My Endometriosis Journey Thus Far

 We are hours away from operation code name: drain the swamp.  The timeline shifted a few times, but my surgery starts at 9:30 CT (10:30 EST).  I went to the PACE clinic for the pre-OP appointment where they did bloodwork and went through my personal health history.  I handed them my Covid-19 test results, which they scanned into the system.  I got my antibiotics from the pharmacy and the antiseptic soap.  Then the hard part began: the bowel cleanse.  I despise bowel cleanses.  About 5 hours later, I have been having pretty clear bowel movements, did my first antiseptic shower, and are wearing clean jammies.   My last antibiotic meds will be taken soon and then no drinking until 6:15.  The last drink I will have is a super carbohydrate drink to keep my body going during the anesthesia.  I will have one last antiseptic shower before arriving at the hospital at 7:30 CT. Thank you all for your outpouring of support and prayers!...

I am not one write about myself and what I feel is not a big deal, until it is a bigger problem than I realized. If I had not read another woman's story of her sister-in-law dealing with intestinal endometriosis, who knows how long it would have been before my condition was diagnosed. Hopefully my story will catch the eye of a woman (no matter if they are 13 years old or 50 years old) and make her aware of the fact that her pain is not normal.  One out of ten women in the USA are affected by Endometriosis.  It needs to be more widely researched, but recently has reached bipartisan attention in Michigan.  Copy the link below, paste it in your web browser, and read the link below for more information. My first menstrual cycle hit when I was 11 years old. I went to my sister first who is 2.5 yrs older than me and said, "I think I am dying." Her response was, "Ohhhhhhhhh, you need to talk to Mom." My mom gave me a talk about how women's reproductive organs work ...