Women tackle endometriosis in "tea & talk" rendezvous

Several women gathered at Bokamoso Hospital over the weekend for ‘tea and talk’ rendezvous strayed from the usual frivolous gossip and ended up tackling women’s health, especially the debilitating disease known as endometriosis.

“We realised so many women with the disease don’t get support even from the medical fraternity and so we wanted to create a platform to share information and experiences,” said Bokamoso Hospital’s Marketing Assistant, Mosa Letsweletse.The condition is caused when cells in the lining of the womb are found in other parts of the body such as the pelvic area, skin, eyes, spine lungs and even the brain. They then react to hormones; break down and bleed, but the blood and tissue shed have no way of leaving the body.

This causes internal bleeding, leads to inflammation causing pain, infertility, scar tissue formation, adhesions, and bowel problems. With testimonies from women who have the condition, guests learnt about the devastating effects of endometriosis. The disease often leads to broken marriages, loss of productive hours at work, silent suffering and even depression. Sadly, the disease is often misdiagnosed - as was with Kamogelo Onneile’s case, leading to more suffering and hefty medical bills.

“It took over 10 years for me to be diagnosed, during which I was sometimes labeled a ‘drama queen’ and ‘always sick.’ Sharing her experience with The Midweek Sun, she said, “Every time doctors suspected appendicitis, gallstones or a burst ovarian cyst. I was put on a morphine drip, sent for several tests and eventually a puzzled and slightly annoyed-looking doctor told me they could not find anything wrong. And although he regrets it now, my father would usher me off to school, doubled over in pain, saying: ‘Other girls get their period too you know, and they go to school.’She said eventually she just gave up trying to figure out what could be wrong with her. “I thought maybe I’m just one of those people with low pain tolerance.

That is until I met my current gynecologist. A telescope-like instrument was inserted through incisions into my stomach to look for signs of the disease, then a biopsy taken to confirm. I was so happy to finally have an answer for my long time suffering but devastated to find the condition is incurable and I would need surgery every two years to help treat the symptoms.

“Almost two years later, my symptoms are back and I have been told I will need another operation soon. But this time, I know my disease a lot better. I know the value of getting second opinions from GPs, and becoming an 'expert patient.' I am consciously keeping myself as informed as possible about endometriosis and telling others about it,” said Onneile.

Founder of the Botswana Endometriosis Foundation (BEF), who also suffers from the disease, Kgomotso Gagosi, said the gathering was a very fruitful and informative session, which allowed for information sharing as much as possible. “Maybe if we keep the conversation going, young girls will be diagnosed and given the necessary tools earlier and not just brushed off by another doctor as just having bad periods.”

To get better healthcare and prevent mis-diagnosis or delayed diagnosis, Gagosi said it was important for women to know themselves and know what to tell their doctor, to not be afraid to ask questions and to speak honestly to young girls about it. “A lot of time, menstrual health is only spoken about in hushed tones, which has led to a lack of research and understanding of endometriosis. We need to change that,” she said.