Untreated disease led to addiction in struggle to control chronic pain
A young woman was left with an addiction to prescription pain killers after an eight-year battle with crippling abdominal pain ended with a diagnosis of endometriosis.
Olivia Heslop, 21, of Dunedin, shared her experience to raise awareness of the disease she says is not taken seriously by the medical profession. The condition occurs when tissue similar to the lining of the uterus (endometrium) grows in areas outside of the uterus.
After struggling with severe pelvic and abdominal pain from the age of 12, Heslop was diagnosed with endometriosis during surgery to remove her appendix in 2015. ‘‘They went down and took my appendix out and saw I had endometriosis.
‘‘They took photos but didn’t remove it.’’
Doctors recommended strong pain relief, including high doses of tramadol and codeine medication, as the only treatment.
‘‘At one point I was on over 24 pills a day and it just knocked me out because it numbs the whole body, it was crazy.’’
She was told the treatment regime would be ongoing and ‘‘it was just going to be the new me’’.
After a couple of months the medication’s effects wore off and the pain returned worse than ever.
‘‘I would be in a ball on the ground because that was the only way it released the pain a bit.’’
Heslop’s teen years were marked by constant pain which kept her away from school and caused her to become depressed and withdrawn.
‘‘It got to me mentally . . . All the doctors had told me it was in my head.’’
In April last year her mother, Vicki Heslop, called Endometriosis New Zealand for help, unwilling to accept the medication regime.
Heslop was referred to Christchurch gynaecologist Dr Simon Jones and had surgery in May 2016 to remove the endometrium as a private patient. She had felt no pain since.
Yesterday, Endometriosis New Zealand launched a phone service to give women advice on how to get a diagnosis and treatment. Chief executive Deborah Bush said endometriosis caused misery for one in 10 women and girls, but was often not taken seriously.
‘‘Women haven’t felt listened to and they’ve been fobbed off since they were 12 or 13 years old.’’
Bush said a lack of early intervention was resulting in persistent pelvic pain, other chronic pain syndromes and prescription pain-killer addictions for many.
‘‘We are actually seeing youngsters with endometriosis who are only still in their teen years and now they are also opioid addicts and I’m not talking about one or two cases.’’
Vicki Heslop urged parents to take girls’ concerns seriously.
‘‘Fight for your daughter. Don’t always take the word of the doctor. Just keep fighting.’’