In My Story, readers share their unique, life-changing experiences. Today, we hear from Vanessa Vanderpuye, who’s 36 and is based in Milton Keynes.
I remember the day I started my period like it was yesterday. I was 11 and it was quite scary as I honestly thought I was literally dying. I hadn’t learnt about periods just yet, so my mother had to sit down and explain it to me. She shared her own experiences and said she had really painful periods, but the pain I felt was unbearable.
I felt so nauseous, I’d vomit, I couldn’t eat and my breasts would swell up, but my mum assured me that this was normal. That was, until it really started to affect me in secondary school, and it eventually got in the way of my studies.
My periods would last anywhere from seven to 10 days. They were extremely heavy, so I opted for tampons – I didn’t want to change my pad every 30 minutes. Being on my period increased my sense of smell and foods I’d normally enjoy would make me want to throw up.
Around this time, I ended up being in hospital every other month. But instead of getting to the root of the problem and trying to find out if it was endometriosis or anything else, doctors kept pumping me with more painkillers or putting me on the pill to reduce my pains and the length of my periods.
“When I turned 30 I remember bleeding for three months straight.”
My body would often reject the painkillers and make me projectile vomit and when I turned 30 I remember bleeding for three months straight and I decided enough was enough.
I went back to the doctors and they insisted that they would run several tests on me. From vaginal scans to urine and blood tests, they wanted to get a clear view of what was going on inside my body.
My first appointment was in February and six weeks later I finally got the diagnosis that I have endometriosis – a painful condition where tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows in other places in the body. I was told that I would need to have surgery.
Eventually, in October, I had the laparoscopy procedure, which meant two incisions were made on either side of my womb and my belly button. The procedure is designed to destroy or remove tissue that shouldn’t be there.
I’ve been dealing with these pains since I was 11, but only managed to get diagnosed when I was 30. Unfortunately, this experience is common for many Black women.
I remember when I would go to the doctors, when I was usually in pain. I wasn’t screaming, but it felt like they wanted to see that. That was traumatic – I don’t want to present myself like that in public – medical staff should just believe me when I say I’m in pain. Maybe if I had acted more dramatic, I would have got a diagnosis sooner.
Though the surgery was successful I’ve still been in intermittent pain, so I’ve contemplating having a second surgery, but I don’t know if I want to put my body through that again. I’ve been trying to heal my body as naturally as possible through my diet. I don’t eat gluten anymore and I reduced my meat intake.
“Take control, investigate and be persistent.”
All of this prompted my decision to freeze my eggs before I possibly have more treatment. If I do have another surgery, they may remove my womb.
I thought I was going to have kids by the time I was 25, but that hasn’t happened just yet. So, I wanted to take action sooner rather than later and when lockdown lifted I went to see a fertility doctor. Luckily I found out I’m a candidate and I was able to go forward with the process.
As an actress, having endometriosis can make life really hard, but luckily my agents are amazing. They know my condition and understand if I need some extra time to do something. There were two occasions in South Africa when I was filming for a show called Bulletproof where I had to be taken home because I physically couldn’t walk. Everyone could see I was in pain by looking at my face. I felt awful, but it’s out of my control.
I’d say to any woman who feels like there’s something off with their body, Google is your best friend. Do your research, there’s so much information online.
If you feel like you’re suffering but the doctors aren’t taking you seriously, take the power to make sure they run the necessary tests. If I didn’t do this, they’d probably think I had IBS. Take control, investigate and be persistent. They’re going to have to listen to you.
Vanessa was interviewed by Habiba Katsha and her answers were edited for length and clarity. To take part in HuffPost UK’s My Story series, email uklife@huffpost.com.