My ‘period pains’ and breathing problems turned out to be endometriosis that

Stuck in her bed vomiting and struck down with unbearable pain, Nadine Lewis knew something wasn’t right.

She was just 14 years old when she started to struggle with her periods, but she had no idea they would plague her for the next 20 years.

The pain gradually got worse over time and Nadine would also go on to suffer hot flushes, fits and nightmares.

After seeing her GP, Nadine says she was told it was just period pain.

Speaking to The Sun, the 33-year-old, says after 12 years of agony, she finally managed to get answers when a specialist diagnosed endometriosis.

Throughout her battle with the condition, Nadine says that every part of her body has been impacted – with the condition also making it hard for Nadine to start a family of her own.

While most people associate endometriosis with painful periods, Nadine said her condition got so bad, that it actually meant it spread to her lungs.

Five years after Nadine’s initial diagnosis in 2007, in 2012 she was diagnosed with thoracic endometriosis, meaning that the condition had spread to her lungs.

She suffered breathing symptoms with the condition and had to have her lungs drained of fluid.

“I couldn’t do anything for myself, and it turned out that I had a bowel obstruction and my lung had also collapsed,” she says.

“I had to have over a liter of fluid removed, this was a major surgery where they had to cut into my abdomen and I ended up having a colostomy bag for a year.”

Speaking out as part of Endometriosis Awareness Week, Nadine is sharing her story to help others who are suffering from the debilitating condition.

One in 10 women worldwide have endometriosis, yet despite the seriousness of the disease, it takes on average eight years just to get a diagnosis. 

Common symptoms include pain during intercourse, heavy periods, infertility and excessive menstrual cramps.

“I felt trapped in my own body, it’s constantly under attack,” says Nadine.

“I’d be stuck in bed for four or five days at a time with pain.

“My male GP said it was just period pain and I felt as though I wasn’t being taken seriously.”

The pain continued and in 2007 Nadine’s parents decided enough was enough.

Nadine, from London, said it was only when her dad went to the doctors with her at the age of 20 and demanded she be referred to a specialist, that she felt as though she was finally moving in the right direction.

“I was given a laparoscopy and I was just frustrated that it took so long,” she says.

“I wasn’t surprised though, I had to do a lot of my own research.

“I was too young to have the endo removed even though I’d been diagnosed with stage four endometriosis.”

It took Nadine, who worked as a careers consultant, another seven years to then be diagnosed with thoracic endometriosis.

This is a rare condition that happens when endometriosis patches grow on or around the lungs.

It can cause shortness of breath, chest pain, coughs, and in some cases a collapsed lung.

Treatment for the condition includes medications that suppress the female reproductive hormones and surgery.

“I have had countless A&E admissions, investigations and surgeries and been medically gaslighted. 

“I had three diagnostic laparoscopies with no endometriosis removed,” she says.

“Endometriosis has affected my mental health, fertility, bowel and respiratory health. 

“No one should have to go through this. It should not take this long to be taken seriously.”

Nadine is telling her story as she wants to give a voice to those who are suffering from endometriosis and who are struggling to get treatment.

ENDO SPREAD

In 2010 Nadine says she had another surgery in a private hospital and that no endometriosis was removed then either.

When she asked for a follow-up, she was told the surgeon who had done the keyhole surgery had actually left.

By 2012 her endometriosis had gotten so bad that Nadine was “unable to get out of bed”.

She had a bowel obstruction and her lung collapsed, meaning she had to have a colostomy bag.

Nadine had the procedure reversed a year later, but again didn’t have any endometriosis removed.

“I’ve spent the last eight years managing my condition the best I could.

How to approach your GP if you think you might have endometriosis

Dr. Datta said it can be difficult to keep track of all the issues that come with endometriosis. Here are her top tips on how you should approach the issue with your GP.

Keep a diary: Note down when you experience pain and when it comes on in relation to your period. Specifically, note down when you experience symptoms in relation to your periods, whether they are getting worse and how they affect your daily activities.

Ask for a gynecologist: Asking for a referral to a gynecologist…