Scar tissue is oftentimes found during surgeries. It can bind or knit organs together, and can cause a lot of pain and dysfunction.
So, we recently wrote about Endometriosis being found in two mandrillus sphinx. Last year we learned about Endo being found in a German Shephard. Well, today we read about it being found in monkeys: cynomolgus monkeys. This is not the first time Endometriosis has been found in this breed of monkey, but we’re going to focus on just this new study today.
Continue reading
So we’ve previously read about a German Shepherd being diagnosed with Endometriosis. Today we’re going to talk about Mandrills (a form of primate that used to be considered a Baboon) who had been diagnosed with Endo. I’ve read a lot of previous studies where Endometriosis was purposely implanted into critters for study and dissection, but these primates weren’t for study.
There was a study from 2012 about a Mandrill that had died after showing signs of weakness and peritoneal bleeding. Upon autopsy they found her uterus was covered in blood clots and it was stuck to her ovaries and pelvic wall. The biopsy confirmed she had Endometriosis. This is considered the first confirmed case of Endo in a Mandrill.
Continue reading
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?
Continue reading
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…
Continue readingD.M. was 37-years-old when she was diagnosed with Endometriosis. Nearly three decades later, she tells us her story.
D.M.’s Journey: Ovarian cysts removed on both ovaries in my mid twenties. By 37 I had Exploratory surgery to discover why I was infertile, and they discovered endometriosis and the ovaries had adhered to the bowel. The surgeon cleared out the area and wrapped the ovaries this time. Since then I have had colonoscopies and polyps removed. This last time, I’m 64 now, they biopsies the polyps and discovered endometriosis tissue inside the bowel.
**
I want to send a special Thank You out to D.M. for being brave enough to share her personal story with us today. You are a beautiful, brave, and strong woman. Thank you!!! We are sorry they’ve found it within your bowel, but hope that you are no longer in pain or suffering from your symptoms.
And if YOU would like to share your story, you can do so by clicking here. The best part about this disease is the strong network of love and support from our fellow EndoSisters, and our friends and family, too.
Yours, Lisa.
Kristina was 24-years-old when she was diagnosed with Endometriosis, after the birth of her beautiful daughter. Nearly a decade later, she tells us her story…
Kristina’s Journey: I received my diagnosis weeks after having my daughter in 2009. Turns out I could have been dealing with this since I had started having cycles but none of my doctors thought to even test and I had no idea what Endo was until I got pregnant. After having beautiful Kara my period started like normal but the pain was so intense. I went to my OB and she had me try the pill first, but that didn’t help. Then we tried Depo and that made it worse. In the mix of all this I also have been dealing with multiple hernia repairs so one could imagine my hell some months.
Continue reading
As you may know, Endometriosis is not limited to just your reproductive bits & pieces. It can implant, grow, and fester in many places; the bowel included. But what does that mean? How do you know if it’s on your bowel? Today’s blog will go into that…Read on, dear Reader…read on. Word of warning : I will be using words like fart and poop! Why dance around the subject with flowery words when I feel like I’m a giggly 12-year-old girl?
It is estimated that between 5-15% (and some even doctors guess it’s actually between 3-34%) of women with Endometriosis suffer from Endo on their bowels. Bowel Endometriosis may affect the colon, the rectum, the large intestine, the small intestine, the colon, or the sigmoid colon. The implants may be physically located on the bowels, or even just located adjacent to them in areas like the Pouch of Douglas, uterosacral ligaments, or rectovaginal septum. The close proximity of the inflamed and irritated lesions may be enough to induce bowel Endometriosis symptoms. And these symptoms may also be caused by adhesions pulling or twisting the bowels.
Continue readingSarah’s symptoms began when she was 13 years old…but her diagnosis not until she was 34! Why not? How is that possible? It happens more than it should…curious? Read on, Dear Reader, read on.
Sarah’s Journey: I don’t think I’ve had a single day where my female reproductive organs were active and NOT pissing me off. I got my period one day in summer when I was thirteen years old. And it just … didn’t stop. For the first year of my menstruating life, I bled for 25 days out of thirty. It was ridiculous, and led to me having anemia and needing fluids almost all the time. My well meaning GP at the time said my body was just “adjusting”.
Continue reading
Marixsa is a fellow blogger and Endo advocate. She was diagnosed when she was 28 years old. Now 33, her story is a heartbreaking, yet encouraging, one. Almost two decades of suffering without a diagnosis, being told she was exaggerating, living in fear of intimacy, missed diagnoses (not misdiagnosis…but literally doctors not seeing her Endometriosis while in surgery), followed by a myriad of additional surgeries, emotional rollercoasters, fertility treatments, and miscarriage. Although scarred, Marixsa is truly a strong and beautiful Warrior, rich in faith and determination. She continues to fight, for herself and for other EndoSisters. And I hold her among my heroes.
Marixsa’s Journey: Like so many women, endometriosis affected me years before I was diagnosed. It’s been quite a journey, which is why this section is so long. Here’s where this road has taken me:
Continue reading
Bloomin' Uterus 