I was 24 before I even heard the word “endometriosis”, so I didn’t have a clue what it was when someone told me they thought I had it. But that ended up being the first step in realizing that what I thought was “normal," wasn’t. Until then, no one had ever expressed concern that something was off.
I wasn’t officially diagnosed and didn’t know what to do, so I continued dealing with it as I had been, hoping things would eventually get better.
Only they didn’t, they got worse.
Another illness started plaguing me around that same time. I was getting incredibly sick for no reason and couldn’t figure out why, which went on for three years.
One of the things that just astounds me about God is how He speaks to us. For me, it isn’t always a voice. Sometimes it’s a thought, a feeling, or even a question that pops into my mind seemingly out of nowhere. This is how I have walked this journey of my undiagnosed chronic illnesses, with the guiding whispers of God when I had no idea what to do. Each of these whispers being a stepping stone along my journey.
For instance, one day I wondered, “What exactly is gluten anyway?” That was the start of my journey to figuring out that I have celiac disease. I’m still undiagnosed, but that doesn’t matter to me. What matters is that I stopped eating gluten and I stopped getting sick.
The funny thing about cutting out gluten? Sometimes it can cause you to be sensitive to dairy for a while. Which ended up being a blessing in disguise! Cutting out dairy was and is the only thing that gave me relief from my endometriosis. Once again, God had moved for me, opening a door that I didn’t even know was there.
Now, that’s not to say that I’m all better now, because I’m not. On top of all of that, I have multiple fibroids that often flare up, without warning, literally taking me off my feet and causing my life to come to a standstill for long periods of time. During those times, it’s easy to feel like there’s no hope—no end in sight. But I know that God is still there, ready to guide and carry me through it.
Just as He will for you.
I don’t know what you may be going through, but I DO know that He cares. And no matter if you’re diagnosed or not, He is ready and willing to guide you through it. You can have hope in the fact that He knows what you’re going through and He cares!
I encourage you to find scriptures during your struggle and hang on to them, reminding yourself of where God is in the midst of your pain. One that really helped me was 2 Corinthians 1:3-4.
Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. (KJV)
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
He is the God of comfort and mercy! He will not fail you or leave you struggling on your own.
Tara Savanna has been a lover of words and all things art-related since childhood. Now in her mid-30s and unmarried, while being a homemaker in her parent's house, she strives to serve God in any way she can. This has often led her down new paths she would not have considered otherwise. When she’s not writing, crafting, drawing, or playing instruments, she can be found curled up with a book and her little dog, Cloe. You can find her on Instagram or her blog!