Kicking My Uterus to the Curb

Following the birth of my second little miracle in July of 2010, it didn't take long for my endometriosis to rear its ugly ahead again. For the next 3 years, I tried to manage my symptoms naturally, but as I floundered through life attempting to keep up with three children, a part-time job I loved and a husband who needed his wife back, it became more and more evident that I was quickly going back in time to the place of desperation that had led me to schedule a hysterectomy the first time in 2009.

I did some research via Dr. Google. I was so frustrated at the range in commentary on hysterectomy for endometriosis.

"It changed my life."

"It doesn't cure endometriosis."

"It is a viable treatment for endometriosis pain."

"I never had pain again."

"My endo came back a year after my hysterectomy. Now what?"

"Cure endo with a hysterectomy."

"Hysterectomy saved my marriage."

"Hysterectomy ruined my life."

My doctor had not made any promises about whether or not a hysterectomy would help, but it was honestly the only thing that I hadn't yet tried. I decided to stop reading, realizing that regardless of the perspective, I could find something online supporting its validity. I had to make a choice for ME, Bethany. 

I knew I was done having children. I was exhausted and hovering dangerously just below the 300 pound mark on the scale. I had just turned 40. I was quickly going back to being the bed-ridden girl I had been and I wasn't going to stand for it. 

In the fall of 2013, after yet ANOTHER visit to the ER, I pulled the plug and decided it was time to kick my uterus to the curb. I guess that medically, 40 was the magic number for me not being "too young" to have one (as I had been told many times previously) and I was able to schedule the procedure with the local OB/GYN who had delivered my little miracle in 2010. 

On November 4, 2013, I had a radical hysterectomy which included the removal of my uterus, remaining ovary, both fallopian tubes and my cervix. I spent 72 hours in the hospital following my surgery and woke up on the second morning to a beautiful sunrise out my window that I tried to capture with my phone cam. Maybe it was the pain medications talking, but in that moment, it felt like a foreshadowing of a brand new day, a future full of potential. 

Room With a View

I had a little visitor in the hospital!

The procedure was fairly uneventful although my doctor casually mentioned seeing "a few endometriosis lesions" in there. She reassured me that they would "die off" due to lack of estrogen. I left the hospital hopeful that my life with endometriosis was over...

Anti-Estrogenic Diet

After giving birth to my second little miracle in July of 2010, I carried on with my life as a sleep-deprived, stay-at-home mom. I had been out of work for two years after being fired due to my endometriosis-induced inconsistent work attendance. I was so busy with the new baby and my two older daughters that I seemed to have forgotten how close I had come to having a hysterectomy prior to becoming pregnant. I guess, in hindsight, it isn't too surprising how detached from that reality I had become, since pregnancy is often touted as a "cure" for endometriosis. Nevertheless, I had experienced a nice little gestational reprieve from my endometriosis pain. I still had some scar tissue and nerve damage issues from my previous surgeries, but I had become used to those. My choice to breast feed Emily extended my endo-free oasis until about 5 months post-partum when I developed a severe case of mastitis that compromised my milk supply and I had to transition Em to formula. Within 4 weeks, I was in the emergency room with horrible abdominal pain. In my mind, I didn't want to think that it could be the endo. Could it be kidney stones? Appendicitis? Ruptured spleen? Scans showed no evidence in support of those theories. Alignment issues? Two years of weekly chiropractic care offered no relief. Neuropathy? I saw a neurologist who confirmed that, although the nerve damage I had previously been diagnosed with as a result of improper healing after my previous surgeries was still there, it was not the cause of the extreme, and now constant, pain that I was in.  The doctor who delivered my daughter prescribed continuous birth control to suppress my estrogen and help control the endometriosis which had likely returned. We discussed proceeding with the full hysterectomy since that had been my plan prior to pregnancy, but she gave no guarantees that it would eliminate all of my pain since we knew I also had scar tissue and nerve damage.

My brother-in-law suggested that I try a drastic change in my diet and at first, I was FURIOUS with him for making such a ridiculous suggestion. How dare he tell me that I need to eliminate foods from my diet! I wanted to eat what I wanted, when I wanted it and how I wanted it! After I simmered down a bit, I began to do some research online.  This research led me to a book called "The Anti-Estrogenic Diet" by Ori Hofmekler.

The plan focuses on stabilizing and balancing out the estrogen levels in your body and since estrogen is the fuel for endometriosis, I figured that I should give it a try. It works in three phases. The first phase focuses on liver detoxification and is the most stringent phase, lasting for 3 weeks. The second phase helps you raise your natural progesterone (which counteracts estrogen) through food. The third phase is an exploration. During this phase, you add back possible trigger foods and food types and record how your body responds to them. Then, you know if certain foods are contributing to your symptoms.

Tropical fruit, ginger and chickpeas...oh my!

Some of the foods from Phase 1 of the Anti-Estrogenic Diet.

I tried the Anti-Estrogenic Diet three times over the next two years, but the plan was difficult to maintain long-term. Part of the protocol required that you eat only one food at a time except for at dinner. I mean, how realistic is that? If you have a breakfast smoothie, you aren't just blending up one ingredient! All was not lost with my time on the Anti-Estrogenic Diet, though. Following the plan enabled me to lose some weight (which I desperately needed after being bed-ridden off and on for a decade) and helped my endometriosis symptoms be less constant.  Not having constant pain allowed me to begin exercising regularly (which had never been a possibility before, thanks to endo).  I was also able to take on a part-time job at our local hospital in December of 2011 as a breast health advocate. As a family, we began eating cleaner, more healthful food. Even though these nutritional changes didn't solve my endometriosis problems, this period in my life was a pivotal turning point in my journey with food that eventually led to my 120 pound weight loss. But that is a story for another day...