"No understanding of endometriosis"

I had severe endometriosis that had recently been diagnosed and went to A&E with a ruptured large endometrioma on my ovary. I had rebound tenderness, 10/10 pain, nausea and vomiting, a fever and eventually my blood test showed inflammation. On arriving, the receptionist smirked at me when I told her what was wrong. When I eventually saw the triage nurse he told me off for not having taken an ibuprofen. For 10/10 pain and internal bleeding. I was left waiting for hours sat on a hard plastic chair, in agony. With drunk patients with minor injuries pushing past me constantly. When my blood test eventually came back showing inflammation I was finally believed and an apologetic nurse took me to a bed. A doctor came to see me and tried again to send me home with ibuprofen. I had to explain to him what an endometrioma is, what happens when it ruptures, that I needed a scan and to see a gynaecologist. More hours later, after a CT scan showed internal haemorrhaging, as I had already explained it would, an apologetic gynaecologist admitted me and I was kept in for 2 nights for pain management and monitoring my haemoglobin. The consultant said I would need emergency surgery but fortunately I had excision surgery booked in the following week with accredited endometriosis specialists in Surrey. As there are none in Sussex.

Endometriosis affects 5% of the population. It is unacceptable that there was so little knowledge of the condition amongst the staff. I had particularly severe disease, and an emergency situation, but was treated like a time waster with normal period pain. Other patients with the same problem might not have been in a position to advocate for themselves in order to get basic medical treatment. I suggest the A&E department has some training in endometriosis as well as unconscious bias training and stops dismissing female patients and ignoring their symptoms.