resulting in missing days of school evry month. It took Katie years of pain and severe symptoms, including bowel bleeding until she had specialist surgery. Luckily, she had the support of her mom.
Her endometriosis symptoms started from the age of 9 and years latter she would miss a few days of school monthly
Presented in many cases as an ordinary disease or a disease that mainly affects fertile age women, endometriosis is in reality a severe disease that can develop at any age. Moreover, the lack of understanding from others can add to the disease impact.
“I first got my period at 9 years old and from the first few periods I had a lot of pain. Initially it was thought that I was very young and was sensitive to the pain or was just unlucky and had bad periods. My family were initially trying to help me deal with it and find solutions to manage pain. My friends didn’t understand as I was going through this experience young and in later years they did not experience similar symptoms and couldn’t relate to me. It was very isolating. There wasn’t an initial alarm until things began to get worse and more severe. My family supported me in going to my doctor to discuss if anything was wrong. Very soon, it ended up in me missing a few days of school every month”.
At the age of 17 she was suspected to have endometriosis and ablation was offered as a treatment method
Endometriosis is a disease that requires specialist care, something that is not easily found. Many doctors are offering ablation instead of excision, mainly due to the lack of experience. In some cases patients like Katie know that ablation is an ineffective method of treating endometriosis.
“I first began getting medical help at age 16, I got ultrasound scans which detected ovarian cysts and some abnormalities. At this stage, I went on a journey of a lot of monitoring and a lot of contraceptive options to manage symptoms. I attended a variety of gynaecologists in Ireland, at 17 endometriosis was first suspected and diagnosed. I resisted ablation treatment during the diagnosis process as I had read that it was not an effective treatment”.
Being dismissed by doctors due to her age
After her symptoms started Katie’s mother who was familiar with the condition suspected it might be endometriosis.
“I was much younger than the usual presentation so we were told it was unlikely initially by a number of doctors”
Later on when she started experiencing symptoms outside her periods doctors suspected endometriosis, after seeing at least 5 medical professionals.
“I had a lot of bleeding from my bowel and blood in my urine samples on every routine urine test. I also had large cysts on my ovaries that appeared to contain blood. I experienced a lot of bowel and bladder symptoms and after seeing a gynaecologist in the capital of my country with an experience in endometriosis it was finally mentioned as the most likely cause of the variety of symptoms”
The beginning of a life free of of pain
Physical pain can take a toll on one’s life and for endometriosis sufferers the impact cant be described. Being made to believe that period pain is part of being a woman, endometriosis sufferers are left with no choice but to seek specialist care.
“When I finally scheduled surgery with Dr Kyriakopoulos I felt optimistic and relieved to finally have a plan. My biggest concern throughout the years has been my fertility. I think my situation is particularly life defining as I have been aware of the reality of having endometriosis from my early teens. There has been constant pressure and fear to have children young. However, in today’s society that’s not very achievable. I was worried about the outcome of the surgery and what could be found and have to process but it was better to treat the condition”!
From Ireland to Greece for endometriosis specialist surgery
The lack of endometriosis specialist care in Ireland made Katie decide to travel abroad. Although it’s not free of worries, it is proven by many patients coming to our centre for endometriosis specialist care, a decision well-made.
“I decided to go abroad for surgery as excision surgery is not available in my country. I was fortunate to have my mother travel with me so I felt supported and my communication with Dr Kyriakopoulos was consistent so I felt like I knew him already. It was easy to get accommodation both near the clinic and the hospital for the various stages and I had no issues getting around. Bonus points for Greece being a beautiful country with good food and nice weather”.
Respecting patients autonomy in deciding what is best for them
An important principle that our centre was built on is to give patients full rights over their decisions. Their bodies, their choice, is more than a slogan for our centre, is a practice. It took Katie a few tries until she found us, and her decisions were fully respected.
“I have seen many doctors in Ireland with different experiences, some positive and some negative but none of them offered me specialised multidisciplinary treatment. I also met with an endometriosis specialist in Europe who I did not feel reassured with for my particular case. I was determined to find the right person as it is very important to feel you have autonomy and have trust in your specialist. I first heard of Dr Kyriakopoulos on a Facebook support group and reached out via the website. From my initial video call consultation with Dr Kyriakopoulos I knew he was the right fit for me. I filled out an extensive questionnaire, did not feel rushed and felt empowered. My biggest concern was my fertility and in our pre op consultation Dr Kyriakopoulos gave me full autonomy over all decisions with my treatment”
Endometriosis specialist surgery improving symptoms immediately
“Since my surgery I already feel like a weight has been lifted off me. I experienced a lot of symptoms with constant pelvic heaviness and pain before the surgery. This sensation is gone since my excision surgery. Going to the bathroom was something I dreaded due to pain and this has greatly improved. I have not taken any painkillers since the first couple of days post surgery. I used to take multiple painkillers daily and have suffered with gastrointestinal symptoms as a result. It’s been life changing not needing to constantly be near a bathroom or on pain relief”
The best care from our team
I can not speak highly enough of the compassion I experienced with the team. Dr Kyriakopoulos treated me with such dignity and was such a warm, kind professional. I have never experienced such a caring personal approach from a medical professional. The nurse on the team, Marina was there from the initial pre op appointment until my post op appointment. She is a wonderful gentle nurse, her presence after the surgery is so reassuring. Both Dr Kyriakopoulos and Marina were checking in with me and I felt supported throughout the process. The rest of the team I met throughout the process were friendly and could communicate with me no problem which is a fear when you travel abroad for surgery.
