Good morning! Happy Friday! 2020 is almost behind us (already?!?). And what a year it’s been.
Some time ago, I met an old man. I don’t remember where or how, but we made pleasant small talk and there were smiles. As we parted ways, he turned around, walked back to me, and reached into his pocket.
“You deserve this,” he told me as he held a small business card out. And it read:
“You are unique. You are wonderful. And you are important to this world.”
He smiled once more, and I never saw him again.
It was such a sweet and gentle reminder that I am those things. And for it to come, unbidden, from a stranger. There’s nothing else on the card: no advertisement, no business name, no contact information, no religious affiliation; nothing. Just a card with some beautiful affirming words that I apparently really needed to let sink in.
I love it so much that it sits in a little catch-all on the dashboard of my car. And I looked over on my drive to work today and the text peeked out from beneath my dusty sunglasses. I had forgotten about the card, the man, and the affect on my life.
Well, today, let his words and intent be reborn.
And that you are unique, wonderful, and important to this world.
You truly are.
Much love to you,
Lisa.
Blogs I updated this week:
Added an Oct. 2020 study of a 32-year-old woman who had complaints of abdominal pain. Physical tests were normal. A CT scan showed an enlarged appendix. An appendectomy was performed and while the appendix looked like a normal case of appendicitis, the pathologist found microscopic Endometriosis.
- Added my own rectosigmoid junction bowel endometriosis experience and surgery.
- Added an Oct. 2020 study of a woman who was bleeding from her rectum, had lower left quadrant pain, nausea, and vomiting. These symptoms developed over the course of one week. Turns out she had a large mass within her rectosigmoid junction that a biopsy revealed was Endometriosis.
- Added another Oct. 2020 study of a woman who went to the ER with complaints of lower abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. She was treated for a small bowel obstruction, suspected Crohn’s disease, and sent home. Several months later, there was no improvement. Due to her worsening symptoms, she underwent a bowel resection surgery and pathology of the tissue confirmed Endometriosis.
- Added a third Oct. 2020 study of a woman whose imaging studies were “abnormal.” She had cyst on her left kidney and a mass on her cecum. Surgery found the cecum to be twisted and it was removed. Pathology found “extensive endometriosis of the colonic wall” as well as two lymph nodes.
- Added a Nov. 2020 study of a 40-year-old woman with a painful lump that showed up in her belly button out of the blue. It would hurt and bleed days before her period, and continue to bleed for the duration!
- Also added a Dec. 2020 study of 45-year-old woman who developed a hard lump inside her belly button. Imaging studies confirmed the lump’s presence and it was surgically removed. Yep. A hard lumpy mass of umbilical Endo (aka Villar’s Nodule) was diagnosed. Five years later, and zero treatment, and the patient had no further symptoms.
Bloomin' Uterus 