Various symptoms of Endometriosis
Some of you may have read my previous blog about Cesarean scars and Endometriosis. In the studies referenced in that blog entry, all of the women complained of bumps or lumps or pain in their c-section scars. Turns out they had developed Endometriosis in their scar tissue; likely the cells were transferred during the surgical procedure.
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EMS lives in New Zealand and was diagnosed with Endometriosis this year – at age 34. This year she exhibited signs of a stroke, dizziness, trouble breathing, all around her period – she fought for a proper diagnosis, and had to fight hard. Stage IV Endometriosis. Not stress. Not anxiety. Not a stroke…Endo.
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On December 8, 2016, we had the opportunity to reach out to our local Marine Corps community and teach a workshop about Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, or PCOS.
A few months ago, I received an email from the Marine Corps Community Services Exceptional Family Member Program for the Marine Corps Recruitment Depot/Western Recruiting Region here in San Diego, California. They wanted to know if Bloomin’ Uterus could coordinate a PCOS Workshop for their interested enrolled members, which included staff, service members, and/or family of service members. Of course, I jumped at the chance!
I reached out to Dr. Mara Killen, a nurse practitioner at San Diego Women’s Health, my doctor’s office. The staff at San Diego Women’s Health have been so incredibly helpful in my Endometriosis diagnosis, treatment, and journey and I’m so grateful that Dr. Killen agreed to speak at the PCOS presentation.
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Tara Langdale-Schmidt lives in Florida, and was diagnosed with Endometriosis when she was 11 years old! She also suffers from Vulvodynia. Now 32, Tara invented a treatment that is helping women who suffer from pelvic pain all over the world. Today she shares her story and struggles, but also shares her victories.
Tara’s Journey: It started when I was 11 with my first surgery. Doctors did not know what was causing my abdomen pain so they the scheduled exploratory surgery. They found a huge cyst which had cut off the blood supply to ovary which killed it. They removed that ovary and tube. This was the first of many surgeries for cysts and endometriosis over the next 20 years.
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Congratulations, Debbie of New Jersey, for winning our October Coloring Contest! You’re automatically entered to win our Grand Prize: having your design printed on a t-shirt next year! All profits of the t-shirt sales will go to the Endometriosis Foundation of America.
If you’d like to enter our contest, a winner will be picked every month until April 1, 2017. And the best part? Spreading Endo awareness and having fun at the same time! Who doesn’t like coloring?!?
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An article was published on October 30, 2016 in the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, which caught my interest. We know that Endometriosis can grow in a lot of places other than the reproductive organs and pelvis. This study found Endometriosis growing within a muscle: the psoas major muscle.
The pso-what-is muscle? Well, that’s what I said.
I enjoy salt. Love it, actually. And one night my Jim asked if I thought salt altered my Endometriosis at all. We’ve all heard too much salt is a bad thing for blood pressure, watch your sodium-intake, blah blah blah…but I didn’t care – I love my salt. Well, his question stuck with me over the months and it’s finally time to look into it.
I’d always thought salt and sodium were the same thing…nope. Table salt is a blend of ingredients, including sodium. Sodium is a natural mineral. Sodium helps our bodies balance electrolytes and fluids and is mainly stored in our kidneys. We pee out any excess sodium our body doesn’t use.
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Melinda lives in Guyana in South America and was 35-years-old when she was diagnosed with Endometriosis. Now 40, she has started an Endometriosis Support Group in her country. May she bring the government, the women, and the medical professionals together to raise Endo awareness and improve healthcare for the Guyanese citizens!
Melinda’s Journey:
Let me begin by thanking Lisa Drayton from Bloomin’ Uterus for giving me that little nudge I needed to start this Endo conversation in Guyana. My journey with Endometriosis has been a long and very painful one.
During the latter half of my teens I started having severe pains, heavy bleeding, bloating, lower back pain and constipation during my menstrual cycle. The pain was so intense I would sometimes faint.
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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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