I absolutely cannot believe it’s August already. This year has flown by. And what a weird year, indeed.
So here’s my July pain, symptom, and diet tracker.
I’ve had A LOT less pain in July. And also skipped my period, which may explain that (plus the benefits of my excision surgery). But when I did have pain, it was on both the lower right side and lower left side of my lower abdomen (pain ranged from 2-8 out of 10). I also had some lower abdomen pain, like uterine cramping for a few days (1-3 out of 10) with mirrored lower back pain. And I went through the emotional gambit of a period, even though I was blood-less.
I still what what I call “Shifty Poo Pain” from time to time, which is that glass-guts feeling that makes it way through the middle of my guts and especially prevalent on the left side of my guts before I poo. Once I have shifty-poo pain, I usually poop within 20 minutes. Glass-Guts shifty pre-poo pain ranged from a 3-9 out of 10.
And the act of dropping a deuce itself? Now that depends. My graphs have evolved to better help me process (haha there’s a pun in there somewhere) the information!
Of the 50 times I pooped in July, a third of it was diarrhea.
And of the regular poos, here’s my pain levels on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the WORST pain EVER). A not-so-whopping 22% of my poopin’ caused me 0 pain:
And of the Liquid Shits (aka MudButt aka Diarrhea), the majority (64%) remained painless:
Why did I alter my Poopy Pain charts? I have my consult on September 1st to discuss ongoing symptoms regarding the deep-infiltrating Endometriosis on my sigmoid colon and I wanted to arm myself with statistics. My own statistics. 🙂
All-in-all, I’m pleased with July’s outcome. I’m sad about the ongoing glass-guts feeling, but take heart in knowing I have an appointment in September to discuss it.
Another week is over. July is over! How was your month? How are you feeling?
I’ve had a long, busy, difficult week. It’s my first week back at the office since the Covid-19 lockdown. And it’s been long hours with client interviews. I know that so many of us have been so so very much.
Today’s quote may be a reflection of what you and I have been through in our own individual life experiences:
“It has been said, ‘time heals all wounds.’ I do not agree. The wounds remain. In time, the mind, protecting its sanity, covers them with scar tissue and the pain lessens. But it is never gone.” ― Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy
Whatever pain it is that may be “encased” in a protective film of defense or protection, may we each strive to slowly peel it free and cope. If you ever need someone to talk to, I’m always here.
We are strong. We are capable. And whatever it is we may be going through, we will endure.
Good morning, Readers! Welcome to another Friday. ALREADY!
A good friend of mine mentioned yesterday that she bought that hardening chocolate ice cream syrup to treat herself. She realized she needed to be nicer to herself. And treating herself was okay.
Today’s quote is sort of my 2020 New Year’s Resolution. And brought home moreso by my friend’s story yesterday.
Love yourself. Know that you’re worth it. Try to avoid self-deprecating thoughts and talk. Treat yourself well.
I decided earlier this year that I was going to invest in my health. Try to stop buying little things and fancy baubles and clothes and toys and books. And start buying things that may help me and my health.
I’ve invested in a veggie spiralizer and have enjoyed sweet potato and zucchini noodles.
I hired a personal trainer after my surgery restrictions lifted and “see” her once a week. C-19 has put us into virtual mode. The rest of the week I use her hybrid program and smartphone app.
I’ve learned to propagate my succulents and am filling my life with beautiful, happy li’l plants.
I go to acupuncture twice a month.
I finally purchased and take supplements/vitamins better targeted for my body, including DIM SGS, n-acetylcysteine, a great probiotic, an organic women’s multivitamin, calcium, iodine, curcumin, additional Vitamin D3, and fiber. I even purchased the Chinese herb tincture at my last acupuncture appointment to try to level out some menstrual-phase issues I’m having.
And I most recently acquired a personal at-home blood pressure monitor.
And it’s been wonderful. Now, the second any of these treats-to-myself become a financial difficulty or burden, I will stop. But for now? It’s been great. I really have enjoyed treating myself. Especially to something that may help me greater in the long-run.
Whether it be chocolate syrup, a good book, a piece of nostalgia, renting a movie, or WHATEVER – what’s your favorite thing to treat yourself? Share in the comments below! 🙂
And have a beautiful weekend. You’re worth it. All of it.
Maggie Flood is a good friend of mine, and an EndoWarrior in our local San Diego group. She’s also a licensed Acupuncturist, certified Sexological Bodyworker and holistic pelvic care practitioner.
She’s put together and is hosting a six-week course on resetting your pelvic floor…and so much more. It will use Zoom for weekly meetings (which will be recorded if you can’t attend live), downloadable meditations, exercises, journaling homework, and a support community of fellow participants.
A course description:
“Pelvic Reset is a 6 week long assisted journey to guide you back to your body, uterus and root. As this course is open to all women and those with vulvas who wish to reconnect with themselves, it is especially useful for those coping with pelvic pain or female-bodied sexual dysfunction. Within this 6 week program you’ll learn the basics of embodiment, nervous system self-regulation, how to use pleasure for healing, lineage mapping your womb space, as well as new and ancient medicinal techniques to manage pain and heal from surgery or trauma. This course is designed to bring you into a new experience of your sexuality and relationship to your pelvic floor. A very special reset button, indeed.”
For more information, and to register, please check out her site. There’s a registration fee, but if you’re not happy with the program within 30 days, there’s a money back guarantee.
I’ve vowed to invest in my health this year, so I’ve already signed up. I just wanted to share in case this interested some of you.
Wow. It’s already July. I’m so far behind! Hahaha. Well, I wanted to catch up! So, here’s my pain journals for March through June of 2020!
One big shebang! Then I’ll get back on track of my monthly publishing!
March was ongoing pain on both the lower left and lower ride sides of my lower abs (a 4 out of 10), more intense on my period (6 out of 10). Sex and bowel movements were both with and without pain.
April also had the same ongoing pain, but the poopin’ hurt a lot less. The lower abdominal pain also intensified while I was on my period, reaching a 7 out of 10.
May’s pain journal looks terrifying. But it’s also my surgery-month. So, a lot of the pain and discomfort was post-op. But before surgery, lower abdominal pain was about a 4-6 out of 10. While on my period, that number soared to a 9 out of 10. On my period I also had mirrored lower back pain and painful urination. After surgery, I attribute most of the pain (including bowel pain) to healing from the procedure. Everything was angry.
June may still have been a lot of healing/recovery pain from surgery. Sex hurt. Poopin’ hurt (sometimes a 9 out of 10 glass-through-the-guts feeling), and a lot of lower abdominal pain. My period was a doozy and required two halves of Tramadol to control. June had a lot of pain with what I call “shifty poo pain”…pain that usually happens several minutes before I poo. Again, glass through guts. Almost always on the lower left side.
This has been a sit, wait, watch, and hope process. July’s pain journal has it’s own ups and downs (you’ll see at the end of this month), but I’m still watching, waiting, and hoping.
Below are the slideshows if you care to see my daily journals for each month.
And following are my poopy-graphs, if you’re a visual person and care to follow the pain with poopin’ journal (clicking on a month will download a PDF file). You’ll notice some painful poos in March and April, but an insane amount after the May 13th surgery. I would like to think it’s just healin’ guts…only time will tell.
Do you track your symptoms and share your trackers with your healthcare providers? If so, what do you use? Leave me a comment below! Let me know your system!
Nicole Tamillo sportin’ her nausea ReliefBand with her cat, Meeko
Do you suffer from nausea? Did you know there’s a drug-free device that may help ease those symptoms? What??
First, an introduction: If you follow the Bloomin’ Uterus Instagram account, you’ve “met” Nicole Tamillo. She’s my friend, confidant, an Admin of our Facebook group, and fellow EndoWarrior. And she is far more tech savvy than I!
Anyway, one of Nicole’s major symptoms when she’s having an Endo-flare is nausea. Extreme nausea. I had heard about a wristband that may help with nausea, so I reached out to the company to see if it would help with Endo-induced nausea. The wonderful folks at ReliefBand offered to send her a complimentary ReliefBand Premier to try out for her Endo-nausea. HOW AMAZING!!! Nicole and I wanted to share her unbiased review, thoughts, results, and excitement with you:
Hello! My name is Nicole Tamillo. I am 27 years old. I was officially diagnosed with Endometriosis at the beginning of 2017 with laparoscopic surgery. Although I experience many different endometriosis symptoms, my two biggest complaints are pain and NAUSEA! My pain can range from uncomfortable to unbearable, but I can normally get through it with minimal complaining. Now nausea on the other hand…. nausea is the bane of my existence. I have self-diagnosed Emetophobia. What is that you ask? EXTREME fear of vomiting. I REPEAT EXTREME FEAR OF VOMITING. I am not talking about being uncomfortable with vomiting, I am talking about full-blown panic mode!! So when endometriosis causes nausea I can not function as a human being. All I can do is lay in the fetal position on my bathroom floor. And the anxiety that comes from nausea only increases my pain. It becomes a vicious vicious cycle. And I have tried so many different things to try and lessen the severity of my nausea. I have tried OTC medications, essential oils, teas, ginger chews, pressure point wristbands, and prescription medicines. But once my nausea has hit, there is no stopping it until it runs its course. That is until I tried the ReliefBand 2.0 (aka the ReliefBand Premier)!Â
The ReliefBand 2.0 is a class II neuromodulation device that is cleared by the FDA for the treatment of nausea.Â
How does it work?
When the device is in place on your wrist and turned on, gentle pulses stimulate the median nerve at the P6 location located on the underside of the wrist. This nerve is connected to the nerve in the brain that controls nausea. When stimulated using neuromodulation the brain signals the stomach to reduce nausea. The signals have a rebalancing effect normalizing nerve messages from the brain to the stomach reducing symptoms of nausea, retching, and vomiting.
What does it work for?
The device has been clinically tested to relieve nausea, retching and vomiting associated with motion sickness, morning sickness, chemotherapy, postoperative, and vertigo. In addition, they’ve received FDA clearance this year to also treat nausea and vomiting associated with anxiety, physician diagnosed migraines, and hangovers!
How to use:
1. Finding the starting area (P6) on the wrist. You can use either wrist. It is approximately two fingers down from the wrist crease, between the two tendons.Â
2. Clean the area and apply the provided conductive gel. You only need a thin layer about the size of a large coin.
3. Put the device on and adjust to line up the contact over the gel on the P6 location. Fasten device snugly.
4. Activate the device by pressing and holding the power on button. Adjust the intensity by using the up or down buttons. You should feel a slight “tingling” sensation in the palm or middle fingers.Â
After using the Reliefband 2.0 for a few months, I can honestly say that it has helped me tremendously! I can’t imagine battling a major endometriosis flare-up without it. Although, it hasn’t been clinically proven to reduce nausea associated with endometriosis, I believe that it can make a big difference for women battling nausea related to endometriosis.Â
Pros:Â
It looks like any other fitness tracker. It has a sleek look and doesn’t stand out.
It is rechargeable.
Easily kept in your purse or bag for unexpected nausea episodes.
The intensity is adjustable
FDA Cleared
Drug-Free!
Latex Free
Fast Acting
No Side Effects
Cons:
The price point: $224.99. It is on the steep side.
When not used for a while it will die. So if you have a sudden spell of nausea and haven’t used it for a while, you will have to charge it before using it.
In my opinion, the pros definitely outweigh the cons! And the company provides a 30-day money-back guarantee.Â
**
If nausea is something you suffer from, have you tried the ReliefBand? They have two different models at two different prices. If you’ve tried it, we’d love to hear your experience in the comments below. Did it work? Did it not work? What else helps with your nausea? Home remedies? Pharmaceuticals? Anything? Share!
I’d like to send a HUGE thank you to ReliefBand for their interest in helping a friend. And Nicole for opening up, making herself vulnerable, and sharing her symptoms and experience! I’m so glad it has helped you!!!
I’ve been under a lot of stress recently, as I’m sure so many of us have. Yesterday was my breaking point of tears and I was left physically exhausted.
The Great Flood of May 2020 may soon be repaired. The insurance adjuster approved the contractor’s estimate, the check is in th mail, and the contract has been signed. Long conversations, lots of questions, and uncertainty for months finally closed.
Our front patio needs to be redone or the park manager will fine us. So, my husband has taken over that endeavor.
Our cats were shaved yesterday due to matting. A long one-hour process of hissing and howling. Emotionally exhausting right there.
I broke down. Wiped out. And I’m still dealing with shifty-poo pain and glass-guts whenever I poo, which leads to that li’l bug at the back of my brain telling me that the bowel resection may still need to occur.
Stress. Uncertainty. So many of us harbor so much of it.
So, today’s quote is something I really need to take to heart, repeat over and over, and hold onto:
“If the problem can be solved why worry? If the problem cannot be solved worrying will do you no good.” ~Shantideva
Savage Race participants help other racers make it to the top of the Colossus during the Georgia Spring 2015 Savage Race in Dallas, Ga., April 18, 2015. The Colossus was a giant 43-foot wall and one of the hardest obstacles in the course. Adding to the difficulty of it being one of the final obstacles, runners had to sprint up the barrier after they’d already sledged through more than four miles in the mud, before grabbing a rope. They would then pull themselves up to the top of the fortification. The Savage Race is an Air Force Reserve sponsored obstacle course that challenges participants in more than 20 different trials over the course of five miles. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Daniel Phelps)
Hello Readers and Friends!
How is it Friday again? So quickly? How has your week been? Your month? Your year? Do share in the comments below!
It’s been a whirlwind week for me. I started my period. It was intense for the first two days. Not uterine cramping; no that was nearly non-existent.
Instead, I had the intense, oh-so-familiar pain on the left side of my lower abdomen, the hot poker, the rebar shoved straight through my body. Intense (and I mean a 9 out of 10 intense) pain. The ol’ familiar pre-surgery pain. The kind of pain where I needed to pop half a Tramadol, and another the next day. *sigh*
For all I know, I’m still healing from surgery. But the darker side of me fears it’s the deep-infiltrating Endometriosis that remains on my sigmoid colon. And it’s put me into a funk. Lots of sadness, loathing, fear, hopelessness.
So I leaned on my support group. I’m the Admin. The founder. The creator of the group. And still it feels wonderful to be able to be so open and vulnerable to those whom I love and share these struggles with. I never feel judged or pitied or anything less than loved. And I’m grateful. Their words of support and encouragement pulled me a smidge out of my funk. Gave me something to hang onto while I was drowning in a sea of self-pity and mourning.
So, today’s quote is inspired by the endless struggle many of us share. And struggles that you have I may not be aware of. It’s not all about Endometriosis:
“Facing it, always facing it, that’s the way to get through. Face it.”
― Conrad Joseph
May we all have the courage to continue to push on. Forge ahead. FACE IT. Head on. And fueled with whatever drive we need. And we face it, together.
