'I was told I just had bad periods. Then I woke up and couldn't feel my legs'

Since the age of twelve, Annie-Josephine Kearslake struggled with excruciating pain. Doctors always put it down to "bad" periods or irritable bowel syndrome.

But in the summer of 2020, her suffering became much worse. She recalls waking up one morning to the terrifying realisation she was unable to feel her legs.

She rushed to A&E and was referred to the gynaecology unit at Tameside Hospital. Doctors conducted an ultrasound and within a couple of months, they confirmed she was suffering from adenomyosis.

READ MORE: My periods can make me black out and vomit. Why haven't I had any treatment?

The condition causes the lining of the womb to bury into the muscular wall of the womb, causing severe pain - which was likely the reason her legs felt numb. Thankfully, it was only temporary.

But over the next year, the pain kept getting worse, and the 27-year-old from Glossop was forced to take weeks off work at a solicitors firm as she was struggling to cope.

In July 2021, Annie-Josephine had laparoscopy procedure to check if she also had endometriosis. Similarly to adenomyosis, the disease causes tissue similar to the lining of the uterus to grow outside the uterus.

The tests would confirm that the mum-of-one had stage three endometriosis, meaning she had large adhesions across multiple organs including her ovary, womb and uterus.

Following her life-changing diagnosis nearly two years ago, she claims to have only been seen by a consultant on two occasions.

"I had to get in touch with the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) for one appointment because I'd just heard nothing from the hospital after my procedure," she said.

"The other appointment was two weeks ago when I had to visit A&E because I was in so much