How Endo Affects the Female Body

Happy Endometriosis Awareness Month! I am back again with my mission to spread awareness about Endo because we are still searching for a cure.  Below are real diagrams of how Endometriosis affects a woman's reproductive organs.  These diagrams primarily show the cysts that can grow on the ovaries, Fallopian Tubes, and lining of the vagina.  This causes extreme pain, especially having a reproductive system looking like the last diagram.  There are large cysts, overgrown tissue, and adhesions to a point where the ovaries cannot even be seen.  

Affects of Endo on the Body:

• Extreme fatigue 
• Inflammation of organs
• May cause infertility 
• Extremely painful menstrual cycles
• Painful bowel movements 
• Lower back and pelvic pain

Endometriosis affects the female body in many different ways, pelvic pain isn't the only that comes with Endo.  

https://www.womenshealth.gov/a-z-topics/endometriosis
http://www.idph.state.il.us/about/womenshealth/factsheets/endo.htm

No Motivation

When I first starting having symptoms of Endo, I wore sweatpants to school everyday because all all my pants would press to hard against my stomach.  I didn't wear any makeup and barely did my hair so I just looked lazy. I couldn't even sit at the desks at school because they were so uncomfortable. I would text my parents every single day telling them that I needed to come home because I was miserable  but they never picked me up and I never missed school. I would come home and lay in my bed whenever I had the chance. The only time I left the house was to go to school and the dozens of doctors appointments I had to go to every week.  I’ve started to feel this way again and it’s not something I like. I don’t feel good wearing what essentially are pajamas to school, but I have no motivation to wear anything else. The worst thing is, I have no idea why I’m feeling this way. It’s like it’s a chore to to get dressed and ready every morning. Simple things are so hard for me to do. I don’t know if it’s because I’m always exhausted or if my body is telling me I need to take a break. Either way, I don’t want it to last any longer. If any of you Endo ladies have an tips, please let me know. Thank you for reading and remember, Endo is NOT the end!

FINALLY GETTING NOTICED!!

Endometriosis is a disease that has been under the radar for too long.  Finally, in the last couple days, I have two different commercials for Endometriosis! These may be short commercials, but this is a huge step for the millions of women who suffer from Endo every single day.  These commercials list the symptoms of Endo and encourage women who suffer from these symptoms to ask their doctor about them immediately.  I could not wipe the smile off my face when I saw these commercials because this was really the first time I ever saw Endometriosis getting the recognition it deserves.

One of the commercials was for a study being held for women who have Endometriosis.  Doctors do not know how women get Endo, but they assume it's genetic.  There also isn't a known cure.  This study will help doctors come closer than ever to finding out more information about Endo and maybe even a cure.  If you are eligible for study, please check out the link below for more information. Thank you for reading and remember, Endo is not the end!   

Equinox Study Link:

https://www.equinoxstudy.com/?gclid=CjwKCAiAhfzSBRBTEiwAN-ysWJiANlEMLd_UFOCjUVPc3l4HgFZaouU8SaizbQTxFN8nAm2VC2-fzRoCOi0QAvD_BwE&mkwid=sRTkl7fpH_dc&pcrid=228741802789&pkw=endometriosis%20studies&pmt=p&slid=&utm_campaign=2017-18%20BTRSCTH%20Gen%20Endo&utm_content=Women%20with%20Endometriosis%20Pain&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_term=endometriosis%20studies

Rough Week

This week has been a rough one.  Just after I had an appointment with my doctor at Boston Children's Hospital, I started having agonizing pain again.  This time, it's been very frustrating because it's finals week at my school.  It's so hard to focus on anything when all you can think abut is your pain.  I can't use it as an excuse. My teachers would never believe me if I got a lower grade than I usually do and I say it's because I am in pain.  It's so hard going to school and having to put on a brave face.  If I told anyone what was wrong, they wouldn't believe me.  They would say I'm being dramatic because I always look happy.  I just can't look happy all the time, it's impossible. 

Taking my pain medicine in a hard thing for me. Since Endo is so out of the ordinary, I can't tell if my pain has stopped or gotten better because of the medicine or it just ran its course for now.  Right now, all I can do is lay in bed and try to study, but it's very hard to stay focused. If any of my Endo ladies reading this have any tips to be able to stay concentrated while in pain, please let me know.  For now, I am trying my best to stay positive and focused while allowing my body to rest and heal.  Thank you for reading and remember, Endo is not the end!

I'M BACK

Wow, it's been a long time.  I have been gone for so long because I have not felt any inspiration.  Since I have spoken to you all last, I started a new medicine that left me having awful side effects for about a month, so I was not in the mood for anything.  I want to talk a little bit about this medicine. This medicine is called Norethindrone and now that I have gotten pasted the bad side effects, it is working very well!  Some of the side effects that I experienced are:

• numbness or weakness
• sudden headache, confusion, pain behind the eyes, problems with vision, speech, or balance
• pain or swelling in one or both legs
• migraine headache
• swelling in your hands or feet, rapid weight gain
• sleep probelms
• severe pelvic pain
• chest pain or heavy feeling, pain spreading to the arm or shoulder, nausea, sweating, general ill feeling
• nausea, stomach pain, loss of appetite

Those are just some of the side effects that I experienced and I wanted to write a little bit about to say if you are taking this medicine or other Endometriosis aiding medicines, it does get better and you will not have these symptoms forever even though it may seem like it right now.  

I am going to try to post every week because I really miss it on here.  Thanks for still reading after all this time and remember, Endo is NOT the end!!

RAISE AWARENESS!

Happy National Endometriosis Day to all the Endo Warriors out there! This month I have worked my hardest to continue to raise awareness for this disease that does not get that much attention.  10% of women suffer from this disease.  This means that, if you have a class of about 400 students and roughly half of them are girls, then 20 girls have this disease...TWENTY!! That's a lot of women that suffer everyday.  Endometriosis is known as the "most common disease that you've never heard of." Why is that? It is because scientists and doctors aren't able to do the correct research they need to do because they don't have the proper funding.  This is why we need to work hard to raise awareness so we women can get some answers!  If you have Endo, you can't sit aside anymore and wait for someone else to do the work for you.  You have to get out there and fight because if you don't, you will never be cured.  The people who don't have Endo, men and women, need support their loved ones that do.  I have been so lucky to have an amazing support system that I can always rely on to make me feel better.  They are always there to help me whenever I need it and I can't thank them enough for that, and they know who they are. I started this blog so I can do my part in raising awareness, but I am one tiny voice in a sea of 176 MILLION women that have this disease worldwide.  I think that's plenty of people to show that this isn't some rare thing.  It's a big thing that needs attention. So please, helping me raise awareness for Endometriosis Awareness Month, and every month after that.  We need answers, we cannot be in debilitating pain everyday of our lives.  Thank you for all the support and remember, Endo is NOT the end!

More Information You Didn't Know About Endo

Where:

• Uterus 
• Ovaries
• Pelvic Floor
• Fallopian Tubes
• Bladder
• Bowls

Why:

• No known cure 
• Believed to be genetic 
• Others believe it is caused by chemicals

Symptoms:

• Debilitating pain before and during periods 
• Chronic pelvic pain throughout entire month
• Heavy periods 
• Back pain
• Pain during intercourse
• Fatigue
• Infertility 
• Digestive issues
• Lesions on organs
• Ovarian cysts
• Nausea 
• Bloating 
• Vomiting
• Depression 
• Anxiety 

Treatments:

• Pain medications
• Surgery
• Hormone therapy 
• Diet Changes
• Exercise 

Need to Know Facts:

• Endo has four stages
• The stages only represent the amount of Endo growth a woman has
• The amount of pain a woman has DOES NOT correspond with the stage
• Getting pregnant does not cure Endo
• Endo is not contagious 

Linked To:

• Ovarian Cancer
• Fibromyalgia 
• Fibroid's
• Multiple Sclerosis 
• Arthritis 
• Lupus
• Breast Cancer
• Heart Disease