This story is one part of an ongoing series where NJ101.5 news reporter and anchorwoman Kelly Waldron chronicles her experiences after being diagnosed with Endometriosis. Follow “Kelly’s Journey.”

So, the date's been set. I have to be at the hospital between 5:30 and 6:00 in the morning on May 1 for a 7:30 a.m. procedure. Before then, I have to meet with my doctor one more time to discuss everything and then get the routine "pre-surgery" bloodwork and then just wait. Now that the date is set, I admit, I'm a little nervous.

loading...

When I last spoke to my doctor, she had mentioned how she doesn't want me going into menopause just yet at the age of 40. She wants to save my left ovary and just remove the uterus and the right ovary. Of course, this past week was a total week from "you-know-where" with the pain that I endured during my period.

I woke up with it a week ago Saturday and was literally popping ibuprofen around the clock until this past Sunday. Nearly eight days and the pain was not letting up! It was a different kind of pain too. It felt like gas, pressure and bloating. Once that finally subsided after about four days and multiple doses of gas-x which did absolutely nothing, the intense period cramps began. But, this time, they were on my left side. I don't know whether it was psychosomatic or what, but my pain always radiates from the right. So, what could this mean? I know there is a cyst in that ovary, but the doctor was planning to keep that one in tact. Now, I want to know if she can at least get rid of the cyst. I will find all that out when I sit down with her mid-April.

PREVIOUSLY IN KELLY'S JOURNEY:

In the meantime, now that I got through those eight days, I feel fine. That's the crazy thing with this. It flares up once a month. You feel completely miserable for a number of days and then, you wake up one day and feel like yourself again. It almost makes you feel a little crazy because when you feel good, it's hard to imagine that you actually have something wrong. Then, when it strikes, it hits you like a ton of bricks. The only difference for me is that the tough days are starting to increase not only in the intensity of the pain, but in the number of days the pain and discomfort lasts. It used to be that I had a day or two that was awful. Now, I'm up to eight!

That's exactly what happened when I had the surgery three years ago. It got to a point where I was just in pain all the time. That's how I know I'm ready. It comes down to quality of life. During that week when I'm in pain, I am absolutely miserable. I put on my brave face to get through the day, but I get home and have a meltdown almost daily. I can't think of anything else because the pain and discomfort takes over. I'm useless to my family, I snap at those closest to me and I'm just no fun. I can't stand being like that. It's not me.

So, as nervous as I am, I just want this over with. I want to feel like myself again. I wish I didn't have to wait until May because that means I'm in for one more week of misery, but I have to keep my eye on the prize and hope and pray that all goes well.

 

More From New Jersey 101.5 FM