Endometriosis Awareness

Every year when March rolls around I take some time to reflect on my life with Endo. Here is my attempt to put it into words and share it with you. It's always been so personal to share on this topic but I share because of the way I have been helped by others who did so . In my early twenties I was out with friends for lunch, followed by shopping. It was a low key, almost boring event in which I'm sure I didn't tell my friends I was on my period. Everything changed abruptly however when I was gripped by dizzying, nauseating, crippling abdominal pain. I rushed to the public restroom barely able to stand upright and began puking, before asking my friends to quickly drive me home. I knew from experience I wouldn't be able to get behind the wheel of my own car. Thank goodness I hadn't ventured too far from home and was able to go straight home to bed. The next 24 hours held intense pain, overwhelming nausea, continual vomiting, and sheer misery. Another time I w...

Like many other things in our lives, we don't know what we have until we don't have it. If I could say one thing to all the fertile women out there. Think really hard about your priorities and what you value most in life. Don't wait until it's too late to try to have your children. Your fertility may be a gift more valuable than you even know, something to be protected, treasured and embraced. To those like myself who didn't get a choice in the matter, it's a hard pill to swallow to have that choice become one that can't be made, whatever the reason. In my case the reason is one word. Endometriosis. It's a dreadful word in so many ways. It will be with me for life but more than that it's taken from me things I never imagined not having; a life free from limiting pain, the choice to have children at my own discretion. It's been decided for me. Maybe God. Maybe fate. Ultimately, a body broken by disease. I wish I could say I'm ok with it, I...

There is something I haven't talked about yet. My second round of Endo related surgery took place in October 2016, just two years after my first surgery in 2014, which had included a Bowel Resection. I returned to my same surgeon from 2014, Dr. Patrick Yeung of St Louis, MO. He is, in my mind, a bit of a miracle worker when it comes to his dedication to treating Endometriosis and the women who have it. I'll just say this, God is the true miracle worker but my miracle of healing has come via the meticulous medical care and experience of some pretty wonderful doctors. The reason for my second surgery that took place this year is primarily an effort to restore my fertility function. I had a couple of fibroids removed as well as my left Fallopian tube which had been significantly damaged and scarred from Endo and rendered useless. He also removed some notable areas of Endo discovered in new places from last time, hidden behind the sad, mangled left tube. I'm suspicious that...

There's a lot the goes in the neurology of our bodies and the experience of chronic pain. Hear from endo expert Dr. Seckin on how excision of Endometriosis can help Endo pain, along with insightful answers to the question, Why is Endometriosis Painful?

April 24-30, 2016 is niaw, or National Infertility Week. Resolve is a good resource for infertility support. A few facts about Infertility and Endo: Infertility is a disease that affects 1 in 8 couples of reproductive age 40% of women with endometriosis are infertile

Listen to an interview with licensed social worker, Casey Berna. Again, her story could be my story and may sound much like your story. We are not alone. Social Worker, Advocate and Fordham Alumni Casey Berna. - See more at: http://www.wfuv.org/content/fordham-conversations-endometriosis-impact-physical-and-mental-health#sthash.iKuOoRiC.dpuf Social Worker, Advocate and Fordham Alumni Casey Berna. - See more at: http://www.wfuv.org/content/fordham-conversations-endometriosis-impact-physical-and-mental-health#sthash.iKuOoRiC.dpuf Social Worker, Advocate and Fordham Alumni Casey Berna. - See more at: http://www.wfuv.org/content/fordham-conversations-endometriosis-impact-physical-and-mental-health#sthash.iKuOoRiC.dpuf Social Worker, Advocate and Fordham Alumni Casey Berna. - See more at: http://www.wfuv.org/content/fordham-conversations-endometriosis-impact-physical-and-mental-health#sthash.iKuOoRiC.dpuf Endometriosis: The Impact on Physical and Mental Health

The number one reason I share my story is so you can know you are not alone. Each of us needs to know that. Here are more women sharing their story. Click for video.

Things That Don't Cure Endo Hysterectomy   Pregnancy Menopause  Everything Else

I was reading this article from People . What Padma Lakshmi has to say about her life with Endometriosis resonates with me for so many reasons. “I had to stay home several days a month from school. I missed a week of my life for 23 years.” What she said. ^^^ I had one week blocked out on my calendar every month. After too many years of being stopped dead in my tracks by painful periods I learned to plan my life around that week every month.  “I wanted to raise awareness so that no young girl has to wonder what is wrong with her like I did for so many years,” she says. Yep, exactly what she said. ^^^ “I was told I would never have children naturally, that I only had a 10 to 15 percent of having them in vitro,” she recalls. “When you’re staring down the barrel of your 40th birthday and you hear that you can’t have kids because this disease went unchecked and undiagnosed for so many years, it’s devastating.” ^^^ Yes! This is such a key point. Advanced ...