How far would you go for your health? Canadian author Heather King travelled 4,500 miles from Canada to the UK for life changing surgery at The Birmingham Endometriosis Clinic.
Freelance author, children’s writer, and life-long endometriosis sufferer, Heather King decided it was time she took charge of her own narrative, travelling an incredible 4,500 miles from Canada to the The Endometriosis Clinic in Birmingham for life changing surgery.
Despite the physical distance, Heather’s story is all too familiar for many women suffering with endometriosis.
Exasperated and in pain from years of asking for medical advice from doctors but never being properly treated, Heather was in desperate need of an endometriosis professional who knew how to help her, and took her pain seriously.
Wherever I turned I seemed to run into a brick wall. Doctors were either dismissive or arrogant. At one point I was told by one doctor ‘do not come and see me again.’
Endometriosis occurs when tissue that behaves like the lining of the womb is found in other parts of the body: including the ovaries, fallopian tubes, in or around the bladder or bowel, and even in the lungs.
Endometriosis has a wide variety of symptoms, most commonly including heavy and painful periods as well as digestive issues.
While in Canada, Heather had tried numerous times to be referred to someone who would be able to help her.
I asked my female GP for a referral to the Pelvic and Endometriosis Clinic in Vancouver and discovered she had never heard of it. She actually had to Google it while I was sat in the surgery.
During her search Heather came across a website centered around endometriosis, where they were receiving very positive reviews.
“I arranged a telephone consultation and as soon as I talked to them I knew they were the people I had been looking for. They actually listened to what I was saying and convinced me that I was not mad… That I actually had a real medical problem. My first call was on Friday and by Monday I had booked my trip – amazing,” said Heather.
It was explained: “Endometriosis is a disease that can be extremely debilitating, causing extreme pain in the abdomen and pelvis, chronic fatigue, as well as having a large negative impact on a woman’s fertility.
Endometriosis, a condition that affects women across a variety of ages, is more common than people may think, with 1 in 10 women suffering from the disease.
“It is a condition that can be very difficult to diagnose, usually requiring a laparoscopy to be performed by a gynaecologist with experience and an interest in the disease. As a consequence it takes on average more than seven years between the onset of symptoms before a diagnosis is made.
“During that time these women are often suffering terrible symptoms that have a huge impact on their professional, personal and family lives.
“When Heather contacted us, it was soon apparent that she had endometriosis and was keen to have it treated surgically. We arranged for her to come over from Canada and she was in the operating theatre two days later when we were able to cut out all of the endometriosis using key-hole (laparoscopic) surgery so she was quickly up and about and was able to travel back to Canada in just over a week.”
“After three days we had the results of the histopathology assessment that was performed on the tissue we had excised, and this confirmed the presence of endometriosis.”
Despite paying for flights to and from Solihull, a two week stay following surgery at a top hotel, and the private medical treatment, Heather is convinced that her total outlay was less than treatment alone would have cost in Canada.
“I felt that the doctors I saw just didn’t seem to have the expertise in endometriosis that I was looking for. Once I had spoken to the Clinic I knew I wouldn’t be able to put my trust in anyone else so I packed my bag and headed for Solihull,”
