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Fibromyalgia and the co-morbid Endometriosis

by 3 Comments
Feb
21
2012
endoo

It's true that when you get a serious illness, co-morbid illnesses always follow. Now I also have to fight like a girl for Endometriosis.  I didn't see it coming, as I had seen so many doctors for my pelvic pain and had been dismissed (probably for being a girl who presents with a large number of illnesses...).  Finally, I went to a surgeon, who is the only doctor who deals with sexual problems on the side of his main practice in the area.  I went in expecting sexual therapy advice, and instead, he listened to me and immediately scheduled me for surgery. I rarely listen to my answering machine messages, so I found out on a Wednesday that my surgery was going to be Friday morning.  It was probably better like that, as I would have had too much time to think about the situation otherwise.  I came out of surgery in extreme pain and once the doctor came around he told me that there was indeed a reasonably serious case of endometriosis causing my pelvic pain.  I normally … [Read more...]

Filed Under: CFS, Endometriosis, Fibromyalgia

Understanding the Other Side

by 7 Comments
Jan
30
2012
On_the_Other_Side_

 When you are first diagnosed with Endometriosis it’s hard to understand exactly what’s going on in our bodies but even harder is when you try to explain it to someone else. You can give them a list of symptoms - painful periods, Pain with bowel movements or urination, Excessive bleeding, the list could go on but for the most part that is a huge chunk of it. One of the worst things is getting that look that says you’re a wimp and then “Well I have heavy painful periods too.” So how do you tell your family and friends why yours is different? And how do you explain it in a way that will make them see what you’re going through? The first thing is you have to know what Endometriosis is. If you’ve been diagnosed with it then your doctor has already explained it but just to remind you, here is what the Mayo Clinic defines Endometriosis as- “Endometriosis is an often painful disorder in which tissue that normally lines the inside of your uterus — the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Endometriosis Tagged With: ,

”Living” with Endometriosis

by 4 Comments
Jan
27
2012
Living with Endometriosis

Before you go running for the antibacterial wipes I just want to let you know that I’m not contagious. What I have is not catching. What I’m about to relay will not travel through your computer’s innards as a deadly Trojan virus or spread through the air like an uncovered sneeze. It’s called stage IV endometriosis and according to the information traffic jam, over 70 million women around the world live with it every day and, I’m guessing another 50 million or so women don’t even know they have it. Those women are probably lying on the bathroom floor right now, gritting their teeth, clutching their wombs while saying, “What the F*ck!?” and praying for the strength to live through the next couple of days. So what is endometriosis? I usually tell people, strictly out of exhaustion, that it’s a “girlie” disease. This comes from being raised in a household where you don’t talk about stuff like this. If by some circumstance of extreme horror a particularly cute … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Endometriosis Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Making it mean something

by 7 Comments
Jan
22
2012
I wear green for the Organ Donor that saved my Mommy's life.

Hello my fellow fighters! Lately I have been thinking a lot about the journey my sickness has taken me and my family on, and how I can make something good out of it... Lemonade out of lemons (with a whole lot of added sugar, hehe), as one would say. For me, sharing my story and my knowledge on liver disease and transplants first hand, validates it some. If I can help to comfort at least one person, and show them that if a 5'1", 115 pound, mousy sounding girl can do it then they can too, then it will be worth it to me (I was going to go through it whether I liked it or not anyway). But besides sharing my story, I feel it is just as important for me to spread awareness  on the need for organ donation. I, for one, wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for this life saving procedure and the kindness of others. In November 2009, my husband's cousin Nancy, decided to give me part of her liver (54% to be exact). In July of 2010 we both went into surgery, and I came out feeling better then I … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Liver Disease Tagged With: , , ,

I’m Dangerous

by 10 Comments
Jan
05
2012
tree-on-rock

Those of us fighting Ankylosing Spondylitis or other illnesses know that every day is a test of our courage and strength. We question if today will be the day when we find a cure, our energy will be restored, or even if we will find a bit of relief for a few moments. Being that it is the start of the new year, I couldn't help and look back for a moment to realize what an adventure my loved ones and I endured in 2011. Between the daily struggle of my chronic illness, my mother's continued health battles, my daughter's cancer fight, and unfortunate loss of her eye, I quickly realized as hard as it was at the time, in the end, we survived. I saw a quote by Josephine Hart that says, "Damaged people are dangerous. They know they can survive". I found so much truth in her words. I clenched my fists each time my doctor found that my medicine wasn't working to help my AS. I would fall into that ever popular deep despair moment. I switched meds 3 times in a year. Those of us with AS know … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Ankylosing Spondylitis Tagged With: , , ,

One resolution you should keep!

by 5 Comments
Jan
02
2012
Jan 1

Is one of your new years resolutions to lose those extra pounds, to be less scatter-brained, to get off that couch, or just plain be happy? Well if any of these five common resolutions are yours, your body might be telling you something, and taking care of your liver might just be the one thing you need to address to achieve these goals! 1. Energy - Gosh, get off your lazy butt! Your liver processes your nutrients, gets them where they need to be, while removing the harmful stuff. But if it's overloaded, it's not able to do its job properly and your poor body is sending all extra energy to help your liver (all hands on deck), but toxins are slipping through the cracks... Number two is a result of one of those toxins. 2. Brain fog - This can range from mild forgetfulness and confusion to HE (HEPATIC ENCEPHALOPATHY) ...and don't tell me you're just getting older, I wouldn't accept that until I was over 100. I saw George Burns - quick as a whip he was! Hepatic encephalopathy is … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Liver Disease Tagged With: , ,

A New Year, A New Hope for a Cure.

by 7 Comments
Dec
27
2011
fireworkds

I want to talk about the battle that you go through and the hard decisions you have to make when you are living with Endometriosis. As we face a new year my resolutions are simple. Take care of myself, fight with all I have against this disease and pray for a cure. My Christmas was filled with wonderful family and a caring boyfriend who made it very special. I am in recovery from my third surgery that I had on December 12, so it was a little altered and I was limited on what I could do. I haven’t posted about the surgery and the things I’ve been through leading up to it because I was having a very hard time with the thoughts of going through it again. About two months ago I went back to my doctor to figure out the next step in what we should do. I had a very bad reaction to the last treatment we had tried, birth control/hormone therapy. So it was at the point of having to have surgery again because the treatments hadn’t helped and it was still growing very … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Endometriosis Tagged With: , , ,

Cookies, Cakes and Endo, OH MY! Surviving the Holidays

by 2 Comments
Nov
28
2011
cupcake

   It’s that time of the year! The holidays! As I type and I was thinking of all you wonderful ladies out there. I think this time of the year is wonderful. It’s one of my favorite times but it can also be one of the hardest. You get busy and feel like there’s not enough time in the day, even more so then usual. You’re going from family members’ house to family members’ house and during this time it can be easy to forget to take care of yourself.  From cooking the turkey for Thanksgiving to opening the presents on Christmas, this time can really take it out of you. So how do you survive the holidays with Endo? Well first you have to pace yourself. I know you know this already, so do I. But putting what we know into action sometimes is a little different.  We want to be the super women and make the holidays great and fun for everyone and in the middle of it all we forget that we can’t do everything all at once and to take care of ourselves. This goes … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Endometriosis Tagged With: , ,

The Season For Health

by 5 Comments
Nov
28
2011
GrinchFLAGC

I love this time of year. I love it for the festivities and the traditions, for the carols, lights, and gift giving. Some years I do more than other years – my decorating and baking frenzy ebbs and flows depending on my health (both physical and emotional.) This year I am more excited than I’ve been in quite a few years. I’m not sure exactly why but I think that it may be that sometimes we go through experiences and times where our lives reveal new appreciations and like The Grinch - the change causes our hearts to grow a few sizes bigger. Our understanding of what is important becomes that much clearer and we can then move out of the trudge of life and into loving it in a new way. I have learned - truly learned - this year to Choose Joy to Choose Positivity and to Choose Happiness. I’ve learned it from some amazing women, some amazing warriors and fighters who are also constant lovers. I thank you Holly and Teresa and Jennifer. I thank you Janelle and Betsy and Heather. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Ankylosing Spondylitis Tagged With: , , , , ,

Don’t Judge a Book by It’s Cover

by 8 Comments
Nov
11
2011
My senior photo from last year.

I have heard a lot of comments throughout my 19 years of living with a Congenital Heart Defect and life threatening lung disease called Pulmonary Hypertension. Many of which have had to do with my scar or the way my voice sounds. A few times in elementary and middle school; kids would tell me how they wished they had a heart defect so they could get out of participating in P.E. When I was younger, I knew they weren’t trying to be mean or anything and that they just didn’t know any better. They didn’t know how it felt to sit on the side lines and watch as your friends ran back and forth and how you wished so much you could run just like them without getting tired. They didn’t know what it felt like to be the “cheerleader” for the team when you so badly wanted to be on the field with them. That was when I was 11 to about 13 years old that I got those comments. So going into college, I thought since P.E. wasn’t mandatory; I wouldn’t get any comments about me sitting out of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Heart Disease, Living Life Tagged With: , ,