I had what’s called laparoscopic excision on June 8th, 2023, a complex surgery considered to have the highest success rate for eliminating Endometriosis symptoms and recurrence. I am doing great! While I believe it is important to share my journey, it is also difficult for a few reasons:
1) Female health issues are often considered gross, insignificant or made up which has resulted in a significant lack of research and development. The more vocal we are, the more resources for patients and methods of diagnosis and treatment will have to be made available. If you bleed through several tampons in a couple of hours, have extreme nausea and lack of energy, unexplained GI symptoms, ovulation cramping and bleeding, large and painful ovarian cysts or back or leg pain with your period—this is not normal—these are all classic signs of Endo and you should seek treatment from an Endo specialist now before it spreads
2) While we’ve made great strides for self-advocacy, there is still reason to fear that employers may view anything less than consistently perfect health as being unacceptable. The truth is, however, we all have medical vulnerabilities and the only way we move the needle of acceptance forward for stigmatized health issues is to educate and provide transparency upfront
3) As a healer who practices a blend of eastern modalities, I am hard pressed to endorse some aspects of western healthcare. What I know though is that generally speaking, the longer you’ve had an issue and the more severe it is, the harder it is to resolve. While the holistic methods I sought for Endo all helped, in the end I needed every available resource to work together against what is believed to be a progressive congenital disease
I am extremely optimistic for my journey forward! Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you or someone you know might have Endo. Drs. Tamer Seckin and Amanda Chu in NYC, Camran Nezhat in CA and Ken Sinervo in GA are some of the best Endo specialists in the country. The Endometriosis Foundation of America and “The Doctor Will See You Now” list some truly invaluable resources. I am also more than happy to share my experience in any advocacy setting. And lastly, THANK YOU to all the endowarriors who paved the way and passed the torch: you are incredible ❤️
1) Female health issues are often considered gross, insignificant or made up which has resulted in a significant lack of research and development. The more vocal we are, the more resources for patients and methods of diagnosis and treatment will have to be made available. If you bleed through several tampons in a couple of hours, have extreme nausea and lack of energy, unexplained GI symptoms, ovulation cramping and bleeding, large and painful ovarian cysts or back or leg pain with your period—this is not normal—these are all classic signs of Endo and you should seek treatment from an Endo specialist now before it spreads
2) While we’ve made great strides for self-advocacy, there is still reason to fear that employers may view anything less than consistently perfect health as being unacceptable. The truth is, however, we all have medical vulnerabilities and the only way we move the needle of acceptance forward for stigmatized health issues is to educate and provide transparency upfront
3) As a healer who practices a blend of eastern modalities, I am hard pressed to endorse some aspects of western healthcare. What I know though is that generally speaking, the longer you’ve had an issue and the more severe it is, the harder it is to resolve. While the holistic methods I sought for Endo all helped, in the end I needed every available resource to work together against what is believed to be a progressive congenital disease
I am extremely optimistic for my journey forward! Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you or someone you know might have Endo. Drs. Tamer Seckin and Amanda Chu in NYC, Camran Nezhat in CA and Ken Sinervo in GA are some of the best Endo specialists in the country. The Endometriosis Foundation of America and “The Doctor Will See You Now” list some truly invaluable resources. I am also more than happy to share my experience in any advocacy setting. And lastly, THANK YOU to all the endowarriors who paved the way and passed the torch: you are incredible ❤️
