A mum who suffered extreme pain from endometriosis recounted that she is now a "changed woman" after changing her life and losing 24 kilos.
Vanessa Montgomery, 40, from Perth, said she began experiencing a month of extreme pain, mood swings, hot flashes and fatigue at the age of 38, when she thought she was experiencing early menopause.
Before she was diagnosed with endometriosis, she would often curl up on the floor and cry because of extreme pain.
The mum of two, who did not want to continue undergoing hormonal therapy, turned to a dietitian and began to adopt a unique diet and exercise that changed her life.
Vanessa, who lost a staggering 24kg, told FEMAIL that while the weight didn't completely eliminate her debilitating endometriosis symptoms, it was a "godsend" as it helped her cope with her condition.
Not wanting to treat her severe endometriosis with hormonal drugs, she changed her lifestyle and cleaned up her diet, resulting in a weight loss of 24 kg
Not wanting to treat her severe endometriosis with hormonal drugs, she changed her lifestyle and cleaned up her diet, resulting in a weight loss of 24 kg
While endometriosis still negatively affects her life, the improvement in Vanessa's health gives her "peace of mind"
Vanessa has had irregular menstruation and heavy menorrhagia since she was a teenager, but did not begin to experience symptoms of endometriosis until she was in her thirties. When she was painfully unable to leave the house, she knew something was wrong.
"When you're in so much pain, you can't focus. I often lay on the floor crying like a fetus because the pain was so unbearable. She added: "It's not just menstrual pain, I have other symptoms and I seem to be starting to go into perimenopause. "Throughout the month, Vanessa experiences severe mood swings, night sweats, hot flashes and constant fatigue.
Always have been. It's not like 'OK, you have your period and it's going to last for 7 days,' she says, but for a whole month. "I've never experienced this before, and I'd like to go through it again." Vanessa, a temporary service station attendant, was thankful that she didn't have a job at the time because she had to take frequent time off.
However, illness began to prevent her from homeschooling her 15-year-old daughter, Abbey. Before going to the doctor, the mother was weak for six months with extreme symptoms, where she underwent a series of tests and ultrasounds. "As women, we tend to put up with a lot before we do anything," she said. "It's frustrating because you feel like you're crazy. Unless you start taking proper testing, there really is no answer. The technician who did the ultrasound for Vanessa was the first to mention endometriosis to her.
"She was obviously not allowed to say anything about the results, but she did ask 'Have you heard of endometriosis before?' "I said no because I didn't," she said. "It was enough for me to start Googling, but I still didn't really understand it."
The Perth mum of two used to lie on the floor crying in pain from weakness
Vanessa was thankful that she didn't have a job at the time, as she had to take frequent time off, but illness began to hamper her ability to attend school at Abby
According to the World Health Organization, endometriosis is a disease that causes tissue that lines the inside of the uterus to form outside the uterus and can lead to the formation of scar tissue in the pelvis and other parts of the body. Patients experience a variety of symptoms, but most experience extreme pelvic pain during or during menstruation.
Vanessa's GP decided she was too young to go through menopause and ordered more tests to clarify her health problems, which was eventually diagnosed with endometriosis. "I felt like my GP didn't understand my reaction because I was happy and that made me breathe a sigh of relief. I thought, now we can do something," she recalls.
She underwent laparoscopic surgery so doctors could understand how severe her endometriosis was to determine her next steps in treatment and remove the scar tissue lesions caused by the condition. The direct surgery only takes 45 minutes, but the surgeon spent more than two hours trying to remove as much of the damage as possible. "[My surgeon] didn't know how bad endometriosis was until he went in and looked at it," Vanessa said.
"She came to me afterwards and looked very disappointed and frustrated and told me 'I'm sorry, it's very serious, it's everywhere, it's not going to happen soon, it's not going to be easy'." In August 2020, instead of starting hormone therapy, Vanessa, who weighed 96 kilograms at the time, began managing her pain symptoms through diet and exercise.
"Losing weight won't eliminate problems that already exist, but it will reduce symptoms over time," she said. "Although she feels better than ever, Vanessa's endometriosis remains a huge burden on her life.
"Even losing weight didn't eliminate endometriosis, it still affected my life in a negative way, but in my opinion, I'm better off and I'm calm," she said. "I'm in a better mental space where I can get through and persevere."
In December 2021, Vanessa underwent a life-changing hysterectomy, which removed her uterus and completely alleviated her pain. She is now encouraging others who think they may have endometriosis to "move on" and fight for a diagnosis for themselves. "It may not be a cancer patient or someone with advanced cancer, but it's so debilitating that it needs to be taken more seriously in the medical community," she said. ”
"No matter how heavy you are, as long as you have the right people to cheer you on, as long as you persevere, you can achieve your goal of playing Endo.