Year: 2015

Share Your Story : Supraneeti

| Bloomin' Uterus
Woman laying down on floor in fetal position

Supraneeti was diagnosed with Endometriosis about a year ago, and has shared her story with us today.  She lives in London and is finding creative ways of expressing herself, our disease, and it’s effect.  Her story, and music video, follow:

I am a fellow Endo-sufferer or shall we say survivor?! I am also a film director and an actress and after being in practical house arrest for more than 5 months, I decided to make a short film in style of a music video.  The most difficult part of my recovery has been the stigma attached to anything to do with lady parts.

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Feel Good Fridays

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metal paperweight that reads what would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?

It’s FRIDAY!  And today’s quote is one of my favorites.  Has been for over a decade.  One day my old employer passed out these metal paperweights with this quote to all of the employees.  I still have mine.  And I still love it.  It really was a driving force in my life.

Robert H. Schuller passed away in April of this year.  He was an American televangelist and motivational speaker:

“What would you do if you knew you could not fail?”

And I leave you with that question to ponder.  Have an answer? Let me know in the comment section below.  And then go do it 😉

Have a wonderful weekend!

Yours,

Lisa

Endometriosis : An Economic Machine

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meme with Fry from Futurama holding up money. Text reads Shut up and take my money!

There are (at best guess) 176 million people born with a uterus worldwide who suffer from Endometriosis.  And it’s estimated that 5 million in the United States have Endometriosis.  1 in 10 supposedly have, or will have, this disease.  One. In. Ten.

An incurable, recurring disease which causes pain and infertility, among many other symptoms.  A revolving door disease which the “Golden Standard” of treatment is either constant prescription medications, or surgery, or both.  And, once removed, it will more than likely grow back and cause the same pain and symptoms, sometimes much worse than before.  And the only tried and true way to diagnosis the disease with with surgery!

So one thing hit me today.  This disease is a driving economic force!  What costs are associated with Endometriosis? As I live in the USA, my curiosity was toward the United States prices.  If you live elsewhere and are curious, I encourage you to figure this out.  For all of you living in the States, let’s find out together!

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Truth, Theory, or Tall Tale?

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two red dice rolling on a green felt table

The treatment that worked to control my Endometriosis will work to control your Endometriosis.

TallTale

We’d all like to think that the medical community has such a hold on Endometriosis that they know which treatments will work for all sufferers.  But, unfortunately, it isn’t so.  It’s kind of a guessing game.

Lupron Depot worked for some, yet doesn’t work at all for other , AND can completely cause severe life-altering, permanent side effects for other patients.

Birth control (pills, injections, IUD, etc.) may work for me, but it may not work for others.

NSAIDs may work for me, but guess what?  Not everyone can feel the benefits of these pills.

A change in diet may work for a lot of EndoWarriors in controlling or suppressing their symptoms, but not every one.

A hysterectomy may work for some, but not all.

Having a child may work for some, but not all.

Excision or ablation surgery may work to alleviate symptoms for many, but not all.

Herbal supplements may help some, but not all.

Eastern medicine, or other non-conventional treatment, may help a lot of patients, but not all.

It’s a crapshoot.  Each one of us who suffers with Endometriosis must decide which course we will take.  Try numerous approaches.  Continue to fight until we (hopefully) find a course of action that helps alleviate the pain and other symptoms of this disease.

And yet, there are some women who have exhausted each of these remedies, but still continue to suffer.  Lost. Hopeless. In pain.

But the one thing we all have in common?  We all have each other.  Hang in there, Warriors.

Feel Good Fridays

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Pen and blank To Do list

It’s FRIDAY! We made it through another week!  And you know what that means…Feel Good Friday!

Today’s quote is by 18th Century composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart:

“The shortest way to do many things is to do only one thing at a time.”

I know that many of you, including myself, have so many goals, bills, hurdles, or challenges!  So many things we’d like or need to do, but are overwhelmed by everything on our plates.  Pick one.  Whether it be the easiest, the fastest, the most pressing, the hardest, the cheapest, or the most fulfilling…just pick one.  Focus on that.

Baby steps.  Complete that “one.”  And then pick the next.

Whittle through the bills.

Go on that long-desired vacation.

Learn to knit.

Clean the bathroom.

Catch up on your favorite TV show.

Take a nap.

Save up money for that surgery.

Get a cat.

Cook dinner.

Conquer the world.

Whatever is on your plate, you can do it.  All of it.  Even if it is just one thing at a time.  Do not overwhelm yourself with the whole picture – focus on one thing at a time, and you will accomplish them all, albeit in time.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Yours, Lisa

Have you heard of scanxiety?

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Scanxiety…?  It’s a term frequently used in the cancer community.  An overwhelming sense of anxiety before a scheduled scan to check if your cancer has come back.  Am I comparing cancer to Endometriosis? No.  I’m simply stealing their well-coined term.

For any of us Endometriosis sufferers who have had any type of relief either from surgery or medicine, there’s always an underlying fear that it will recur at any time.  The doctors tell us there is no cure.  They tell us it will grow back.  There are a few doctors and patients out there who swear that if you remove all of the Endometriosis during an excision surgery, it will not return. But even the best Endo surgeons out there have documented cases of their patients having recurrence of Endo growth.

Perhaps some get lucky and it doesn’t return.  But for many of us, it does.

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Feel Good Friday!

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Sneakers in the grass and the words Just Breathe

It’s been a week since my last blog? A week?

Oh man, what a week it’s been…

My weekend was commandeered with an Endo pain flare-up.

My Jeep had a window smashed and a bag stolen.  It will take 2 weeks for a new window to be installed.

Work has been incredibly busy.

I’m studying for a big exam coming up.

Ugh.  And this is the first time I have a moment to even think about the Bloomin’ Uterus blog.  I’ve missed this release.  But, today…today is Feel Good Friday and I couldn’t miss it!

Today’s quote is by Dr. Steve Maraboli, a life coach and motivational speaker:

“You must learn to let go. Release the stress. You were never in control anyway.”

He’s right.  There’s absolutely nothing I can do about getting the window any faster.  There’s nothing I can do that I haven’t already done about the bag, it’s missing contents, or replacing them.  There’s nothing I can do about the attitudes and habits of bad people who feel the need to violate other people’s things.

I can continue to study for my exam.  And I can get through today.

We’ve made it to another Friday. The end of the week.  The beginning of the weekend.  Take a deep breath. And let it all go.

*whew*

Feel Good Fridays

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Today’s quote is by an unknown person.  A stranger.  An anonymous shadow.

Total self-esteem requires total and unconditional acceptance of yourself. You are a unique and worthy individual, regardless of your mistakes, defeats and failures, despite what others may think, say or feel about you or your behavior. If you truly accept and love yourself, you won’t have a driving need for attention and approval. Self-esteem is a genuine love of self. Stop all adverse value judging of yourself. Stop accepting the adverse value judgments of others. Purge yourself of all condemnation, shame, blame, guilt & remorse.

And it’s meant for you to read. Yes, you.  Let these words sink in.  And begin to embrace you for who you are.  Don’t let the bad thoughts, judgments, and shame drag you down into the muck.  Feel free to be yourself.  And love yourself.

Cataracts? …

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Cataract

So today I had my two-year eye exam.  You know: you go in ever two years to have your eyes checked and your eyeglass prescription updated.

About 8 years ago I learned that I have a benign cataract in my left eye, located just to the outside of my pupil.  My doctor back then told me it’s benign, it doesn’t grow, it just sits there a casts a shadow.  However, it’s not visible to me, and it will never affect my eye sight.  She surmised I was born with it : it may be due to my premature birth (I was 3 1/2 months early) and have likely had it my entire life.  Every two years since, I’d been told by the next doctor that I had a benign cataract on my left eye, and that it was just sitting there, doing nothing.

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