Fatigue

Fatigue and exhaustion can come with a chronic illness like Endometriosis

Share Your Story: Leidy

| Bloomin' Uterus
A woman standing in front of a grassy lawn wearing a pink sweater, gray hat, and sunglasses

Leidy lives in Germany and was 35 years old when she was told she had Endometriosis. Now 42, she would like to share her story with everyone cares to read it. A battle which literally spans the globe in search of answers, a series of numerous misdiagnoses, and Leidy is one hell of a Warrior.

Leidy’s Journey:   I am now 42 years old but since my first period, I have had problems. 

My main problem is in my bowels. Which misled my specialists to find the correct diagnosis. The only issue I had, related to my period, was irregular bleeding. 

Each month I bled during my ovulation. My period lasts sometimes more than a week. And I bled during sexual intercourse. The pain during the period was not severe and Ibuprofen usually was enough to alleviate the pain.

Continue reading →

Endometriosis & the Pancreas

| Bloomin' Uterus
Diagram of liver, stomach, pancreas, and gallbladder

I’m sitting here going through my very old post-surgery emails and I’ve stumbled upon one from December that made my jaw, once again, drop. A study was published in late 2018 about a woman who was discovered to have an endometrial cyst inside her pancreas…WHAT? It’s super-duper rare.

As usual, this isn’t meant to scare you. Just inform you…

As you know…I’m prone to following studies down rabbit holes and satisfy my curiosity. Today is no different! Read on, dear Reader…read on!

Continue reading →

Question from our Reader, Candace

| Bloomin' Uterus

Candace needs your help, feedback, and advice!  She writes:

Hello, I have been an “endo” sufferer for MANY years….many, many, MANY surgeries and a hysterectomy with surgeries to follow! I don’t ever pretend to be an expert on the topic and this question certainly has thrown me for a loop….I’m hoping one of you can help!

I have had a “mystery illness” since February. Extreme fatigue, hoarseness, and right side facial pain, numbness. I have had a slew of tests all of which come back “ok”. Just this past weekend, I started with my “typical” “endo” pain. I am just wondering if this all could be related to “endo.” Anyone else ever experience facial issues related to endo?

I am looking forward to any and all responses. I have been debating on calling my specialist…. Thank You in Advance!

If you comment below, I’ll pass it on to Candace. ❤

Share your Story: Nathaly

| Bloomin' Uterus
Woman standing holding a box that reads "Happy Birthday"

Nathaly was diagnosed with Endometriosis, Adenomyosis, and fibroids when she was 26 years old.  A year later, she shares her story with us.  And, Nathaly will be walking on March 25th with friends and family at our Endometriosis Awareness walk! Looking forward to meeting her ❤

Nathaly’s Journey: My story starts when I was only 11 years old. I often found myself curled up in a ball waiting until I would finally pass out so the pain could be over. My mother was very strict growing up so birth control was out of the question, even if it was for medical purposes.

Continue reading →

Endometriosis in Captive Critters?

| Bloomin' Uterus
monkey in a tree
Female Mandrillus Sphinx

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 →

Chronic pain affects your brain

| Bloomin' Uterus
drawing of a human brain in a jar

So a lot of people with Endometriosis suffer from chronic pain…hell, a lot of people without Endometriosis suffer from chronic pain.  There are theories and studies out there that suggest chronic pain affects memory, cognitive function, and mental health.  Not only does Endometriosis present painful symptoms, but it’s also incurable.  And there are many people who do not get any symptom-relief from any of the treatments available.  You can see where this may cause some “mental health” issues.  Here’s some interesting tidbits on how pain affects brain activity and function.

What is gray matter all about?  It maintains memory, sight, hearing, emotions, speech, impulse control, and executive functions (reasoning, problem solving, cognitive functions, etc.).  Gray matter volume naturally decreases with age.  So…it happens naturally.  Chronic pain may just spur it along a bit more.  Studies have indicated that children who suffer from chronic pain have a greater loss of gray matter volume when they are adults.

Continue reading →

Share Your Story : Alexandra

| Bloomin' Uterus
Woman with brown hair wearing a shirt that reads "Fight like a (yellow ribbon) girl."

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.

Continue reading →

Endometriosis & Iron Levels

| Bloomin' Uterus
two iron dumbbells
(…no, not that kind of iron)

So, if you’re reading this you probably already know a little bit about Endometriosis.  Recently at our support group meeting, the question of iron levels and anemia came up.   With all that bleeding, can we suffer from anemia or an iron deficiency?

And, again, the topic of iron levels and Endo came up at our Endometriosis Awareness & Support Walk: could the blood left in my pelvic region from shedding Endo have caused the “abnormally high” iron levels during a blood test?

Continue reading →

Share your Story : Sarah

| Bloomin' Uterus

Sarah’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 →