(Megan Holohan/ Today) — In her 20s, Christie Reuter experienced cramping and heavy periods that worsened over time.
“I was in so much pain that I knew something was wrong,” the 37-year-old from West Islip, New York, told TODAY. “It’s hard to go about daily life just in pain, knowing like it’s more than just a week of cramps. I get pain when I ovulate as well and sometimes I get random pain for no reason.”
A doctor suspected endometriosis and suggested laparoscopy to diagnose it. That surgery confirmed that she had endometriosis but that doctor did not remove it — what’s called excision. This meant her symptoms continued as the disease progressed. The doctor also put her on a medication to suppress her hormones, but the side effects felt terrible and she stopped taking it after three months.
“It was absolutely horrible,” she said. “I had looked online and found the reviews saying it was awful and my doctor encouraged me not to worry about that.” (…)