Meet Mississippi State Representative, Tamesha Barnes

RISING STARS IN ENDOMETRIOSIS ACTIVISM

We are excited to introduce Tamesha Barnes from Mississippi. Tamesha is not only hosting the first-ever Mississippi EndoMarch, but she’s also now on board to travel to the Mississippi State Capitol in Jackson as State Representative for Endo Advocacy Day 2020. You can learn more about Tamesha below and be sure to follow her on Instagram at @ms_endowarrior and/or on her Facebook page or Team Mississippi’s Facebook group!

RECRUITING FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVES

If you would like to travel to your State Capitol to meet with elected officials as part of next year’s Endo Advocacy Day (Friday, March 27, 2020), just click here to schedule a phone appointment with one of our EndoMarch team members so that you can learn more. In the interim, you can click here to keep track of how many State Representatives we have on board already.

ABOUT TAMESHA BARNES

My endometriosis symptoms began in 2002, nine years after starting my period at the age of 9. Although my cycles were never normal, they were never painful until then, so immediately I knew something was wrong.

From 2002-2011, I saw countless doctors for my symptoms but was told it was normal and there was nothing wrong. Fast forward to 2010 and my 10th or 11th visit to the ER that year, I finally got a female doctor. She stated that every doctor listed my chief complaint as stomach pain but what I was describing was pelvic pain. Via Ultrasounds and scans, she found what was thought to be an 8cm mass on my left ovary and a 3cm mass on my right ovary. In 2011, I went in to have those masses removed and it was determined that what was seen in imaging was actually my intestines that had adhered to my tubes, ovaries, rectum and abdominal wall.

After almost 9 years, I finally had a diagnosis; stage 4 endometriosis. I underwent a laparotomy and a laparoscopic surgery that year and was put into a medically-induced menopause and told to think about having kids sooner rather than later. After two years, I decided I wanted off the meds and that is when the pain came back much worse than before.

In 2014, I had yet another surgery but the pain returned in less than 6 months. In 2015, I got on Instagram, searched #endometriosis, and found that I was not alone and there were so many women like myself. Through my Instagram account, I learned about excision surgery and Nancy’s Nook on Facebook.

From there, I started doing my research on endo and seeking a specialist who could treat me effectively. I hosted my first Endometriosis Awareness event in 2016 and have hosted one each March since. In 2017, I had excision surgery with Dr. Sinervo at the Center for Endometriosis Care in Atlanta, GA. This was the best decision I have ever made. It took me a few months after surgery to see a real difference but I had 2 amazing years doing the things that I loved. Unfortunately, my pain returned mid-2019 and my local doctor noticed that my left ovary was stuck behind my uterus and could not be seen on ultrasound. He thinks it’s extensive adhesions, but I will be returning to Atlanta in 2020 to find out.

In addition to my yearly events, I received a proclamation declaring March 2019 as Endometriosis Awareness Month in the state of Mississippi. I turn this journey into poetry, which can be seen through my poems, The Unseen, The War Within and My Life.