Endometriosis and body painting - RTL Extra Report 2021 with Ally
- Ira Ott
- Apr 13
- 2 min read
If endometriosis pain were visible, what would it look like?
Ally was given the opportunity to tell her story for the RTL Extra report, and I accompanied her through her painting. She described her pain to me, the intense points of pain, and where it radiated. The heavy bleeding is also a symptom of this illness.
The article is unfortunately no longer available, but there is a podcast episode, as I describe below.
A brief definition of the disease from the website endometriose-vereinigung.de :
Endometriosis is a benign, but chronic condition. In endometriosis, tissue similar to the uterine lining grows outside the uterine cavity. This tissue can attach itself, for example, to the ovaries, in the abdominal and pelvic cavities, on the intestines, or on the peritoneum. Endometrial tissue has the ability to grow virtually anywhere in the body. In some cases, it can also occur outside the abdominal cavity, for example, in the lungs.
In cases of unfavorable growth, it leads to severe pain that occurs during the course of the cycle.
The pain experienced is anything but "normal" period cramps. Many women, however, don't receive a diagnosis and are dismissed by doctors with excuses like "don't worry about it."
This article aims to show that the pain does not manifest itself in a "normal" way at all.
In the podcast " Raum Für 2 ", Ally describes her experience with the photo shoot.
For better readability, I have summarized the statements somewhat and omitted some passages. The topic begins at 18:30.
Ally: "When I saw myself in the mirror, which they also filmed, I laughed and cried because it was so real." (...) "I insisted that blood run down my legs, because these heavy bleedings are also endometriosis."
(…)
"The report aired in September 2021, and then I received messages saying: 'Hey, I went to the doctor with this photo and said - this is what it feels like'"
(…) “When I see these pictures, it hurts. They're drawn so realistically that I feel pain. (…) Then in the evening (…) I stood in the bathroom and took more pictures, and then I got in the shower and washed it off. I cried so much and then, like in the movie, with a washcloth, I tried to aggressively and quickly wash it off because it was overwhelming me, it took my breath away, seeing how it feels because it was so realistic. And that's also led to me believing myself since that day. (…) I had surgeries, I had a 100% diagnosed endometriosis, then I had another surgery, and I doubted myself so much that I thought, ‘Now they won't find anything, you're just imagining it,’ because I didn't see it. I was gaslighted, and I gaslighted myself.” But the moment I saw that (...) I no longer question myself."
I am very grateful to have been present at this moment. It showed me how much responsibility I bear in moments like these.
Thank you so much, Ally!
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