“Because the origin of the condition known as endometriosis is not clear, it is hard to say if I inherited it or not. But no matter how it came about, I had it. I love being able to put that sentence in the past tense! "I had it." What a beautiful phrase! And what's even more beautiful is that I survived it and beat it-- and so can you.

This type of joy and optimism did not always surround me; as a matter of fact the majority of my life was overshadowed by pessimism. I was afraid that I would never know what was wrong with me and that I would have to suffer for the rest of my life.

In a very real sense I was a prisoner-- in a dungeon so deep and well hidden that no one could even find me, let alone help me escape. It was a psychological battle just as much as a physical battle. So often I felt that I was the only player on my team and I had to play every position well enough not to be taken out of the game.

The disease was so alien to doctors. Diagnosis was so difficult that sometimes I felt that the doctors and I were visitors in a foreign land, trying to learn the language of the people and not getting anywhere. I felt so frustrated and lonely at times that it almost seemed I could disappear from the face of the earth and no one would notice. I also had moments of utter confusion as I struggled to understand why I had to defend myself and try to prove that I was indeed ill.

My earliest memory of the intense pain that accompanies this condition dates back to when I was around 13 or 14. I remember waking up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. As I stood up to go back to bed, the entire room went black and I suddenly felt disconnected from my body -- the way you do when you’re given laughing gas at the dentist’s office. This sensation was followed by chills and profuse sweating.”