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

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/

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.

So, what is Endometriosis?

Endometriosis is a condition where tissue that behaves like the lining of the womb (endometrium) is found in other parts of the body.

It can appear in various places, including the ovaries, Fallopian tubes, inside the tummy, and in or around the bladder or bowel.

Every month a woman’s body goes through hormonal changes. Hormones are released which cause the lining of the womb to thicken in preparation for a fertilised egg.  If pregnancy doesn’t occur, the lining breaks down, this is then released from the body as a woman’s period.

In endometriosis, cells like the ones in the lining of the womb grow elsewhere in the body. These cells react to the menstrual cycle each month and bleed. However, there is no way for this blood to leave the body. This can cause inflammation, pain and the formation of scar tissue.

The symptoms of endometriosis can vary. Some women are badly affected, while others might not have any noticeable symptoms.

The main symptoms of endometriosis are:

·       pain in your lower tummy or back (pelvic pain)

·       period pain that stops you doing your normal activities

·       pain during or after sex

·       pain when peeing or pooing during your period

·       feeling sick, constipation, diarrhoea, or blood in your pee during your period

·       difficulty getting pregnant

The only way to officially diagnose Endometriosis is a laparoscopy.

Endometriosis is categorised from 1-4, 4 being the worst

Stage I — minimal endometriosis is characterized by isolated implants and no significant adhesions

Stage II — mild endometriosis by superficial implants less than 5 cm in aggregate without significant adhesions.

Stage III — moderate endometriosis and IV — severe endometriosis consists of multiple implants and scarring around the tubes and ovaries or on multiple implants, including large ovarian endometriomas with thick adhesions, respectively.

The NHS named Endometriosis 1 of 20 painful health conditions known to cause pain so disabling that it can prevent you performing daily tasks.

1 in 10 women of reproductive age in the UK suffer from endometriosis.

Around 1.5 million women in the UK alone are currently living with the condition. Endometriosis can affect all women and girls of a childbearing age.

Currently there is no known cure.

I am not a doctor nor am I qualified to diagnose anyone.

All the above are facts I put together into one place for easy viewing.

More information can be found from following the links below.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/endometriosis/

https://www.endometriosis-uk.org/

https://www.nhs.uk/LiveWell/Pain/Pages/20-painful-conditions.aspx

http://www.endostats.com/

Endometriosis Revisited

So, after having excision surgery in October 2016 I was feeling great and ready to start living a pain free life. Afterwards I wasn’t put on any kind of hormone treatment as doctors suggest if you’re able to do so, to start trying for a child. After the first month had passed I was still sore and still in a little pain, but no way near what I had previously been in. It was December and I’d gone back to my doctor for more pain medication, he asked me how I was feeling and how I was getting on. I told him I was still sore and in pain but feeling good, I was told to keep a note of how I was feeling to take with me to my follow up. Everyone’s recovery time is different, so it can be difficult to know what pain is from healing and what isn’t. My follow up was 4 months after the surgery and by that point I was now bleeding irregularly and heavily again. I was also back to being in pain during my period. My specialist was certain the endometriosis was already growing back due to not being on anything to help stop the regrowth. I was told the most successful time to get pregnant was up to 6 months after surgery and that time frame was almost over. I was told before surgery that it probably wouldn’t increase my chances of conceiving naturally and I would most likely need help to conceive. So, I was referred to the fertility clinic as well as being prescribed more pain killers and told we would see where we are, at my follow up in another 6 months. Over the next 6 months it got worse and I just felt so drained and helpless. I was put on the mini pill to try to stop my cycle and to stop me from loosing anymore eggs as I have a low reserve for a woman of my age. The first month and the pill seemed to be working, but almost as soon as I’d started taking the second pack I had started to get break through bleeding. I was told it was normal and unfortunately there is nothing that can be done about it. I was on my third pack and still bleeding irregularly and I was due to get married in a few weeks. That was honestly my worst nightmare, worrying about wearing a huge white dress whilst bleeding. I phoned my GP to ask about a pill I had been told about that you could take for 3 days and it would suppress your cycle. She said they were actually stopping the prescribing of this on the NHS but she would give me the prescription as a one off. Thankfully taking this on the 3 days up to my wedding stopped the bleeding. Although it was halfway through December and I had started bleeding again, luckily there was barely any pain. But on New years eve I woke up with the most awful stomach cramps and feeling so nauseated, I thought brilliant what a way to start the new year. Since then my abdominal pain has come back with vengeance and not in any particular pattern. I try to take my painkillers as little as possible being that they are so strong, but recently its been so difficult to fall asleep and then intern wake up and get out of bed as the painkillers make me feel so sluggish. I know I will need further surgery but it’s a case of waiting to see where my fertility treatment will go.

For more information or support I have posted a link below.

https://www.endometriosis-uk.org/