Send us a text with a question or thought on this episode ( We cannot replay from this link)
Imagine enduring a pain so severe that it dictates every moment of your life, yet being told it’s all ‘in your head.’ Our guest, Nathali, shares a poignant narrative of her battle with endometriosis and adenomyosis—a tale that begins with dismissed symptoms in high school and evolves into a relentless quest for answers. She unveils the raw truth behind misdiagnoses and the frustration of facing a healthcare system that often undermines those with chronic conditions. Her journey is not just a testament to her fortitude but also a rallying cry for patient advocacy and the critical need for specialized care.
As we listen to Natalie recount her experiences with pelvic floor dysfunction and the search for relief, it’s akin to watching a warrior reclaim her strength. The discovery of a supportive community and the role of pelvic floor therapy mark a transformative chapter in Natalie’s life, offering a glimmer of hope to listeners who may be sharing a similar path. This episode is a gripping exploration of the intersection between personal struggle and collective empowerment, encouraging patients everywhere to become champions of their own health and well-being. Join us for an intimate and inspiring conversation that illuminates the courage required to fight back against a daunting adversary: one’s own body.
Website endobattery.com
Understanding Endometriosis and Adenomyosis
Speaker 1
0:03
Welcome
to
Indobattery
,
where
I
share
about
my
endometriosis
and
adenomyosis
story
and
continue
learning
along
the
way
.
This
podcast
is
not
a
substitute
for
professional
medical
advice
or
diagnosis
,
but
a
place
to
equip
you
with
information
and
a
sense
of
community
,
ensuring
you
never
have
to
face
this
journey
alone
.
Join
me
as
I
navigate
the
ups
and
downs
and
share
stories
of
strength
,
resilience
and
hope
.
While
navigating
the
world
of
endometriosis
and
adenomyosis
,
from
personal
experience
to
expert
insights
,
I'm
your
host
,
elana
,
and
this
is
Indobattery
charging
our
lives
when
endometriosis
drains
us
.
Welcome
back
to
Indobattery
,
grab
your
cup
of
coffee
or
your
cup
of
tea
and
join
my
guest
,
natalie
,
and
I
at
the
table
.
Natalie
is
an
advocate
,
where
she
runs
her
page
,
indosipota
,
as
well
as
her
new
publication
,
the
Chronic
RBF
.
Thank
you
,
natalie
,
so
much
for
joining
me
today
and
I
am
excited
to
share
your
story
.
You
have
recently
just
inundated
the
internet
with
questions
and
from
your
posts
,
people
are
asking
a
bunch
of
questions
,
but
I
think
to
understand
where
you
are
,
can
we
go
back
to
where
you
started
?
Speaker 2
1:21
Yeah
for
sure
.
Well
,
thanks
for
having
me
.
I'm
really
excited
to
be
on
Endobattery
,
which
is
one
of
the
most
amazing
podcasts
for
Endo
.
I'm
newly
diagnosed
post-excision
.
Wherever
you
are
,
thank
you
,
and
I
was
in
the
process
.
Speaker 2
1:34
I
would
say
that
I
started
experiencing
symptoms
in
high
school
,
and
not
in
the
same
way
that
everybody
else
talks
about
it
,
and
that's
kind
of
the
theme
of
my
diagnosis
,
my
symptoms
and
even
my
excision
surgery
.
A
lot
of
it
wasn't
what
you
would
normally
find
.
So
I
would
say
,
as
soon
as
I
started
my
period
,
my
periods
were
very
painful
and
they
got
worse
over
time
,
just
excruciatingly
debilitating
.
And
I
remember
specifically
just
I
would
fill
the
hot
tub
in
our
apartment
with
boiling
hot
water
,
because
if
you're
from
Brooklyn
,
new
York
,
you
know
that
the
hot
tap
here
is
literally
like
fueled
by
lava
.
It's
coming
out
of
a
volcano
because
you
will
burn
your
flush
off
.
I
used
to
fill
the
tub
with
like
after
a
day
of
school
or
just
like
if
I
had
my
period
or
I
was
cramping
.
I
would
fill
it
up
with
this
boiling
water
and
I
would
just
submerge
myself
in
it
.
Speaker 2
2:36
And
I
remember
my
mother
,
who
is
somebody
who
has
always
been
very
healthy
and
never
really
had
pain
issues
Like
her
periods
she
always
talked
about
were
just
like
painless
.
Her
pregnancies
were
wonderful
and
amazing
and
giving
birth
was
great
.
She
recovered
pretty
quickly
from
it
.
So
she
had
like
nothing
to
compare
it
to
.
But
it
would
bother
her
to
see
me
in
pain
and
they'd
be
like
you
can't
soak
in
this
hot
water
and
I'm
like
you
don't
understand
.
I
took
eight
abdoles
today
and
it's
not
working
.
Speaker 2
3:08
That
was
one
thing
that
I
did
in
high
school
and
another
thing
I
would
do
is
it
was
to
the
point
where
my
little
sister
,
who's
seven
years
younger
than
me
and
nobody
should
be
doing
this
,
but
she
already
knew
to
put
boiling
water
on
the
stove
for
me
so
that
I
could
put
it
in
Ziploc
bags
and
put
the
Ziploc
back
on
my
abdomen
and
they
never
tore
.
That
is
crazy
,
but
I
was
ready
to
risk
no
,
seriously
,
like
I
don't
know
what
Ziploc
proprietary
technology
they
had
there
,
but
I
would
put
boiling
hot
water
in
Ziploc
bags
and
they
wouldn't
burst
and
I
would
put
it
skin
to
skin
.
I
don't
have
the
toasted
skin
condition
where
,
like
I
damaged
my
skin
,
but
I'm
shocked
that
I
didn't
have
like
blisters
or
anything
like
that
,
because
it
was
just
ridiculous
what
I
was
doing
.
I
would
just
have
extremely
heavy
periods
,
like
I
was
always
constantly
worried
that
I
was
gonna
leak
through
my
pants
,
my
clothes
at
school
and
back
in
the
day
for
younger
listeners
.
Speaker 2
4:02
We
didn't
have
the
technology
that
you
do
now
.
Nope
,
sure
didn't
when
you
have
these
like
paper
thin
pads
that
can
absorb
like
10
gallons
of
blood
.
I
used
to
wear
the
big
,
thick
,
like
hospital
diaper
ones
to
the
school
.
Speaker 2
4:18
It
was
like
so
embarrassing
you
could
like
hear
it
as
you
walked
and
it
was
uncomfortable
and
ugh
,
and
especially
if
you
had
to
double
up
on
days
.
Speaker 1
4:26
Oh
,
yes
.
That
was
the
worst
Was
the
double
up
days
where
you
felt
like
you're
,
like
I
was
,
a
big
booty
,
judy
,
and
so
I
always
had
extra
cushion
in
my
tuition
,
and
so
putting
two
pads
on
made
me
feel
even
more
attractive
.
Speaker 2
4:43
You
know
what
I
mean
?
Well
,
no
,
and
that's
great
,
cause
at
the
time
,
super
tight
jeans
were
in
,
like
so
tight
that
you
could
barely
walk
in
them
.
So
,
and
I
also
had
a
giant
butt
which
the
Kardashians
weren't
around
yet
.
Speaker 1
4:55
No
.
Speaker 2
4:56
I
just
felt
fat
and
like
I
had
these
big
,
thick
thighs
,
I
was
also
a
fellow
big
booty
,
judy
,
yeah
.
So
yeah
,
it
was
like
swamp
swamp
in
the
summer
.
It
was
terrible
,
it
was
awful
yeah
.
Speaker 1
5:07
Yeah
,
I
mean
,
I'm
a
little
bit
older
than
you
so
we
didn't
have
like
the
tight
tight
jeans
yet
.
We
had
the
Jinkos
and
things
like
that
.
You
know
where
it's
like
the
pockets
were
large
.
But
then
as
I
got
older
,
into
like
later
high
school
,
early
college
,
that's
when
it
started
really
getting
,
you
know
,
squeeze
the
life
out
of
you
skinny
.
So
I
get
,
I
get
that
yeah
.
Speaker 2
5:31
And
so
so
those
,
I
would
say
those
,
are
some
of
my
first
symptoms
and
exhaustion
.
I
have
horrific
,
horrendous
exhaustion
,
like
I
just
couldn't
get
out
of
bed
in
the
morning
and
I
thought
that
it
was
like
discipline
and
something's
wrong
with
me
and
I
don't
care
.
Blah
,
blah
,
blah
,
blah
.
But
it
was
none
of
that
,
it
was
.
Nobody
tells
you
,
even
when
you
get
diagnosed
,
that
fatigue
is
a
huge
symptom
of
endometriosis
.
Speaker 1
5:51
Yes
.
Speaker 2
5:52
So
I
moved
out
when
I
was
18
.
And
I
lost
my
health
insurance
Cause
at
the
time
there
was
no
affordable
care
act
,
so
I
was
insurance
,
less
it
was
.
Also
,
I
started
college
in
2007
.
And
you
know
,
the
recession
came
right
after
.
Right
,
it's
not
like
I
could
get
a
job
that
would
give
me
benefits
and
I
and
also
I
just
I
was
a
kid
right
,
I
didn't
have
the
skill
set
to
get
like
a
real
job
.
Quote
unquote
quotation
marks
.
All
jobs
are
real
jobs
,
right
,
and
college
was
rough
.
Speaker 2
6:23
College
was
rough
because
at
that
time
,
just
period
week
was
the
worst
.
That
was
the
worst
week
of
the
month
,
and
then
the
week
after
recovering
from
the
pain
was
pretty
awful
and
I
was
just
relentless
.
So
when
I
was
20
years
old
,
when
I
should
have
been
finishing
college
,
which
I
didn't
,
I
didn't
graduate
until
I
was
24
because
I
couldn't
afford
some
semesters
.
I
was
on
my
own
,
I
was
paying
it
for
myself
.
I
started
experiencing
pain
all
the
time
and
then
the
affordable
care
act
kicked
in
and
I
was
able
to
get
back
on
my
mom's
insurance
and
so
I
had
moved
in
with
my
high
school
sweetheart
.
Speaker 2
6:58
We're
not
together
,
but
at
the
time
I
moved
in
with
him
and
we
I
became
sexually
active
and
I
was
like
,
well
,
the
responsible
thing
to
do
is
to
go
see
a
gynecologist
and
maybe
I'll
ask
them
about
this
pain
.
So
I
go
.
My
first
gynecological
visit
was
awful
.
When
I
told
her
why
I
was
there
because
it
became
sexually
active
she
reprimanded
me
,
told
me
that
I
was
crazy
,
told
me
I
was
gonna
ruin
my
life
,
prescribed
birth
control
immediately
and
when
she
did
my
vaginal
examination
she
didn't
tell
me
that
she
was
going
to
also
check
correctly
.
So
really
awful
experience
.
And
she
just
told
me
that
the
pain
was
normal
but
that
I
should
be
more
concerned
about
getting
pregnant
and
ruining
my
life
.
So
it
took
me
a
long
time
before
I
went
to
another
gynecologist
.
No
wonder
,
and
at
this
time
my
symptoms
started
being
okay
.
Speaker 2
7:51
So
now
I
don't
only
have
pain
period
week
,
but
a
few
days
before
my
period
I'm
in
a
lot
of
pain
.
The
week
after
I'm
feeling
this
tinge
of
pain
predominantly
and
I'm
tired
,
I'm
exhausted
.
I
feel
like
I
run
a
marathon
every
day
and
I
just
have
no
idea
why
.
And
no
matter
how
much
I
work
out
and
how
healthy
I
eat
,
I
just
don't
feel
better
.
Right
and
healthy
quotation
marks
,
right
,
right
,
what
it
really
was
was
I
was
just
restrictive
eating
because
that's
,
I
was
following
diet
culture
pads
.
So
then
I
was
like
,
no
,
I
need
to
get
an
answer
for
this
pain
.
So
I
see
another
gynecologist
.
She
just
tells
me
it's
normal
,
right
,
if
you
have
pain
,
it's
normal
.
If
you're
bleeding
a
lot
,
it's
normal
.
Okay
,
fine
,
the
pain
is
getting
worse
.
I'm
bleeding
a
lot
,
I'm
fainting
.
Speaker 2
8:36
Now
I'm
starting
to
deal
with
constipation
in
a
way
that
was
bizarre
to
me
,
just
because
I'm
like
I
only
drink
water
.
That's
my
favorite
drink
and
I
love
my
fruits
and
veggies
.
I
was
eating
a
lot
of
fiber
,
right
,
and
I
was
young
too
,
right
.
So
I
was
having
like
crazy
constipation
and
nothing
would
help
.
And
the
Aleve
liquid
gels
that
I
was
taking
during
period
week
,
I
was
taking
about
like
16
to
18
a
day
.
Wow
,
no
one
should
be
doing
that
.
No
one
should
be
taking
that
much
ibuprofen
.
That
is
not
the
way
that
you
deal
with
that
.
I
actually
can't
take
Advil
anymore
.
I
have
a
horrible
reaction
to
it
.
Now
when
I
take
it
,
same
,
my
body
just
can't
tolerate
it
.
And
so
I
was
like
this
can't
be
like
a
.
It
doesn't
make
sense
to
eating
16
to
18
Advil
liquid
gels
a
day
,
every
single
day
of
period
week
,
which
could
be
seven
to
10
days
for
me
.
Speaker 2
9:25
So
I'm
in
college
,
I'm
just
trying
to
get
through
college
.
Speaker 2
9:27
There
were
so
many
instances
where
I
like
bled
through
my
clothes
.
I
almost
missed
finals
and
it
was
awful
.
And
that's
what
I
was
the
most
concerned
about
was
I
was
the
first
in
my
family
to
go
to
college
.
I
was
the
first
one
to
navigate
the
college
system
to
begin
with
,
and
there
was
all
this
pressure
on
me
because
I
was
the
first
right
and
I
was
worthy
as
long
as
I
was
in
school
and
working
,
as
long
as
my
body
was
producing
something
.
I
was
worthy
and
I
was
living
out
everybody's
dreams
of
why
they
hid
underneath
crates
and
a
truck
and
crossed
the
border
,
of
why
my
grandmother
got
student
visas
for
her
daughter
to
come
here
right
,
but
none
of
them
went
to
college
and
none
of
them
had
the
opportunity
.
None
of
them
spoke
English
,
but
Natalie
had
the
pressure
of
going
to
school
and
becoming
something
right
,
doing
something
,
bringing
the
family
honor
.
That's
what
people
love
.
Speaker 2
10:20
That
movie
I
think
it's
called
Encanto
from
Disney
.
Yes
,
it
gives
me
like
instant
PTSD
,
like
because
that's
what
you
know
,
it's
cliche
,
but
I
was
like
oh
God
,
I
was
like
.
You
know
,
this
is
my
life
.
It's
hard
.
It's
hard
to
be
the
first
and
I'm
the
oldest
of
24
cousins
.
Speaker 2
10:43
So
I'm
not
only
an
example
to
my
sister
,
but
I'm
an
example
to
23
other
kids
The Journey to Diagnosing Endometriosis
Speaker 2
10:49
.
It
was
a
nightmare
,
so
that's
all
I
cared
about
.
I
didn't
care
about
me
hurting
because
my
mother
worked
.
She
was
a
single
mom
.
She
worked
70
hours
shifts
a
week
.
I
never
heard
a
complaint
about
pain
or
being
tired
.
She
came
home
,
cooked
dinner
,
made
sure
we
had
food
if
she
was
going
to
work
on
the
weekends
and
clean
the
house
and
did
what
she
had
to
do
.
I
never
heard
a
complaint
.
My
grandmother
worked
standing
at
a
factory
,
also
60
to
70
hours
a
week
making
sweaters
.
I
never
heard
a
complaint
.
Speaker 2
11:15
My
father
used
this
body
to
work
still
to
this
day
.
He's
a
busboy
at
a
restaurant
and
is
on
his
feet
all
day
,
so
I
don't
hear
him
complain
about
it
.
And
so
for
me
to
complain
about
pain
to
my
family
was
ridiculous
Like
how
dare
I
when
I
have
all
this
privilege
and
all
this
opportunity
that
they
didn't
have
?
So
I
didn't
really
talk
too
much
about
how
the
pain
was
affecting
me
and
I
didn't
really
ever
want
to
talk
about
it
.
So
I
don't
want
to
be
seen
as
weak
,
because
if
I
can't
tolerate
my
pain
,
then
I'm
weak
of
character
,
I'm
weak
as
a
person
and
I'm
not
worth
anything
.
My
parents
have
been
through
so
much
worse
than
I
.
How
dare
I
?
You
know
,
that's
that's
how
I
felt
,
and
so
I
wanted
an
answer
to
the
pain
,
just
so
that
I
could
continue
being
worthy
.
Speaker 2
12:02
And
the
second
gynecologist
,
so
actually
third
.
So
now
I'm
on
my
third
gynecologist
and
I'm
telling
her
about
the
pain
and
she's
like
,
again
,
normal
,
normal
to
bleed
for
seven
to
10
days
.
Normal
to
bleed
through
her
clothes
.
Normal
to
be
debilitatingly
in
pain
.
Normal
to
faint
.
Okay
,
fine
,
I
wait
a
few
more
months
.
The
pain
is
just
getting
worse
.
I
end
up
in
the
ER
because
I
have
the
.
I
felt
like
somebody
harpooned
me
through
my
abdomen
.
I
thought
I
was
going
to
die
and
that's
the
only
reason
I
went
to
the
ER
.
Speaker 2
12:33
I'm
sure
going
to
school
and
working
didn't
help
the
toll
on
my
body
,
but
it
was
.
I
remember
it
was
the
first
time
,
thinking
like
,
oh
,
this
is
a
nice
break
.
I
get
to
sit
in
the
hospital
bed
overnight
and
I
get
to
call
out
of
work
with
an
excuse
.
And
they're
just
like
oh
,
they
didn't
even
do
a
sonogram
.
I'm
complaining
about
abdomen
pain
.
And
they're
like
you're
on
your
period
,
it's
just
period
cramps
.
And
I'm
like
okay
,
that's
fine
,
you
know
.
And
again
I'm
weak
.
That's
what
it
is
Like
.
I'm
so
weak
.
Speaker 2
13:02
I
go
to
my
fourth
gynecologist
and
she
says
to
me
I
remember
she
was
like
I
think
you
have
GI
issues
,
you
should
go
see
a
gastroenterologist
.
Clearly
,
that's
what
this
is
Right
.
And
so
I'm
like
okay
.
So
I
go
to
a
gastroenterologist
,
I
do
the
whole
,
the
whole
bit
.
I'm
20
years
old
,
I
get
an
endoscopy
done
,
not
a
colonoscopy
yet
,
but
the
the
gastroenterologist
was
like
I
don't
see
anything
wrong
.
And
so
I
wait
a
few
more
months
and
I
go
see
a
gynecologist
again
because
now
I'm
in
pain
three
weeks
out
of
the
month
.
If
I
work
out
it
gets
worse
and
my
constipation
is
extremely
painful
.
Just
going
to
the
bathroom
will
make
me
want
to
faint
,
because
you
know
,
something
coming
out
of
me
just
felt
like
I
was
going
to
die
.
Speaker 2
13:45
At
that
point
I
had
started
Googling
my
symptoms
and
that
was
the
first
time
I
saw
endometriosis
.
And
it's
funny
because
I'm
new
to
the
advocacy
online
space
as
a
contributor
Right
.
But
I've
been
Googling
my
symptoms
from
35
tomorrow
and
I
was
20
when
I
when
I
first
found
the
word
.
It's
been
a
long
time
.
Speaker 1
14:08
Yeah
.
Speaker 2
14:10
I've
been
watching
the
,
the
social
media
space
,
for
a
long
time
not
as
long
as
some
of
our
other
amazing
advocates
that
talk
about
being
in
AOL
chat
rooms
about
it
,
Right
,
but
I
found
endometriosis
and
I
was
like
,
okay
,
I
have
a
lot
of
these
symptoms
.
But
when
I
saw
the
causes
for
it
,
I
remember
distinctly
reading
that
it
could
be
because
of
STDs
,
Really
,
and
I
was
so
embarrassed
oh
yeah
,
I
was
embarrassed
,
I
was
ashamed
and
I
was
like
,
oh
my
God
,
if
I
hope
I
don't
have
this
because
somebody
Googles
this
,
they're
going
to
see
STDs
.
And
I
was
like
a
virgin
when
I
met
my
then
boyfriend
and
what
are
people
going
to
think
about
me
?
And
I
remember
that
being
one
of
the
reasons
,
right
,
and
I
remember
it
saying
that
it
only
happened
to
him
at
over
35
years
old
.
But
I
still
took
a
chance
.
So
I
went
to
go
see
my
now
fifth
gynecologist
and
I
said
,
listen
,
I
got
.
Speaker 2
14:59
I
went
to
gastro
.
No
symptom
.
He
says
there's
nothing
wrong
.
I
think
I
might
have
endometriosis
.
She
literally
looks
at
me
and
goes
where
did
you
learn
that
word
?
And
I
said
online
.
And
she
was
like
please
don't
Dr
me
.
She
was
like
you
don't
have
endometriosis
.
Older
women
get
endometriosis
.
You're
way
too
young
and
she
was
like
your
symptoms
are
normal
,
and
so
I
was
just
like
and
all
these
people
prescribe
birth
control
right
For
?
Speaker 2
15:26
what
reason
I
have
no
idea
.
I
felt
defeated
.
I
felt
a
little
crazy
.
I
was
just
like
I'm
not
a
liar
,
like
I
don't
do
things
for
attention
.
I
just
felt
so
defeated
and
I
just
didn't
know
what
to
do
and
the
symptoms
were
just
getting
worse
.
Then
I
found
a
PCP
,
a
primary
care
physician
,
and
I
tell
him
and
like
listen
,
I
went
to
five
gynecologists
.
They
all
say
that
I
don't
have
anything
gynecological
wrong
with
me
.
And
he
says
well
,
it's
not
gastro
,
because
he
was
an
internist
.
And
he
was
like
I
think
this
is
gynecological
and
he
was
like
.
Speaker 2
15:55
I
think
you
should
go
for
one
more
opinion
and
I'm
like
a
seventh
one
.
Speaker 1
16:01
Like
yeah
.
Speaker 2
16:02
I
mean
eighth
opinion
.
You
know
,
and
I'm
telling
my
best
friend
about
it
and
she's
like
you
know
,
my
family
got
an
ecologist
.
Is
really
nice
,
you
should
go
see
him
.
And
I
didn't
want
to
go
see
a
man
,
but
I
was
desperate
so
I
was
like
,
all
right
,
let
me
just
make
an
appointment
and
let's
just
see
what
he
says
.
If
this
doctor
says
that
it's
all
in
my
head
and
this
is
normal
,
I'm
gonna
stop
looking
for
an
answer
,
because
I
had
also
had
sonograms
done
and
all
that
kind
of
stuff
,
right
.
Interaginal
sonograms
work
excruciating
,
exams
work
excruciating
,
right
,
but
that
was
normal
.
I
kept
being
told
that
was
normal
.
So
I
go
see
this
doctor
,
I
love
him
so
much
.
Speaker 2
16:37
He's
a
great
gynecologist
not
an
endometriosis
expert
though
,
and
he
was
just
so
sweet
,
so
gentle
,
asked
me
for
consent
the
whole
way
through
,
which
I
had
never
experienced
yet
,
and
I
didn't
say
a
word
,
I
didn't
say
what
I
thought
I
had
,
I
just
told
him
my
symptoms
.
He
did
a
pelvic
exam
,
asked
me
if
it
hurt
,
you
know
,
was
asking
me
certain
questions
,
very
quick
examination
.
He
takes
me
into
his
office
and
he
looks
at
me
.
And
New
York
City
is
like
so
full
of
different
people
from
different
places
,
different
cultures
.
So
where
I
grew
up
,
we
grew
up
with
a
lot
of
Arab
descent
friends
.
So
Habibi
means
my
love
in
Arabic
,
and
he
looks
at
me
,
in
my
eyes
and
with
just
the
most
compassion
,
sympathy
in
his
voice
,
he
says
Habibi
,
I'm
very
sorry
,
but
I
think
you
have
a
condition
called
endometriosis
.
And
I
was
like
,
oh
my
God
,
he
said
it
,
I
didn't
say
it
.
And
he
says
to
me
there's
no
cure
for
this
.
He's
like
you're
most
likely
gonna
be
infertile
by
the
time
you're
30
.
And
he's
like
you
should
think
about
having
kids
as
soon
as
you
can
,
and
then
we're
gonna
do
hysterectomy
.
He's
like
all
I
can
do
for
you
for
now
is
we're
gonna
do
a
leproscopy
.
I'm
gonna
go
in
and
I'm
gonna
burn
it
and
see
what
state
you're
in
,
and
then
after
that
he's
like
I'm
gonna
put
you
on
birth
control
and
then
we'll
just
see
until
you
have
kids
so
I
can
do
hysterectomy
.
Speaker 2
17:56
I
was
21
at
this
point
.
I
had
turned
21
finally
.
That
was
just
a
lot
to
reckon
with
.
I
didn't
know
if
I
wanted
kids
.
I
had
career
goals
.
Speaker 2
18:04
I
sought
to
finish
college
Like
I
didn't
know
what
to
do
and
everyone
was
telling
me
not
to
do
the
surgery
.
But
I
did
it
because
I
was
like
,
at
the
very
least
you're
gonna
go
in
and
either
she's
something
or
not
.
And
he
did
.
He
went
in
,
he
got
a
biopsy
it
was
endometriosis
.
He
did
ablation
surgery
and
I
didn't
know
how
hard
the
recovery
was
gonna
be
.
So
I
ended
up
failing
that
semester
of
college
because
I
was
told
I
was
gonna
be
fine
after
two
weeks
.
I
was
in
so
much
pain
yeah
,
I
needed
physical
therapy
Like
I
was
not
okay
and
I
worked
at
like
a
pharmacy
they
call
them
Dwayne
Reed
here
which
is
like
a
Rite
Aid
or
a
Walgreens
or
whatever
.
I
couldn't
lift
the
boxes
or
do
the
stocking
stuff
.
I
had
to
then
quit
that
job
,
which
I'm
glad
I
did
go
to
because
that's
where
I
met
my
husband
,
but
Kind
of
says
2020
,
right
Right
.
Speaker 2
18:52
Yeah
,
and
so
it
was
just
like
again
.
I
was
just
like
I'm
so
weak
,
Like
I
couldn't
even
handle
this
,
like
little
surgery
where
they
did
nothing
right
,
and
I
got
put
on
birth
control
and
I
just
took
it
because
I
had
to
Did
that
help
with
symptoms
,
though
,
so
it
did
.
Okay
For
me
.
It
absolutely
helped
with
symptoms
.
In
the
beginning
I
was
on
.
I
forgot
what
.
I
don't
know
what
it's
called
now
low
estrin
menastrin
.
Speaker 2
19:15
It's
like
a
very
low
dose
of
birth
control
,
but
it
did
help
with
symptoms
and
the
ablation
I
would
say
help
with
symptoms
for
like
three
months
and
then
the
pain
came
back
,
everything
came
back
and
he
was
just
like
I
did
all
I
could
do
.
He
was
like
I
don't
want
to
do
hysterectomy
now
.
You're
too
young
,
this
is
just
going
to
be
your
life
.
You're
just
going
to
have
to
live
in
pain
.
And
you
know
they
prescribed
me
opioids
.
I
went
to
the
ER
a
few
times
.
I
remember
the
first
time
I
got
injected
with
morphine
and
they
didn't
tell
me
that's
what
they
were
doing
.
Speaker 2
19:44
I
freaked
the
hell
out
in
the
ER
and
the
nurse
came
over
to
me
and
she's
like
you've
never
been
high
before
and
I
was
like
what
?
No
,
I
was
like
do
people
enjoy
this
?
Speaker 1
19:55
I'm
like
I'm
going
to
die
.
Speaker 2
19:56
And
she
was
.
She
was
laughing
,
I
was
not
.
Speaker 1
19:59
It's
funny
to
laugh
at
now
when
you
think
about
it
,
but
back
then
you're
like
why
is
this
necessary
?
Like
why
would
you
just
do
something
to
someone
?
Speaker 2
20:07
Without
telling
me
.
And
the
worst
part
was
the
endometriosis
pain
didn't
go
away
,
but
I
was
absolutely
high
off
of
morphine
,
so
maybe
it
wasn't
as
bad
,
I
don't
know
.
So
I
was
like
high
and
in
pain
and
you
know
,
they
gave
me
opioids
but
like
at
the
time
we
were
starting
to
learn
about
the
opioid
crisis
and
I
was
,
I
was
terrified
to
take
them
.
And
when
I
did
take
them
,
oh
my
God
,
I
have
the
worst
reaction
to
opioids
.
I
don't
know
what
it
is
.
They
just
immediately
constipate
me
and
it's
just
the
worst
thing
ever
.
So
I
actually
still
have
the
opioids
from
my
excision
surgery
from
2019
in
my
medicine
cabinet
,
I
don't
know
,
like
as
a
souvenir
,
like
I
have
no
idea
,
and
that's
not
to
say
that
if
you
take
opioids
,
I
mean
anything
by
it
,
it's
just
for
me
personally
,
they
just
never
did
anything
besides
make
me
loopy
and
still
be
in
pain
.
Diagnosing Endometriosis and Seeking Treatment
Speaker 1
20:53
So
how
much
pain
did
you
get
to
the
right
doctor
,
Like
what
led
you
to
that
point
of
saying
I
can't
take
it
?
Speaker 2
20:57
So
then
,
like
I
got
diagnosed
,
felt
a
little
bit
better
for
a
little
bit
of
time
and
then
everything
just
compounded
on
me
,
like
every
year
.
The
symptoms
would
get
worse
every
year
,
and
it's
amazing
how
much
you
get
used
to
,
how
much
pain
and
discomfort
you
get
used
to
,
because
I
was
just
like
this
is
this
is
just
what
it
is
Like
I'm
not
eating
healthy
enough
,
I'm
not
exercising
enough
,
I'm
not
doing
enough
of
,
I'm
not
doing
enough
of
something
.
It's
my
fault
that
I
don't
feel
good
,
and
I
had
a
partner
who
also
didn't
understand
,
and
we
didn't
understand
it
in
a
mutual
assistance
.
Nobody
told
me
that
it
was
a
full
body
disease
.
Nobody
told
you
that
it
was
chronic
fatigue
,
nobody
explained
that
it
could
cause
pelvic
floor
dysfunction
,
and
that
was
another
thing
that
drove
me
crazy
.
I
was
complaining
about
abdominal
pelvic
pain
to
my
gynecologist
nonstop
for
years
,
so
my
PCP
,
nonstop
for
years
,
and
no
one
,
not
a
single
person
,
was
like
your
pelvic
area
hurts
,
you
should
see
a
pelvic
floor
therapist
.
Not
a
single
person
.
Speaker 1
21:57
I
didn't
even
hear
about
it
until
after
my
excision
.
Speaker 2
22:00
So
I
was
very
lucky
that
Sally
was
my
first
pelvic
floor
therapist
.
Come
on
.
Speaker 1
22:07
How
did
you
get
like
the
most
world
renowned
PT
for
pelvic
floor
on
the
first
try
?
Speaker 2
22:12
No
,
seriously
,
it's
amazing
.
Speaker 2
22:14
So
I
got
diagnosed
2010
.
I
was
like
in
all
these
groups
for
years
.
I
remember
just
like
hating
being
in
them
because
people
would
just
be
like
my
husband's
going
to
leave
me
if
I
don't
have
sex
with
him
,
my
husband's
going
to
leave
me
because
I
can't
get
pregnant
.
I
don't
know
what
to
do
.
Like
I'm
a
failure
and
that
was
all
that
the
conversations
were
about
,
and
like
I
wasn't
even
thinking
about
that
.
I
just
wanted
a
solution
.
So
I
was
vegan
.
I
was
whole
30
.
I
did
every
diet
you
can
imagine
Anti-inflammatory
.
I
exercise
and
exercise
and
exercise
.
Like
HIIT
had
taken
over
everything
.
So
I
was
doing
high
intensity
intervals
.
I
could
jump
.
I
could
probably
slam
dunk
at
one
point
because
of
how
high
I
could
jump
.
For
what
reason
Was
I
doing
that
?
Speaker 1
22:56
I
don't
know
,
I
was
running
.
Speaker 2
22:58
I
was
running
,
I
was
rowing
again
with
pelvic
floor
dysfunction
and
the
first
sign
should
have
been
when
I
like
snapped
my
T-band
.
I
did
tear
,
but
I
bruised
it
so
bad
my
thigh
was
like
five
times
its
size
in
purple
.
I
got
an
MRI
done
and
I
had
to
go
to
physical
therapy
.
While
I'm
in
physical
therapy
for
the
rehabilitation
of
my
IT
band
,
I'm
telling
the
therapist
that
I
have
anometriosis
.
I'm
telling
her
about
all
this
horrific
pelvic
pain
and
I'm
like
,
is
there
any
correlation
between
what
happened
to
me
and
anometriosis
?
And
she
was
like
no
,
that
doesn't
make
any
sense
,
it
wouldn't
affect
it
.
And
I
was
like
,
okay
.
Speaker 2
23:36
And
then
,
come
2017
,
my
symptoms
are
now
24-7
.
Every
single
day
I'm
in
pain
.
Every
single
day
it
hurts
.
Every
single
day
I
have
tension
.
Sex
is
painful
.
I'm
constipated
constantly
.
I
faint
from
being
constipated
,
like
I
could
literally
feel
as
the
bowel
movement
was
happening
.
It
would
be
so
excruciating
.
One
time
I
passed
out
.
I
remember
I
always
joke
like
I
became
like
an
expert
fainter
.
I
could
feel
when
it
was
coming
and
I
would
just
get
down
so
that
I
could
just
like
lay
down
and
not
like
fall
dramatically
because
they
don't
want
any
convenience
,
anybody
.
I
passed
out
at
the
subway
entrance
once
,
and
I
remember
waking
up
like
30
minutes
later
and
thank
God
like
I
was
fine
.
But
,
like
in
typical
New
York
fashion
,
no
one
helped
me
and
I
just
got
up
and
I
went
to
work
.
That
was
just
my
life
.
Speaker 1
24:25
Colorado
.
Everyone
would
be
around
you
.
Everyone
from
like
three
states
over
would
be
right
there
to
make
sure
that
that
we
also
hold
the
door
for
each
other
.
I
know
that
that's
not
common
in
New
York
,
but
here
we
hold
the
door
for
each
other
.
Speaker 2
24:38
Now
I've
been
to
other
states
and
when
people
are
like
really
nice
,
I'm
just
like
what
do
you
want
from
me
?
Right
,
what
it's
up
.
Speaker 1
24:46
You
know
it's
very
New
York
for
me
.
Speaker 2
24:47
Yeah
,
and
I
was
still
trying
to
finish
college
because
I
had
another
semester
that
I
failed
,
because
I
was
like
in
such
horrible
condition
and
I
was
so
embarrassed
about
it
then
and
I
was
like
I
don't
know
how
anybody
finishes
anything
with
an
Amitri
Ossis
,
to
be
honest
.
So
2017
,
2018
,
I'm
in
one
of
these
groups
and
somebody
is
like
I
hate
Nancy
.
Nancy's
the
worst
.
She
kicked
me
out
of
the
group
and
so
all
these
women
are
like
Nancy's
the
worst
.
I
hate
that
group
and
I'm
like
what
group
are
they
talking
about
?
Speaker 1
25:19
Right
.
Speaker 2
25:20
So
I
asked
I
was
like
,
what
group
are
you
guys
talking
about
?
And
then
I
found
it
Nancy's
,
not
an
Amitri
Ossis
,
care
and
education
.
So
I
go
and
I'm
like
what
the
F
?
What
is
the
secret
?
Underground
patient
led
and
I'm
reading
about
Dr
Redwine
and
I'm
reading
about
Nancy
and
I'm
doing
the
education
module
and
I'm
reading
all
these
stories
about
excision
and
I'm
like
this
is
what
I
have
,
like
I'm
going
to
do
this
.
You
probably
know
exactly
what
I'm
talking
about
.
Speaker 2
25:44
Sometimes
the
endo
can
just
like
dip
,
go
high
and
low
,
and
so
then
,
like
I
would
have
periods
where
I
would
feel
a
little
better
and
then
I
was
like
,
oh
,
maybe
it's
not
that
bad
,
and
then
it
would
get
worse
,
right
,
and
even
though
I
educated
myself
so
much
through
Nancy's
nook
,
I
still
didn't
really
understand
what
the
Amitri
Ossis
was
doing
.
So
,
2019
,
I'm
doing
hit
again
,
I'm
doing
high
intensity
interval
workouts
,
working
out
all
the
time
Sorted
,
eating
all
that
stuff
,
right
,
because
I'm
still
blaming
myself
for
all
this
pain
and
discomfort
and
exhaustion
.
And
my
now
husband
at
the
time
my
boyfriend
picks
me
up
,
we
go
on
a
date
,
we
do
one
of
those
painting
wine
things
,
we
walk
out
and
I
swear
it
felt
like
something
just
fell
out
of
my
vagina
.
I
tell
him
we
have
to
go
home
.
Now
I
freak
out
.
We
were
supposed
to
go
to
dinner
.
We
go
home
and
I
have
him
check
.
I'm
like
do
you
see
anything
coming
out
of
it
?
And
he
was
like
,
no
,
I
don't
see
anything
,
but
I
feel
it
.
I
feel
something
is
coming
out
of
me
.
Speaker 2
26:42
I
go
to
my
gynecologist
the
original
one
.
I'm
still
seeing
him
,
right
.
So
I
got
diagnosed
in
2010
.
I'm
still
seeing
him
2019
.
He
was
like
you
have
uterine
prolapse
.
And
I
was
like
what
?
And
he
was
like
,
yeah
,
he
was
like
I
can't
believe
it
.
He
was
an
OBGYN
,
so
he
delivered
like
a
million
babies
and
had
all
his
clients
had
kids
.
And
he
was
like
I've
never
seen
this
in
a
woman
your
age
that
hasn't
birthed
before
.
But
you
have
prolapse
.
I'm
so
sorry
.
And
he's
like
I
told
you
.
He's
like
what
are
you
waiting
for
?
You
have
to
get
pregnant
.
I
just
turned
30
.
Speaker 2
27:11
And
he's
like
you
have
to
get
pregnant
,
like
I
don't
know
what
you're
waiting
for
.
I
have
to
take
the
uterus
out
.
And
he's
like
and
if
you
don't
want
it
to
get
out
,
I'm
going
to
have
to
stitch
it
so
that
it
can
stop
from
falling
and
I
can't
explain
Like
I'm
telling
it
,
like
nonchalant
,
but
like
when
I
was
told
that
I
had
to
have
a
hysterectomy
when
I
was
21
,
telling
getting
this
news
.
Now
,
every
time
you
get
news
of
,
like
something
new
,
it
was
just
devastating
Because
I
just
met
my
now
husband
.
We
were
embarking
on
this
new
life
and
now
I
have
I'm
29
years
old
,
with
prolapse
.
Like
,
are
you
kidding
me
?
30
years
old
with
prolapse
,
I
was
like
,
well
,
what
can
help
it
?
And
he
was
like
,
well
,
start
doing
kegels
.
He's
like
buy
weights
off
of
Amazon
to
start
doing
kegels
.
That's
really
the
best
that
you
could
do
.
So
I
go
home
,
order
it
from
Intimate
Rose
.
I
order
the
kegel
set
.
The
little
did
I
know
how
much
Intimate
Rose
would
play
a
part
of
my
life
.
For
the
rest
,
of
my
life
.
Speaker 2
28:03
And
that
I
would
meet
Amanda
Olson
.
I
start
doing
the
kegels
and
I
started
having
excruciating
pain
and
the
hit
workouts
were
worse
than
I
was
,
like
it
was
awful
.
So
I'm
Googling
what
helps
prolapse
and
it
says
pelvic
floor
therapists
.
Never
heard
of
this
in
my
life
.
I
go
to
Nancy's
Nook
,
I
type
in
pelvic
floor
therapist
and
I
start
reading
all
these
posts
from
Sally
and
I
go
to
her
page
and
she
has
all
these
live
videos
that
she's
recorded
and
left
on
the
and
she's
talking
about
endometriosis
and
how
it
causes
constipation
.
That
was
the
first
video
I
saw
she
had
like
it
was
like
a
poop
one
,
and
I
was
like
,
oh
my
God
,
I
have
all
those
symptoms
.
And
then
I
started
watching
all
of
her
videos
and
I
reached
out
to
her
.
Speaker 2
28:47
I
still
have
the
in
my
inbox
and
I'm
like
hi
,
dr
Sally
,
I
got
diagnosed
in
2010
and
they're
saying
that
I
have
prolapse
.
And
immediately
she
responds
.
She
was
like
I
don't
think
it's
prolapse
.
She
was
like
come
see
me
,
I
have
an
opening
next
week
.
Endometriosis
can
cause
a
lot
of
things
.
Just
come
see
me
and
I
tell
my
husband
.
I'm
like
,
oh
my
God
,
I
found
this
woman
who
knows
about
endometriosis
and
she's
going
to
help
me
.
So
he
comes
with
me
to
the
appointment
and
I'll
never
forget
I'm
laying
on
the
table
.
I
meet
Sally
,
who
just
is
like
straight
to
business
,
right
.
Speaker 1
29:18
I
love
Sally
.
Speaker 2
29:20
Nice
to
meet
you
and
she's
just
so
sweet
and
comforting
and
she's
just
like
telling
me
do
you
have
these
symptoms
?
And
she's
describing
my
life
,
like
she's
describing
everything
I've
ever
been
through
and
the
symptoms
that
I'm
having
.
And
I'm
telling
her
about
the
pain
that
I'm
having
.
And
I
brought
a
chart
.
I
listed
all
my
symptoms
.
I
drew
X's
where
I
had
pain
,
and
so
she
laughed
because
she
like
picks
up
the
paper
and
she
was
like
the
little
X's
that
you
traced
.
Speaker 2
29:46
She
was
like
I
don't
know
if
you
know
this
,
but
that's
your
genital
femoral
nerve
that
you
mapped
out
on
yourself
.
And
so
I
was
like
,
yes
,
I'm
like
I
always
have
ovary
and
uterus
pain
.
And
she
was
like
it's
not
your
ovary
,
it's
not
your
uterus
,
she's
like
it's
your
bladder
.
That's
hurting
.
That
,
you
think
,
is
your
uterus
and
that
ovary
pain
that
you're
saying
.
She
was
like
I
think
you
have
nerve
compression
and
so
she's
like
touching
me
,
whatever
.
And
she
was
like
I
think
you
have
inguinal
hernias
pressing
your
inguinal
nerve
,
that's
that
ovary
pain
on
both
sides
.
And
I'm
like
hernias
,
how
?
Why
?
Like
you
know
,
because
what
you
think
of
is
like
intestines
falling
out
of
,
like
a
hole
.
Speaker 1
30:18
But
I'm
just
like
there's
no
way
that
I
would
have
that
.
I
would
know
right
Like
somebody
would
have
seen
it
on
the
million
scans
that
I
had
.
Speaker 2
30:24
I
had
a
colonoscopy
that
year
because
I
was
still
trying
to
find
answers
to
my
constipation
.
Again
,
gastroenterologists
quote
beautiful
colon
,
end
quote
.
And
so
she's
like
doing
her
thing
.
And
then
she
has
me
stand
up
and
she
calls
up
the
Captain
Morgan
pose
and
I
put
my
leg
up
on
the
thing
.
She
does
what
she
has
to
do
and
she's
like
cough
and
cough
and
she's
like
you
don't
have
prolapse
.
She
was
like
you
have
a
severely
hypertonic
pelvic
floor
.
She
was
like
you
are
extremely
tense
and
she
was
like
what
have
you
been
doing
?
And
I
was
like
well
,
I
do
high
intensity
and
so
I'll
walk
out
some
kikles
.
And
she
was
like
stop
doing
kikles
immediately
and
you
loosening
,
not
tightening
.
And
that's
when
I
started
learning
about
the
pelvic
floor
.
Speaker 1
31:06
Natalie's
story
isn't
over
quite
yet
.
It's
just
starting
to
get
really
good
.
So
join
us
next
week
as
Natalie
continues
talking
about
the
ways
that
she
has
overcome
all
the
challenges
that
she's
faced
in
her
journey
.
You
won't
want
to
miss
it
and
until
next
time
,
continue
advocating
for
you
and
for
those
that
you
love
.