Online Reporter
Pastor Sikhumbuzo Dube, [email protected]
Many chronic illnesses plague women, and it is natural for them to discuss what they go through.
They may willingly share with other women how such illnesses trouble them and for those who attend church, they may send their challenges as prayer requests.
However, there is one illness that is surrounded by shame. It makes a lady experiencing it feel less of a woman because of what it introduces into her life. The disease is called endometriosis.
According to the World Health Organisation, endometriosis is a long-term, chronic condition that causes tissue that resembles the lining of the uterus to grow outside of it.
It usually results in severe pelvic pain, inflammation, and sometimes infertility. Although there isn’t a cure, it can be controlled with continued treatment, pain management, and occasionally, surgery.
March is Endometriosis Awareness Month, a worldwide initiative aimed at raising awareness of the condition, cutting down on diagnostic delays, and promoting more effective treatment alternatives.
This persistent, frequently painful disorder affects an estimated 190 to 200 million women globally and takes an average of seven to 10 years to diagnose.
One day, I went with my lovely wife to see a gynaecologist. We were seated in his room when he said this enormous phrase to our ears.
We had never heard of it. It felt like a ton of bricks had landed on our powerless shoulders, leaving us upset and confused. The diagnosis fuelled a never-ending desire to learn more about reproductive health. I spent hours reading gynaecological literature. I became more of a self-proclaimed gynaecologist.
This article is not intended to replace medical advice; rather, it is written with the intention of honouring all women who are experiencing such excruciating pain.
Women experiencing the harsh hand of endometriosis suffer from its incessant cruelty.
This predator crushes the bones of joy and leaves them shredded into the powder of sorrow. It invades every facet of a woman’s life without any mercy.
This mercenary robs joy from the marital bed, paralyses the limbs, occasionally snatches the prized appetite, shuts down all pleasure, and sometimes summons another bandit of doom called adenomyosis to repeatedly annoy a defenceless spirit.
Women suffering from endometriosis have been called endowarriors to signify the battle they fight each day of their lives. I will briefly outline a few things that you may need to be aware of so that you may treat them with grace.
Work
Women suffering from endometriosis are sometimes treated as being sissy. I remember one time I took my wife to the hospital, she was writhing in pain on the bed.
The sting of the scourge locked her speech. When the doctor enquired from her on what was going on, a pool of tears flushed itself before she could say a word. “Regera kuyema,” “Stop being sissy,” the doctor thundered, dwindling the treasured reserves of vocal energy from my wife.
Rage and unadulterated fury formed in my lower belly, filling my whole being with holy indignation. As my wife clung to me hopelessly, I handled the issue in a way that preserved my pastoral dignity while also expressing my displeasure with the doctor’s inappropriate attitude.
For employers, it is crucial to be mindful of your employees’ physical and emotional well-being. They are not being cry-babies.
When the pain makes its unwelcome presence in an exhausted body, it paralyses it, leaving it so helpless that it may be difficult to function. Courtesy, grace and kindness are very important.
Reproductive Function
It affects about 10 percent of women of reproductive age. As stated earlier, this chronic illness frequently results in infertility due to pelvic adhesions, persistent inflammation, and structural abnormalities. Reducing egg quality interferes with fertilisation, harms ovarian reserve, and compromises reproductive function.
Fertility
One of the saddest things is that endometriosis leads to infertility. To prevent the growth of endometriosis, maintain fertility, and treat chronic pain before it becomes incapacitating, early identification is essential. It enables prompt intervention, such as hormone treatments or surgery, which lessens long-term financial, psychological, and physical costs and validates patient symptoms earlier.
Endometriosis brings shame to women going through it. In my research, I found that feelings of guilt, resentment, disappointment, disengagement, and sometimes withdrawal often manifest.
I want to celebrate every endowarrior reading this article. To every employer, it is important to understand that while production is important, people are also vital elements in the workplace. Their physical and emotional well-being should not be ignored.
To every husband expecting children from their marital union, remember, marriage is complete without children. Love is the glue that cements it.
lSikhumbuzo Dube is an ordained pastor who is a church administrator in the Bulawayo regional headquarters of the Seventh-day Adventist church. He is an endorsed healthcare chaplain, counsellor and founder of Shunem Care, a ministry to the involuntarily childless and has published several articles on spiritual care, mental health, chaplaincy, and involuntary childlessness.
