Ignoring it won't make it go away.

Hi guys,

So I've had a lot of people over the years tell me that they had recognised the symptoms of Endo but honestly thought it would just "go away" on it's own if they ignored it. That somehow their brain would convince the body they weren't ill, that the growths would fade away as if they'd never been. Mainly that the PAIN would just magically disappear.

The amount of women I've heard of that didn't realise there was anything wrong with them until they tried to conceive (TTC) and thought over the years that they had to suffer through the pain. That this was even normal for them.

Well it's not! Endo signs and symptoms should not be ignored. I am living proof that it can be genetic, it's run through three generations of my family that we know of. It could go back even further. But as women used to have larger families there is a body of thought that these continuous phases of pregnancies actually prevented the Endometriosis from growing. I'm not saying it's fact just something I've come across and in fact several Doctors have advised pregnancy as a treatment to me since the age of eighteen right up until now.

I think it's time to reiterate the signs and symptoms that should not and can not be ignored. For the sake of your quality of life, get checked out as soon as you think there might be something amiss. Better to see your G.P and go through your symptoms even if they turn out to be mild or not Endo rather than face years of pain and suffering only to find out you could have tried treatments sooner. Not there is no "cure" for Endo only treatments and each woman will vary in what works for them. Some women unfortunately may never find a treatment that suits and can end up having a hysterectomy like my Mum to rid herself of the pain or be on medication until Menopause kicks in and their symptoms ease with this "change".

Again some women will never find themselves in a pain free situation but will learn to live with the pain, surgeries, side effects of treatments and so on.

What I am telling you is, DO NOT IGNORE these signs.

Although there is no cure, again there is a body of thought that dictates earlier detection results in managing Endo a lot better than someone suffering for years and years allowing the growths, cysts and even fibroids to grow and grow and grow. There a groups such as Juneau Biosciences who are trying to identify a gene that could be responsible for women "activating" their Endo. All they ask for is a saliva sample and a record of your diagnosis, surgeries and blood work. You will find their link to the right.

They are trying to create a test, for young girls to detect Endo early and hopefully get them on a treatment plan before the effects kick in.

So the signs you are not to push away and say "oh I'll have that checked tomorrow" are;

• Painful periods (dysmenorrhea). Pelvic pain and cramping may begin before and extend several days into your period and may include lower back and abdominal pain.
• Pain with intercourse. Pain during or after sex is common with Endometriosis.
• Pain with bowel movements or urination. You're most likely to experience these symptoms during your period.
• Excessive bleeding. You may experience occasional heavy periods (menorrhagia) or bleeding between periods (menometrorrhagia).
• Infertility. Endometriosis is first diagnosed in some women who are seeking treatment for infertility.
• Other symptoms. You may also experience fatigue, diarrhea, constipation, bloating or nausea, especially during menstrual periods

The severity of your pain isn't necessarily a reliable indicator of the extent of the condition. Some women with mild Endometriosis have extensive pain, while others with advanced Endometriosis may have little pain or even no pain at all.

Endometriosis is sometimes mistaken for other conditions that can cause pelvic pain, such as pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) or ovarian cysts. It may be confused with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a condition that causes bouts of diarrhea, constipation and abdominal cramping. IBS can accompany Endometriosis, which can complicate the diagnosis.

When to see a doctor

See your doctor if you have signs and symptoms that may indicate Endometriosis. The cause of chronic or severe pelvic pain may be difficult to pinpoint. But discovering the problem early may help you avoid unnecessary complications and pain.

(This information has been brought to you by the Mayo Clinic)

As always, love to all of my Endo Sisters. Stay strong. 

Trying group therapy

Hi guys,

So yesterday I attended my very first group therapy session. I admit I was extremely nervous waiting around to leave the house for it but honestly the scariest part for me was the actual getting there.

All of these random thoughts running through my mind about what the place would be like, the other people attending and would it be like one of those soap opera type "group sessions" where we all have to stand up and say why we are here. But no, in reality it was much calmer and a lot easier to get into.

The session lasted an hour once we got going, one lady couldn't find the place and arrived twenty minutes after we were supposed to start but it was her lucky day, in the sense that we got started almost forty minutes late. There were six of us, all female in the group this week and we were not pressured to talk but just listened to the moderator explain what to expect in the coming weeks, the "course" is eight weeks long.

So our first two weeks are going to be focused on "Mindfulness therapy". This apparently is sweeping across the Country and sounds kind of funny at first but when you really look at it, it's just basically helping us to live in the present moment and not be thinking about the past or the future.

I'm hoping this course will help me learn some coping tips for the anxiety I am suffering and in turn help me to combat the stresses of daily life.

I think whether or nor you are an Endo sufferer in particular you can benefit from this kind of thinking.
Anyway, it's just a quick post to let you know how I'm doing.

Stay strong my Endo Sisters,
Much love.

Relaxation??

I've talked a lot about treatments, symptoms & in general how living with Endometriosis  makes me feel but I haven't really gone through any tips/tricks for "coping" with this disease.
A low stress life it obviously ideal for anyone but very few actually have one. We all suffer from some form of stress in our daily lives.

So what do we do when we're having a rough day, feeling crap, going through side-effects, having a really bad day, week or month?
Wishing you could be off on a tropical island somewhere is great, even better if you happen to have one you can go to. But for daily de-stressing do we really take enough time for ourselves? Probably not if your anything like me, you're lucky if you feel "selfish" enough to take a long bath never mind actually taking time for yourself, for your own needs & doing things purely because it helps you to deal with stress, strains or just to enable you to actually feel a bit better about your situation.

This is not said to just those Endo sufferers out there but also to everyone who has someone in their lives with this "invisible disease", those who are supporting their loved ones & just in general everyone who does not take the time to look after their physical, emotional & mental health.

What you chose to help relax yourself is up to the individual. Whether, it's meditation, yoga, deep breathing, visualization, massage or some other technique. It's all about figuring out what suits YOU.

Remember this though; Relaxation can only occur if we are not constantly worrying what other people are saying or doing.

I'm not in any way saying just dismiss people if they happen to criticize you but rather to not let it disturb your inner calm. Learn how to deal with the negative along with the positive & you will be able to de-stress & relax a lot easier. trust me. I have spent far too long listening or worrying about what other's say & think about me & this led to a panic disorder getting way out of control, to the point I couldn't leave the house & then my bedroom became the only place I felt truly safe. I had to lock the door even during the day. I just couldn't cope with the outside world or the world of my home. This was an extreme situation with extreme circumstances that I wont delve into here but just know that it is so important to deal with your mental & emotional health when you feel those first cracks & not to leave it or push it to the back of your mind thinking things will fix themselves or "I'm just having a bad day today" which turns into a week & month & so on.

I'm not saying we all don't get those bad days & they are literally just a day but if it's an ongoing situation you really should talk to someone or get checked out by your G.P.

As far as "coping" with Endo goes I really can't say how you do it. 

For me, every decision has been taken one step at a time. I've gone with my gut instinct on most & maybe some where wrong. I mean I certainly have regrets. For instance, I somehow had it in my head that at eighteen by the time I was twenty five I wouldn't be suffering as badly, that the pain would have gone, I wouldn't have these issues with my health any more. Oh how wrong I was & at about three years into dealing with surgeries, treatments and what not I completely broke down realizing it was a much longer road ahead than I had first anticipated.

Now, I try to talk each day as it comes, certainly talk more to my loved ones and supporters. Of course I get stressed and worried but I cannot predict the future so therefore I've have to take a small step back and as my Mum says "what's for you won't pass you".

Would I love to be a Mother? Yes! But there are still plenty of options out there for us.

Would I love to not have pain daily? Why of course, but the reality is quite different.

I'm trying to take as much positivity as I can each day and for me that's how I get through. It doesn't mean that there aren't days I'm curled up crying from the pain or that I have down day's where I just feel overwhelmed because I don't know what will happen at my next appointment or even the next month but the trick for me is my inner strength and talking to those around me who love and support me.

Just try take some time for yourself and find out what relaxation technique best suits YOU!

Stay positive and strong my beloved Endo Sisters. I wish you all well.

)O(

Rough patch

Hi guys,

Apologies for not writing as much of late. Have been having a really crappy time. Between the Endo an my OBGYN appointment not until July, bad bad pains in the ovary area which are reminding me of the times I had cysts burst and my passing out not getting sorted yet I've just not had any time to sit and write.

I had to see a Neurologist last week for the passing out/ fainting/ black outs I've been having since last August. We can't seem to find a trigger or possible reason at the moment for these. I'll be completely honest here I'm also struggling with PTSD (Post-traumatic stress disorder), an anxiety disorder plus my Endo which causes me pain daily. Pain that I've learned to live with to a certain extent.

As a Doctor once said to me "You can only judge your bad pain from your last worst episode". Basically we build up a certain tolerance emphasis on the certain. Don't get me wrong it's not a method I've consciously used to diminish my pain it's just very true to a point that you can only base your worst day/pain on the last really bad one.

For me, the pain can be familiar and also can be like a new person that I've just met and don't click with.

The passing out has added a lot of stress for me and my family which consists of my partner, Mum and younger Sister. Well plus six wonderful kitty cats but they are not too effected by the whole thing.

I just want you to bear with me please at the moment I will have the blog up and running smoothly we hope again very soon. I am attending a group therapy session tomorrow, my first ever and am slightly nervous but at the same time looking forward to some positive progress. This group is to help people cope with anxiety and stress and covers a wide base of people and their individual health problems. I have been told that the stresses we all endure will have some sort of common link. Such as how we feel, rather than focusing on our illness. It's something I haven't tried and am willing to keep an open mind about.

I shall post and let you all know how it goes. Thanks again for reading and bearing with me and remember you are not alone. To all my Endo Sister's I hope you are coping as well as you can and wish you lots of healing positivity.

Stay strong.

Once of my Sister's shared this a few weeks ago with me and I love it! Feel free to borrow :-)