Good night ovaries

Panic attack! After just getting done with my period 17 day's later I got one again! Of course you call your Dr. In a panic, " Is this normal?" Yes! I was told. The zoladex boosted Your hormones into hyperdrive speeding up ovary production/ cycle. Hence the over flow of emotions previously mentioned in my blogs. While your on your period the Zoladex is putting your ovaries to sleep. This my friends is their last hoorah. There should be no more, but they did say there can be spotting and it is possible to have a light one. Everybody is different

You will be told that this last period will be really painful or easy.  Mine was easy due to the fact my last one was horrible because of the surgery.  The only complaints I have is it is long. Really long. Some cramping, yes your endo symptoms are very much present. Bathroom issues, headaches, sore body and sorry guys really swollen chest.

The next mood to follow is that cold, shallow, meh mood that hits. Your numb and quick tempered. My sex drive has gone up, down and back. You also don't feel like socialization. Pull yourself out of rut go be human trust me you will feel better.

As you can tell my nausea has left somewhat. Only is around in mornings. have not had much of an appetite and actually lost a pound. You Will have dizzy spells and feel faint. Keep working out, eat as best you can. Focus on your family, loved ones and hang on tight.

Emotion hyperdrive

Well get ready ladies, your no longer in charge of your hormones. You know how were so emotional during PMS? Times that times 20.. Your weepy, over happy, quick tempered and might as well wear duct tape around your mouth.

This past week I've been up and down with emotional outbursts. Little things become huge. Crying one second over something to angry outbursts. Warn your love one's. " wooohooo please step away from the hormonal women she will go off. Thank you have a good day." Really your spouse, significant other, fiancé etc.. need to be warned and be strong. Thing's will and can get intense. Almost lost my boyfriend this weekend due to episode of coldness and Bitchy comments. You take everything more personal than normal.

You know how you have that one person that takes all your patience to tolerate? Put distance between you and them. Trust me. Your tolerance goes out the window. More than normal. How did I find this out? My ex husband was speaking on speaker phone to our child. Not only did his voice sound like nails on chalk board I felt a rage in me I've never felt. Almost left the room I grew so angry for no reason. So for now on I text.

A reminder that the emotional over drive is due to an increase of hormones before your body shuts down. Everything is on hyperdrive. So grab a box of tissues, a pillow to scream in and duct tape for your outbursts. Sending out hugs to you who are dealing with this. Remember our goal pain free.

Uncontrollable weeping and nausea please

Yeah you read it right side effects of Zoladex have started. You know how you cry while pmsing? From sappy commercials, to anything that tugs at your heart and poof you cry. Well this is worse. Have you seen the movie Bedazzled with Brandon Fraser? There is a part where he asked to be more sensitive, next you see him crying over every little thing. Yeah that's me. First You cry because your not feeling good, then you cry because your crying about not feeling good, to only cry more because your crying about crying over something so dumb, which you begin to get the picture. I'm am not this emotional normally.

    Sunday the nausea set in. Hit me like a wave, started with a scent of something and bam! For a few hour's I felt Ill. Except there was something familiar about this feeling. There was only one other time I felt this queasy feeling. Not flu nausea.... As I said to a friend it was as if I pregnant with morning sickness.

     Funny I said that because Monday the nausea got worse. So I called my Dr. Office to see if this was going to get even more intense and what I could do. The nurse practitioner told me this interesting fact: As you know your hormones are on a high. Your nausea your feeling is your hormones rising to high levels. This makes your body act as if you were pregnant on your 1st trimester. How was you Morning sickness when you were pregnant? I began to cry, this is why it felt familiar. I answered in tears," bad I was so sick for the whole nine months, that they put me on anti-nausea medication, because I couldn't keep anything down." The nurse then said, well any foods that you think helped you a little then will help now. I can call meds. In for you. You need to eat. How is you heightened sense of smell? I teared up again, bad and no food sounded good like now. Of course I turned down the meds until today ( Wednesday). The good thing my hormones will shut down by the end of next week. Bad thing I think nausea might stay.

     The nurse and I also talked about the other big issue I am terrified about. WEIGHT GAIN.  Since I had her on the phone. Not every one gains weight she said. To eat good carbs ( fruits, veggies, whole grains), less process food, small portions, workout from 30-60mins. a day and gluten free/ clean eating. She said this will help the killer period I'm about to have. Ladies your endo symptoms do increase this month. Already feeling them. My right hip hurts so bad. Only good thing increase libido. The over flood of emotions bad....

Zoladex injection Take one

April 4th, 2013 at 4pm I recieved my first injection of Zoladex.

Questions:

Did it hurt? No, they place litocane on your abdomen and rub it into the muscle so your don't feel the capsule they are injecting under your skin. I laid there for five minutes for the cream to absorb. The nurse said, " You will feel a pinch and some discomfort." All I  felt was  what can be described as a pin prick and was shocked it was done with in a seconds.

Does it bruise? Yes, a little but not bad at all. Very tiny.

Does it hurt the whole day? Not really, some stiffness but really you carry on not noticing unless your jeans rubbed up on it. Then it was just an annoying feeling.

Can you carry on with normal activities? Yes, though I choose not to workout because I did not want to rush the Zoladex into my system, rather take it slow and see how my reaction would be.

Can you workout? Yes, they recommend you do while on this drug. One of the side effects from my research is weight gain, due to water retention, and I personally don't want to gain  what I am working so hard at lossing. So my goal maintain. There are reports of losing weight. Plus Working out helps the pain!

Did you feel anything the first night? Yes, I got really cold when my house was 70 degrees. Also got light headed and sat down. After an hour I was fine. This occurred three hours after the injection. Think it was just on my mind so I did things to not think about it.

( To my family and friends I love you, you have been awesome handling my mood swings before this, please hang on it is going to be a bumpy ride before it gets better.)

Zoladex:

Zoladex (Goserelin) Therapy:  Chemotherapy. This changes the way your body produces hormones and causes the body to temporarily stop production of estrogen and proestrogen in order to help your condition which is worsened by the overproduction of these hormones.

This is to be taken a total of six times in a six month period and has to be done so every 28 days on time or the drug will lose it's effect.

First month what to expect: Trust me I will let you know how this goes. All about being real and honest about this therapy to help guide you. This is what I was told and on the sheet given to me.
The first dose may result in heavy painful periods since it will at first stimulate your hormonal production for the first 7-14 days, then supresses hormone production afterwards. *Your first dose does not stop your period, so expect one on your first injection* and the next five to stop you menstrual cycle. While your hormone levels are adjusting to Zoladex, you may notice *your symptoms of endo INCREASE this is ONLY TEMPORARY during first month*.

Common Side effects: (reminder this is Chemotherapy)
Hot flashes, sweating, headaches, dizziness
Mood Changes, increased or decreased interest in sex ( My Dr. says there is a cream for that lol)
Vaginal dryness
Initial breast swelling or tenderness in the first month
Bone pain
Diarrhea, constipation
Sleep problems insomnia
Acne, mild skin rashes or itching
Weight gain, loss of appetite, weight loss can go either way. (Contact Dr. if your weight gain is fast)
Limit your drinking
Nausea
Hair loss
Facial hair
Increase heart rate (Contact Dr. if it gets to be a concern.)
( This is what I have found so far. There are bigger underlining allegeric reactions, you can find this all online.)

Recommended
Lots of rest
Diet and exercise.

Okay folks I will check back in at the end of this week.
So far day three, loss of appetite and waves of nausea. Was really dizzy but it passed. Going to go onto a gluten free/ sugar free diet or at least Clean eating to help with inflamation. I know this is bad but I can't go with out my coffee, I can only give so much to this darn endo. I'm a single mother/ teacher who needs her coffee fix or doom to us all. However, that being said I will lower my intake of it.  Will discuss Endo diets later. Take a look I dare you. Basically, they want us to eat like rabbits. Grr. This is no fun. For workouts I am going to do Bodyrock or dailyhiit and run.

My endometriosis story

     For those of you who do not know me I suffer from Endometriosis and PCOS (Poly cystic Ovarian Syndrom). As I mentioned in my first blog Living with an invisible illness I am documenting my journey of living with and treatments of Endometriosis. Hoping that this helps others to understand just what this disease is. To provide humor, encouragement for those of you women going through this and for our loved ones who are trying to understand. Plus, after endless searches on Hormone Suppression and Zoladex I decided  it is high time some one blogs their 6month journey of what I am finding they call "ZOLLY." Lets face it there is too many snip its of one's experience and not enough of what to expect while going through treatment. Yes, I know that our experiences maybe slightly be different but for me I'm the type of person who likes to wrap my head around just what to expect than be caught off guard.

 
     Remember reading my first blog. Go back and re-read the part where they say there is help/ options/ medicine and that can help us lead pain free lives. Once you read this or other stories of other women online who are suffering, your going to think "WHAT!" These side effects of the medication, therapy is just as bad as endo itself.  "Pain Free." Are they kidding?  Yes I would like a side of weight gain, water retention, be a emotional wreck with vomiting plus, more various side effects for 500 please. Well be nice! They don't know any better, because their not living in our bodies. I don't know about you but I'm tired of being like this. Each experience with Endo is unique and different. One thing that most of us share except for a few lucky ones is the pain, mood swings and not feeling well normal. We walk around in this life Half a Women. We are Zombies! instead of our bodies saying "BRAINS" our bodies are saying "HORMONES! ESTROGEN!" No one realizes we don't get hormones, and when we do our bodies go, "A muck, A muck, A muck." . So let's dive into my experience shall we.

       Okay, background first. I know a lot of you women with Enodmetriosis have some what similar stories of mis-diagnoses.Well here is mine to add onto the various others. Ever since I started my menstrual cycle things have been awry. Serve pain, outrageous bleeding, break through bleeding, no period, to three month long periods, to thin of a uterus lining, headaches, uncountable  mood swings, depression, battling weight, hypoglycemic, fatigue, anemic the list goes on.. My GYNO at first wrote this off as mittelschmerz ovulation ( pain felt while ovulating). I was then given pain meds and told to take Ibuprofen a week before my cycle started, use a heating pad and soon it would be all over. YEAH RIGHT! Sound familiar ladies? So I took a lot of pain med's to dull the pain and moved along with life, hidding my pain, knowing deep down inside something was not right. None of my other friends are feeling this much pain with their cramps and their PMS seems to go away after a few days.Why am I so different? This how I felt for a long time.

   Once in college the pain got worse, so bad that I ended up in the ER because my stomach wouldn't stop hurting for a month. Burning, aching and the worst cramps you could imagine. My friend found me huddled in the corner of the girl's bathroom crying because I could not move from the pain. Only my mother at this point saw me in this much pain, so for a friend to see me this way was rare. She of course was concerened. The ER visit turned up with the same diagnoses as last mittelschmerz  with some possible ovarian cyst that ruptured. "This is normal." I was told by an ER Nurse. "Some women have worse periods than other women."  I was very quickly dismissed and sent on my way to cope with the pain. This went on for another two weeks until my mother drove to my college, picked me up and bless her heart demanded a Laparoscopy. She had this funny feeling I maybe suffering from what she did. Endomoetriosis. So at 19 that is exactly what they did.

    The finding of my first lap was a hydatid cyst of morgagni arise from para-mesonephric, mesothelial, or mesonephric remnants. Lamen terms when we are embro's our bodies are trying to figure out what sex were going to be. A hydatid cyst of morgagni in some women is what is left of the male remnant (stalk) that usually goes away in time or absorbed by the body once our sex is determined (this was how it was explained to me I am no Dr.). I was the first case in my small town hospital that the doctors had seen there. Well my body decided to grow a cyst on that stalk which can cause torsion on the follopian tube causing acute pain. Mine was hiding behind my left ovary, taking on it's own blood supply and the size of a soft ball. The doctors even side is plusated to my heart beat. Grossed out yet? They also found my right ovary  was  a mess and what they call a  Hydrosalpiax of the fallopian tube and my uterus was inflamed with a thin lining from constant bleeding, due to the fact I had a period on top of this pain for three months. While the doctor's where in there they also decided to have a pow wow as they told me.Why? Well because my appendix looked inflamed so they took it out. They told my mom I must have a high pain tolerance because even they would have not been able to go through that long in pain. Later in my medical records the removal of ny appendix reads, "The appendix was attached to the abdominal wall by a pearl like webbed structure. We had to detach the appendix from the wall in order to get it out. The patient also suffers from many lesions from cysts and scar tissue. No Endometriosis was found." My Endometriosis Dr. now finds this funny because yes my friends, that was ENDOMETRIOSIS starring them in the face. Goes to show how little they knew of the disease back in ready for it 1997. 

Some fun Definitions for you: (Ovarian torsion refers to the complete or partial rotation of the ovary on its ligamentous supports, often resulting in impedance of its blood supply. It is one of the most common gynecologic emergencies and may affect females of all ages. The fallopian tube often twists along with the ovary; when this occurs, it is referred to as adnexal torsion. Prompt diagnosis is important to preserve ovarianand/or tubal function and to prevent other associated morbidity. However, making the diagnosis can be challenging because the symptoms are relatively nonspecific.

Isolated torsion of the fallopian tube is less common, but may also occur and adversely impact tubal function. Tubal torsion may occur either in the mid-portion of the tube itself or around the ligamentous supports of the tube. ~ Explatation taken from a medical website.)

Interesting fact I found once researched my condition I had with my Right Ovary. Found off from Livestrong.com

Hydrosalpinx

Hydrosalpinx describes a swollen, misshapen, fluid filled and dilated fallopian tube. Both endometriosis and pelvic infections can cause hydrosalpinx. Because the tube is abnormally dilated, a fertilized egg can't pass through it to the uterus. Hydrosalpinx fluid is also thought to have a toxic effect on both the lining of the uterus and the embryo, creating even more obstacles to pregnancy, the Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago states. Many fertility specialists recommend removing hydrosalpinx affected fallopian tubes surgically, since pregnancy won't occur naturally and the toxic fluid can decrease the chance of success even with in vitro fertilization.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/141002-diseases-fallopian-tubes/#ixzz2Pk1reWCJ
  
   Moving along, since there were many lesions on my ovaries and a supper thin lining of the uterus they decided that I was PCOS(they were partially right about me having PCOS but I didn't know that there is two kinds of PCOS. The one  I have is Estrogen based to match my Endo and I was being treated for the other one with is  testosterone based. So they raised my estrogen.) OOPS! Hhormone therapy that I went through at this time was used in order to thicken my  lining to decrease inflammation and pain. This was also the first time I was told my right ovary is only going to fire a few eggs in my life time if at all. PCOS may also cause me to be infertile. I was 19 years old at the time. 

     The specialist  put me on Birth control pills. Only I was instructed not to take the placebo portion and just keep taking the pill. This caused me not to have a period for three months.Did it work? Yes for three months, then my periods were back with a vengeance. To go along with this I  was never told I needed to stop eating  sugar or eat special food to stop the inflammations of PCOS. Was just told to work out to elevate some of the pain. Which could have been helpful. To my shock my Gyno told me to start having babies now. That  my chances were slim and it would stop the pain I was going through. Yeah you read that right a 19 year old being told to start getting pregnant because it was believed to stop the pain.  How many endometriosis patients were told this? A lot of us were told this and guess what it is the biggest myth out there.As one could imagine I spiraled into a depression. I wasn't ready to have babies, didn't hav a boyfriend at that time, I wanted to go to college finish being an Anthropologist and have my selfish part of my life. So I came to terms that I may not ever have kids. 

(side note: I was very athletic so this may have helped some of the more serve pain. Soccer, Swimming and Running always helped ease the cramps. When I ended up getting stress fractures in my shins I was told to stop running for a year. The cramps intensified. I was good at hiding this pain. Like an eating disorder you become a pro at not letting people know just how much you hurt for their sake.)

    Further down the road in college I was in and out of the specialist, with more cyst rupturing, pain and wild mood swings  I was told by my college gyno to stop Birth Control pills due to the fact my body was throwing me into erratic mood swings, depression and weight gain. I was 21 years old.  So once again I dealt with the pain, excepting what the doctors were saying, "It's just your PCOS, or you just ovulating, a cyst ruptured, blah, blah, blah,  no one was listening to me so I gave up.Raise of hands of you who did the same thing. That screw it atitude, I'll just deal with it. Two weeks before your peroid you hunkered down at night, with heating pads, dim lights for the headaches, sappy load music to hide your crys, loads of pain meds and laid there until it passed. I never let the pain stop me from my daily life, not for a second, I wasn't going to let my body win that way, just increased the pain meds and moved forward. (I'm very stubborn.)

    It wasn't until I was 25 and living with my fiance in Seattle, WA. When I started having more episodes of abdominal pain and panic attacks. I found that there was a great women specialist center making huge strides in endometriosis and PCOS. So I contacted them and went in for answers of why.  The center again poked and probed me. The Doctor there took my previous medical records and told me what I always had knewn. She feared that  I could no longer have kids and I did in fact have signs of Endometriosis with serve scarring of the uterus from the cysts rupturing. Being told I could not have kids was nothing new. Endometriosis became my focus and as all of you who suffer have done is researched it. I soon became obsessed with diet (but not the endo diet) and working out. By this point the no sugar thing, well I knew better I cut back some but CHOCOLATE, I love Chocolate. That and I lived in Seattle to ,Starbucks coffee two evils as you have learned are not Endo or PCOS friendly. Yet to this day I continue both.That is my own fault and yes, I know brings more imflamation.

   I considered myself lucky to be marrying a man who had two beautiful children. To me this was the next best option, since I was told I could never have children or so I thought. At the age of 28, five months after I was married and what one can only explain an emotional mess, nauseaous, in pain, breaking out in hives and no appetite. Was I pregnant? No I couldn't be. I took a pregnancy test just in case. The test came up negative which threw me into a tail spin of what was my body doing now? One point I was crying on the phone to my mother and a few select family and friends sobbing  that I could never have kids, how unfair, insert hormonal outburst. My mom saying, "Wow you have to be pregnant for such outburst." No, the test said so I would cry back. 

     Once again  I went to the specialist for help. Guess what?  My blood test said, "I was pregnant." Out of all the odds I was to have a child.Even my doctors were shocked! In 2006 at the age of 29, ten years after being told to start having babies because later in life I couldn't, I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. Truly blessed and worth the nine months of being sick, put on high risk due to being RH negative (A- blood type.). See my cards were stacked against me. For some reason God blessed me. To those of you who can not have babies due to this. Hold heart, I feel for you the most, have faith there is options. I say this with saddness, your pain rings through all of us. Sometimes I  feel guilty that I beat the odds and had a child, in the same breathe she is a pure gift and I will love her more than she will ever know.

     Best part after I had my baby and for a year, one whole beautiful year  no painful periods. I did however have the baby blues, not postpartum, just the blues. Were they right? Did this stop the pain? AHHH NO! Endometriosis just spread, what a better way than to have a baby grow to push and shift things around. Your extra hormones feeding it. The next six years and one marriage later the pain got worse, erratic mood swings, headaches and etc.. But to my readers I really didn't complain about it, always smiled and moved on through my day. I had to be a mother, wife, daughter, niece etc... and did not let this stop me. Some of you who have known me for years are reading this and are finding out for the first time just how much pain I was really hiding and going through.

    Now I am 35 going to be 36 in two weeks and I finally sought help due to my family and boyfriend asking me to. They didn't want me to go through anymore pain. Which again for some of  you, you know just how they feel because your watching your family and friends go through this with you. The worried look.  Look of helplessness, frustration with you due to your constant erratic mood swings, sadness, holding of your hand while you double over in pain before straightening yourself out while saying with teeth clenched, "I'm fine. I'll be okay." Biggest lie we have ever told just to ease their pain. I started to document my symptoms each month they were increasingly worse, pain across my hip, pelvis, having trouble going to the bathroom, couldn't lay on my right hip, so much pain that I was doubling over once my child was asleep, then I noticed my shortness of temper, erratic mood swings and low patience  was affecting my daughter and family.  I agreed to see one more specialist.
     
    As I looked at my daughter I had a growing fear did I pass this on to her?. Actually, called my insurance and asked who is the best Endometriosis center in MI.  They told me where it was and that they cover it. Why not right? After that I researched the Doctor and found he was making head way with the disease. Using new techniques and giving us endo patients what we call hope. For the very first time in my life there was Doctor willing to listen, to care and get this said, "I know you've been in a lot of pain and I am here to help you. Your suffering from a very real disease."  Shocking right? I was in disbelief but he hit the ground running and before you knew it test were being run on the first visit. 

    After being poked, probed, biopsied in the cervix my Dr. spotted something.  (**IMPORTANT INFO:  My ultra sound turned out with what looks to be a fibroid in my uterus, the biopsy of my cervix came back negative for Endometriosis, but this is very common find in endometriosis patients because this just means it is else where so don't lose faith, it is there. They don't call this invisible disease for nothing. It is good as masking itself as other symptoms or disorders. Heck it is a sister to IBS, PID and more.**) My FSH and LH hormone levels is what tipped my doctor off . They were extremely low as in not there this is what they call Ovarian Failure, or Pre-menopausal. Being 35 this is frowned upon because it is to early for women to go through the "change". Also is a marker for several issues such as , cancer, pituitary tumor, endometriosis and much more. So a month ago today I got my second laparoscopy.

     Let's cover Laparoscopy for a brief second. A lot of you have already had many, this is for those of you going through it the first time. I found on the web the best advice ever. So I am passing it onto you to ease your anxiety of having one. Yes, they pump your abdomen full of Co2 which allows them to move around your cavity.They are tiny incisions made in the belly button, on you pubic area and side of your stomach. Scaring is small. Hey I see this as battle wounds, Scars of pride. Now have two sets of them. The procedure is fast 30mins tops.Unless they find something that requires more. You will be loopy but on pain meds. Unless your like me and can not take any narcotics due to allergies (I make a bad drug addict). Then your given high dose of Ibuprofen. You will sleep a lot for two days. PLEASE Sit up, walk around the Co2 release goes into your shoulders and neck, it will be a lot worse of a discomfort if you don't move around allowing the gas to expel. Yes is is painful when it sits between your shoulder blades and neck, but not as bad as your peroids. Take a hot bath or showers with Epsom Salt this too pulls the Co2 out. Wear lose fitting sweat pants your belly will look like your pregnant for two weeks. Plus, the incisions are touchy. Do not drink Soda/ pop for the next few days this makes the Co2 worse.You will be very gasey along wtih this. Bleaching and yes expelling gas. Okay, onto the most important information that my Dr./ nurses forgot to tell me. ***After 4-5 days your going to feel the worse crippling pain in your abdomen. Don't worry this is the local anaesthetic they used to numb your reproductive organs with wearing off! No Lie's this hurts. Also ladies I know we think we're super hero's because we can battle pain like no one else but do not over do the walking around, it will catch up with you!! Trust me I found out the hard way and had to sit for an hour in my car after I thought I could catch up on some errands. HA! As my boyfriend says, "Just because you can doesn't mean you should."  This procedure is not bad and you recover very fast.

   Findings: I indeed have Endometriosis, stage 3 going on 4. Unfortunately I am one of the few who feels the pain at this stage. I had six rather large cyst. Four he was able to lance and drain, he also did an ablation and made an extra incision because he needed to move some things around to only find two large cyst fused to my old appendix scar, attached to my abdominal wall, bladder, uter and Uterus. They are all fused together by drum roll, ENDOMETRIOSIS!!!  So that appendix they removed at 19 that was fused to my abdominal wall was the stomping ground to the endo. They unknowingly helped it spread. The cysts all came back non-cancerous, but he suspects my Uterus to have a fibroid because it is very inflamed and swollen. The endo has taken over my whole right side of the body, infecting my sciatic nerve, bladder, rectum, lower part of my kidney, uterus and right ovary. I am not the worse he has seen but I am not the best either. So we discussed my options and this is where Hormone Suppression came in.
    
     He could not remove the two cysts because they are to big and attached/ fused to the my urter and he couldn't in his right mind surgically remove them with out nicking the urter causing toxins  to spill in my body which is bad as you all know. The hormone suppression is used to shrink down the cysts, stop my production of estrogen which feeds the endometriosis and throws me into menopause also stopping the pain. After 6 months of this therapy he will go in and remove these cyst and give me something I have wanted for so long after having my daughter a hysterectomy. This will forever end my battle it is getting to that light of being pain free that is the journey I speak of. My doctor agreed to my Hysterectomy only because I showed my knowledge as you all should! The fact is I will only be back 6 months to a year later getting yet another lap, ablation and repeat.Only to be told in two years I will  need a hysterectomy or worse that I have cancer. Plus, just because my cyst were Benin this time, does not mean the next time around they will. The older we get the quicker this turns to cancer. Fibroid's and cyst are pre-cursors to cancer. How do I know this research and this happened to my family. Yes, to add onto all of this I am by record the 8th generation of women in my family to have this disease. Not only that I am the same age my mother was when she was diagnosed with Uterine cancer and had a hysterectomy she was then placed on thyroid medicine because she suffers from a hyperthyroid. My cousin now shares this same fate with me. Not only does she have endo  she suffers from the sister to endo interstitial cystitis.

    Now for  those of you reading this for support, or have gone through this or are facing the same fate as I. I choose Zoladex over Lupron. Have you see the side effects of Lupron? Yeah right there is no way I am taking Lupron plus. the stories alone about it are scary.  HRT/ Chemotherapy is what we call this. In other words small doses of chemo is being put into our body. These injections are used on Prostate cancer patients, Breast Cancer patients and yes us Endo patients. A new aggressive therapy that is suppose to work. What they do is  inject a small capsule under your skin in the abdomen. This is will release slowly into your system for 28 days until your next injection. My next blog will be about how these injections are going. I'll document any side effects, mood swings, or as they call the "Zolly Wolly's." Again I am hoping this helps those of you going through this or thinking about it.

Living with an invisible Illness

A cry heard from all around the world filled with women's voices that echo of pain. Doctor's pushing them off, or misdiagnosing the problem. We're fighting for our lives, a chance to be pain free, hell to be normal, to understand why we hurt. What am I rambling on about ENDOMETRIOSIS.  For those of you who don't know what this it, it is a very real crippling disease that women have been suffering with for ages.

Endometriosis is an invisible disease that takes over our body, not just our reproductive organs literally our whole body. My blog is dictated to bring awareness to the world of this disease, document my journey on Zoladex, comfort those who are suffering, family and friends who want to understand and help us cope and to give one more voice to this invisible monster that has taken my life and other's by storm. This is a journey of my battle and how I am becoming a warrior instead of a victim.



  

Endometriosis ( copied from Endometriosis Foundation of America)

What is Endometriosis?

During monthly menstruation, the female body sheds the endometrium - uterine lining - in the process commonly known as a "period". In women and girls who have endometriosis, some of these menstrual fluids are retained in the body and abnormally implant in areas outside of the uterus. These implants, or nodules, eventually accumulate on the bladder, bowel, ovaries, cul de sac, and other nearby organs, leading to the development of adhesions, scarring and invasive nodules. This can cause symptoms that vary from painful periods, chronic pelvic pain, infertility, pain associated with intercourse and sexual activity to painful bowel movements, rectal pain and urinary pain or difficulty.

A common myth about endometriosis is that the more endometrial cells accumulated in the body outside of the uterine cavity, the more pain it causes for the woman. Any amount of endometriosis can cause pain, and the disease does not need to be advanced to cause significant symptoms.  Likewise, higher stage (3 and 4) disease may cause little to no symptoms in some women.  Situations vary; moderate growth can trigger intense pain in some women while advanced growth causes less severe pain in others. Every woman's situation is unique and therefore expert medical evaluation is absolutely essential.

No consensus has been reached on the definitive cause of endometriosis, though stem cells, genetics, dysfunctional immune response, and environmental triggers may all be part of the multi-factorial origin of the disease.  A woman or girl with a mother who has endometriosis is seven times more likely to have the disease herself; endometriosis is also associated with other autoimmune disorders such as thyroid disease.

Despite the confusion and misinformation continuing to surround the disease, the profound, agonizing pain caused by endometriosis is actually treatable, and in many cases quite successfully. Unfortunately, due to a lack of societal and medical community awareness, women are frequently directed to "manage" their discomfort for years with powerful painkillers and hormones - but these only mask symptoms of the condition. What's more, many patients are incorrectly informed by their doctors and treated for symptoms but not endometriosis, which consequently causes a long delay in effective treatment. This dangerous result has led to many "hit or miss" surgeries and thousands of unnecessary hysterectomies. Laparoscopic Excision Surgery - deep removal of all disease from all areas including bowel, bladder and beyond - is an effective, organ-sparing option; ideally performed by experienced, specialized surgeons with dedicated, multidisciplinary medical teams.

Endometriosis Facts & Statistics

• Most women with endometriosis suffer pain—and present symptoms—up to a full decade prior to diagnosis.
• Approximately 176 million women and girls worldwide suffer from endometriosis; 8.5 million in North America alone.
• Associated costs of the disease are estimated to be a staggering $22 billion annually.
• The average woman is 27 when she is first diagnosed with endometriosis.
• Endometriosis is one of the top three causes of female infertility. While it is one of the most treatable, it remains the least treated.
• Abdominal and bowel symptoms linked to endometriosis are commonly misdiagnosed as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).
• Endometriosis is often misdiagnosed as Pelvic Congestion or Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID).
• Many infertile women with endometriosis experienced debilitating painful periods as teenagers but were misdiagnosed.
• Many women suffer silently because they feel that their pain, especially pain associated with sexual intercourse, is just too personal to discuss with their gynecologist. This is more common in some cultures than others.
• Many cases of endometriosis can be successfully treated with Laparoscopic Excision Surgery. Hysterectomy should only ever be considered as a last resort. There is no oral medication to cure endometriosis.

Symptoms of Endometriosis

Endometriosis is much more than simple “killer cramps.” It can cause symptoms varying from painful periods (called dysmenorrhea), to pain with sexual activity (referred to as dyspareunia), to gastrointestinal and urinary tract difficulties (respectively referred to as dyschezia and dysuria).  Infertility is also prevalent in endometriosis, affecting more than half of women who have the disease.  Some characteristic signs of endometriosis include:

• chronic or intermittent pelvic pain
• painful menstruation
• irregular vaginal or uterine bleeding
• irregular vaginal clotting
• large, painful ovarian cysts called endometriomas or "chocolate cysts"
• infertility, miscarriage, ectopic (tubal) pregnancy
• pain associated with intercourse
• nausea/vomiting, gastrointestinal cramping, diarrhea/constipation, particularly with periods
• rectal pain
• blood in the urine; urinary frequency, retention, or urgency
• fatigue, chronic pain, allergies and other immune-related issues are also commonly reported complaints in those with endometriosis

Diagnosing Endometriosis

Despite advances in diagnostic technology, a confirmation of endometriosis requires surgical biopsy. This is commonly obtained through a minimally invasive procedure called laparoscopy. Laparoscopy is typically performed on an out-patient basis. Your surgeon will look at your abdomen and pelvic cavity through an instrument known as the laparoscope. This surgery allows your surgeon to inspect your abdominal and pelvic regions (and beyond, as needed) to diagnose and subsequently remove the disease. To date, anything less than surgical confirmation of endometriosis is considered uncertain.  Due to its diagnostic difficulties, endometriosis may be mistaken for other disorders that include:

adenomyosis (sometimes called "Endometriosis Interna")

appendicitis

ovarian cysts

bowel obstruction

colon cancer

diverticulitis

ectopic pregnancy

fibroids

inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)

irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)

ovarian cancer

PID (pelvic inflammatory disease) or sexually transmitted disease(s)

Endometriosis is NOT an STD or an infection of any kind.  It is not contagious.  Though it cannot be prevented, treatments do exist.

Treating Endometriosis

Endometriosis impacts women and adolescents’ quality of life, sexual pleasure, and ability to have children. The founders of EFA strongly believe that specialized surgery called “Laparoscopic Excision” is the gold standard of endometriosis treatment.

1. Laparoscopic Excision Surgery
2. Other Laparoscopic Surgeries
3. Hysterectomy
4. Hormonal Treatments

Contraceptive-Based Hormonal Treatments
Other Hormonal Treatments

1. Pain Killers
2. Diet and Nutrition
3. Alternative Therapies

OTher options, are excersie and dieting, can't wait to share the diet because we get to eat like rabbits! There are also several cancer's linked to Endometriosis sufferer's which has added to the symptoms and just why women are living in fear of this.