'Its Not The Endo The World...'

Whats worse than a stressful day at work? A stressful day at work with a nasty endo flare up. Whats worse than a stressful day at work with a nasty endo flare up? A stressful day at work with a nasty endo flare up and coming home to clear up cat sick on your bedroom floor. Whats worse than a stressful day at work with a nasty endo flare up and coming home to clear up cat sick on your bedroom floor? All of the above plus standing in some cat sick you didn't see!!!! And whats even worse than all of the above? Not being able to come home and enjoy a gin and tonic to help the above because it'll make your pain even worse!! My pain levels are through the roof today. It was bad yesterday but my goodness I am struggling right now. The constant heavy, burning tummy ache is making it hard to walk. Everything takes effort and I'm running on the last fumes in my energy tank. I was awake at 4am this morning which is typical for when I'm having a flare. I also have to wee a ...

Hope you've all had a lovely bank holiday weekend. Its flown by but its been a good one. Plenty of sunshine, family and friend time, plus the added bonus of a successful house valuation today. Exciting times ahead! Next Saturday, 3rd June, brings the second of our North Essex Endometriosis UK support groups. This months includes a guest speaker, one that I know pretty well! My Consultant, Mr Barry Whitlow, who is a Gynaecologist and Endometriosis surgeon.  I'm looking forward to seeing the ladies again but I'm particularly looking forward to seeing what Mr Whitlow brings to the group. The session is open to anyone, those who suffer and those who know women who suffer. Come along for tea and biscuits and to meet other women in the same position. The support group runs 10am - midday, at Myland Parish Church Hall, Colchester. Hopefully see some of you there. A x

I know I need to write a blog, I'm just struggling with knowing what to write. I could talk about how tired I am recently and that there seems to be no let up. But thats not new. I could talk about my lack of motivation, and that everything is taking a lot of effort. But thats not particularly new either. I could talk about my frustration about my lack of hospital date, and how every day I get in from work I look longingly for a letter on the doormat from the postman. But again, thats not new. Basically, theres not much new stuff going on at the moment. I've been spending quality time with family and friends, and working hard at work. I did receive my The Endo Co bracelet this week which was a perfect little treat. Its so lovely and I would highly recommend ordering one, especially as some of the proceeds goes toward Endometriosis research. Find out how here .   Hope everyone is keeping well. And remember, in Ellen's words, be kind to one another. A x

I don't know whats happened this week but it feels like its been pretty hard going. I can't even say its been anything in particular. I've just found work draining. And my tolerance levels have been questionable. The afternoons have hit me like a tonne of bricks. Its been an overly frustrating week, and although I'm all for repping the positive vibes thing, sometimes its easier said than done. I think I rely on others around me being positive and when that starts to fall, I struggle to go with it too. I know I haven't been sleeping well so perhaps its just me being tired and grumpy too. I'm just glad its Friday, put it that way. A x

I'm not sure why but this afternoon has caught up on me and I feel like I've been hit by a train. My pain has been relatively bad over the last couple of days but its continued to creep up on me and now its pretty intense. I've come home, got straight in my comfy clothes and plonked myself on the sofa. I know I've got an evening ahead of trying to perfect an application that I'm writing for a new opportunity at work. I worked on it until 9pm last night and spent another hour on it on Sunday. I really want this. But my goodness I am SO tired. Fingers crossed it'll be worth it. I've received a letter from the hospital today regarding my appointment last week. Its addressed to my Consultant and details the fact I am struggling with pain more and more. Hopefully it'll give him a little push a long the way to getting the surgery booked in. Who knows, it may even be sooner than I'm thinking.... nahhh who am I kidding. Still a date later in the year wou...

Its been a quiet few days after my birthday craziness. Thursday after my hospital appointment, Bex and I headed into London to see John Mayer at the O2. It was a good night but I was still struggling a lot with pain after my birthday meal on Wednesday. It was also a late night which I have paid for since. So the last couple of days has involved a lot of sofa time and relaxing at home. After having the reaction to the steak the other night, I am more motivated than ever to get my diet back on track to help ease the pain. I have been eating plenty of veg and avoiding anything I know is going to make my flare any worse than it has been. Luckily, the pain has eased up now, although I'm still bloated. Its my first full week at work this week, since the beginning of April. I've been using holiday up and now the new holiday year has begun so its time to knuckle down and push on with my project. Hopefully my body will allow me to do that. Still no movement on my operation date an...

So I had my hospital appointment at 9am this morning to discuss my bowel endometriosis. I sat down with a nurse practitioner who was very attentive and informative. She explained the different options that may occur in my excision surgery at the end of the year. Below I have detailed these with a little help from Endometriosis UK website (thanks!). There are essentially three surgery options for bowel endometriosis, which will be tailored to an individual’s needs: Affected areas or nodules can be “shaved” off the bowel leaving the bowel intact. This option may leave residual endometriosis. For smaller areas of endometriosis, the disc of affected bowel is cut away followed by the closure of the hole in the bowel with stitches. The affected segment or section of bowel is removed and the bowel is re-joined (re-anastomosis). There is a possibility that a temporary colostomy will be needed. However, I was told this is rare and would only be required for 6 weeks. Some complica...

10th May can only mean one thing, it's my birthday! And what a birthday it's been. For the first time in years I decided to work my birthday. It wasn't all bad as my team took the time  and effort to decorate my desk with LED lit balloons, a banner and a huge badge! They're a good bunch and I hope they know how much it brightened my day. This evening I've been to Miller & Carter with my family and bestie. Wow! What a meal. But damn am I paying for it right now. I knew deep down eating a steak was gonna become a regret but I wanted to treat myself, after all if you can't treat yourself on your birthday when can you! But within 30 minutes I was in cramping hell! By the time I got home I felt sick and my stomach was absolutely screaming at me. It's not the best way to end the day but the food was pretty amazing so it was kinda worth it! Thank you to everyone who gave me wonderful gifts and took the time to wish me a Happy Birthday! I love birthdays beca...

One of the things I dislike about Endometriosis and Adenomyosis (just one of many things!) is the fact you can't physically see whats happening inside. You never truly know if is getting worse. You know your symptoms and how you're feeling, but you don't definitely know its a side effect of the disease or something else. I know that in the last year my pain has steadily been getting worse. The pain level has increased. The amount of time I've taken off work has increased. The days out that I have missed out on has increased. And my sofa surfing time has definitely increased! But what is actually going on inside?! I've started getting a lot more pain on my right side and in particular in the last 24 hours, I've been getting shooting pain in my right shoulder. Its agony and trying to get comfortable is near on impossible. But is it the disease or something else?! I know shoulder pain can be a symptom of endo but what does it mean is happening for me inside?...

It doesn't seem that long ago that I was writing about hitting 10,000 views on my blog. But today I doubled that and am now at over 20,000 views! Wow! I'm humbled by the continued support and response I get to writing my story. It still takes a lot for me to share what is a very personal journey for me, but I appreciate everyones kind words. Thank you thank you thank you! A x

Well May hasn't started too badly but my goodness I am tired! Monday I went to see The Shires which meant a late night and 5.5 hours sleep which hasn't set me up very well for the busy week I am having. However, I won't let tiredness stop my productivity! I had a great day at work and smashed out a load of work which has put me in a pretty good mood. Off to London again tomorrow so that'll add to the tiredness some more but these things have got to be done. Today I ordered my Endo Co bracelet which is in the pic below. I'm super excited to get my hands on it so am hoping it arrives quicker than the 10-15 business day delivery it states!! You can find the bracelets for sale at the link below. 30% of the proceeds will be donated to the Endometriosis Coalition to help raise awareness and research.  https://www.motif.me/collections/trending-the-endo-co/products/the-endo-co-bracelet-10001497 A x

Its been a busy but positive few days. Friday was a productive and successful day, I managed to sort my mortgage and save myself some pennies. Plus I received a phone call which contained some feedback from work which was so positive and uplifting. I worry about my work sometimes and the impact this disease has on how I perform at my role, including the time I miss due to being unwell. So its a massive boost when I hear that people think I'm doing so well. Saturday I woke up nervous because it was my first Endometriosis UK Support Group. The idea of walking into a place where I don't know anyone is always daunting but I promised myself I would make the effort to attend. Well, I don't know what I was worried about! Everyone was really lovely and I'm looking forward to the next meeting already. The only problem was I had to leave halfway through because typically my little Pebbles got ill and needed to be taken straight to the vets! £95 and over an hour in the waiting...