Former WWE Wrestler Brandi Rhodes Diagnosed With Endometriosis, Encourages Women To Advocate For Their Health

Source: WWE / Getty

Internal pain set off alarm bells in Brandi Rhodes’ head. A champion of health and wellness, Rhodes immediately sought out a doctor to help pinpoint the source of her discomfort.

“It felt like something inside, whether it was an ovary or my uterus, just felt really irritated and aggravated,” she told TODAY.com.

Rhodes is a yoga and Pilates instructor and former WWE professional wrestler. She was pregnant with her daughter when she began to feel the pain. Her doctor at the time told her it was something some pregnant women feel and the pain would subside after she gave birth.

But, that wasn’t the case. It did not simply go away and postpartum exasperated the condition. Rhodes’ doctor suggested pelvic floor therapy, but that only somewhat helped. She grew increasingly concerned and began to experience other symptoms such as irregular menstrual cycles, heavy periods and severe bloating.

Rhodes returned to the doctor, but found that her concerns weren’t being addressed. After additional misdiagnosis, she said she wanted to throw in the towel.

“That was the point at which I gave up,” she said. “I just said, you know what, maybe this is in my head.” 

However, her symptoms continued and it started to weigh on her mentally. Rhodes recalls feeling defeated even though she was still hard at work on her goal to bring wellness to others.

It took seeing fellow professional wrestler Maryse Mizanin share her health journey to reignite the fire in Rhodes to push for answers. Back in February, Mizanin shared she had 11 precancerous ovarian tumors. That inspired Rhodes to take her own symptoms seriously.

A new doctor set her up with an ultrasound and a basic pelvic exam. After the pelvic exam, the doctor postulated an endometriosis diagnosis. Rhodes went to a specialist who confirmed that. The results left her frustrated. 

“It’s been three years. What took so long?” she said. “I’m so mad. I’m so worked up because I knew something was wrong. And the way that I felt so dismissed in so many different ways… This is so wrong.”

Endometriosis happens when tissue that normally grows inside the uterus begins growing outside of it, typically on the reproductive organs such as the ovaries or fallopian tubes. Rhodes decided to have surgery to remove the tissue. She underwent the procedure this week and also found out she had stage four endometriosis, a severe case of the condition.

As she recovers, Rhodes said she wants people to advocate for themselves as health conditions can worsen if not addressed in a timely manner.

“Women we have to advocate for ourselves and our bodies,” she said in an Instagram post about her surgery. “It is far too common in the medical world to be dismissed when it comes to women’s health issues. Don’t be dismissed.”

DON’T MISS…

Gospel Singer Tammy Edwards Shares How Kidney Transplant Helped Her Return To Music

How To Take Ownership Of Your Health To Prevent Misdiagnosis: What Jessica Pettway’s Death Teaches Us About Self-Advocating

Body Talk: Serena Williams Gives A Glimpse Into Postpartum Journey

Pro-Sports Legend Deion Sanders Opens Up About Mid-20s Suicide Attempt

Former WWE Wrestler Brandi Rhodes Diagnosed With Endometriosis, Encourages Women To Advocate For Their Health  was originally published on elev8.com