My body has plotted an uprising against me

So it's taken me far too long to write a recent post.
My pain has been going up and up and lasting longer. Along with it my brain fog has been horrific, finding it difficult to concentrate is an understatement.
Then there's the endless fertility appointments and tests I've been having.
I'm so grateful to have such lovely nurses keeping an eye on me.
I have a cyst in my right ovary yet again, causing me a ridiculous amount of pain.
It feels like my ovaries are stuck in awkward positions again. It feels like a sickening pulling feeling whenever I move.
Last month I had an ultrasound to check my follicles and it showed the cyst. Its not the biggest I've had but its not great. I ended up going to the doctors for an emergency appointment the next day as I was worried it may be an appendicitis instead as I've had a grumbling appendicitis before. That is the only time my pain around that area has matched that, during ovulation.
Before even though my pain was constant it was always worse just before and during my period.
My pain being more intense during ovulation is new and feels different to my PMS pain.
I'm currently only taking 900mg of aspirin for pain relief which barely does anything. But due to fertility treatment and my low ovarian count. I've tried to keep my body as clean and healthy as possible.

My ovaries currently feel fit to burst.

Natasha. X

Gilbert Syndrome and Me

Gilbert's syndrome is actually where my health first went into decline. I was 14 years old when my Gilbert's first triggered. 

I completely lost my appetite I went from 12 stone to 7.5 I missed half a year of school. I felt sick anytime I ate so it was just easier to not eat because I felt better not eating than I did eating.

There are various symptoms but not everyone experiences the same ones.

I’ve experienced fatigue, loss of appetite, feeling sick, dizziness, brain fog and a general feeling of unwell.

People with the syndrome have a faulty gene which causes the liver to have problems removing bilirubin from the blood. The faulty gene means that bilirubin isn't passed into bile (a fluid produced by the liver to help with digestion) at the normal rate. Instead, it builds up in the bloodstream, giving the skin and white of the eyes a yellowish tinge.

My liver struggles to process the toxins which causes me to feel sluggish. I don’t drink often and that’s more of a personal choice. But if I do drink it takes me 2-3 days to recover and I’m hit hard by it. It doesn’t matter how much I’ve had to drink it will affect me and I can guarantee I will have a jaundice glow about me.

Everyone has a different trigger, for me it’s stress. As soon as I’m stressed I’m pretty useless. I’ll become overwhelmed by fatigue and I just need to sleep. 

If you have any questions please feel free to message me.

Things I find helpful during a flare up

During a flare up, I get the most awful cramps and I really try to avoid taking pain relief if I can.

One of the best things I can do to help ease the pain is have a hot bath, I usually put Magnesium Epsom salts in.

 It feels like every muscle in my body just relaxes.

 I usually order a big bag from Amazon as it’s recommended to put 2 cups in, so I can go through it quickly.

I also love to put a few drops of Fortifying Green Bath potion in, it smells amazing and reminds me of Christmas.

 When I get in my body gets this cool tingling sensation and I just feel so relaxed.

https://moa.co.uk/collections/shop/products/bath-oil

I also find myself attached to a hot water bottle 24/7 which means I have this weird mottled heat rash across my back.

I find a hot water bottle is better for targeting certain smaller areas.

I take Spatone Liquid Iron sachets in apple flavour and again I just order them from Amazon. If I take one daily I do notice my cramps are not as bad. Iron is proven to help fatigue, cramping, bloating and mood swings.

  

Chocolate, who doesn’t love it.

 I crave a lot of chocolate when I’m having a hormonal flux. So, if I nibble on some dark chocolate at least 70% cocoa, I find myself more relaxed and my mood boosted. Due to when we eat chocolate our bodies send off little signals telling us to release certain chemicals. Some of those being endorphins our bodies own natural pain killers, serotonin which boosts our mood and dopamine which gives us the sense of well-being.

Please feel free to message me with any questions you might have.

Endo Education & Project Patchwork

I previously wrote a post on Endo education an Instagram account run by Wendy England.

https://www.instagram.com/endoeducation/

It’s an account created to support and educate women with Endometriosis to raise awareness and let women share their own stories.It’s a safe place for women to help each other and give advice to one another.

I love this account it genuinely makes me feel better about myself, I often have days were I feel lazy and pretty rubbish about myself.

Reading motivational posts and other women’s posts make you feel like you’re not alone. I love reading other women’s tips on how they deal with certain things. All the women are so supportive and friendly. I finally feel like someone understands what I’m going through, they can genuinely sympathise.

Project patchwork is a new site Wendy has created it is for women with various hidden conditions. Again, it was created as a safe space for women dealing with chronic illness. If you are suffering from a hidden condition and just need someone to relate to then you really should give them a follow.

Wendy is currently using kickstart to raise money so that she can make project patchwork her full time focus and cover running costs of the site.

I feel this is another brilliant platform to help women feel like their not alone and to gain information they might not know about.

http://theprojectpatchwork.com/

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wendyengland/project-patchwork-every-scar-tells-a-story

https://www.instagram.com/theprojectpatchwork/

Also if you would like to give the incredible lady herself a follow she posts a lot on her personal account too.

https://www.instagram.com/iamwendyengland/

Endo and Diet

Obviously, every woman suffers differently with their Endo as with everything our bodies react differently. What works for one might not work for another, although excision surgery is the gold standard for treating endometriosis at present. 

Once removed there’s no telling how long you will go without experiencing symptoms again. I’ve read various women’s experiences were they’ve barely been bothered by it for years and others who have immediate symptoms. 

I’ve read a lot of woman preaching that the Endo (anti- inflammatory) diet is key to staying Endo free. Now I’m not disputing that for them it works as I do believe we all have certain things that work best for us. 

But for me personally I tried a year Gluten and Wheat free, before I was properly diagnosed as they thought it was Coeliac at the time.

 I mainly ate Meat, Veg and Potatoes which for me isn’t a huge problem, as I’m a big meat eater anyway. I know red meat is considered to be a no-no, so you could argue that of course it wouldn’t have helped. But I’m rather fussy in that I really don’t like salads, I’ve tried different ones and I just can’t find one I like or even pretend to like. Also Veg I eat a certain few but not a lot as again I just don’t have a taste for them. Fish is meant to be so good for you but the only time you’ll ever find me eat it is fish fingers. I also didn’t touch a lot of dairy during this time either. I did have times where I ate more chicken than red meat and again there wasn’t any difference. The only thing that changed with being on a Wheat and Gluten free diet is I was a whole lot grumpier. I love bread! And I’m not one of those people that feels it affects them.

 I try to cook as much as possible from scratch, I cook what I consider to be good home cooked meals.For me I enjoy food too much, I eat what I want but my portion size isn't that big. 

For some changing your diet might be the answer but don’t feel bad if it doesn’t. 

My main point is try different things and do what works best for you. 

New Year’s Eve Flare-Up

My latest flare up decided to rear its ugly head on New Year’s Eve.

I woke up with stabbing pains and spotting, the pain was nauseating.

I thought brilliant what a way to bring in the new year.

The pain always tends to ease off through the middle of the day and then picks up again in the evening. It’s like my body knows when I’m trying to relax and go to bed and decides it has other ideas.

Thankfully Martin and I didn’t have solid plans for New years and he wasn’t really in the mood to do anything. I was so pleased when he said this as by the evening my pain had upped its game. We decided Chinese take away and films would be how we would be spending our night. The pain was so bad I had taken pain medication and thankfully it seemed to do the trick, but it also made me so tired. I started to drop off at 10pm on the sofa and then about 11pm I had a resurgence of energy. I was wide awake till 2am and by then the medication had worn off. So, the pain was back, and I was struggling to get into a comfortable position and sleep.

I knew waking up I would still have the pain as typically a flare up will last minimum a week.

Over the next few weeks the pain would vary throughout the day, starting from when I wake up and easing off through the morning and early afternoon. To reappearing again in the late afternoon and kicking it up a notch in the evening.

I try not to take medication unless I have to, so you’ll usually find me attached to a hot water bottle. I reserve pain relief until the evening when I really need it as the pain tends to stop me from sleeping.

That’s not to say I don’t feel pain during the day too, it’s just that pain is always there. It’s a dull achy pain with the occasional stabbing pain in one of my ovaries. My hips and legs feel heavy and sometimes throb.

Were as my evening pain being more like my insides are burning with sharp shooting pain. With one of my ovaries usually the left feeling like its about to explode. I am prone to cysts in my left ovary and have had them burst before, so I'm very wary of another bursting. The pains usually go hand in hand with and overwhelming urge to be sick, thankfully I’m not always physically sick.

Unfortunately, I’ve spent all of January having a flare up and it has continued into February. My left ovary has been giving me more trouble than usual, my doctor suggested and internal exam just to be sure.

I'm hoping this flare up will die down soon.