DamnedLioness

12/04/2023

It's been a min since my last post but to be honest not a whole lot has changed with me anyway. I'm struggling to stay positive, but choose to focus on the positive regardless. Acupuncture, physical therapy, and the chiropractor are working the best for me so far. I keep having allergic reactions to medications, almost every birth control I try I get blisters on my body that swell and hurt. My goal is to stop my period to manage some of my endo symptoms. But we've been unsuccessful in finding something my body agrees with. Mixing spondylolisthesis and endometriosis def makes for painful periods.

31/03/2023

Small things that are big things

25/03/2023

TW: Medical Trauma
Didn’t know how else to express it, so I drew it.
“You just need more exercise”
“It’s probably just stress”
“Your tests are all normal, I don’t know what to tell you”
“Have you seen a rheumatologist?”
“I can only help you if it gets worse”
“Come back in a year, maybe something will change”
“It doesn’t present like that”
“You can’t be feeling that”
“You’re not sick enough for that”
“You look great”
These are only some of the many phrases doctors have suggested to me. 3 years of “its all in your head”. Now that I finally have confirmation of what the hell is going on in my body, I find myself doubting it every day because of the medical trauma and all of the false narratives engraved into my mind.
You’re not alone, it’s not all in your head, what your feeling is valid and real. ❤️ author Haley Lou Duff

05/02/2023

I'm finally feeling like myself again. With any chronic illness the pain can get unbearable, and sometimes it just doesn't get better, for days, sometimes weeks. It can really take a toll on our mental health. So it's important to remember we HAVE to put ourselves first. I know, I know. It sounds so selfish. But if we don't take care our mental and physical well being before anything else, it's only a matter of time before we have a breakdown that could send us spiraling. You can't pour from an empty pot!

05/02/2023

Literally

Can I get an amen

05/02/2023

Endo PSA of the day!

Did you know that adenomyosis was once called ‘endometriosis interna’ until the two were discovered to be pathologically and clinically different?

Learn more about the key differences between adenomyosis and endometriosis: https://endometriosisnetwork.com/blog/april-is-adenomyosis-awareness-month

Source link (contains gendered language): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6419978/

03/02/2023

Always felt a special connection to the color yellow, now I know why! Keep on fighting endo warriors! 💛💛💛

02/02/2023

I've been a little MIA. I would apologize but I promised myself I'd stop apologizing for things out of my control. Which includes a long ass "endo" flair. I've been depressed, anxious, hopeless and just mentally drained for a while now. I couldn't get out of bed, my spine being the usual culprit. BUT I do have some news to share shortly that has definitely given me some of my hope back. In the meantime here's the first time I genuinely smiled in I don't even know how long. And it felt great!

19/01/2023

At the Doctors

04/01/2023

I was diagnosed with endometriosis in June of 2022. I went in for a laparoscopy to diagnose and remove through ablation.. my 1st Dr didn't warn me of any of the risk involving ablation or what it could do to me. I remember being handed the release waver that day and thinking to myself, we haven't discussed any of this. But things felt rushed and I was meek and mild, I didn't want to interrupt anyone else's surgery bc I wasn't informed on mine.
That was the last day I let myself be meek and mild, especially when it comes to my health. He found endometriosis, labeled me as stage one and I left the hospital that day in less pain then when I arrived. 2 weeks later, after having my first period after surgery all my pain came back plus more! I was rushed to the ER, only to leave traumatized... I decided to continue to pursue endometriosis despite my 1st surgeon telling me it's impossible. Ablation is the technique of burning off the implant. Think of it like slash and burn. You got everything on the surface, but did you get the roots? Because if there's any trace of endo left in the body, that action of burning is going to raise hell ! I learned this the hard way. Please don't be a me.
💛💛💛💛💛
&mild

04/01/2023

My treatment only started once I actually started self educating myself and telling Dr's what I needed. I'm done waiting around in pain.

Tip of the Day

04/01/2023

I think more than just endo warriors feel this one. Why do you think we're gaslighted so much??

M Y E N D O S T O R Y 💛

04/01/2023

Feelin more like a warrior today! 💛💛💛

04/01/2023

Ahhh the glorious bags under our eyes! I've learned to embrace these beaut's. They atleast let people know when I'm not in the mood for anyone's s**z.

likes to steal your Zzzzz's and replace it with , , and more. Peppermint tea really helps my Nausea. Plus caffeine free, you can even steep it in some almond milk to make it a bit more cozy for bedtime!

04/01/2023

Sometimes you just need to sit on a ball and drink hot chocolate

03/01/2023

PSA of the day!
I am 1 in 10 💛

03/01/2023

Just keep swimming

03/01/2023

Today, tomorrow, and probably the next day too

03/01/2023

Check, check, and check 💛💛💛

People with chronic pain and illness

02/01/2023

Manifesting positivity was the only reason I made it through the last few months. We all know positivity can feel like a burden on our off days. But we still try our best anyway

01/01/2023

Not just obgyns. This disease can affect every part of the body. Why is it just gynecologists being "educated" on this? Urologist, GP, ER Dr's and nurses, gastrointestinal, chiropractors, and more frankly should have a proper education on endometriosis.

01/01/2023

It can affect almost every part of the body from migrains to constipation

01/01/2023

This made me cry! I am 1 in 10 💛

EndoFound applauds Congress for passing HR 2617, the FY23 Consolidated Appropriations Act. The bill will next go to the President’s desk for his final signature. This legislation includes funding for the primary federal programs that support research into causes, treatments and potential cures - the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and the Department of Defense’s Peer-Reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP).

We applaud the House and Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittees which prioritized Endometriosis research at both NICHD and PRMRP in the final legislation. This will allow NICHD to increase the amount of Endometriosis research grant applications they can fund and the Department of Defense will continue to fund research on Endometriosis among a select group of priority research areas. Learn more about these advocacy efforts here: https://www.endofound.org/endometriosis-research-support-bill-signed-into-law

Without you, a milestone like this would not have happened. Without your generosity, EndoFound is unable to continue our work to give hope to the who suffer from . Best of all, through 12/31, your gift will be doubled up to $25k: https://bit.ly/EndoGiving

30/12/2022

If you have Pelvic pressure or lower back pain I highly suggest getting a ball 💛💛💛

30/12/2022

The last 16 hours have been rough. I didn't know until right now, my period decided to be 9 DAYS EARLY. I haven't slept, but I guess I'm probably considered one of the sleepless elite by this point. My Pelvic pressure is so intense my hips feel like imploding. While my tailbone feels the pressure of being encased in cement that radiates up my back, & into my neck. I cant help but to yelp whenever I check my blind spot.
I can't help letting my pain escape my lips at 2am when my love works a double the next day even though he gladly stays up all night and holds me.
I can't help downplaying my pain for the comfort of others. For some reason it's so much easier for me to hide pain, than to actually show it.
I can't help missing everyone who was a part of my life before my body gave up on me. I know I can't move as much as I used too, but I'm still me at the end of the day.

I think what I miss the most is picking up my niece and nephews in big bear hugs. Sometimes I wonder if I'll be able to again before they get too big.

I can't help that people older than me now offer their chairs to me instead of the other way around.
I can't help feeling like a failure, even though I KNOW I'm not.
I can't help thinking ending things would just be so much easier. I wouldn't be in pain anymore... but that's not how we play over here. EASY ISN'T BETTER. We don't let the depression wage war, especially while our bodies are at war too. Things may get rough, but I KNOW I'm strong.

I've been through two surgeries, 1 extreamly uneducated obgyn, countless physical therapy appointments, Dr appointments of all types, mental health therapy (thank the gods I actually had a good therapist before all this happened), 4 heating pads, 3 bottles of oxy (never actually helped), chiropactor, colonoscopy, endoscopy, medroxyprogesterone, memory loss from anesthesia, gabapentin, muscle relaxers, pregabalin, progesterone, prometrium, norethindrone, hydroxine, venilafaxine, orlissa, countless bottles of otc pain relief, Va**um, forcing myself to turn vegan+ for months with still no relief, countless spells of Nausea and nights spent hugging the toilet, and so much more. All since March 2022.

But we persevere. The universe saw my struggles and said "I'm sorry, I can't organically change the things that happen to you, but I will prepare you so that you will indeed make it through this journey unscathed."

You are not alone.

We are called Endo Warriors for reason 💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛