Billericay woman set for endometriosis 248km fundraiser

Lynsey McQuaid, 34, of Billericay, began to notice symptoms of the condition when she was 11 and experienced really heavy periods.

It took her 20 years to finally receive a diagnosis, having to pay for a private MRI before being put on an NHS surgery waiting list.

Lynsey said: “I actually felt relieved when I was diagnosed because I finally had answers to what was going on.

“I cried with relief but knew I had to figure out how to cope with and treat my endometriosis now, as there’s no cure.

“I underwent surgery in 2021 and it was really nerve wracking, at the time I had a very large cyst called an endometrioma which was larger than a tennis ball in my left ovary.

“This was removed in surgery but then surgeons noticed that my bowel, womb and ovary were stuck together with lesions.”

Lynsey added she was well looked after by nurses and doctors but the recovery period was tough.

She had nerve damage and a numb leg for month as well as lots of blood loss which meant she became anaemic.

As endometriosis does not show up on ultra-sound scans, it took decades for Lynsey to get diagnosed.

She describes having to adjust as her symptoms worsened.

Lynsey added: “I spent a lot of my time arranging my life around being in pain.

“It got to a stage where I couldn’t walk for a while leading up to my surgery, I would walk for half an hour then endure severe pain.

“At times I would collapse in the street, it’s affected everything really, I trained to be a dancer for three years but couldn’t do it anymore.”

Lynsey will fundraise for Endometroisis UK with her walking challenge and has been training by walking her cocker spaniel.

She said: “For people going through this I would say push for as much help as you can.

“Knowledge is power when it comes to this kind of thing so don’t be ashamed to ask for help.”

Sponsor Lynsey at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/lynseyquaidendo. All funds will go to Endometriosis UK.