Please help get the word out so no one else feels this pain

National Endometriosis Awareness Month is upon us once again! If you are anything like me, you may wonder, what on earth does it mean and how can I be a part of it? Granted it is not like October where every venue you enter is flooded with pink and where the general public has an understanding of what the pink ribbon stands for, but that does not mean we cannot make a difference! Here are some easy ways to get involved in Endo Awareness Month this March:

1. Sport a yellow shirt on Yellow Shirt Day which takes place on March 1st and ask your friends and loved ones to do the same! What if we were able to flood the month of March with yellow the way October is saturated in pink? Would Congress then take notice and raise funding so that we can find a cure?
2. Sport an Endometriosis Awareness Shirt as often as possible the rest of the month (and year)! Fight Like a Girl has an amazing selection of kickin’ shirts for endo warriors like you and me. I don’t know of there is a stigma attached to being vocal about endometriosis since it relates to our “lady parts” but if we can proudly sports shirts (and bumper stickers) that read “Save the Ta-tas” then surely we can proudly show our desire to overcome endo (we can skip the “save the ute” t-shirt though…lol).
3. Hand out yellow ribbons. This is something that I do every year because it is so easy to do and can make a big difference. For the month of March, I keep a basket of yellow ribbons on my desk with a small framed poster that gives stats regarding endometriosis. As co-workers and others stop by my desk, I can pass out the ribbons and let them know about awareness month.
4. Add a blurb about Endo Awareness Month to your email signature. This is another simple yet effective way to spread the word! It may not seem like much but believe me, it makes a difference!
5. Participate in the Adopt A Doctor program with the ERC. The ERC has created this program to help raise awareness about not only the ERC, but Endometriosis Awareness Month and mostly importantly you, the endo patient. This is a super easy program to get involved in! You can click here for more information!
6. Take social media by storm! Light up facebook, twitter, and your blog about endometriosis. If you haven’t noticed, there are tons of Facebook groups already created to spread the word about Endometriosis Awareness Month so join on in! Tweet out stats about endometriosis and how people can get involved to raise awareness. Blog about your journey with endometriosis and your desire to see that a cure is found in your lifetime. Fill out the 30 Things About My Invisible Illness You May Not Know to help educate others on what it is like to live with an invisible disease. It is time that we unite our voices together and make a powerful warrior cry that we will not be defeated!

Together we can make National Endometriosis Awareness Month 2011 one to remember! What are ways you plan on getting involved this month?
<hugs and painfree wishes>
Jamee - from thefightlikeagirlclub.com
The informational content of this article is intended to convey general educational information and should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional healthcare advice.

The Time has Come

As of yesterday the Lupron is out of my system.(YEA!!) Which means we have been cleared to start trying and then next month we have to see the fertility doctor again so they can run a few tests. The only problem with this is what happens if by gods grace we succeed right away, a good thing except I just started a new job so that may not go over so well. On the other hand they all seem so family orientated so it may not be that big of an issue since I have married someone that works 24 on and 48 off so he can be a Mr. Mom. It just now is the time whether we feel ready or not, prepared or lost it is all in. Please keep us in your prayers and hope that my doctor was wrong and that we are able to conceive.

Almost there?

For the past few days I have been completely exhausted for no reason. Then you add dizzy spells on top of that plus I have been experiencing some more pain than usual. All of these things typically mean one thing for someone suffering with endometriosis- period right around the corner. It has been about 5 months since I have had one so I was confused to why I was feeling so awful, thankfully my husband had also been paying attention to my symptoms and was like this is what used to happen. So as odd as it is I am looking forward to it because that means the lupron is out of my system and we can begin trying without worrying about possible birth defects from the injections I was receiving. So please do me a favor and cross your fingers that I am not getting sick and my body is finally getting back to its normal state.

Changes

Well 2 weeks ago I quit my job as a clinic administrator for a national massage franchise. I felt inclined to do so after one of the franchisees told me twice "to rip everything." Real nice huh? I sent her and the other franchisee an e mail voicing my opinion on how unprofessional that was. The sad part it went even further they were telling other employees and clients that I needed to have a hysterectomy. To anyone that has ever suffered from endometriosis you know that is the last thing you want people around you talking about. As I told her I am a married 27 year old that has not started a family yet how can you even say that to me? Her reply was there are other ways, I felt like saying not on what you pay me there is not! I was good I used my filter. When I sat down with both franchisees to discuss these issues along with clinic happenings for 2011. During the meeting she lied about ever saying anything even the things she said to my face. I had enough I was always so stressed when I would head to work and you know that stress is really bad since it causes everything to tense up increasing the daily chronic pain I am in. I have accepted a new position with what seems to be a great assisted living facility. I have never had a Monday-Friday 9-5 kind of job so this will all be new to me but I am so excited to start tomorrow!! Have to get fingerprinted and that is a pain in the butt since the places are only open certain hours on certain days.

Wolves Game

My husband is so good with children he was able to help out with Haley May our neice at the game even after she had a sno cone and cotton candy. She was watching the game as she was jumping on her Uncle Chris' lap.

Background Information

How all of this started - During the summer I started have severe pain in my abdomen I went in to see a general practitioner and they sent me to a gynecologist specialist. After he made me cry during the exam he decided that it was time to take a look and see if I had endometriosis. I had a laproscopy at the end of August where they found stage 3 (out of 4) endometriosis. They also found a surprise hernia and a 3cm cyst on my right ovary. After 2 weeks of recovery my pain was the exact same so I went back to the doctor had a CT scan and they discovered that it had come back with a vengeance plus a cyst back on my right ovary and this time it was bigger. We decided to go for the lupron injections (of course I had all the awful side effects) so after 2 months of that I decided it was time to try to have a family. When discussing this with my doctor he was shocked that I thought I would be able to conceive. It was his opinion that I would need help if that was going to happen and even then it was only a slight chance due to all of the scarring and where the endometrial tissue was as well as with the cyst on my ovary. (still there) We have seen a fertility doctor and all they could tell us to do for right now is wait until my body goes back to normal from the injections. It has been almost 3 months since my last injection and we are still in a holding pattern.

Pictures from the surgery I had in August do NOT scroll down if you cannot handle blood.

Cyst off of my ovare

The white that you see is the endometriosis

The fixing of the hernia

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