Symptoms

Various symptoms of Endometriosis

My first visit with the gastroenterologist

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illustration of human bowels

This is an old blog post (2015) and I have since had two bowel resections (2018 and 2020). I’ve also learned alllllll about Endometriosis on the bowels.

So, you may know that I have been having poopy issues.  Severe pain when going Number Two, cramping, constipation, diarrhea, etc.  

Anyway, two months after my initial consult with my PCP I finally saw the gastroenterologist today (the appointment process took that long…).  Went in not knowing what to expect…

But we just sat and talked for about 30 minutes.  We discussed my medical history, my Endometriosis, my diet change, supplements, my poopy symptoms, etc.  He is very familiar with Endometriosis.  We threw around Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Crohn’s Disease, and Ulcerative Colitis.  We talked about each, compared them to my symptoms, and even discussed what I do now to keep my symptoms “under control,”  as well as what the medical community could offer me for symptom control (which was prescription-strength identical to what I do now : laxatives, anti-diarrhea medication, cramping medication).

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Silent Endometriosis

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Woman holding her index finger to her lips to shhh someone

There are many usual signs and symptoms of Endometriosis.  If you suffer from this disease, you know them all too well. One of our readers, Tanya, let us know that she suffers from “Silent Endometriosis.”  What’s that?  She has an official Endometriosis diagnosis, but only some of the symptoms associated with Endometriosis.  Some people with Silent Endo don’t have any Endo symptoms (this is known as asymptomatic Endometriosis). Does that make her any less of an Endo sufferer? No, not at all.  She suffers from the same invasive disease as the rest of us.  Just in a different way.

A whole slew of questions were raised, which we’ll look into:

  1. Why do some people present with classic symptoms like crippling pain and some don’t?
  2. And, given that silent endometriosis exists, this makes me wonder if the overall incidents of endometriosis is higher than is usually quoted. How many have this disease and have no idea?
  3. Since the symptoms don’t present as normal in silent endometriosis, what are some of the other signs that people possibly facing this condition can look out for?
  4. Why do some patients who are riddled with endometriosis have no pain, and others with very little endometriosis have excruciating pain?
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Frozen Embryo Transfers & Endometriosis

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Frozen embryo transfer medical tubes

A lot of people have trouble becoming pregnant, whether or not they have Endometriosis.  The question has been raised : if you have Endometriosis and are undergoing frozen embryo transfer (FET), which treatment regimens and protocols have the highest successful pregnancy rate?

I myself have never considered IVF and had to do a bit of initial research on the differences between fresh and frozen embryos, IVF, etc.  I am so grateful an EndoWarrior asked this question; brought this struggle to my attention.  So if you already know about these, please bear with me as I learn.  Otherwise, skip passed these first few categories to the knitty gritty below 🙂

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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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Bladder & Endometriosis

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Diagram of the urinary system in humans

You’ve likely heard that Endometriosis can grow in all sorts of places inside the body.  Well, the bladder and urinary tract are no exception.  Endometriosis implants can grow on or inside the walls of the bladder or along the urethra.

Symptoms

Common symptoms patients may complain about with bladder Endo are frequently needing to pee, pain when the bladder is full, painful urination, and an urgent need to pee.  Some also suffer from blood in their urine when they’re on their cycles (may be hard to distinguish…given the natural course of what a period does…).  This urine-blood may not be perceptible to the naked eye and require a lab test.  And as usual, many EndoWarriors only have these symptoms during their periods; others have them 24/7. It should also be noted that many with bladder Endo don’t present any symptoms.

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Is there a link between Endometriosis and Endometrial Hyperplasia?

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Bloomin' Uterus logo surrounded by question marks

One of my readers recently contacted me asking if I could do some research for her.  Her physicians suspect she may have hyperplasia.  What is that, you may ask?  It’s the changing or enlarging of cells or organs which may develop into cancer.  Specifically, she is undergoing tests to see if she has endometrial hyperplasia.  Now what’s that?  It’s when the uterine lining (the endometrium) is too thick.  Her question?  Is there a link between Endo and hyperplasia?

I found this to be very interesting as I had an MRI before my diagnostic surgery which found I had abnormally thick uterine lining.  The first part of my surgery last year was to go in and perform a D&C (dilation & curettage) to remove some of the thick lining.  So now I’m not only researching for my reader, but for myself (although my D&C biopsy came back normal).

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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?

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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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