Walk for Endo
Shriya Pandya is raising money for Endometriosis UK
Participants: Samir Pandya
Story
I am walking 8k everyday for 8 days for Endometriosis UK in solidarity with those on their journey to diagnosis and beyond. Here is my story:
I have suffered from severely heavy and painful periods since the age of 12, along with regular pain in the tummy and back. I have spoken to multiple doctors countless times about this and as a result have been given many different pills, tried different ways of taking the pill and was also wrongfully diagnosed with Pelvic Inflammatory Disease when visiting A&E due to being in an unbearable amount of pain. I had a particularly horrible flare up in 2020 where I found myself crying in the toilets of my workplace on a daily basis because I felt so helpless.
I visited a specialist who told me that I have stage 4 endometriosis which is also growing dangerously close to my left kidney. He also told me that if I left it any later then there would have been a possibility of needing to remove my kidney; hearing all of this information at such a young age was terrifying. I then started my journey with my consultant to have 2 surgeries in the space of 3 months.
There has been a lot of relief that I'm finally getting the help that I so desperately needed, but my journey really has taken its toll on me emotionally. I had my second and most recent surgery in April of this year; recovery has been incredibly challenging and at times it's been difficult to see an end in sight, but I'm extremely grateful for the support of my family and friends.
There are many times that I have felt so helpless and lost, especially towards the start of my journey when I was completely clueless about endometriosis.
The average time to diagnose endometriosis is 8 years. If I was properly educated on the signs and symptoms of this extremely common condition, perhaps I would have suffered less. However, my goal now is to raise awareness and to support those that are suffering like I was.
This is why I'm Walking for Endo in July, 8k everyday for 8 days. For more information about endometriosis, please visit Endometriosis UK where there is lots of useful information, help and support.