A procedure that is considered less-invasive than a laparotomy. May be referred to as “keyhole” or “minimally-invasive.” May be robotic-assisted, such as with a Da Vinci machine.
So, with surgery a week away, I met with my gyno/surgeon yesterday for my pre-op (you may have already read the details). But as I was driving to work today, I realized I forgot to mention one important fact. One that he mentioned to me the second I sat down in his office, before we got to the nitty-gritty.
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I have heard from several EndoWarriors that they suffer from leg pain; whether it be their hips, upper thighs, or radiating pain down their leg(s). Today we delve a bit deeper into leg pain complaints and Endo. Have upper leg pain? Lower back pain? Tailbone pain? So do a lot of people…but so do a LOT of women with Endometriosis. A 2011 study surveyed 94 people with Endometriosis. Of them, 51% complained of leg pain. Cysts may also be contributing to leg and lower back pain. And although you may have some of these symptoms and think you have sciatic Endometriosis…please be aware that it is considered incredibly rare. And it may just be that your symptoms are a result of pelvic floor muscles being too tight (pelvic floor therapy may help) OR that adhesions and/or Endometriosis has pulled your anatomy out of whack. But, please, do read on:
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This morning I found out Surgery No. 2 is imminent, thanks to my Endometriosis. The date will be sometime in September; I’ll know more in a few days. I met with my doctor today to discuss my ongoing symptoms and worsening pain. After a long talk and history, an a transvaginal ultrasound (OUCH), and another looooong talk in his office: he felt it’s time to peek under the hood. I knew going in today that the surgical option was likely it. I wish we could tell if it was present in other ways. But nope. My CT was normal. My US was normal. But, as you and I both know, it may not always show up on imaging studies. My symptom history is what convinced him:
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So, WordPress shows me a lot of the searches that people run that lead them to my site. One has recently come up again and again. “Cervical Endometriosis” and “Endometriosis on Cervix.”
Seeing as I’ve never touched up on that particular location, I figured I would today!
What are the symptoms? How are you diagnosed? What’s the treatment?
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Alex lives in New Zealand and was diagnosed with Endometriosis when she was 14.
Alex’s Journey: Well at the age of 14 I was seen by my specialist after going into hospital 2 with in a few weeks with abdo pain… She said I’ll see you for surgery so she did! Adhesions, endo and appendix.
By the time I was 18 I was back to square 1, pain killers are useless to this day. I have seen specialists around the country for other opinions…
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Alexandra is a fellow blogger out of Brisbane, Australia. Today she share’s her Endometriosis journey with us. She was diagnosed when she was 20, and now five years later here she goes, starting us out with a *bang*:
Alexandra’s Journey: “Uterus.” There, I said it! Uterus! Periods. Ovaries. Fallopian Tubes. Bleeding. Tampon. Rectum. Hormones. Bladder. Cervix. Menstruation. Vagina. Discharge. Pelvis. Pads. Endometriosis. Awkward.
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Jen reached out to us to share her story about her diagnosis with Endometriosis. Now seven years after she found out she had the disease, see how she’s doing today…AND if you’re in the Sarasota, FL, area and hosting any Endo events or need a local EndoSister, here’s your gal!
Jen’s Journey: I was 23 when I was diagnosed with endometriosis, it took Doctors 5 years to diagnose me, I was lucky it wasn’t longer like most. I never had bad periods, but I did have extreme cramping & headaches. I feel pregnant a lot of the time & unfortunately I have to deal with that feeling knowing I’ll never have another child because I had a complete hysterectomy when I was 28.
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Donna lives in Britain and was in her early 20’s when she was diagnosed with Endometriosis. Nearly 20 years later, she tells us her story…including something that happened to her eyes about 10 years ago. She continues to live with Endometriosis and her eye-issue.
Donna’s Journey: Hi my name is Donna, it all started when I was nine years old when I started my periods. My childhood was ripped away from a very young age. I never had normal periods my cycle was every 14 days. When I would bleed I would often drench the bed with blood. My Mum took me to my doctor and he decided to put me on hormone replacement tablets to begin with. The pain I would experience was unreal yet no one really understood. Year in and year out my periods stayed at a 14 to 19 day cycle.
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Kelly was 15 years old when she was diagnosed with Endometriosis. Nearly a decade later, she shares her journey with us.
Kelly’s Journey: Hi! My name is Kelly; I was diagnosed with endometriosis while I was in high school at the age of 15. I had problems with my period but was too scared to tell my mom because I didn’t want to go to the gynecologist. Needless to say, she eventually found out and I was forced to go. My period would last a month at a time, then a week free, then it would be back. While this was happening, I was losing tons of blood so I would see my primary doctor to be put on iron pills because they didn’t know how or why I was losing so much blood. Like I said my mom found out and I was put on birth control which regulated my period.
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Bloomin' Uterus 