'I felt i was being stabbed from the inside'
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Monday May 10 2010
The IT Worker
ON ONE occasion Adrienne Egan had such severe period pain she couldn't get up off the floor of her sister's kitchen.
The 38-year-old, who had always had severe period pain, routinely took painkillers to counteract the agonising cramps.
At one stage, she recalls, the pain was so bad it felt like she was being "stabbed from the inside".
Between December 2007 and May 2008 she had an ultrasound and a laparoscopy to try and help to discover the cause.
Adrienne used to dread her period. "I would start to be really fearful about a week before my periods -- I felt I was being stabbed from the inside."
The laparoscopy showed endometriosis, which was treated, and a cyst which was removed, but the agony was still not contained.
"At on point I googled 'endometriosis' and 'help' and I found Alexandra Pope's website," says Adrienne, who attended a menstrual health workshop run by Alexandra in March 2009.
She combined Alexandra's four seasons with complementary ayurvedic therapies, and began to chart her cycle, gaining a deeper understanding of how it affected her energy levels.
Within a matter of months things started to improve and by the end of the year she was in good shape.
"The pain is nothing compared to what it was. I have learned to live with the rhythm of my body. It makes a huge difference. I now take extra care of myself in the autumn and winter phases."
Irish Independent
