Are you tired of just living with your endometriosis? I was too. This site is all about my journey to not only live with endometriosis but to thrive with it.
I am hoping that by sharing my journey that I can help others to thrive as well!
18/03/2021
Sorry just had to share this one of my little guy! He is too stinkin cute! đđ
And loving his look in his new overalls and hat!
He is finally getting to an age where we can get outside and enjoy the mountains, rivers, and lakes! Summer cannot get here soon enough! đ
#406 đ
11/03/2021
Reminiscing about the days when I truly had my endo symptoms managed. I was following The Endo Diet pretty strictly for the most part. I had a ton of energy, manageable periods, my skin and hair looked healthy.
I remember it took me a year of really hard work to get to that point. But every sacrifice and inconvenience were totally worth it.
I'm posting this photo with the hope it will help me get motivated again. đ€
P.S. isn't my mom a hottie?! đ„đ„
10/03/2021
My why! đđđ
Day 2 of my period is the worst! If I could just stay in bed all curled up in a ball I probably would.
But I have a one year old who loves being outside. The pure joy on his face makes it worth it to get up and endure the pain! Thanks for being my motivation little man!!
Those who suffer from chronic illness know there is a lot of guilt associated with it. Worrying and feeling guilt can take up way too much energy. But how do you learn to cope with that guilt so you can conserve your energy?
Read more to find out how I cope with my chronic illness guilt: How To Cope
We all feel a bit of guilt when we spend a day lounging on the couch or in bed watching Netflix instead of being productive. But what about when it is multiple days in a row? Because you are in too much pain or just too fatigued to do anything? If you suffer from aâŠ
04/03/2021
March is Endometriosis Awareness Month! Let's get the word out there s we can see more funding and more research go towards the treatment of Endometriosis! Share this informational video to start getting the word out there!
When I was 17 years old my doctor recommended that I get pregnant to treat my endometriosis symptoms! Obviously, that was a crazy idea!
Read the full story here:
I started having severe stomach symptoms when I was 13. After seeing, well, I donât know how many doctors, having I donât know how many tests, being told I was anorexic, being told I was gluten intolerant (this was WAY before being gluten intolerant was a thing), being told I probably have cance...
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I am guessing the most common response you hear when telling friends, family or even complete strangers that you just randomly decided to overshare with that you have Endometriosis is âEndo what?â or âWhat is Endometriosis? Did I say that right?â
Yeah, I get that a lot too. And I usually donât mind explaining what it is⊠to women⊠that I know well, but talk about awkward when you are explaining it to a boyfriend, your brother or your male co-worker. So I used to downplay it and say âoh, itâs just a woman thing that hurts sometimes.â
Eventually, I started to wonder why I couldnât talk about it. Why was it embarrassing to tell people about something I was dealing with every day?
Basically, endo is your uterus tissue lining going rogue on you. This tissue is supposed to stay inside your uterus but when you have endo, it decides to pop up in other places like your ovaries, fallopian tubes. For most women, the rogue tissue stays in the pelvic region but for some lucky women, it can spread further.
Currently, the exact cause of endometriosis is not certain.
Symptoms of Endometriosis
Because this tissue is in places it isnât supposed to be, it has no way to exit your body like your uterine tissue does. And because this tissue is trapped inside of you and is in places it isnât supposed to be it causes pain â pain with your period, pain with s*x, pain with bowel movements and urination, pain on a random Tuesday for no reason. Basically, it is just a lot of pain. On top of just regular pain, endo can also cause cysts, usually on your ovaries, which are also painful.
Unfortunately, the level of your pain is not necessarily an indicator of the severity of your endo. Some people have mild endometriosis with extreme pain while others have little or no pain with advanced endometriosis.
And if just being in pain were not enough, endo can cause all sorts of problems. Sounds super fun, right? Other symptoms of endometriosis include:
Painful Periods (Shocking! More pain!) â pelvic pain and cramping can begin before your period and can extend several days into your period. You also may experience lower back and abdominal pain. This is also called dysmenorrhea.
Pain with In*******se â It is common for there to be pain during or after s*x.
Pain with Bowel Movements or Urination (Are you sensing a theme here?) â These are most likely to occur during your period.
Excessive Bleeding â Many with endometriosis experience heavy periods or bleeding between periods.
Infertility â Many women have trouble becoming pregnant with endometriosis and some are not able to become pregnant at all.
Higher Rates of Ovarian Cancer
Fatigue, diarrhea, constipation, bloating or nausea, ovarian cysts..
This is by no means an all-encompassing list of the symptoms of endometriosis. And donât even get me started on the side effects of treatments for endometriosis (we will save that for another day!)
Since endometriosis has all sorts of symptoms it often gets mistaken for other conditions.
Here is a list of a bunch of conditions that a doctor is going to tell you you have that are not endo:
Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID)
Ovarian Cysts
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
Food Allergies
Anything but Endometriosis!
So why is it so damn hard to diagnose Endometriosis?
Since your doctor is probably going to tell you that you have a whole bunch of other conditions before finally diagnosing your endo, you are probably wondering âWhy is it so damn hard to diagnose endometriosis?â
Honestly, I am not sure.
To my knowledge, endometriosis can only definitively be diagnosed through an exploratory surgery called Laparoscopy. This surgery allows your doctor to view inside your abdomen to determine the location, extent, and size of the endometrial implants. Typically, during the laparoscopy, your doctor will treat the endometriosis by removing it.
Describing Endometriosis
I know that is a lot to explain to some. Especially if it is your boyfriend or brother or male co-worker. But I think if someone really cares about you they should be able to suck it up and be mature for long enough for you to explain what is going on. Endometriosis can feel like an invisible disease because it doesnât have a lot of outside symptoms and people tend to downplay how much cramps can really hurt. Letâs tell people about it and make it a little less invisible!
