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STACI: Being able to run, again,

now that I'm in so much

less pain has been really

liberating and empowering.

Because I never thought that I

would get to the point

where I was healthy enough

to do that.

Looking back now,

I think I've been having

symptoms since I've had

my period.

My symptoms have been very

painful periods, very heavy

periods.

I would feel just terrible

the 10 or so days leading up

to my period,

feeling sad, feeling

anxious, paranoid, cramps,

bloating, headaches, digestive

symptoms.

But I went on the birth control

pill.

And it was like a magic drug.

My period only lasted

a day and a half, my PMS

was significantly better,

I did not have cramps.

But I got a blood clot

in my leg.

So after that, the doctor

said I couldn't be on any kind

of hormones anymore.

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Sometime early in my career

when I started editing health

professions textbooks,

I read about endometriosis.

I had never heard of it before.

But immediately, as I'm reading

the symptoms,

I'm saying to myself,

this is me.

And when I went

to my gynecologist and I said,

hey, I read about this disease

called Endometriosis,

do you think I have that,

she said, no, I just think

you're a cramper.

And then a couple years later, I

woke up.

And I just had horrible pain

all throughout my abdomen.

I went to the emergency room.

They ran all kinds of tests.

When I followed up

with my gynecologist,

she did the surgery,

she confirmed that there was

endometriosis,

but after the surgery, I really

didn't get any relief.

I would walk.

And with every step,

I would feel another wave

of pain with the impact.

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My gynecologist said, OK, what I

think you should do

is go on a drug that will put

you in menopause, temporarily.

I tolerated it pretty well

with the exception

of menopausal hot flashes, which

were unpleasant.

But it was so nice to not have

my period for a time.

And because I was feeling

better, now I had the time

to do the research.

My gynecologist performed what's

called an Ablation Surgery,

where they burn away

the endometriosis tissue.

I personally did not experience

any relief.

I got sicker.

I learned, for a lot of women,

excision surgery offers

longer-term relief.

With excision surgery,

the doctor cuts away

the endometriosis.

So I had the excision surgery.

And it really helped--

made a big difference.

I was feeling a lot more

functional.

And that's when I decided that I

didn't really want anyone else

to feel the way that I felt.

I felt like I was some freak

that they couldn't solve.

And here I am learning that this

is actually a very common

experience for women

with endometriosis.

It takes an average of 10 years

for a woman to get an accurate

diagnosis.

And I just thought that is

unacceptable.

So a couple years ago, I started

a blog.

It's called CrampedStyle.com.

And I write a lot

about endometriosis.

I've learned a lot

about lifestyle changes

that I can make.

I've switched

to an anti-inflammatory diet.

Acupuncture helps me in a number

of ways.

I go to yoga.

It can really feel

overwhelming to make all

of these changes.

And I want it to be clear

that this is a journey that I'm

on.

Unless you have it,

you can't understand.

So I started a group

on Facebook.

And once a month, we meet up.

And I'll usually bake something

that is endocrine-healthy.

We just sit around and talk

about what's going on

in our lives.

We've learned a lot

from each other.

And I just want to be a resource

for people

so that they can learn

and become advocates

for themselves

and live their fullest lives.