Did you know?

Ok so by now you would assume that we'd all be a bit more aware of what causes Endo but here are some facts you may not have considered with your symptoms.

The most common symptom of endometriosis is pain in the lower abdomen or pelvis, or the lower back, mainly during menstrual periods. The amount of pain a woman feels does not depend on how much endometriosis she has. Some women have no pain, even though their disease affects large areas. Other women with endometriosis have severe pain even though they have only a few small growths.

Symptoms of endometriosis can include:

• Very painful menstrual cramps; pain may get worse over time
• Chronic pain in the lower back and pelvis
• Pain during or after sex
• Intestinal pain
• Painful bowel movements or painful urination during menstrual periods
• Spotting or bleeding between menstrual periods
• Infertility or not being able to get pregnant
• Fatigue
• Diarrhea, constipation, bloating, or nausea, especially during menstrual periods

Recent research shows a link between other health problems in women with endometriosis and their families. Some of these include:

• Allergies, asthma, and chemical sensitivities
• Autoimmune diseases, in which the body’s system that fights illness attacks itself instead. These can includehypothyroidism, multiple sclerosis, and lupus.
• Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and fibromyalgia
• Being more likely to get infections and mononucleosis (ma-no-nu-klee-OH-suhs)
• Mitral valve prolapse, a condition in which one of the heart's valves does not close as tightly as normal
• Frequent yeast infections
• Certain cancers, such as ovarian, breast, endocrine, kidney, thyroid, brain, and colon cancers, and melanoma and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma

You might be more likely to get endometriosis if you have:

• Never had children
• Menstrual periods that last more than seven days
• Short menstrual cycles (27 days or less)
• A family member (mother, aunt, sister) with endometriosis
• A health problem that prevents normal passage of menstrual blood flow
• Damage to cells in the pelvis from an infection
• These facts have been brought to you today by (Woman's Health Government Publications)

So here's a quick card if you will listing the possible symptoms. 

Please donate if you can. Thanks in advance.

Please donate if you can. Thanks in advance.

It doesn't matter how little or small. Just know you are making a difference to this cause.

Creating Awareness

I sure many of you are aware that March is Endometriosis Awareness Month. But I don't see why it should stop there. Wouldn't it be great if we each take out on initiative and create something in our home towns to coincide with a festival of some sort such as a Halloween Ball, A mid-term ball, Christmas Ball or Harvest Festival, Thanksgiving Ball all in support of Endo Awareness?

This could be a global thing. All you need to do is get organised and get involved in your own community.

The more awareness we can create the better for everyone.

I'll be back soon with more details. Until then check out our page on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/groups/175752072552900/

Choices

Ah Provera, my somewhat not so good old friend. So we ended up in A&E on Sunday. Firstly, I had to get my day 21 Progesterone blood test & the blood clinic doesn't open at the weekends & secondly because the bleeding had become extremely heavy during the week that I thought I should get it checked out & see if it was some sort of side effect from the Clomid.

Anyway, got the bloods done, turns out I'm also very low in iron & apparently not looking after myself properly according to the nurse & two Doctors I seen in my time at the hospital.

The nurse literally got 2ml of blood from my arm, told me that my veins had collapsed & I was left with a nice set of bruises in the crook of my elbow. After a quick chat with the lab it turns out this is enough to run the test so we we're happy with that.

Then seen two different Doctors. The first got called away to Maternity for an emergency & the second Doctor (John) was so nice & helpful. Went through everything with me & came to the conclusion that my cycle had just been a very short one this month, prescribed Provera 10mg three a day for one week & then back to the Clomid once the new cycle starts.

He answered all of our questions, done an internal exam, checked out my BP, which was alright-ish & gave me a slight lecture about needing to take time for myself, to look after myself properly, not to be basically going along the way I was as my dizziness, weeping, hormones, pain in my lower back, headaches & most likely the length & heaviness of the bleeding is most likely due to stress coupled with the treatment.

So..this week I have been trying to take a step back from certain activities like heavy DIY & lifting. Which to be honest has been very difficult in a way because I pride myself on being a "hands on" person especially around the house. I feel like I'm getting looks from other members of the household that I'm not diving in the way I usually do but I have been up front, they know what's going on. I mean how else does one explain bursting into tears when they are just looked at or asked a very simple question.

I'm on Day 4 of the provera & still waiting on the bleeding to stop. The hormone"strops" are not really easing. I just seem to be like some sort of switch; crying one minute & snapping for absolutely no reason the next. It's a little ridiculous to be honest but I keep reminding myself of the purpose which most of the time keeps me going. I'm very lucky that I have such an understanding partner with me through all of this & that my family do their best to understand that I'm not always going to be bright & bubbly.

Sometimes I feel like my body has been taken over my some foreign entity & I'm getting dragged apart in the process while it has it's evil way with my emotions.

The fact that there is a chance that these treatments may cause more problems for me with the Endo that is still active has not been lost on me. However, there comes a time where we all have to learn to prioritize & now my fertility is more important.

I feel that I've been put in a position through my own choices where I've now had to put any treatment for Endo on the back burner as such & go ahead with fertility treatments in the hope of conceiving. I just trust it's the right choice for us, at this time.