Finding an answer to endometriosis

Now that she’s found relief, Lindsey Morando can’t quite believe how long it took to get there. There were the years of pain, the countless visits to eight different doctors in her search for answers, and all the money spent on various treatments. But what she knows now is that she is not alone.

In fact, Lindsey’s experience is, unfortunately, all too common. She, like many women, had lived with endometriosis — which impacts around 1 in 10 women of reproductive age — since her early teenage years.

Endometriosis is a painful chronic condition in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus. This can have a significant impact on women’s lives and can even lead to infertility.

“I could tell something wasn’t right, but no one could tell me what was wrong with me,” Lindsey remembers. “So not only were my physical symptoms getting worse, but it was affecting my mental health, as well.”

Difficult to diagnose

Lindsey began suffering painful periods and severe cramping when she was 13. It got so bad that she was given prescription pain medication. By age 16, she was put on birth control medication to help control the symptoms.

At first, Lindsey thought this was normal — it was just the way her body was. But as she got older, the symptoms got worse, especially the bloating.

“For about seven years, I looked six months pregnant all the time,” Lindsey says. “I was always exhausted. I avoided photos. I had back pain. Then it all got in my head. I stopped trusting myself — was it my diet? My lifestyle? Was I just making it up?”

This was exacerbated because a series of doctors told her they could find nothing wrong. Imaging didn’t detect any concerns. Lindsey was told it could just be part of aging, perimenopause symptoms or a bacterial issue.

One day, she was telling a coworker about her symptoms, and he said they sounded similar to what his wife had gone through. He recommended that Lindsey see her doctor, Chandra Spring-Robinson, an OBGYN affiliated with Sharp Memorial Hospital.

“Sadly, it takes an average of 7 to 10 years for a woman to get endometriosis properly diagnosed,” says Dr. Spring-Robinson. “Oftentimes, endometriosis won’t show up in routine imaging. Getting definitive diagnoses and treatment relies on an experienced surgeon being able to visually see it during the procedure.”

The relief of knowing

For Lindsey, getting her Stage 4 endometriosis diagnosis was like getting her life back. After all those years of suffering while trying to find out what was wrong, she finally had her answer.

“It validated me,” she says. “It helped me understand that what I was going through was real and that it wasn’t my fault.”

Lindsey began talking with Dr. Spring-Robinson about treatment and learned that surgery would be part of a comprehensive, multidisciplinary plan to bring long-term relief.

“Many patients try multiple treatments before endometriosis is ever recognized,” says Dr. Spring-Robinson. “Because it’s a chronic inflammatory disease, it can affect far more than the reproductive system. Effective treatment often requires surgical excision of the disease along with coordinated, multidisciplinary care.”

In Lindsey’s case, following a conversation with Dr. Spring-Robinson, she agreed to have a hysterectomy and ongoing hormone therapy.

Relief in action

Seven months following the surgery, Lindsey reports that the shadows that hung over her life have cleared up. Her bloating has improved significantly, and her back pain is gone.

Even more dramatic is the improvement of her mental well-being. The anxiety that had built up over the years has now given way to calmness. A creative spark returned, helping Lindsey feel excited for her future.

"We tend to see significant improvement in mental well‑being after successful treatment," says Dr. Spring-Robinson. "Chronic pelvic pain and ongoing inflammation can affect stress hormones, sleep quality and overall nervous system regulation.”

According to Dr. Spring-Robinson, when the disease is properly treated and hormonal fluctuations are stabilized, many patients report improvements in anxiety, cognitive clarity and overall quality of life.

“I’m so grateful to have found a doctor who listened and treated me with compassion and kindness,” Lindsey says. “I hope other women see my story and know there are doctors like Dr. Spring-Robinson who will hear you, believe you, and treat you with empathy and care. Don’t give up hope.”

Join Sharp HealthCare for “Advances in Endometriosis Care: Modern Solutions, Real Answers, Whole Person Healing,”a free educational event on Saturday, March 28.

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