Adhesions

Scar tissue is oftentimes found during surgeries. It can bind or knit organs together, and can cause a lot of pain and dysfunction.

It hurts to have sex…

| Bloomin' Uterus
A bed with the blankets drawn back revealing the sheets and four pillows

So this entry’s going to get a bit personal.  And possibly full of Too Much Information.  But it is a topic that needs to be addressed.  Not only for myself, but for countless otherssuffering from the same issues.

One of the symptoms of Endometriosis for a lot of EndoWarriors is painful sex (either during, after, or both), and it’s estimated that more than half of the people with Endo suffer from it.  The fancy name for pelvic pain during or after sex is Dyspareunia. It’s common and it could have a myriad of causes and factors.  Some of those factors can be vaginal dryness, herpes, Endometriosis, ovarian cysts, fibroids, Adenomyosis, uterine tilt, bowel tenderness or fullness, pelvic inflammatory disease, infections, or bladder issues.  The pain can be limited to the vaginal opening or canal, or it can extend deeper into the pelvic region and thighs.  This pain can stop as soon as sexual activity is stopped, or can last for hours, or even days afterward.  It can be a dull ache, a sharp pain, stabbing sensations, and can range from barely there to excruciating.

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Share Your Story : Amy

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A woman at a music concert

Amy was 29 years old when she learned she had Endometriosis.  Now 38 and living in New Jersey, she has turned her personal battle with Endometriosis into a campaign to help others.

Amy’s Journey: My first memory of my cramps was when I was just 14 years old. I was on vacation with my family in Florida at my Grandmother’s house. We were there for a fun family vacation. However, my cramps were so bad that my mother insisted that I do a shot of brandy to warm my insides up. I was only 14! That is how my period started and it has continued to affect my life on a constant basis.

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More about my Pooper

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an inflatable toilet filled with tootsie rolls

So I posted about my poo diary this morning, but you don’t know WHY I have to keep one…

So Saturday I had an appointment with my PCP. Well, the Physician’s Assistant. It was wonderful! I was going in to get a referral to a GI doctor because of my poopy-gut-pain (knives, daggers, glass feelings when I poo) and we talked for nearly an hour about my Endometriosis, my diet, my supplements, my birth control, and my poopy issues. She wasn’t quick to jump to conclusions of IBS or Crohn’s, which I valued! And we even discussed the possibility that my Endo and/or adhesions may have returned, which may be causing my renewed poopy-pain (been poopy-pain free for nearly a year, then *blamo* they’re back). At the end of our lengthy conversation, she stuck her finger in my butt (wooooohooooo), said that I have a sharp 90 degree angle inside (which she said isn’t normal, but may not be bad) and it may truly be that adhesions are pulling my insides out of whack. Especially after I told her my op report said Endo and adhesions “obliterated my cul de sac”- she understood right away that pulls everything and can cause havoc with rectum and bowels.

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The Wurn Technique : Improve Infertility and Adhesion Pain?

| Bloomin' Uterus
Logo for Clear Passage Physical Therapy

Have you heard of the Wurn Technique?  I hadn’t until a few weeks ago when I received an email from Clear Passage with links to a recently-published study showing the Wurn Technique can improve infertility issues, as well as reduce Endometriosis pain.  Are they claiming to cure Endometriosis?  Not at all.  But they are claiming their technique may help reduce your pain and may increases your chances of becoming pregnant.  So, curious as I was, I read up on it, asked questions, and now I present this information to you!

Personal Note: I am not endorsing Clear Passage or the claims made in these studies or their webpage.  I am simply pointing you, the curious reader, in a direction you may not have located otherwise.  Always, always, ALWAYS do your own research.  And choose a treatment that feels right for you.  If you have any questions about the Wurn Technique, please reach out to Clear Passage by email or 1 (352) 336-1433.  They will answer your questions and, if you so desire, schedule a phone consultation with one of their therapists (for free) to see if this is a viable treatment option for you.

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Endometriosis & The Heart

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Diagram of human heart

I’ve read bits and pieces here and there that Endometriosis can grow on your heart (or the lining of your heart).  And have heard from a friend that she may have it on her heart.  That’s scary business!

Which got my juices flowin’ to find the documented cases of Endometriosis on the heart, how it was excised (if at all), etc.  Here goes ( PS – there’s not a lot out there…)!

Endometriosis is usually found within the pelvic cavity, but has also been known to travel northward and latching onto the liver and diaphragm.  It has also been found on the membranes surrounding the lungs.  Even rarer, it has been found on the brain, in the lymph nodes, and on the eyes.  But today, we focus on the heart…which is also SO INCREDIBLY RARE. Please, I’ll preface it by saying this is so super duper rare.

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Shoulders for Sisters : Suicide Prevention

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Shoulder for Sisters logo

Suicide and Endometriosis has been a topic heavy on my heart for the past seven months.  Am I suicidal? No.  However, last year there were several EndoWarriors who committed suicide.  And this year a few more have.  Too many.  But can easily understand their hopelessness: pain; no cure; the potential for multiple surgeries; regrowth; Western medicine, alternative medicine, natural supplements, snake oils, relief, recurrence, and the cycle starts all over again.  Not to mention a sense of being completely alone, misunderstood, misdiagnosed, mistreated by physicians, mislabeled as drug-seekers, fakers, and crazies.

I’ve been trying to think of ways that I can help. In a small way.  Or a big way.  And I’ve fallen short on ideas… But today I’ve learned of a group where Warriors with suicidal thoughts can go for help.  An old-fashioned phone-line group.  Yes, that’s right.  You can email, PM, or call someone if you need to talk.  Talk with someone who is in your shoes.  Who knows what you’re going through…because they’re going through it, too.  Understand that you are not alone, and understand that people want to listen. And help.

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Reader’s Choice : C-Sections & Endometriosis

| Bloomin' Uterus

A friend asked me to look up any connections between Endometriosis and Cesarean Sections.  So, here we go.  Lots of science in this one!  Some studies show that less than 1% of women who undergo a cesarean section end up developing incisional Endometriosis (Endometriosis in or along the c-section scar).  However, that tiny little 1% number has a staggering amount of studies involving a lot of women who suffer from this form of Endo.

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Endometriosis and Infertility

| Bloomin' Uterus
fertility goddess figurine

Many women with Endometriosis also suffer from infertility.  Why? Well, that very question spawned today’s research…

It is believed that Endometriosis is present in 24-78% of infertile women (depending on who you ask).  That’s a huge figure! Infertility associated with Endometriosis may occur at any state of the disease (I to IV; mild to severe).  It’s believed that the Stage of Endo may effect the rate of infertility:  people with “mild” Endo have been known to conceive 2-4.5% per month; people with moderate to severe Endo drop to less than 2%.  Normal, fertile couples conceive at a rate of 15-20% per month.  It’s a big difference all across the board.

The medical and scientific community do not have answers as to why Endo may make women infertile; only theories:

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Endometriosis & The Lungs

| Bloomin' Uterus
Graphic of human lungs

I’ve read bits and pieces here and there that Endometriosis can grow on or inside of your lungs.  An EndoSister had posted in one of the many Facebook support groups that I follow that she has Endo on her lungs, which causes her to cough up a lot of blood.  Others replied that they have it as well, but it leaves them in the hospital with collapsed lungs every month.  Which got my juices flowin’ to find the documented cases of Endometriosis on the lungs, how it was excised (if at all), etc.  Here goes!  This is NOT meant to scare you.  Just educate us all, including myself.

Endometriosis is usually found within the pelvic cavity, but has also been known to be found northward and latching onto the liver and diaphragm.  It has also been found on the membranes surrounding the lungs and heart.  Even rarer, it has been found on the brain, in the lymph nodes, and on the eyes.

Thoracic or Pulmonary Endometriosis is when Endometriosis implants/adhesions are found in your thoracic region, and can be found on your trachea, bronchi, diaphragm, lungs, or heart.  It was first medically documented in 1953.  Today, we focus on the lungs.

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