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I was lucky to have two pictures in the annual Essex Photography Prize finals last night. It's a fabulous competition which strikes a fine balance between commercial, camera club and fine art photography styles, do take a look at the exhibition if you're in SE Essex over the next few weeks.
Anyway.. I was suprised & delighted to win the Portrait & Documentary category. There's a story behind this one.
https://www.instagram.com/jen.dometriosis/ asked me and makeup artist Flash Kate to help her express visually how endometriosis feels to her. I thought I knew a bit about it: that it was basically a rare uterine condition whereby some women have extra-heavy because uterus-lining cells grow further down the Fallopian tubes, sometimes treated by a hysterectomy.
It turns out that – in common with most doctors – I really didn’t know much at all.
Endemetriotic cells can grow anywhere. Even the lungs. Yet the body can’t get rid of them. Severe cases lead to organ failure and even death.
It affects 1 in 10 women.
Yet on average it takes 8 years to get a diagnosis. It took Jen a lot longer than that. During that time she had treatment to mask the symptoms, meanwhile the endo was doing major damage to her organs.
It often causes extreme pain. Sometimes in line with the monthly cycle, sometimes constantly. It can be utterly life changing, pain so severe that sufferers pass out. Regularly. Or lose a lot of blood. Infertility is common.
There’s no cure. Treatments typically involve hormones and opiates to mask the symptoms – while the endemtriosis continues to grow. Hysterectomy doesn’t help unless you also have adenomyosis. Surgery to remove the cells is the best treatment and that doesn’t stop it coming back. Accessing that treatment on the NHS is next to impossible.
There’s very little accurate information available. Some of the the big women’s health charities still perpetuate the myth that ‘it’s just a painful period’.
Thanks for looking.
Anyway.. I was suprised & delighted to win the Portrait & Documentary category. There's a story behind this one.
https://www.instagram.com/jen.dometriosis/ asked me and makeup artist Flash Kate to help her express visually how endometriosis feels to her. I thought I knew a bit about it: that it was basically a rare uterine condition whereby some women have extra-heavy because uterus-lining cells grow further down the Fallopian tubes, sometimes treated by a hysterectomy.
It turns out that – in common with most doctors – I really didn’t know much at all.
Endemetriotic cells can grow anywhere. Even the lungs. Yet the body can’t get rid of them. Severe cases lead to organ failure and even death.
It affects 1 in 10 women.
Yet on average it takes 8 years to get a diagnosis. It took Jen a lot longer than that. During that time she had treatment to mask the symptoms, meanwhile the endo was doing major damage to her organs.
It often causes extreme pain. Sometimes in line with the monthly cycle, sometimes constantly. It can be utterly life changing, pain so severe that sufferers pass out. Regularly. Or lose a lot of blood. Infertility is common.
There’s no cure. Treatments typically involve hormones and opiates to mask the symptoms – while the endemtriosis continues to grow. Hysterectomy doesn’t help unless you also have adenomyosis. Surgery to remove the cells is the best treatment and that doesn’t stop it coming back. Accessing that treatment on the NHS is next to impossible.
There’s very little accurate information available. Some of the the big women’s health charities still perpetuate the myth that ‘it’s just a painful period’.
Thanks for looking.
