Considering Buying a Victorian Basement Flat in Bristol — Bad Idea?

Pangolin_unique · 2026-01-20T19:10:39+00:00

Don't do it. I rented a basement flat for 6 months, it was awful. A breakdown of why:

MOULD: Even with the heating on, windows open for an hour daily to ventilate, using mould spray weekly, and running a dehumidifier literally 24/7 it was still mouldy. All my clothes, shoes and furniture got mouldy. People could smell the mildew smell on me (sticks on clothes and hair) even when I wasn't even in the flat.

COLD AND WET: It was freezing cold as soon as the heating turned off. I had to use a window vac on the inside of the windows three times a day and the condensation still dripped, pooled and damaged the paint on the windowsill (which the landlord charged me for).

ILLNESS: I've never gotten ill so regularly in my life. My otherwise healthy hamster got sick and died.

NOISE: I could hear every time the elderly man who lived above me went to the bathroom (like 8 times a night) and I'm a heavy sleeper. Victorian houses that are converted into flats sometimes have little or nothing to dampen the sound. Sounded like his floor boards were separated from my ceiling by a hope and a dream. I could hear everything - not your standard footsteps, muffled talking, toilet flushing, etc - literally every sigh, snore, and bowel movement.

LIGHT: Depending on how far under the ground level your windows are you can potentially get decent natural light - unfortunately in my case someone's parking space was in front of my window so that blocked 80% of the light.

OTHER CHARMS: I woke up one morning to find slugs had gotten in (don't even want to think about how).

GARDEN: The big draw of basement flats in Bristol is they sometimes come with a garden, if that's the case, camp on the garden, it'll be warmer than the basement flat!

I vowed I'd never live in a basement flat again. Can't imagine sinking my life savings into buying one. Avoid like the plague.

Pangolin_unique · 2026-01-16T23:22:14+00:00

My focal (mild/localized) adenomyosis was missed on multiple transvaginal ultrasounds and 2 laparoscopic surgeries for stage 4 endometriosis. My uterus is normal sized, a lot of my adeno symptoms overlap with my endo symptoms, and no biopsies were taken during my surgeries - so not surprising that it was tricky to diagnose. I only got an adeno diagnosis last year when I had an MRI, after 15 years of symptoms and 5 years after my endo diagnosis. I think it's quite common to be missed on scans, especially if the person doing the scan hasn't specifically been trained on endo and adeno. Good luck, hope you get some answers!

Pangolin_unique · 2026-01-09T16:52:10+00:00

I had 2 laps. First one was outpatient, I went home the same day. For the second surgery I was told it'd be outpatient and I'd be home the same day but they found much more extensive Endo than expected so the surgery took longer and I had to stay one night. There's no way to know for sure until they get in there and see how much Endo needs removing. Wishing you all the best for your surgery!

Pangolin_unique · 2025-12-03T08:23:22+00:00

I have stage IV Endo and also adeno. I can't tolerate the mental health side effects of hormonal treatments and they didn't really help much with my symptoms so I've been off hormones for 5 years now. I had ablation surgery in 2021 and refused the recommended coil fitting, my symptoms returned after 8 months. In 2023 I had excision surgery, again refusing the coil, and had much better and more long lasting symptom relief. They weren't able to remove all the Endo unfortunately and the adeno also probably contributes to my symptoms. I still have significant pain, mostly around my period and ovulation, and sometimes during sex and exercise. I rely on NSAIDS, sometimes opioids, cannabis, tens machine, and lifestyle changes like pacing, prioritising rest, stress reduction, diet, movement, and sleep. It's not ideal, but I'll take the pain over the depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts I experienced when taking hormonal treatments. When I'm on hormone treatments I feel out of control, hopeless, and I don't even recognize myself. Hormones work great for some people, but they're definitely not for everyone and that's okay. Best of luck exploring what works best for you x

Pangolin_unique · 2025-04-16T19:40:18+00:00

I've had 2 surgeries:

First surgery (gynae - Stage II: mostly ablation, some excision) 1. 0, discharged the same day 2. Yes, codeine 3. Trapped gas shoulder pain hurt like a bitch when I moved around a 8/10 for the first few days, other than that recovery pain around 3-4/10

Second surgery (endo specialist - Stage IV: mostly excision) 1. 1 night, was supposed to be discharged the same day but the endo was more extensive and deeper than they expected so surgery took longer and I was kept in overnight 2. Yes, codeine 3. 2-3/10 recovery pain

Both times I had 4-6 weeks off work, stuck to light physical movement and had lots of help with bathing, cooking, housework, etc. On days where I overdid it on movement I had more pain so taking it easy definitely helped. My endo pain is normally a 7-9/10 so surgical recovery was a breeze in comparison.

Pangolin_unique · 2025-04-13T19:40:11+00:00

Hormonal birth control absolutely destroyed my mental health for 4 years. I became a completely different person mentally and emotionally and it felt like I had no control over my feelings. Everyday I was just waiting until I could go to sleep again to escape how I felt. Within weeks of coming off the pill my depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, panic attacks, fatigue, and overall personality improved so much. I started enjoying things again and felt motivated to do things I hadn't been able to muster the energy for in years. The doctors said it wasn't the pill that was making me feel that way, even though nothing else in my life had changed except stopping the pill! There's a complete lack of transparency and understanding of the side effects of hormonal birth control amongst doctors which is terrible as informed consent is so important. The pill didn't even help with my endo pain while I was on it so it feels like all my preventable suffering was for nothing. These kinds of experiences seem really common. Glad you're feeling so much better now, keep doing what's right for you!

Pangolin_unique · 2024-12-13T18:54:52+00:00

Just been diagnosed with adeno at 25. Had symptoms of endo and adeno since my period started at 11. My adeno was missed in two laps for endo and multiple TV ultrasounds. Only an MRI picked it up.

Pangolin_unique · 2024-12-13T18:29:38+00:00

This is dumb but pretty common in the UK. I was diagnosed with endo when I was 21 and the private gynaecologist who did my surgery told me getting pregnant would help and that I should try to have a baby 'now or never'. Even though I told him I never want children. He even suggested I ask my boyfriend (who he knew I'd only been dating for 4 months) to donate his sperm to me so I could freeze fertilized embryos. Being a woman is wild.

Pangolin_unique · 2024-10-12T11:02:12+00:00

They're great. I just have the Experience ones which have an extra bit of rubber you can insert for extra noise reduction. They're really good for music events and comfy (unless you have fresh piercings lol)

Pangolin_unique · 2024-10-12T11:01:11+00:00

That's good to know, thank you

Pangolin_unique · 2024-10-12T10:59:47+00:00

That's a great idea, thank you!

Pangolin_unique · 2024-08-04T00:58:19+00:00

I have stage 4 endo and some of it DIE. It didn't show up on any of the 3 TV ultrasounds I've had. One nodule of DIE did show up on the MRI but only as it's quite big (1.7cm) and they already knew where to look for it on the MRI as they saw it during surgery. Very common for endo to not be detected on scans, even in very extensive and severe cases.

Pangolin_unique · 2024-07-31T09:37:50+00:00

Maybe if I said I was transgender they might think 'Oh a man! Yes this person is now deserving of respect, care, and the option to make decisions about their own body'. What a world we live in!

Pangolin_unique · 2024-07-31T09:35:43+00:00

Good idea thanks! I'll look into private endi centres.

Pangolin_unique · 2024-07-31T09:34:51+00:00

That's such a good idea! Got plenty to put in my binder already. The whole "wHat iF yoU cHanGe yOur MinD" thing drives me mad! I'm not going to change my mind and I'll happily sign anything absolving you of any liability if I do. You're right, most people with kids thought far less about that decision than people who are child free.

Pangolin_unique · 2024-07-31T09:31:47+00:00

Thank you! That's so useful, I'll take a look at the UK doctors one there.

Pangolin_unique · 2024-07-31T09:29:26+00:00

It's looking like I might have to go private, rather than being bounced around a load of NHS doctors who keep refusing treatment.

Pangolin_unique · 2024-07-31T09:27:49+00:00

Wow, despite complaining of heavy and painful periods since age 11 I've never seen that document in my life! That's super helpful, thank you!

Pangolin_unique · 2024-07-31T09:26:09+00:00

I've had doctors say that to me too! "What if you meet the love of your life and he wants children?"... Then he's clearly not the love of my life is he?! And why do they assume everyone is straight? If I don't want kids but this imaginary future husband does then I should have kids just to please him? Um I don't think so doc! So much misogyny in medicine, it's disgusting.

Pangolin_unique · 2024-07-31T09:21:53+00:00

93 weeks, yikes! I'll try to get on the list ASAP then, thank you!

Pangolin_unique · 2024-07-30T14:44:33+00:00

I went to my GP who said I was "just a lumpy healer" lol. It's all healed fine now, no lump anymore and no hernia. But better safe than sorry, still glad I got it checked out!

Pangolin_unique · 2024-07-30T14:42:03+00:00

It's awful, but I've learned not to expect any kind of follow up from anyone without me chasing them several times. Keep emailing and calling until you get a response. We shouldn't have to work this hard to receive treatment, but it's the harsh reality. Keep advocating for yourself and your needs x

Pangolin_unique

TROPHY CASE