Hi, my name is Charlie and on Saturday 4th January 2025, I will be taking part in the Winter Walk for Endo to ensure that everyone with endometriosis gets on the right pathway to care.

In October 2022 I was diagnosed with severe endometriosis, completely out of the blue, after presenting at my local GP with severe ovulation pain. Within 3 months I had an ultrasound, a CT scan and an MRI, and had also met my specialist Endometriosis consultant at the NNUH where I was told I would need extensive surgery to manage my symptoms. Surgery will involve a partial hysterectomy, a bowel resection, excision of the diseased endometriosis tissue, and potentially a bladder reconstruction if the endometriosis tissue cannot be safely removed from my ureter.

Since researching this disease, and speaking to many other women over the past two years, I realise now how lucky I was to have been seen and placed on the urgent waiting list for surgery as quickly as I was. On average it takes 8 years to be diagnosed with endometriosis. That’s 8 years of potentially being in pain with little to no understanding of why that pain is happening.

As part of my diagnosis I was immediately put on hormone medication to put me into a temporary menopause and reduce my pain, HRT to manage the side effects of the menopause, and (the worst part!) a uretal stent. This is a long latex pipe that runs from my kidney to my bladder allowing my kidney to drain properly due to an endometrioma cyst partially blocking my ureter. This stent makes walking any distance longer than a mile incredibly uncomfortable, and is the element of my endometriosis care that is the most challenging for me.

During my Winter Walk for Endo on Saturday 4th January, my aim is to walk 10K. Because of the uretal stent, I won’t be walking quickly, but I will be walking! This date will also mark two years and one day since being added to the urgent surgery list as a result of my diagnosis. This also highlights that even when women are finally diagnosed with endometriosis, they often face long wait times for gynaecological surgery to ease their symptoms.

Thank you for reading this far. If you are able to sponsor me, however big or small, I would be ever so grateful. Endometriosis is a chronic pain condition that affects 1 in 10 women and those assigned female at birth. Those suffering with the condition are often faced with making challenging and difficult decisions during diagnosis, treatment and management of endometriosis. Endometriosis UK exists to offer support and reliable information as well as fight and campaign for change and better treatment options.