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

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.

Endo Education- An Instagram account to raise awareness

Endo Education is an Instagram account I have recently discovered.

instagram.com/endoeducation

 This wonderful account popped up in my suggestions feed.

 It was set up and is run by a lovely lady called Wendy.

instagram.com/iamwendyengland

 She posts inspirational quotes and Endo facts but more importantly she posts other woman’s stories about their experiences. She asks you to write a little bit about yourself and your experience’s and if you’d like a photo to go with it. 

I think these little snippets into people’s lives is so important because everyone experiences things in different ways but also at the same time some people’s stories can be so similar. It’s a fantastic way to raise awareness but also bring people together, as this disease can bring with it a lot of mental health issues meaning you can feel so isolated.
 Personally, for me I’ve loved reading through other women’s experiences and to see I’m not alone and I’m not the only one feeling a certain way. It also lets other women going through the same thing know its ok to talk about it. 
The account lets us connect with other women going through similar things and to give each other support as well a providing much needed awareness.
We need more people like Wendy who are bringing much needed support to other women and providing a safe place to talk about these things.
 She poses questions to followers inviting them to share their experience or views on that particular subject. I think this can be very helpful because when you have a lot going on, your minds always buzzing and you can miss things you wouldn't usually. You can share something that ends up helping someone else that you wouldn't have even thought about saying before.
It's important to show our appreciation for women like Wendy and everything they do for other people.
💛