One woman's story

Halimah is chairman of Wellbeing of Women’s Nottingham branch – she has a particular interest in helping the charity in its work to solve women’s health problems as she has had a long and painful history of endometriosis.

In 2000 Halimah was offered treatment via surgery using dythermia to remove the deposits.  One of the most common areas for deposits is in the area behind the womb and in front of the rectum (large bowel). This space is called the Pouch of Douglas and endometriosis here often causes deep pain.  This was where Halimah’s main deposits were located.

After 6months the pain came back and Halimah went back to the surgeon.  She was offered a hysterectomy but because of her age the decision was made to preserve the ovaries.

After another 6 months the pain returned again and some more deposits were removed using dythermia.  She was still suffering another 6 months later – some of this because of the adhesions caused by earlier surgery and she was operated on again to cut through the adhesions.  The pain continued and finally in 2006 it was decided that she should have both her ovaries and her cervix removed.  Halimah still suffers some pain because of the adhesions and also through the symptoms of the menopause.  Unfortunately for Halimah because of a history of blood clotting she was not recommended for HRT.  As if to prove this diagnosis she was mistakenly given a course of HRT and suffered a blood clot in her leg as a result – just a few weeks before a major fundraising ball she was organising for Wellbeing of Women.

To keep her positive Halimah has thrown all she has into fundraising for Wellbeing of Women – setting up the branch in 2003 – whilst also  working for Alliance Boots at the head office and looking after her husband and sons.  In 2008 she won the Boots Community Hero’s award for the work she does for the charity.

Despite her many setbacks Halimah soldiers on – finding relief in exercise – and a weightloss of nearly 2 stone. 
 

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