The power of community

Goofing off with some endo sisters during a wine and food fest.

It's been hard recently. Work has been stressful, moving continents is never easy and I've had more endo pain again - partly due to the stress and not sticking to my diet as well as I usually do + running out of krill oil last week and not having the time/energy to go buy more from the store (putting in all the detail so you know how much I have to do to keep functioning, and how tiny things can throw me off!) but also I think my endo is growing back. I knew it was going to happen sometime, they didn't get all of it in the last surgery, and it was pretty aggressive.

You know what has made my day though?

• Getting an email at work on Monday from a colleague who remembered me campaigning for endometriosis awareness a couple of years ago, writing to me to let me know that her friend was going through the process of being diagnosed with endo, and asking me if I would be happy to talk to her about it because she was feeling a bit overwhelmed and isolated.
• Having a tea break at work with an endo sister who apparently came to the Canberra Endometriosis Network through my campaigning at work a year and a bit ago, who I've only just discovered works with me. It was so lovely to talk to her during work hours and share stories.
• Having an endo friend to message while trying a new treatment that involves putting capsaicin (as in the active ingredient in chillies) on my lady bits to try and desensitise them and put an end to this nerve pain once and for all. That is not a fun experience but it was made so much better by having someone to go through it with.
• Reading Lena Dunham's endometriosis special in Lenny Letter. She had UTI symptoms too! I wonder how many other women have them and are dismissed like we both were.

These are just a few of the ways that I have felt loved and supported by the endometriosis community recently. Some days it really sucks to have this disease, but at the same time I am so thankful for the opportunity I have to reach out and make a difference in others' lives in really simple ways by sharing my experiences, and for them to make a difference in mine. I have so much love for my endosisters.