Conversations With the Endometriosis Community Featuring Dr. Chelsea Williams
Dr. Chelsea Williams is a Texas-based family and sports injuries chiropractor who has been practicing for two years. She is also an endometriosis warrior and advocate who has been pushing for better care for herself and the endo community since her 2019 diagnosis.
"I’m in a unique position [as a doctor] because I am someone who has a chronic pain condition," she said. "I am able to truly understand where patients are coming from when it comes to being in pain, especially if they’ve been in pain for a long period of time."
As a doctor, she's passionate about helping people and educating them about their bodies. Although she considers herself a naturally shy person, her job has helped her become more outgoing and provides her to meet all types of people, she said.
She was born in the fourth largest city in the US - Houston, Texas - she grew up an hour south of the small town of Brazoria, Texas (population 3,112). It was a very traditional small-town upbringing. Everyone knew each other for generations and everyone's parents and grandparents went to school together.
Despite growing up in the sports-obsessed state of Texas, especially in small towns, Dr. Williams found more interest in the actual process of caring for athletes.
"I've always loved helping people," she said.
It wasn't until after she graduated with her Bachelor's in Exercise Science that she found herself at a crossroads for what career path to take.
"[I] honestly went on a tour of the chiropractic school on a whim," she said. "After my tour, I was completely in love with the profession. Five years later, and I’m getting to do what I love every single day, and that is a great feeling."
Dr. Williams' workday can be very active, which adds to the exhaustion caused by a flare-up, she said.
"When I finally get to lay down and chill it's the best thing ever," she said. "After a bad or painful day, I love a hot bath and laying in bed on a heating pad watching a good movie."
We have been digitally getting to know Dr. Williams over the last few months, and she recently opened up about her personal experiences with endometriosis, as well as how her loved ones and colleagues have supported her along the way. She also offers up advice on ways endowarriors can better understand and advocate for their health.
1. When did you begin showing signs of endometriosis? How old were you?
I started showing signs of endo around February of 2019. I was 27 years old.
2. How long did it take for you to get properly diagnosed from showing these initial symptoms?
It took about 9 months to get diagnosed, which on the spectrum of diagnosis times is really fast. I went to an OB/GYN after my first flare-up and was completely blown off. Months later I went to another ob-gyn and she suspected endometriosis on the first visit.
3. What was the experience like getting diagnosed? What was your initial reaction?
When I got diagnosed I felt relief because I had been experiencing this excruciating pain that literally came out of nowhere for months. I initially thought my pain was from stress because I was a new doctor working at a clinic that just wasn’t the right fit for me.
Something told me that I needed to see an OB/GYN because this was not normal for me at all. At the time I had graduated from chiropractic school 6 months prior, and I had just been through 3 years of constant stress and I had never had this type of reaction so I went with my gut and went to the doctor.
4. Does your current treatment plan match your original?
No! When I first was diagnosed I did the ablation surgery a month later. I had a lot of confidence in the doctor who diagnosed me because she seemed like she was very well versed in endometriosis. I later realized it seemed that way because I knew so little about the condition, and I did not do the research I should have.
I was told with the ablation she would get most of the lesions off and the Lupron therapy was going to kill the lesions she couldn’t remove. I was also told I would be able to be pain-free for at least 2 years if I went with this course of treatment. I found all of that information to be completely untrue after surgery and 2 injections, which is when I decided to stop treatment.
In February of 2020, I started having pain again as if I never had surgery. I was told by the same doctor it was because I decided not to do the Lupron therapy after surgery and that doing so allowed the lesions to grow back. I am currently with my second endometriosis specialist who will do my excision surgery in early 2021.
5. How did you discover a pain management plan that worked best for your body?
I’m still figuring it out. My current pain management plan is regular adjustments, a heating pad, and a TENS unit. I have also changed my diet to no meat or dairy and very limited caffeine and soy products.
6. Do you think your loved ones and healthcare providers treat you with the respect and understanding you deserve since your diagnosis?
My loved ones have been supportive. They don't really understand the entirety of what's going on since endometriosis doesn't run in my family, but they are supportive and as understanding, as they can be. Healthcare providers are a different story, though I am a doctor myself I’ve been treated the same as any other patient. I’ve been dismissed, ignored, and misled also.
As chiropractors, we don't learn the details of endometriosis. We touch on the subject in our pathology class but because the condition itself is not in our scope we are not taught in-depth. I was completely sold a dream by the doctor who did my first surgery. After I discontinued treatment with that doctor I went to my first endometriosis specialist.
That experience was less than pleasant because I didn't want to rush into surgery like I did the first time and I was more informed. When the doctor noticed that I was hesitant he attempted to use scare tactics like if I didn't get surgery my endometriosis was going to turn into cancer and I was going to die. He then proceeded to refer me to an ob-gyn oncologist and dropped me from care. That is how I found my current specialist which I am super grateful to have found because he not only treats a lot of patients with endometriosis but he is also an advocate for the condition as well.
7. Do your colleagues understand the effects endometriosis has on the human body?
Yes, but mostly from the musculoskeletal aspect. I get questions from colleagues all the time about how it affects the internal organs, fertility, and the theories of the cause, etc. I myself get adjusted 2-3 times a week when I'm not having flare-ups and daily during flare-ups, which really helps a lot. Since healing from surgery my abdomen is not as flexible from the scar tissue build-up, and sometimes my body and abdomen can start to feel really locked down and rigid. Adjustments really help me feel more flexible. Also, I have colleagues who specialize in the pelvic floor and women’s health aspect of chiropractic, and they have been super helpful in teaching me and helping me not only help myself but my patients as well.
8. Have they supported you since your diagnosis?
I have had great support from my colleagues. They have given me resources and suggestions that I either would not have found myself or would have found at a later time.
9. What do you wish people were more aware of when it comes to endometriosis?
I wish that endometriosis was acknowledged as a mainstream condition like rheumatoid, lupus, fibromyalgia, and other inflammatory conditions. Not just “oh she’s just having a bad period”. Also, that more research was put into the condition to find out what the actual cause is and how we fix it, and not just pushing treatments that mask it.
10. What are your future goals/dreams when it comes to your career and/or endometriosis advocacy?
I want to tell anyone who will listen about endometriosis because I want it to be such a huge conversation to the point where it can’t be ignored or overlooked. My job is to educate and inform and I want to extend that beyond more than just chiropractic. I also want to use my position to humanize doctors, we are humans and we suffer from conditions like everyone else.
11. Do you have any advice for the endometriosis community?
My first piece of advice would be to do your own research before you make any decisions. Endometriosis is minimally understood by most doctors and they often are just as clueless. Also, join Facebook groups, my favorite one is the Nancy Nook Endometriosis group. Lastly, go directly to an endometriosis specialist if you can. Nancy Nook’s group has a list of specialists that are very informed and are highly recommended.