Lisburn Woman's Endometriosis Battle: A Journey of Pain and Perseverance

Year-long Fight for Answers

A Northern Ireland woman has opened up on her year long fight to get answers that led to her finally being diagnosed with endometriosis. Nicole Scott, 32 and from Lisburn, was told by a doctor that the worst pain imaginable she was experiencing 'was all in her head'.

A Painful Journey

I was in agony for three weeks of the month which would start a week before my period. When I finally decided to go to my GP he mentioned he thought it may be endometriosis and prescribed me strong co-codamol for the pain. 'I was still living in Northern Ireland at the time when they only had one specialist and it was around a two-year wait to be seen. It's now a ten year plus wait from seeing a GP to actually having your diagnostic surgery, yet this condition is the second most common gynaecological issue for women and one in 10 have it. However, the cause is unknown. The only way to diagnose endometriosis is by laparoscopic surgery- which involves inserting a camera into the pelvis.'

Facing the Worst

Things eventually came to a head when Nicole had her first massive flare-up. It led to her passing out on the bathroom floor due to the pain. After being Nicole was eventually able to see a top endospecialist who agreed to do the surgery and 10 days later she had the operation. 'I was told I had stage four endometriosis. My uterus, ovaries and fallopian tube were covered, it had also severely affected my sciatic nerve, uterosacral ligament and bowel,' she said.