Let’s Chat with Chantelle
By Chantelle Dabrowski
In 2019 around September, I was feeling lethargic and down - I was processing my break up with my boyfriend of 5 years. I was doing all the right things, eating and exercising but still felt like my glandular fever was back with a force. I went to my doctor to get a blood test and he said we should check if I was pregnant, the bloods were fine and the test was negative. A few weeks later with no improvement, I went back for another blood test including checking my bloods for being pregnant, it came back positive. A pregnancy test in the doctors office confirmed it too. I was in absolute shock at how the first blood test didn’t pick it up as I was well into the first trimester. Something about the results being mixed up in the lab… (Side note - I was on the contraceptive pill at the time, and must’ve missed a day or two). I decided to terminate my pregnancy mid October 2019.
After terminating, I got the copper IUD inserted — I thought I would try give my body a break from hormones and found out that I shouldn’t have been on the pill all those years, as I get migraines with auras. Unfortunately during the termination procedure, some tissues was left, and when it tried to leave my body it moved the IUD so it started contracting the cervix muscles instead of the uterus. The left over tissue decided to come out while I was talking to someone at work (mind you the equivalent to a board member) and at this stage we’re in mid/late November. I thought I was having a miscarriage but there was no way in hell that I was pregnant. I was completely in shock with thick blood running down my legs. I cleaned myself up in the bathroom and caught the tram to the Royals Women’s Hospital in Melbourne. They did their usual tests and scans, confirmed it was left over tissue, gave me tablets to clot my blood, and gave me the option of either letting the rest of the tissue come out on its own or have the procedure done again to clean out my uterus. In December 2019, I had the procedure done again, opening myself to more risk because of having the procedures done so close together. I was given antibiotics, only to be allergic to them and no further options. The procedure seemed to go well and I had the copper IUD inserted again. My mistake.
In February 2020 I started getting excruciating pain, couldn’t run or exercise without being in discomfort, was often in the fetal position in bed and everything I was eating was making me bloated and sick. After several trips to the emergency department at RWH, I finally got an internal ultrasound that I had to prompt for (RWH wouldn’t do the ultrasound so I went elsewhere, and thank god I did). It turned out the IUD had perforated my uterine wall, in two places. Nothing could be done for 6-8 weeks despite the unbearable pain I was in. I went to Sydney hoping to have it done, but it was worse than they thought and couldn’t do it.
After a lot of persistence, I got an earlier time slot for the same procedure to be done, again July 2020 - removing the current iud without further ripping the uterine wall and inserting the Kyleena IUD.
It seemed that all was fine, apart from painful cramps that I thought was my body adjusting to the IUD. I was experiencing bouts of painful flare ups and attacks with no reason.
In December 2020, I had another internal ultrasound to make sure the IUD was in the correct position. The sonographer said there’s grey matter appearing that is resemblant of endometriosis. He couldn’t say for certain but urged me to investigate. I had heard of and was aware what endometriosis is but it didn’t add up. Before all this and even before I was on any contraception, I never had painful periods, they were always consistent with timing and extremely light, I didn’t get massive bloating and I could pretty much eat anything without consequences.
I made an appointment with a gyno from RWH with the soonest one being in April 2021. I told her my symptoms and some of them were unexplainable especially because my blood work was perfect. She said it sounded like endo and she placed me on a waiting list for a laparoscopy.
We were approaching August 2021 and frustrated with no answers or support I found a new doctor to get this whole process moving. After a few more ultrasounds, CT scans, blood test, coeliac testing, seeing more health practitioners and specialist, my doctor referred me to a gyno. Luckily they had just had a cancellation and gave me an appointment for mid-October 2021. At this point I still hadn’t heard from RWH about a potential date for surgery. I note that due to covid everyone’s surgery’s were delayed and “elective” surgeries weren’t allowed. I got a laparoscopy in mid November 2021. The gyno found mild to severe endometriosis in several places, and adenomyosis inside the uterus. Recovery was longer than I was told — it took me around 12 weeks to recover. I was working with a dietician and physio who both told me that I didn’t have endo anymore because I had the surgery…
February 2022, I was feeling fine, thinking it was all good. March came round and I found myself hunching over the table after eating, crying on the floor in pain, with no relief in sight. I was convinced I would be having another surgery. Working with my doctor and finding a network of caring health specialists I’m now pretty much completely pain free (I used to take 4-8 Advils a day), my bloating is minimal and I’m able to do all the exercises I could do before all this begun.
But it’s also unraveled a million other questions such as investigating; ADHD (did you know there’s a link between those with adhd and endo?), POTS, Lupus, Nacrolepsy and so on. When I started looking for one answer or solution, I instead was left with 100 new questions and issues to figure out. And it’s also going in the circle of what came first, what caused the other to happen. I know endometriosis doesn’t come from the uterus so it didn’t “leak” out when my uterine wall was perforated - but could it already have been there and then spread or was it due to the trauma my body went through?
Because of all the appointments and specialists, I had to move back in with my mum. My health costs me almost half my salary — just to feel normal and that’s not taking into consideration the mental load of navigating through it all, compromising what I eat, what exercises I do, what outfit I’ll wear, how long have I been standing or sitting, am I clenching my jaw and my pelvic floor?
I finally have some answers and encourage anyone, especially females, if you know something isn’t right with your body even if it’s the slightest incline - don’t give up. Find a new doctor who supports you and helps you be your own health advocate.
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