She’s one of many ‘desperate’ Canadians seeking endometriosis help abroad. Why they must be careful

globalnews.ca:

Krista Rodriguez has spent more than 24 years fighting for the health-care system to take her pain seriously, but she does not want to wait any longer.The 39-year-old paralegal and immigration consultant from St. Catharines, Ont., is researching treatment options outside of Canada to get help for her endometriosis after feeling let down by the system.“It’s all-pervasive; it impacts every single aspect of your life,” Rodriguez says.She first started feeling extreme pain brought on by the condition when her period started at 14, but the pain would last all month long.“When you’re that young, you don’t really know what’s normal and what’s not.

Then, eventually, I started seeking medical assistance and was continuously gaslighted and told that it’s just my period and suck it up and take some Midol,” Rodriguez says.Endometriosis is a debilitating chronic condition that occurs when tissue similar to the lining of the uterus implants abnormally outside of the uterus to form lesions, cysts, nodules and other growths. When left untreated, the condition can spread to other organs, cause obstructions and flare up each month during menstruation.The Endometriosis Network Canada reports that the average delay in diagnosing endometriosis in Canada is five and a half years, but in the case of Rodriguez, she was only officially diagnosed at 38 — 24 years after the pain first started.“It was a very bittersweet moment,” she says of finally getting a diagnosis.“I had been told so many times that I was a hypochondriac, that I actually even started to doubt myself.