Battling Endometriosis & Overbearing Pain

I decided that I would open up and help someone that may be going through complications such as I am. Within the past year I have tried to adjust my life to “accommodate” pain. I was diagnosed with Endometriosis almost 1.5 years ago. I obtained the information after numerous trips to the ER that were extremely painful. I would be home or at work and all of a sudden I would have intense pain and a bout of extreme nausea. I racked up emergency room bills and no one could tell me what was going on with me.

According to the Mayo Clinic, Endometriosis (en-doe-me-tree-O-sis) is an often painful disorder in which tissue that normally lines the inside of your uterus — the endometrium — grows outside your uterus (endometrial implant). Endometriosis most commonly involves your ovaries, bowel or the tissue lining your pelvis.

In endometriosis, displaced endometrial tissue continues to act as it normally would — it thickens, breaks down and bleeds with each menstrual cycle. Because this displaced tissue has no way to exit your body, it becomes trapped. When endometriosis involves the ovaries, cysts called endometriosis may form. Surrounding tissue can become irritated, eventually developing scar tissue and adhesions — abnormal tissue that binds organs together.

Endometriosis can cause pain — sometimes severe — especially during your period. Fertility problems also may develop.

POSSIBLE SYMPTOMS

Pelvic pain (especially during your cycle-dysmenorrhea)

Bloating

Nausea

Infertility

Excessive Bleeding

Back Pain

Headaches

Fatigue

Insomnia

Diarrhea

Constipation

Painful intercourse

Pain when urinating or bowel movements

Many women are misdiagnosed with other things when it really is Endometriosis. Often times, a woman is diagnosed with Endometriosis after extreme pain when they are admitted into the hospital.

Women are misdiagnosed with the following:

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)

A Primary Care Physician can imply that you have endo, but cannot confirm unless they go in to see what’s happening. Your doctor can conduct a Pelvic Exam, Ultrasound, or perform a Laparoscopic surgery to determine if you have endometriosis.

One day, I was diagnosed at Urgent Care with appendicitis and had to rush to the ER to have surgery. After several tests, the ER Physician informed me that my appendix was perfectly healthy. The ER Physician referred me to my PCP (Primary Care Physician) immediately to undergo extensive testing, because they could not find what was making me ill. I went to my PCP and nothing was wrong, and I felt despondent. I started feeling like I was tripping and my mind was playing tricks on me. I finally went for my routine Pap smear and my Gynecologist caught the issue. He explained and educated me on endometriosis. He expounded on how it could have gone undetected, and the reasoning behind my pain. He informed me that my scar tissue from Post Gallbladder Surgery has meshed with my endometriosis. This is the reason why I have extreme pain. He prescribed me pain medication, which was Hydrocodone (Lortab). He also put me on a Birth Control called Lutera (Levonorgestrel and Ethinyl Estradiol). He had me change my diet to incorporate more natural and healthier food options. Life got so much better for me!

I started to conduct more research to decrease as much pain as I could. A Special friend of mine suggested that I start taking Evening Primrose Oil Vitamins. I started taking it and I feel so much better than I previously did.

Evening Primrose Oil Vitamins: http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/evening-primrose-oil-uses-and-risks

I also started drinking Ginger Root Tea on a daily basis. I grew up drinking it due to my culture, but did not realize how much it would help me aside from post pregnancy.

Ginger or ginger root is the rhizome of the plant Zingiber officinale, consumed as a delicacy, medicine, or spice. It lends its name to its genus and family (Zingiberaceae). Other notable members of this plant family are turmeric, cardamom, and galangal. The distantly related dicots in the Asarum genus have the common name wild ginger because of their similar taste.

I must say that I do have times where I experience extreme pain, but it is much better than what it used to be. It is more manageable for me. My pain level on a scale from  1 to 10 is a 5, but it used to be a 13. My irritability, restlessness, and agitation has reduced a great deal. I must admit I still suffer from headaches and nausea during my bad months. It is not an easy task to maintain a level of being pain-free.

If you are experiencing these symptoms, please go to a doctor for a thorough examination. We have to endure certain things as women, but we should do everything in our power to make it our lives easier. We CANNOT fly if we are being weighed down with afflictions. 

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us." ~Romans 8:18

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