Author: Bloomin' Uterus

Share Your Story : Tara

| Bloomin' Uterus
Man and woman standing next to a christmas tree

Tara Langdale-Schmidt lives in Florida, and was diagnosed with Endometriosis when she was 11 years old! She also suffers from Vulvodynia.  Now 32, Tara invented a treatment that is helping women who suffer from pelvic pain all over the world. Today she shares her story and struggles, but also shares her victories.

Tara’s Journey: It started when I was 11 with my first surgery. Doctors did not know what was causing my abdomen pain so they the scheduled exploratory surgery. They found a huge cyst which had cut off the blood supply to ovary which killed it. They removed that ovary and tube. This was the first of many surgeries for cysts and endometriosis over the next 20 years.

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October’s Winner!

| Bloomin' Uterus
drawing of a woman wrapped in a towel

Congratulations, Debbie of New Jersey, for winning our October Coloring Contest!  You’re automatically entered to win our Grand Prize: having your design printed on a t-shirt next year!  All profits of the t-shirt sales will go to the Endometriosis Foundation of America.

If you’d like to enter our contest, a winner will be picked every month until April 1, 2017.  And the best part?  Spreading Endo awareness and having fun at the same time!  Who doesn’t like coloring?!?

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Feel Good Fridays!

| Bloomin' Uterus
six-sided dice with question marks instead of numbers

We made it through another week.  And today’s quote is inspired by my first Pain & Stress Management Class I attended this week.  E. Joseph Cossman once said:

“If you want to test your memory, try to recall what you were worrying about one year ago today.”

Worrying a causes stress…stress can cause anxiety and physically manifest as pain.  If you must worry, worry about the things you can control – not the things you cannot change.

For some tips on how to manage some worries, check out Harvard Health’s tips for reducing stress. I’ve since downloaded The Worry Box app for my tablet. 🙂

Happy Friday! And try not to worry this weekend!

~Lisa

Endometriosis & Salt/Sodium

| Bloomin' Uterus
wooden mortar and pestle filled with salt

I enjoy salt.  Love it, actually.  And one night my Jim asked if I thought salt altered my Endometriosis at all.  We’ve all heard too much salt is a bad thing for blood pressure, watch your sodium-intake, blah blah blah…but I didn’t care – I love my salt.  Well, his question stuck with me over the months and it’s finally time to look into it.

I’d always thought salt and sodium were the same thing…nope.  Table salt is a blend of ingredients, including sodium.  Sodium is a natural mineral.   Sodium helps our bodies balance electrolytes and fluids and is mainly stored in our kidneys. We pee out any excess sodium our body doesn’t use.

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Element Wellness Center Endo Event & Fundraiser

| Bloomin' Uterus
Element Wellness Center group photo at presentation

On September 15, 2016, Dr. Ryan Hummel of the Element Wellness Center hosted a fundraiser for our Bloomin’ Uterus Endometriosis Awareness Walk.  Dr. Hummel focused on women’s health and wellness, specifically Endometriosis, pelvic pain, and chiropractic care.  Guest speaker, Katie Monaco, discussed nutrition and its role in health and wellness.  There was a potluck-style dinner, wine tasting, and free chair massages for participants, too.

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Share Your Story : Melinda

| Bloomin' Uterus
Guyanese woman in a blue shirt and necklace

Melinda lives in Guyana in South America and was 35-years-old when she was diagnosed with Endometriosis.  Now 40, she has started an Endometriosis Support Group in her country.  May she bring the government, the women, and the medical professionals together to raise Endo awareness and improve healthcare for the Guyanese citizens!

Melinda’s Journey: 

🌅 Let me begin by thanking Lisa Drayton from Bloomin’ Uterus for giving me that little nudge I needed to start this Endo conversation in Guyana. My journey with Endometriosis has been a long and very painful one.

During the latter half of my teens I started having severe pains, heavy bleeding, bloating, lower back pain and constipation during my menstrual cycle. The pain was so intense I would sometimes faint.

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