Part 01 of My Endo Story: Signs and Symptoms of Endometriosis

So there I was, laying down in the the hallway of the ER (yea they ran out of rooms).

I had just tried, and failed (again), to pee in a cup. The pain was so bad I could barely stand, let alone give them the sample they needed to approve any pain medication.

So I waited. In pain. In a bed. In the hallway of the ER.

How did I get here you may ask? Let me back up.

August 2024 – The First Time It Didn’t Feel Normal

It started like any other period. Or at least, like any of mine—crampy, uncomfortable, annoying.I went to the bathroom, felt a cramp hit, and figured it was business as usual.

I washed my hands and stumbled onto my bed, curled up and ready to wait it out.

My husband, Doug, walked in and saw me face-down on the bed, completely still. I wasn’t crying, I wasn’t moving—I was just trying not to pass out from the pain. He went into crisis mode—cold towels for my face, hot towel on my stomach, water everywhere like we were hosting a DIY spa day from hell.

I was 15 minutes into what felt like one long, unrelenting contraction, and then, just as suddenly as it came, the pain stopped.

Doug and I looked at each other and we both we’re like “that was fucking weird!?”

I went on my day as usual.

Middle lower abdomen.

That’s where it hit. Right in the center. And while I’d had this pain before—on and off for years—something shifted that month.

From August on, it never really left.

September – Fainting Spells and Excuses

My next period came. More bad cramps. Not as dramatic as last month, but still intense.

Then, one day while working from home, I suddenly felt dizzy. I stood up. And my phone slipped out of my hand because I couldn’t feel my fingers. My legs felt weak.

I moved to the couch, slow and shaky. Told myself it was low iron. Or maybe stress? But deep down, I knew, I’m not even that stressed right now. Something was off.

I took the day off. Rested. And of course, called my mom.

She said, “Why don’t you go to the gyno?”

And she said it in that tone of “you’re your own person so make whatever decision you want but you better fucking go” tone.

I said, “Yeah… maybe.”

October – The Word I’d Never Heard

I booked the appointment. I explained everything to my gyno, who couldn’t feel anything abnormal during the exam. “Let’s get an ultrasound just to be safe,” she said.

So I did.

A week later, I was back in her office. They’d found a cyst on my left ovary. She listened to my symptoms, looked at the scan, and said the words that cracked everything open:“This is probably endometriosis. But I won’t be able to confirm it without surgery.”

Cue the internal freak out

Endo-what?

Surgery?

The fuck?

She said surgery was the only way to know for sure, but we didn’t have to jump straight to that. Instead, she wanted to try medication first. “Let’s give it 90 days and see if the cyst shrinks.”

Cool. A plan. I was hopeful. But my body had other ideas.

November – A Full Month of Bleeding and Breakdowns

Thirty days in, and I was bleeding nonstop. Apparently a “normal” side effect of the meds.But worse—the major cramps were back. Worse than before.

I went back to my doctor. She was annoyed I hadn’t gone to the ER when it got bad. I wasn’t trying to be dramatic, I just… didn’t want to overreact.

She ordered another ultrasound on the spot.

The cyst had doubled in size. Doubled.

No wonder it felt like my uterus was trying to break up with me.

She looked at the screen and immediately switched tones. She turned to her assistant and said,“Move whoever you can—get Mikayla in for surgery ASAP.”

It was the end of November. The soonest she could squeeze me in? December 19th.

Scheduled.

December – The Breakdown Before the Breakthrough

Three days later, the pain came back with a vengeance.

If you’ve ever had a baby, imagine a contraction that lasts 15 minutes. Now imagine it lasts for hours. That’s where I was.

Two days earlier she’d yelled at me for not going to the ER when the pain was bad, so this time, I listened. I packed up my dignity and went.

I waited for hours, doubled over, unable to pee, unable to sit still. Eventually, after finally managing to give them a urine sample, they gave me pain medication. And then, the waiting game began again.

The cyst was still intact. But the pain was, and I cannot stress this enough, unbearable.

The ER Diagnosis:

Prescription level pain meds. Rest. Wait for surgery.

Read Part 02 of My Endo Story where I go into detail about what they found during my surgery.

My Symptoms – What I Didn’t Know Were Clues

• Intense, stabbing pain in the lower abdomen
• Pain during urination and bowel movements
• Pain/Cramps that made me nearly faint
• Fatigue and brain fog
• Heavier-than-usual bleeding
• Lower back pain

How Do You Know You Have Endometriosis?

If you’re wondering, how do you know you have endometriosis?—you’re not alone. It’s often misdiagnosed or dismissed for years.

Common signs of endometriosis include:

• Painful periods that interfere with daily life
• Pain during sex
• Chronic pelvic pain
• Pain during bowel movements or urination
• Fatigue and nausea

Your Next Steps

I dismissed all of this until it landed me in the ER.I didn’t want to be dramatic. I didn’t want to be inconvenient. I didn’t want to be a burden.

I had a business to run. A schedule to keep. A routine to maintain.

But don’t ignore your body.

Turns out these symptoms had been there for years—ignored, minimized, explained away—until they escalated into Stage 4 endometriosis.It took that kind of pain for me to finally do something about it.

You’re not being overdramatic.

These symptoms are not normal.

Ask questions.

See a doctor.

Get the help you deserve.