One in a MILLION!
This week, we’re loving the inspiring story of Lydia Eccleston, 27, from Brighton. She said…
Presenting at the front of the room, I was on a mission to help spread the word. ‘Symptoms can include heavy periods and pain in your tummy or back,’ I said.
After liaising with my workplace, a marketing agency in Brighton, to become an endometriosis-friendly employer, I was delivering a series of talks to my colleagues.
Because as an endo ambassador, I wanted people to better understand endometriosis, not just for me but for other women in our workplace, too.
‘I’d never heard of endo before,’ one male colleague said. ‘Thank you for telling us.’
And for me, just one more person who knew about endo, the better.
I wanted to normalise talking about it, especially as when I was first diagnosed, I felt like I had no one to turn to.
Struggling with excruciating period pain, sickness and heavy bleeding since I was a teenager, I was back and forth to the doctors for years.
‘My period is nothing like yours, Lydia,’ my friends said.
Only, the doctors kept telling me it was ‘part of being a girl’.
Instead of my symptoms being investigated, I dosed up on paracetamol and hugged a hot water bottle to get by.
But as years passed, my symptoms made life so challenging.
It took until I was 22 to be referred to a gynaecologist after spending years on the NHS waiting lists.
Being diagnosed with endo was a double-edged sword.
While it’s something I expected, the fact that there was no permanent solution haunted me – I’d have to have surgery every couple of years to burn the womb lining away.
And to make matters worse, I had no one to turn to who could relate to me.
However, after finding out about the Endometriosis UK helpline, I rang them.
And joining their local support group in Staffordshire, a whole new world opened up.
Finally, I met people who understood my struggles and feelings.
But when I moved to Brighton in May 2022, there wasn’t a support group nearby that I could turn to.
What if I could create my own group? I thought.
Contacting Endometriosis UK, they helped set the wheels in motion in August 2023.
And in December last year, I launched the Endometriosis UK East Sussex Support Group on Facebook.
With 60 members in total, I’ll be hosting our first meet up this April in my workplace – a safe and comfortable environment where tea will be free-flowing.
Knowing that I’m extending a hand to other women who might not know where to turn is so rewarding.
For me, a problem shared is a problem halved.
And the more people that know, the better.
I had no one to talk to about it