Clacton woman turns pain from condition into debut novel
Victoria Fenn suffered for over a year before knowing what was wrong with her
A woman from Clacton is hoping her debut book will help others dealing with her condition.
Victoria Fenn has endometriosis - it's where tissue like the lining of a womb starts growing elsewhere.
She told Greatest Hits Radio:
"At first I was always cancelling appointments with family and friends.
"I would miss birthdays.
"I was just getting really down about it."
So she started writing down what she was going through and it has turned it into '12 Months To I Do'.
Victoria's hope is it will make people more aware of the condition, which can cause near-constant pain:
"I was probably in pain for about a year before I was diagnosed.
"That was only through shear pestering the doctors.
"In the end I did think it was all in my head and that I didn't have anything wrong with me because no-one would listen."
Whilst she was going through this, Victoria was trying to plan her wedding, which has to be pushed back.
That inspired the book title, as she wrote down all the stresses and strains of dealing with the condition.
Victoria said writing helped a lot and the hope is this book will help others.
She added:
"A lot of people are suffering in silence.
"To look at me you would think I was fine but, actually, inside some days I felt like I was dying.
"People don't understand, they don't talk about it."
If you need help and support, head to the Endometriosis UK website.