Limerick woman who suffered pain for years calls for more funding for endometriosis treatment

Lisa-Claire Walsh suffered severe shoulder pain for years, but orthopaedic doctors could not identify why. File picture: Brian Arthur

A Limerick woman who faced years of frustration seeking an endometriosis diagnosis has called for more investment to help thousands of affected women.

Endometriosis is estimated by the World Health Organisation to affect one in 10 women and girls globally. It can bring severe life-impacting pain and infertility, among many other symptoms.

Lisa-Claire Walsh, 28, said in her experience while many doctors were supportive there is a “lack of education” around the symptoms. She suffered severe shoulder pain for years, but orthopaedic doctors could not identify why.

“They did MRIs, they said ‘look we don’t know what the cause is’,” she said. “So I googled my symptoms one day and diaphragmatic endometriosis came up.” She took this information to her GP who referred her to a gynaecologist.

“I was 25 at the time, and he took one look at me and said ‘you’re too young, you don’t have this’,” she said.

“Long story short, fast forward two years. I had a diagnostic surgery in January this year and I was diagnosed with diaphragmatic endometriosis. So it’s just been an absolute roller-coaster.” 

During those years her symptoms worsened to include chronic fatigue and severe leg pain. She now knows her shoulder pain was due to nerve irritation caused by endometriosis.

Like many women, she attended many specialists including at three public hospitals, two private clinics and a clinic in England.

She was told she had Irritable Bowel Syndrome, checked for potential gall-stones and cancer of the liver which she described as “very scary” before diagnostic surgery confirmed her suspicions.

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“It was all over my diaphragm, my bowel was stuck to my abdominal wall and it was basically all over me, it was like glue,” she said. “It made me feel validated, and they said I have PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) as well.” 

As part of her treatment she was placed on induced menopause for six months. She was relieved to undergo excision surgery in May this year to have endometriosis tissue removed.

Ms Walsh has written to health minister Stephen Donnelly.

“I think there needs to be more pop-up clinics around the country especially for those that can’t travel,” she said with supports for affected women in the workplace needed too.

She shares women's experiences of this condition on Instagram to help other women "so they don’t feel as alone as I did”. On Saturday, Ms Walsh hosts the ‘Eire Endo Collective’ health forum at the Castletroy Park Hotel. The event is also live-streamed from 7.30pm on Instagram @eire_endo_collective.