• last year
A woman with stage four endometriosis says her painful cramps feel like “contractions” – and claims she was dismissed for five years for being “dramatic”.

Mathilde Barker, 20, first experienced back pains while dancing aged 15, a few years after starting her period.

At first, she says she was told the pain was a muscle strain but after undergoing physiotherapy over the years there was no improvement.

As well as severe muscle pain, she experienced cramps which felt like contractions, a loss of appetite, light-headedness, dizziness and nausea around her time of month.

For five years, Mathilde went back and forth to doctors but claims she was told her pain was “normal” for a woman and even sent for cognitive behaviour therapy for medical anxiety.

(Credit: SWNS)

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00:00 It's half past 6am, get ready with me, surgery edition.
00:04 I've put my pillows like this so that when I come back I can just slip into bed.
00:09 I'm going to get a quick shower because I want to feel fresh and then I'll be back.
00:13 Surgery outfit.
00:15 So I've got my baggy top.
00:16 This is my stomach before any scars.
00:20 I've got baggy trackies on, long socks and I've also got a zip up
00:26 so that it's not too hard to like get dressed when I'm ready.
00:29 Just giving my hair a quick brush through.
00:30 This is conditioner.
00:32 And a quick straightener of course.
00:37 Got to look good for those doctors.
00:39 I've not been able to have breakfast and my stomach has been rumbling, but it's OK.
00:45 I'm going to put my hair just out of the way.
00:48 I think I'll just do like,
00:49 just maybe just a ponytail to be honest.
00:53 OK, we're good to go.
00:55 I'm so nervous.
00:58 Wish me luck. I've had to take, oh jewellery.
01:00 Thank God I remembered that.
01:02 OK, I can't do my cartilage one, because I've had to take my nails off too.
01:08 My, it's so fiddly.
01:11 I can't do it.
01:12 Look like such a tramp, but I'm ready.
01:16 Wish me luck.
01:18 Hi guys.
01:20 This whole time I've had stage four endometriosis and they've removed it all.
01:26 I'm so happy.
01:29 Five years of undiagnosed pain and I finally have an answer.
01:34 I'm just so grateful to finally know.
01:37 It's all been removed and it was all around the back of my pelvis, explaining my back pain.
01:42 But it didn't touch my fallopian tube or ovaries.
01:45 So, so hopefully in the future, like I won't have as much problems as I thought I would conceiving.
01:51 I just wanted to say this because so many doctors have just told me to take painkillers or just like brushed it off.
01:58 But I kept going back and thank God that I did.
02:01 I must have the highest pain threshold ever because I've been living with this for five years.
02:07 I'm so grateful.
02:08 [BLANK_AUDIO]
02:18 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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