Power Pack’s Kristel Opens Up: My Life with Endometriosis

“There are so many things that girls/women with Endo have to face. There’s a massive lack of understanding. There’s wondering how your romantic partners will deal with your condition. Will they be supportive or will they act like a 4 year old at the mention of periods?”

Power FM’s Kristel Dally told her listeners this week about her struggle with Endometriosis.

When a woman has endometriosis, the tissue that lines her uterus, called the endometrium, grows outside of the uterus.

The Power FM Murray Bridge breakfast co-host revealed the many things she has had to endure in her long struggle with the condition, eliciting an outpouring of support from her listeners and opened up a discussion about the condition on the station’s facebook page.
 

On the show Kristel described her symptoms and how they affected every aspect of her life.
 

There are so many things that girls/women with Endo have to face.

There’s a massive lack of understanding.

There’s wondering how your romantic partners will deal with your condition. Will they be supportive or will they act like a 4 year old at the mention of periods? Now, I literally tell guys on the first date about my condition and their response tells me instantly if they are the kind of guy I want in my life. Will they be open to IVF or adopting kids if it doesn’t happen naturally?

There’s feeling guilty because you know that others are dealing with life threatening diseases and so you feel like you shouldn’t really be complaining.

And how will your employers handle you having time off when you’re incapacitated? Will they take Endo seriously or just think you’re bludging?

I’ve been incredibly lucky in my past couple of jobs to have worked for people that have been supportive of my situation.

The problem is that because Endo is to do with ‘girly stuff’ it hasn’t really been taken seriously and a lot of people are embarrassed to talk about it. There’s an extra level of stigma attached. This needs to change. Endometriosis is a serious, debilitating disease and the women who suffer from it are soldiers. They aren’t just little weaklings who need to toughen up and get over it as has been the view of many for a long time.

Read Kristel’s full story here, as delivered on air at the Grant Broadcasters station in South Australia, a network she says has been very supportive of her during her struggle with the condition. After many unsuccessful treatments and poor medical advice from some doctors, Kristel is now hoping her latest treatment may deliver some relief.
 

 

Tags: | |