My Journey to Excision for Pelvic, Bladder and Bowel Endometriosis
After being dismissed, gaslit, and made to question my own pain in an appointment I waited eight months for, for severe chronic pelvic pain (Endometriosis), I finally got the green light for laparoscopic excision/ablation surgery for pelvic, bladder, and bowel endometriosis, after a second opinion from a senior gynocologist.
If you’re reading this because you’re struggling with symptoms, waiting for surgery, or wondering if it’s worth getting a second opinion for endometriosis, this is for you.
Because sometimes, the difference between suffering in silence and getting answers is finding the right specialist. There will always be a medical professional/specialist who thinks they know better or best but when it comes to your symptoms and documented proof and they get it completely wrong and dismiss/gaslit you when your at your worst – I highly recommend getting a second opinion and quickly.
When Your Endometriosis Symptoms Are Dismissed
I wish I could say getting to this point was straightforward but it wasn’t. Like many women living with endometriosis, I spent years trying to explain symptoms that were slowly taking over my life.
The pelvic pain.
The exhaustion.
The bladder symptoms.
The bowel symptoms.
The constant inflammation.
The way pain begins to shape your days without permission.
The way you start planning life around flare-ups.
The way your world quietly becomes smaller.
But despite all of that, I was dismissed and left feeling hopeless and alone with no plan. Just walking out of that appointment whiplashed and really off, what did I do? Did I say something wrong?
My first gynaecologist made me feel like my symptoms were exaggerated, hormonal, anxiety-related, or somehow “not serious enough.” I was left questioning myself and her reaction the way she cold shouldered me and didnt seem a pinch interested in helping me was really brutal and blindsided me.
Was I overreacting?
Was this normal?
Was I just bad at coping?
That is the thing about medical gaslighting, it can slowly disconnect you from trusting your own body. Which you never should or should have too.
You start minimising symptoms that are actually serious.
You apologise for pain.
You stop asking questions.
You begin believing maybe this is just how life has to be.
But deep down, I knew something wasn’t right.
I want to say something important here for anyone reading this:
If your symptoms are affecting your quality of life, they matter.
Pain that stops you from living fully is not something you should simply “push through.”
Why I Got a Second Opinion for Endometriosis
Getting a second opinion changed everything, if there is one thing I wish more women knew, it’s this:
You are allowed to seek another doctor/opinion if you feel unheard. A good hospital will welcome it.
Getting another opinion does not mean you’re difficult.
It does not mean you’re dramatic.
It means you are advocating for your health, simply reaching a little higher for the amount of symptoms and pain you live with should be enough of a reason to get a second opinion.
After being dismissed by my first gynaecologist, I sought a second opinion asking for a different gynocologist of a more senior nature, someone more experienced and open.
I felt listened to.
My symptoms weren’t brushed aside.
My concerns weren’t minimised.
Instead of making me feel like I was overreacting, this specialist looked at the bigger picture.
The pain.
The symptoms.
The imaging.
The quality of life impact.
And finally, finally there was a plan.
I Got the Green Light for Laparoscopic Excision/Ablation Surgery.
I have now been approved for laparoscopic excision/ablation surgery for pelvic, bladder, and bowel endometriosis removal.
Writing that feels emotional and in my world a celebration and personal liberation.
Because when you’ve spent a few years fighting for answers, there is something incredibly validating about hearing:
“Yes, surgery is warranted.”
Relief and fear seem to exist together right now.
Relief because there is finally action.
Fear because surgery is surgery.
Hope because maybe things can improve.
If you have bowel endometriosis or bladder endometriosis, you’ll understand how overwhelming symptoms can become.
It’s not just cycle pain.
It can affect digestion, voiding, bowel movement’s, daily functioning, intimacy, fatigue, mental health, and overall quality of life.
People often don’t see the invisible side of chronic illness.
They don’t see the recovery days.
The heating pads.
The medication schedules.
The cancelled plans.
The mental load of pain.
The grief that comes with losing parts of yourself to survival mode.
The Emotional Side of Waiting for Endometriosis Surgery
Now I’m in the waiting stage. Waiting for surgery dates.
Waiting for pre-operative appointments.
Waiting to speak with the anaesthetist about pain management.
Waiting to mentally prepare for recovery.
And if I’m honest, waiting can feel hard, once you finally have answers, you just want relief. You want your body to stop fighting so hard.
You want to know what life feels like outside of pain.
I find myself wondering:
Will surgery reduce my symptoms?
Will I feel more like myself again?
How much endometriosis will they find?
What will recovery be like?
But underneath all the uncertainty, there is something I haven’t felt in a while:
Hope.
Real hope.
The kind that says maybe things can get better.
If You’re Considering a Second Opinion for Endometriosis
Please hear this from someone who almost accepted being dismissed:
Trust yourself.
You know your body.
If something feels wrong, keep advocating.
If your symptoms are severe, persistent, or affecting your quality of life, seek another opinion if you can.
Being dismissed by one doctor does not mean your pain is not real.
And getting a second opinion might be the very thing that changes your trajectory.
It changed mine.
Final Thoughts: Holding Onto Hope
I’m nervous.
I’m emotional.
I’m exhausted.
But I’m also hopeful.
After years of pain, I finally have a plan.
And even though surgery feels scary, staying stuck in worsening symptoms felt scary too.
So for now, I’m holding onto hope.
Hope for healing.
Hope for answers.
Hope for less pain.
Hope for more life.
And if you’re walking this same path waiting, hurting, advocating, searching for answers I truly hope you find a doctor who listens.
Because you deserve care that believes you.
Cassie x
Welcome Beautiful 