I’m bleeding out
So if the last thing that I do
Is bring you down
I’ll bleed out for you
-Imagine Dragons
I can’t believe it has been two-and-a-half years since my last post here! When I posted that I was allowing myself to be “good enough,” unfortunately, blogging is one of the things that I had to let go—temporarily.
This post is brought to you by the letters E and A. Specifically, endometriosis and adenomyosis. What are endometriosis and adenomyosis, you ask? They are both medical conditions affecting the female reproductive system. Why should you care? At least one in ten women struggle with these issues. Someone you know has one or more of these conditions—and if you have a uterus, that someone might be you.
Endometriosis is when the lining of the uterus, the endometrium, gets outside the uterus and attaches somewhere else in your body—and it stays there. This tissue causes havoc, such as inflammation, scarring, painful cysts, and “the buildup of fibrous tissues between reproductive organs that causes them to ‘stick’ together.”
Adenomyosis “causes endometrial tissue in the lining of the uterus to grow into the muscular wall of the uterus.” This can cause your uterus to grow to an unusual size.
For the past decade I have been battling endometriosis, and for the past year I have been losing the fight. Two weeks ago, I won the war when I had surgery to remove my uterus, tubes, and cervix, along with seven spots of endometriosis. Since then, I have been sacked out with my two cats, and I’ve finally slowed down enough to blog again.
Female reproductive issues are not something everyone talks about, but they are important. Here are eleven signs that you might have endometriosis or adenomyosis:
- You don’t have periods; you have monthly tsunamis of blood.
- You are anemic, no matter how many vitamins you ingest.
- You spend your entire period afraid to stand up just in case you have stained someone’s chair.
- You get queasy when people talk about menstrual cups because you can’t imagine emptying one in a public restroom. You laugh when people suggest you just need to use the larger cup size so you only empty it at home—even when you do, you fill it in an hour.
- You decide to wear adult diapers along with pads as regular daily wear during that time of the month, and you just accept that in the mornings you will wake up in what looks like a crime scene.
- You look six months pregnant when you know you aren’t. I’m not talking about being chubby, but the distinctive rounded curve of a baby bump.
- You have sharp body pain. I know that sounds vague, but any body pain could be endometriosis. Forget calling it pelvic pain; the pain can transfer anywhere. The term “cramps” hardly begins to describe it.
- Your bones won’t stay put. If your pelvis is constantly getting out of alignment, no matter how carefully you move, you may have pelvic adhesions.
- You are constipated or struggle to empty your bladder. Endometriosis can cause inflammation which can put pressure on the colon or the bladder.
- The prospect of sex is equal parts alluring and terrifying because you never know when it is going to feel like someone is stabbing you in your lady parts.
- When people say “What’s the big deal? It’s just your period” you want to punch them in the face.
If any of these symptoms sound familiar to you, reach out to your gynecologist. If they won’t listen, get a new gynecologist. Keep asking questions until your symptoms are resolved.
