Pain in the Rear Endo: The Endo Photo Challenge 2018: Days 16-20

Welcome back to our walk-through recap of my social media posts for The Endo Photo Challenge 2018. Today, we look at days 16-20!

Day 16: How Do You Feel Today?

I am constantly in a state of #overwhelm trying to find #balance - in #family time, #work and pain - heck, just life in general with this unpredictable disease. I smile and fake it...always in pain, but pushing through anyway.

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Day 17: I'm Thankful For...

Neither Jim nor I were even planning to be at that bar the night we met 18 years ago. Each of our last minute decisions changed the course of our lives... intertwining them forever.
GOD ORDAINED.
Two of these people were miracles that I was told would never exist due to my #endo problems. Thankfully, the Great Physician didn’t discard my broken canvas. He went ahead and created two beautiful masterpieces anyway - despite medical predictions to the contrary.
GOD ORDAINED.
One of these people - although not from my #uterus - is a miracle in her own right. She was born three months premature and had a twin brother who didn’t survive. Her broken and twisted journey brought her to our family when she was 6 years old.
GOD ORDAINED.
I am beyond thankful for the #family that God has assembled for me. None of us chose the #endolife, but when #endometriosis decided to take up residence in my body, it became a life sentence for all of us. I am sorry that endo has become a thread woven into the fabric of our family life together but the love and support of my family brings the silver lining to each day - whether I’m bed-ridden or having a low-pain day. These people are my

❤️.

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Day 18: I'm Inspired By...

I’m inspired by all of the amazing #breastcancer #advocates for the National Breast Cancer Coalition that I have had the honor of working alongside over the past 6 years! I have learned so much from them and they inspire me to keep going, speak up and be persistent. That passion, determination and grit can be applied to our breast cancer #advocacy work, my own life and even how I handle my #endometriosis diagnosis. I’ve met several hundred people with varying stages of disease. They travel across the country to speak up for those who aren’t able. They fight for a world without breast #cancer for future generations. I have lost many friends along the way to the disease and that motivates me even more to never give up, never stop fighting and never lie down in silence. Today, I am flying out to meet up with some of these incredible women at our team leadership meeting in #WashingtonDC.

💜

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Day 19: Endo Fact

After dealing with this disease for 33 years (13 since official diagnosis), this is a fact that I just learned last fall. I thought that once your body stopped producing estrogen, you no longer had to worry about it. Many well-intentioned doctors told me that once I had a hysterectomy, my problem would be resolved. Even though there was #endometriosis left behind, I was informed that it would die off from lack of estrogen. It didn't. The endo specialist who did my surgery this January, four years after my radical hysterectomy, found and removed the endo that had been left behind - which had not only grown, but spread to areas where I had NEVER had any endo found!