A young mum spent over a decade battling an unknown condition that left her in such crippling pain that she'd vomit and faint.
Jade Spargo spent years in agony from an undiagnosed condition she'd been suffering with since age 17. By 25, Jade was begging doctors for a hysterectomy, but they wouldn't allow it.
Finally, at 27, the mum-of-two was diagnosed with incurable chronic tissue condition, endometriosis.
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And two years later again - this January - Jade was also diagnosed with another tissue condition: adenomyosis.
With the only cure for adenomyosis being the removal of the uterus (hysterectomy), now at 29-years-old, doctors have finally agreed to give Jade her procedure.
"Mentally, I'm doing much better now than I was a year ago," says Jade, who lives with partner Sabrina, 34, and their two daughters Willow, three, and Tilda, five months.
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"At least this one has a cure. It shouldn't have taken me 13 years to get a diagnosis, but it has.
"Now I am trying to raise awareness for adenomyosis, as no-one knows what it is."
Adenomyosis is a condition where the cells of the lining of the womb are instead found in the muscle wall of the womb.
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With endometriosis, the endometrial cells form outside the uterus, with nowhere for the blood to escape when it sheds.
Both have symptoms such as such as heavy, painful or irregular periods, pre-menstrual pelvic pain, pain during sex, and bowel movement-related pain.
"Years went by and I thought this was just what being a woman was about," she said.
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"I figured it was a bit rubbish but I dealt with it. It settled down in my late teens and in my early 20s it all started again.
"I started to get such painful and heavy periods that I would pass out and vomit. Again I started visiting the doctor's surgery regularly to try and get someone to listen to me and help me."
Jade says she asked for a hysterectomy in her mid-20s, but doctors wouldn't take her seriously.
"[My doctor] gave me another prescription for another type of hormone pill, even after I explained they don't help me and make it worse.
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"I cried on seeing GPs who kept telling me the pain was in my head. Even after ending up in A&E in so much pain no one would take me seriously."
Jade's luck changed two years ago when she saw another doctor, who instantly told her she might have endometriosis.
"I had never even heart of it. She then referred me to the gynecology team at Treliske (Royal Cornwall Hospital)," recalls Jade.
"It was found on and in my bladder, bowel, stomach wall, diaphragm, womb and pelvic wall."
Surgeons also found she had a 'bulky uterus', a result of adenomyosis.
Jade is now on a course to give her a medical menopause, before she can have her hysterectomy.
"After so many doctors making me feel like I'm a hypochondriac and I'm being dramatic, it feels amazing to be acknowledged," Jade added.
For more information on adenomyosis, you can visit Wed MD or consult your doctor. To find out more about endometriosis, check out endometriosis.org for more information.
Featured Image Credit: SWNSTopics: Endometriosis, Life, Real Life