Hi, I’m Dee.
Endometriosis and Weight Loss Expert and the founder of Inspired Health By Dee & the Endo Collective.
It all began with my own endometriosis journey.
My journey with Endometriosis started when I was in my late 20s. While living in London, I started to experience excruciating pains and ended up in the emergency room twice. When I returned to Sydney, the pain continued, along with the trips to the emergency room.
Despite my regular trips to the ER, the doctors didn’t do any further investigations. Pain became a regular part of my life. On some level, I was anxious about what might be wrong. But I pushed my intuition aside, as the pain wasn’t ‘that bad’ or ‘that often’.
The real turning point for me was in 2012. I came off the contraceptive pill and started to track my cycle. A pattern emerged with my pain, flaring mid-cycle. I sought advice from a GP and was referred on to a gynaecologist. The possibility of endometriosis was discussed, and I was told that surgery was an option when it got ‘bad enough’.
After doing my own research, I discovered that the best person to diagnose and remove endometriosis was an advanced trained laparoscopic excision specialist. However, at that point in time, I didn’t book in.
Things finally came to a head in 2015. The day after my sister’s wedding, I collapsed in excruciating pain and was rushed to emergency in an ambulance. I booked in for surgery with an advanced trained laparoscopic excision specialist, but surgery was then pushed back until mid 2016.
The pain started to impact on every aspect of my life. I would cancel training sessions with my clients and relied on pain killers to get me through the sessions I could make. My heat pack was my faithful companion, travelling with me everywhere. I was terrified that I would collapse and land back in the emergency room again. The constant fear and uncertainty led to anxiety and depression.
Even after surgery, the fear continued. Did the surgery work? Will the pain return? I had lost faith in my body. It took 6 months before I felt like I could relax and trust that everything was ok.
Unfortunately, endometriosis is poorly understood by the general public and even many health professionals! Most believe that endometriosis presents with painful or heavy periods. But even with stage 4 endometriosis, I never had these symptoms. This is one of the reasons why it takes an average of 7-12 years to diagnose endometriosis.
It’s been 5 years since my excision surgery. By using a combination of modalities that support my physical, mental and emotional health, I am finally pain-free! My endometriosis no longer controls my life.
If my journey seems familiar, I want you to know that you are not alone in this.
You are not a burden.
You can find a way to live that isn’t just about coping with pain and surviving one day at a time.
It’s now my mission to create a supportive community for my sisters in Endometriosis. I want to give you a safe space where you can speak freely about your experience with other women who understand. A space where you can learn and do the changes that help make a difference with nutrition, supplements and lifestyle changes. I’m here to hold your hand throughout your own healing journey.
If you’re ready to take the first step, learn more here. 5 things to have in place if you have Endometriosis. or join my Endo Collective Facebook group
– Dee Harvey
Endometriosis Expert and Weight Loss Expert.