Happy Friday!
Today I’m not going to share a quote…I’m going to share a single word my mother recently shared with me.
Sisu. It’s a word from Finland. Emilia Lahti, PhD, has studied and analyzed the word and James Clear has written the following:
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Parabens are chemicals used as preservatives in consumer products.
If you happen to suffer from Endometriosis, or any other estrogen-driven condition (like breast cancer), please be aware that parabens mimic estrogen. Just like soy. Just like flax. Parabens are an “endocrine disruptor,” which alters our body’s hormone levels. They’ve been found to play a role in breast cancer cell growth, too.
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**Updated 10/29/16: If you live in Guyana and have (or think you have) Endometriosis, there IS an online support group created by a woman living in Georgetown: **
Guyana is a small English-speaking country located on the northeastern coast of South America, next to Venezuela and Brazil. For a size-comparison, it’s slightly smaller than the state of Idaho. It’s estimated that 736,000 people live in Guyana, most of whom reside in or near the capital, Georgetown, . The majority of the country is covered in dense tropical forests. The rest is grasslands, marshes, and cultivated urban areas. Guyana has an 11% unemployment rate, and 35% of the population lives below the poverty line. Unfortunately, nearly 155,000 residents live without electricity.
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Some of you may have read my blog entry about tampons and dioxins which struck up a conversation with one of my friends : what about rayon in clothes?
So, while I began my research I decided to do something different. Rather than write a blog about rayon and the possible exposure to chemicals and dioxin, I decided to just share the links with you. There are many!
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Good morning! And happy Friday!!!
Today is October 21, 2016 – the day for the “Be Bold, Be Bald” cancer awareness and fundraiser campaign. So, while I wear my fancy bald cap in solidarity of my friends and loved ones who are either still fighting cancer, have survived, or have passed on – I’m using today’s festivities as inspiration for today’s quote:
“My silences had not protected me. Your silence will not protect you. But for every real word spoken, for every attempt I had ever made to speak those truths for which I am still seeking, I had made contact with other women while we examined the words to fit a world in which we all believed, bridging our differences.” ~Audre Lorde (who passed in 1992 from liver cancer)
Audre’s words ring true for SO many issues in life. Talk about things: with your friends, your family, your physicians, strangers – bridge those gaps. You have no idea what similarities you share or what insights you may provide.
❤
And have a wonderful weekend!
To any of my EndoWarriors, or friends/family who want to learn about Endometriosis, please sign up for this FREE webinar hosted by the Endometriosis Family Support Group via RMC Charitable Foundation. It will take place on Tuesday, October 25, 2016, at 7:00pm Pacific Standard Time. Dr. Andrew Cook is considered one of the few “excision experts” in California, his office staff are absolutely incredible to talk to, and the Vital Health Institute has been so supportive for our blog’s library.
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One of our local EndoSisters has recently been diagnosed with endometrial polyps, something I know absolutely nothing about. So what happens when I know nothing? I research!
A polyp is an abnormal overgrowth of tissue, usually a lump, bump, or stalky growth (hence the mushrooms above). They’re most commonly found in the colon, but can be found in the uterus (known as uterine or endometrial polyps), cervix, stomach, throat, nose, and ear canal. There can be just one polyp…or there can be lots.
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Today had a stressful beginning for me. So, my stress has inspired today’s Feel Good Friday quote!
It is, of course, written by Frank Herbert, the author of Dune, one of my all-time favorite movies:
“The mind can go either direction under stress—toward positive or toward negative: on or off. Think of it as a spectrum whose extremes are unconsciousness at the negative end and hyperconsciousness at the positive end. The way the mind will lean under stress is strongly influenced by training.”
I had to keep telling myself it will all be okay, that I have the money to handle this and that, to keep breathing, to force the shaking hands and shaky breaths to go away. To think POSITIVE thoughts instead of negative ones.
Yes, car repairs may be costly. But, I have the funds for them. And if the total goes above my means, I’ll find a way. And even better? The repairs may be an easy and cheap fix! I cannot dwell on what I won’t know until next week. Let. It. Go.
Yes, I was late to work because of the car trouble. But, my employer is understanding and will allow me to make up the time. No harm, no foul.
I spun myself up into a stressful little tizzy-ball last night and had trouble falling and staying asleep. If I had embraced the positive thoughts and released the lack of control and stress, I would have slept better. I don’t know what the repairs will cost. And I don’t know what the repairs will entail…until I know, I shouldn’t dwell on it.
Which brings to mind another Frank Herbert Dune quote, “Fear is the mind killer…” Let. It. Go!
What are you dealing with that’s stressful right now? Are you able to find the positive spin? Focus on the known and not the unknown? Try to deflate the sense of urgency and desperation?
I hope you guys have a good weekend! I plan to. 🙂
~Lisa
Well, here I am, alive and doing well! Surgery was on September 21, 2016, and today is my 3-week surgiversary.
In a nutshell : my Endometriosis had returned, bringing with it a leaking cyst and a bunch of adhesions. Endo had also decided to now grow on my bowel (the outer layer of my sigmoid colon) and my ureter (the tube that carries stuff from kidneys to bladder – he had to detach my ureter, clean it up, and reattach it). AND it disappeared from my liver (doc couldn’t find any there this time). He was able to cut out all of my Endometriosis, except for a lesion that is on my diaphragm. He cut away all of my adhesions and put my organs back where they belong. I’ve still got both my ovaries and fallopian tubes. My uterus was stuck to my bowel, my ovaries and tubes were a rat’s nest, and my uterus was also stuck to the right side of my pelvic wall. It just sounds like such a mess…But, he did confirm that my bladder’s exterior AND interior were completely healthy and Endo-free.
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Bloomin' Uterus 