DEALING with the pain is not the worst part of this hidden illness. It’s that no one believes you are actually sick.
Jas Rawlinson (featured on News.com.au)
ASK any woman with Endometriosis, and you’ll likely find that ‘unsolicited advice’ ‘is familiar territory.
“Just get pregnant and have a baby.”
“Have you tried eating organic?”
“There’s a medication to cure that.”
“You’re not trying hard enough.
For Rhea Tansley, 30, from Brisbane, it’s a daily part of life — but even she was left shocked by a recent comment from a health store worker.
“I’d gone into a well-known health store with the hopes of finding something that would settle the constant pain I feel,” she shared.
“I’d done my research, and it was a product that was recommended for Endometriosis, but instead of helping me, the ‘health professional’ said I just needed to eat organically and take more vitamins.”
Although frustrated, Rhea asked the employee if she herself suffered from the debilitating disease, to which the woman replied: ‘No, because I only eat organic and exercise regularly.’
“Then she looked me up and down, and said, ‘obviously you’re not trying hard enough to cure your Endometriosis,” Rhea recounts.
“I’d been trying to stay calm, but I just lost it with that comment.
“Endo isn’t something you just ‘catch’ from a tin of spaghetti, and then cure with some vitamins. It’s a very real illness, and for most of us, we suffer every day in silence for fear of being judged or dismissed by people exactly like this woman.”
Thoughts From Jas 