Musings {11-08-12}

I had a very good day yesterday and got very excited about all the things coming up - Harvest, Christmas, Sydney, Jakarta.

I have also gone back into my regular phase of wanting to dye my hair red. If I didn't have my natural hair colour, the hair in this pic would pretty much be my dream hair. I'm still too worried about wrecking my natural colour to actually do it, but for now I can dream...

Music I've been enjoying lately:

Flight Facilities - Clair De Lune (feat. Christine Hoberg) (full song link)

alt-J - Tessellate (in fact, the whole alt-J album is worth listening to)

Something for Kate - Miracle Cure

Day 7: A conversation with my doctor

"I think the Mirena is giving me anxiety."

"Anxiety is not a recognized side-effect of the Mirena."

This is a conversation that I had with my gynecologist 3 months after my surgery and diagnosis.

I was waking up in the middle of the night feeling uncomfortable and anxious, like the room was swallowing me whole and something was just not right.

My doctor was not seeing the whole picture. I don’t know if it was the hormones from the Mirena* the shock of the diagnosis, or my body’s response to some fairly serious surgery, but in the end, that doesn’t really matter.

What matters was that I was giving a cry for help – I wasn’t sleeping properly and I wasn’t coping with life and the after-effects of my diagnosis and surgery.

However, my doctor wasn’t seeing it that way. He just saw me as a uterus, disconnected from any other process in my body.

I am not the first person to experience anxiety after diagnosis with endometriosis/surgery/Mirena. I will not be the last. I eventually went and talked to my GP about it and she's been helping me out.

I’ve had to think about whether the Mirena is for me. At the moment, since I have no treatment backup plan, the last thing I want to do is remove the Mirena even though I think it may be causing some of my problems. I can't go back to missing at least a day of work a month.

However, life is pretty good at the moment, and it feels like I'm finally getting the swing of things. So there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

In light of this topic I will be posting some tips for when you visit the doctor sometime this month. This is partly to remind myself for when I get disheartened, but I also hope that if you are out there and in pain, that it will help you get treatment.

*Mirena is a T-shaped plastic device (known as an intra-uterine device or IUD) placed in the uterus that releases progesterone into the body and lasts up to 5 years. It can be used as a contraception but is also currently thought to be the most effective treatment for endometriosis.

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This month I will be taking part in National Health Blog Post Month. Check back every day to see the new topic and learn more about endometriosis. Apparently I like to break all the rules, so today I am writing about Day 3's intended topic, "A conversation with your doctor".

A tribute to my great-aunt, Babe

Today I learnt that my great-aunt Babe had passed away. Hanging out with Babe was always a highlight of my visit to see my dad’s side of the family in Nebraska. She had a wit, independence and cheekiness about her that I always loved and admired. She also had killer fashion sense – she was always impeccably dressed. One of the last times I saw her I showed her a lovely new cape I had bought from a vintage store and she was very impressed. It was the ultimate compliment!

I may not have been able to see her very often, but I had a special connection with her and she will be dearly missed.

No one can pull off orange like Babe can.

Day 6: Celebrities with endometriosis

Here are just a few of the celebrities that have spoken out about their personal experiences with endometriosis (or that have been reported to have endometriosis):

Emma Bunton (diagnosed at 25).

Susan Sarandon

Hillary Clinton

Jillian Michaels

(The Biggest Loser personal trainer)

Marilyn Monroe

(endometriosis has been noted as a contributing factor in her problems

with depression, addiction to painkillers and death)

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This month I will be taking part in National Health Blog Post Month. Check back every day to see the new topic and learn more about endometriosis. Today I'm going to try and fit this in to the News-Style post theme.

Day 5: List of 3 things I'm thankful for and excited about

Today I am thankful for:

My best friend Lisa whose birthday it is today. She is a really great support and is so talented and fun to hang out with. I'm so thankful she was born and I don't know what I'd do without her.

The internet. Being able to read other people's blogs of their experiences with endometriosis has been a lifesaver. It makes me feel a million times more sane and I know I am much better off knowing that there are other people in the world going through the same things as me.

Jasmine. Jasmine is blooming in our backyard and along our fence at the moment. I used to walk home from school past jasmine plants so it holds good memories for me.


Excited about:

Summer! Canberra is cold in winter, and everyone goes into hibernation a little bit. I can't wait to not need a jacket at night and to be able to wear summer dresses every day.

Jakarta. I'm going to Jakarta for work in a month to help out with a workshop. I love teaching so I'm really looking forward to it, I've also never been to Indonesia anymore so it should be exciting!

Setting up the Canberra Endometriosis network. We're having planning meetings at the moment to figure some stuff out but are hoping to have support meetings going on soon!

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This month I will be taking part in National Health Blog Post Month. Check back every day to see the new topic and learn more about endometriosis. Today's topic was to list three things that you are thankful or excited for.

Picnic by the river

On the very first day of warmth in Canberra, a friend and I decided to have a picnic by the Queanbeyan River to make use of the gorgeous sunshine.

Dress: vintage

Shoes: Betts

Headband: etsy

Day 3: My favourite Endo Blogs

I'm pretty new to the endo blogosphere, but I've already found some great blogs that I'd like to share with you. These ladies are talented writers and explain what it's like to have endometriosis much better than I ever could. I hope you'll give them a look:

ENDOhope

This is the first blog that I stumbled across when looking for endo blogs. Everything is explained with such clarity on this site that I totally recommend it for endo sufferers and endo sufferer-supporters alike. It's also full of great ideas on how to cope with everyday life when you have endometriosis.

Endometriosis: my life with you.
I admit, I'm a sucker for anything pretty, so this blog caught my eye straight away. Apart from the obvious talent the blogger has with web design, she also has a talent for writing. When I read her posts I feel like she is just speaking the thoughts in my head.

Project Endo:

A collaborative blog with all the latest research and tips on how to cope with the various aspects of living with endometriosis.

endowriter

Hasn't been updated in awhile but still has some large volume and variety of information on endometriosis and progesterone intolerance. 

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This month I will be taking part in National Health Blog Post Month. Check back every day to see the new topic and learn more about endometriosis. Today's topic was a bonus round - your favourite blogs.