In a recent post on Endometriosis Awareness Month, I talked about the importance of awareness and education of reproductive health and diseases. In an effort to continue spreading the awareness, it has always been an important point in starting this blog, that I share my own personal story with endometriosis.

When did it start?

The interesting thing about endometriosis, or any reproductive disorder, is that it often takes years to have a concrete diagnosis. I started my first menstrual cycle when I was 11 and the pain that came with it was substantial, but I was told that some pain and cramping was normal. After a 6-month stint of not having a period and then it reappearing, that same pain was there. I went to see my family doctor who prescribed birth control pills and referred me to a gynecologist who prescribed Naproxen for the pain. There was no further investigation, just medication. Over the years, I had ultrasounds and routine examinations that showed I also had cysts, but still no further investigation, just medication. The birth control controlled the pain for approximately 10 years. I was finally diagnosed at 26 (last year) after an ultrasound showed a mass on my right ovary.

Finally, A Diagnosis

The summer of 2015 wasn’t too eventful, except for a growing sensation that I was getting in my legs. It’s strange to describe. It was pain, but it wasn’t. It was pretty much constant and felt like a buzzing or numbness. Sometimes, there would be sharp pain in my hips/groin area, but they often passed. In October, I went on my first solo trip to Europe. It was amazing and full of crazy experiences. I don’t remember there being any pain during the trip, but in November it had started up again. I went to see my new family physician for some stomach issues I was having and requested to have a pelvic ultrasound (which I had tried to get in May for my annual physical, but was told “If it isn’t bothering you, it isn’t necessary”) to check up on the ovarian cysts I had. Low and behold, it showed a mass on my right ovary. I was referred to a local gynecologist that specialized in ovarian cancer. I had to do a C-25 blood test, which is a pre-screen test for cancer, however, my levels were not high enough and I was referred to another ^th, 2016 and I was in laparoscopic surgery January 15^th, 2016.

Treatments Thus Far

Another interesting thing about Endometriosis, and I suppose what contributes to the delay in diagnosis, is that the only true way to diagnosis Endometriosis is through surgery. There are a lot of sites that say that MRI, ultrasound, and x-ray are used for diagnosis but the truth is that the imaging just isn’t clear enough to pick up on the lesions to confirm that it is in fact Endometriosis.  January 15^th was my exploratory diagnostic laparoscopic surgery with excision (meaning they were going in to see what exactly was going on, if there was endometriosis present and if so, they would laser the affected areas). Since my gynecologist suspected that it was in fact endometriosis, I was prescribed with Visanne (which I started immediately), a progestogen treatment which stopped my menstrual cycle. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the cure I was looking for. A few months after my surgery, I was finding that I was still getting pain in my legs. Daily and constant pain. I notified my surgeon at which point she was (I felt) hesitant to do anything more, but ordered and MRI. She said that if further surgery was necessary, she would not be the one to do it. The MRI showed an endometrioma. So, I was sent to another specialist and prescribed Lupron. Now if you do a quick Google search of Lupron, you will see all the nasty reviews and side effects that Lupron has to offer…and here this doctor was prescribing it to me. Nevertheless, I filled the prescription and held on to it, just in case. I waited and waited, dealing with the daily and constant pain. I bought a Magic Bean heating bean bag (a complete life saver) which I brought almost everywhere including work. Finally, in August, I had my second laparoscopic surgery to remove the endometrioma and any other endometriosis that had regrown. In December, I made the decision to take the Lupron shot on Christmas day. For Endo, those are the options: surgery and medication.

Current Status

 I’m at a point in my journey with this that I’m content. There is so much power in a name. Knowing that those weeks that I wasn’t able to walk do to the extreme pelvic pain… that there was a name for it. That I wasn’t imagining any of it as many women in positions like these often consider. “Is the pain real? Why isn’t anyone doing anything about it?” plagued my mind for years, especially most recently. Knowing the disease has given me such peace of mind. I’ve come to terms with the fact that after all the treatments I’ve had over the past year, and as the Lupron taken on Christmas day is wearing off, that pain in this form may always be a part of my life. What’s most important now is keeping my body as healthy and happy as I can. Finding natural ways to help keep the endometriosis in check, putting healthful routines in place, and nourishing my mind and body for a holistic lifestyle. That’s part of this blog’s philosophy. It’s finding ways to curate the best possible life for yourself, whatever your circumstances may be. It takes strength you never know you have until you start.

What is your journey? Do you know someone with Endometriosis? I’d love to hear about it.

March is Endometriosis Awareness Month! Here's Why It's Important

When it came to this particular story, I had a hard time deciding how soon I would share this with the blog. It has taken me at least a decade to finally get the answers I've need for my entire pubescent life, and no offense, as much as I love the readership of this blog... we just met! I haven't even had a chance to buy you dinner. Nonetheless, here I am ready to share.

By Xavier Sotomayor 

March is Endometriosis Awareness Month and when I was starting my blog, I definitely felt like I needed to cover this. As a Canadian woman affected by this reproductive disease, I was extremely proud and excited that the Canadian government has recently allocated $650 million dollars towards sexual and reproductive rights. This is a huge step towards an area of the healthcare system worldwide that is underfunded, undereducated, and often misunderstood.

What is Endometriosis?

Endometriosis is a fairly common reproductive disease that affects roughly 10% of women worldwide. However, as common as the disease is, as with many reproductive diseases there are "taboos, years of delayed diagnosis, lack of awareness and hit-and-miss treatments". Endometriosis is a disease to where endometrial cells begin to grow outside of the uterus and while most commonly it grows in the pelvic cavity, there are cases where endometriosis can grow in other areas of the body. Each menstrual cycle those endometrial cells go through the process of thickening, breaking down, and bleeding, however, there is nowhere for it to leave the body because it is outside of the uterus. This cycle causes chronic and debilitating pain during menstruation and can also lead to infertility.

By Volkan Olmez

Why is it important?

The average woman with endometriosis, from the first appearance of symptoms to diagnosis, has 7-10 years to wait. Let that sink in. Suffering from chronic and severe pain monthly for 7 to 10 years... that should be of grave concern to men and women across the globe. This may be a tad dramatic, but in any other circumstance that would a human rights issue. Cases of endometriosis are continuing to grow in numbers with celebrities "coming out" about their struggles like Lena Dunham, Daisy Ridley, and Padma Lakshmi. These women help to bring necessary awareness to not only endometriosis but also other reproductive diseases. In a world where some governments are cutting funding in these areas, it is more vital than ever to educate the population on these private struggles and spread awareness. 

Have you heard of endometriosis? What do you know about it? I would love to hear about it.

Content for this post was sourced from:

Endometriosis UK https://www.endometriosis-uk.org/endometriosis-symptoms

Endometriosis Info Canada http://endometriosisinfo.ca/

4 Ways to Refresh Your March

http://www.unsplash.com by Clem Onojeghuo

The spring equinox is just around the corner and with that sentiment, I've decided to make some changes in several aspects of my life. This blog has spent a lot of time on the cutting room floor with planning, designing, and rethinking the choice to start blogging again... what I would even blog about, but here I am... refreshed. 

When envisioning this blog, I thought about all the values that are important to me and specifically where I am in my life as a millennial. Aesthetically pleasing visuals, nutritious foods, wanderful travels, our journey to implementing new and useful lifestyle habits, some good Netflix content and so much more. And so, without further ado, the inaugural post.

Spring is my favourite season, regardless of the fact that I was born in the spring. The new buds on trees, flowers peeking up from the soil after a long winters nap, the rain, and the perfect temperature... I love it all. Spring is the season of growth, repurposing, and recommitment. So many of us focus on the starting of the year as the time to hash out all of our goals, but this puts so much pressure on ourselves to accomplish them that we end up giving up after only a couple of weeks or months if we get that far. It's an unfair characterization of how goals are really accomplished and how habits are truly formed. Goals are not one of those set and forget it type of things. They take constant work and dedication to really get any value or longevity. With I, like every other human being, am completely guilty of doing this for years on end, but I always found that springtime (as cliché as it may seem) is a time to refresh and check in with yourself. So, I thought that the perfect way to start off this spring would be to share 4 easy ways to refresh your March. 

http://www.unsplash.com by Milo McDowell

1. Cleanse

I know, another cliché but cleansing is one of the most common ways to start over. Think about it when you move to a new space, do you not clean it first to start off with a blank slate? Taking stock of the areas of your life that need some cleansing is the first step. For me, I know that my body requires a cleanse this month as part of my health journey (I'll be sure to talk more in depth about this later), so this month that is at the top of my list. Another thing that I'm doing to cleanse this month is my home, but especially my bedroom. After reading and researching the Kon Mari method, I went head first into decluttering my life. I donated about two-thirds of the clothing I owned and that has been a great motivator in cleansing some of my other belongings, however, I still haven't tackled my bookshelf. Look at some aspects of your home, work space, relationships, car, whichever, that feel more like a burden than a blessing and start there. Tiny steps like clearing out the junk drawer or vacuuming your car are great places to start and it's the small wins that will keep you motivated to continue cleansing.

http://www.unsplash.com by Breather

2. Simplify

Easier said than done, right? I'm totally with you there. I've already mentioned the Kon Mari method (and do yourself a favor and check it out), but some people just aren't built to go cold turkey. Sometimes it takes a little bit of time to get into that mental space of living with less. One way, as I mentioned, I'm starting to pare down my belongings. I did a massive clean out of my closet and dresser, sticking with the items that I love and make me feel confident wearing; my next step is, like I said, my bookshelf. It is currently overrun with hair care products, vitamins and supplements, and a LOT of books (the bottom shelf alone has all of my textbooks that I haven't decided whether or not to keep for reference). The biggest key here is to just start. A common theme in starting over or hitting the refresh button is to take stock and reflect on where you are currently in your life. Take some time to yourself without your cellphone, iPad, and Netflix and just reflect. This may look like meditation to some, taking a walk, or just sitting down with a piece of paper and a pen. However it may materialize in your life, just take a moment or two and just reflect on: how you're feeling in your life, what you would change, and what spaces in your life (home, office, car, laundry room, etc.) are bugging the heck out of you and systematically take note of what changes you could make to ease the burden.

http://www.unsplash.com by rawpixel.com

3. Reorganize

It's only been a few months since the start of the year, but it's easy for things to get out of place. Take a look at prime offenders like coins, receipts, utensils, and paperwork that has wandered away from its usual home. For me, maintaining my closet and stopping the habit of hanging a shirt or pants on the back of my chair is a big one. I'm nipping this in the butt by making sure they end up one of two places: back in the closet or into the laundry hamper. Seems simple enough, right? Riiiight, haha. For you, it may just be a matter of creating a home to those items, like getting or making a coin collector or an accordion file folder for your receipts. 

4. Remotivate

Over the past few years, I always start the year off feeling motivated to exercise more and feel healthier but I always end up losing that motivation a few weeks in. We were just talking about how we put so much focus on those new years’ goals that we put all this unnecessary pressure on ourselves. Spring is a great time to get out of that funk and start over with some renewed motivation. Take an afternoon or a weekend morning and go to town on some magazines or blogs. Create a vision board and put it somewhere you can see it daily to remind you of what you are working towards. 

How are you going to be refreshing your spring?