Support and Information for Women with
Endometriosis and Chronic Pelvic Pain
This logo was kindly & beautifully designed by Maggie Nightingale
(Please do not copy it or use it without permission, thank you.)
Welcome to my endometriosis and pelvic pain site.
My name is Antonia. I am a 43 year old woman who suffers from endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain.
I was diagnosed with "Endo" in 1994 and over the past 19 years there have been times where I have felt like giving up completely. Sometimes it has felt as though I have been fighting a never ending battle, without even a glimpse of hope on the non-existent horizon. Other times, however, I have managed to break through the pain and the misery and I have managed to eventually fight back. Sometimes I wonder if it has been worth it but then I remember all of the good that has come out of such a hideous disease and I am thankful for all that I have achieved.
Initially I started to read as much as I could about endo and would devour books, articles and eventually websites. I wanted to find out what was happening to my body, in order to try to tackle the pain from every angle. As soon as I hit the Internet a whole new world opened up to me and I found that I was able to answer questions, as well as ask them. I began to realise that by helping myself, I was also helping others and that was what inspired me to sit down and write.
So instead of writing down my feelings in my pain diary, I decided to share my thoughts and feelings with others. I know that there are trillions of websites about endometriosis and know that mine is no longer unique. But I have aimed to remain true to what I set out to do, way back in 1997. I know that things are different now, what with blogs and social networking, but it hasn't stopped me from wanting to write more. If I can help just one woman with what I have written, here on these pages, then I know that I am doing something right. This isn't a website about the medical aspects of endometriosis, this is a website based pretty much on my own personal journey and battle with this wretched disease.
Whether you suffer from endometriosis, or from chronic pelvic pain, it doesn't really matter. What matters
is that we're all in this together and fighting a disease with people by your side is so much easier!!!!
It is sad that endometriosis still remains an unknown entity, when it comes to Joe public. Considering that this disease affects 10% of women in the UK alone, you would have thought that more people would have heard about it. But more often than not I am asked, "Endo-what?" People aren't interested in endo because it isn't life threatening, and when push comes to shove, it's just something to do with 'women's bits' and therefore can be brushed under the carpet as something insignificant and unimportant.
And so this is where i come storming in and shout out that it is important and it is significant!!!! And I hope that by reading these pages you'll see just how much women such as myself
have to endure.
Therefore if you happen to stumble across my page
while you're browsing the internet...please don't pass on by? Please stop and have a
read. You never know, you may end up helping someone you know.
I hope that you find my web-site informative as well as supportive. I've tried to
be as honest and as open as I can. This pain has affected my life in a way I didn't
think was possible. If you DO like it, please point other women in my direction and
let them know that there's someone here willing to listen.
Before I sign off, I would like to thank everyone I've met on-line since I signed on
in 1997. If it weren't for my fellow sufferers, there wouldn't be a page here. Without your support and encouragement, I'd have given up years ago. So thank you all, so very much.
I would be lost without my "endo sisters", truly I would.
Please note that I have not had any medical training whatsoever. Everything that I have written here, is either from books that I have read, or is taken from personal experience. If you think that you might have endometriosis, then please visit your local GP, before you jump to any conclusions from what you're about to read. Thank you.
