Jagdeep Khangooda, 26, from Oldbury, has described her decade-long battle with excruciating uterine pain as 'like someone eating your organs continuously' after being repeatedly told by doctors that nothing was wrong.
Pain so severe she couldn't walk
The technical delivery manager was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), now renamed Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome (PMOS), at age 14. But her symptoms escalated dramatically in 2024, leaving her unable to walk, collapsing, and requiring nappies due to incontinence.
'Slowly, everything deteriorated. My issue was I couldn't walk, when I started walking for a long period of time, my legs would stop working - I'd collapse,' she said. 'I started getting retention, so I couldn't pee by myself. My stomach would look six months pregnant.'
Dismissed by doctors
Despite multiple hospital admissions lasting up to two weeks each, Jagdeep was told 'nothing's wrong with you - all your scans are normal.' One specialist suggested she needed to increase her pain tolerance and seek therapy, comparing her pain to a phantom limb. 'He was like, "you should go and seek therapy." He said "you think about it like someone who's just lost their limb - but still thinks it's there,"' she recalled.
The pain became so severe that she used savings intended for a birthday watch to buy a wheelchair. 'It's like someone has been eating your organs continuously on the inside, one bite by one bite constantly for the last two years nonstop,' she said.
First laparoscopy found 'nothing'
After an MRI suggested moderate to severe endometriosis, Jagdeep underwent her first laparoscopy in January. To her shock, surgeons told her they 'found nothing.' 'I didn't know what to say. I was in so much shock, I didn't know what to do,' she said.
She was already facing depression and anxiety, and the setback triggered a 'suicidal phase.' 'I gave up initially,' she admitted.
Second surgery reveals the truth
Last week, Jagdeep had a second laparoscopy. This time, doctors found extensive adhesions. 'The doctor came around and said we've removed a lot of adhesions and a lot of scarring. [He said my] bowel was stuck to my left ovary and fallopian tubes. It was all glued together and that's why it was causing so much pain when walking,' she said.
Medics removed all the scarring during the procedure, and Jagdeep expects to feel much better in the coming weeks. However, it remains unclear whether she has endometriosis or adenomyosis, as she awaits final results.
A decade of suffering
Reflecting on her journey, Jagdeep said the whole experience 'traumatised' her. She had been in and out of hospital five times after the initial severe episode, with admissions lasting around two weeks each. 'I would have to call my mum home from work because she was the only one who could calm me down when I couldn't sit [or] stand,' she said.
After being put on prostap (leuprorelin), a medication inducing temporary menopause, she felt relief within a week. But the underlying cause remained a mystery until the second surgery.
Jagdeep's story highlights the challenges faced by many women with chronic pain conditions, where symptoms are often dismissed or misdiagnosed. She hopes her experience will encourage others to persist in seeking answers.
