In the Heart of Endo: Alanna’s Quest for Knowledge and Expert Perspectives Driving Endo Battery

Navigating the Journey of Endometriosis

Speaker 1
0:03

Welcome

to

Indobattery
,

where

I

share

about

my

endometriosis

and

adenomyosis

story

and

continue

learning

along

the

way
.

This

podcast

is

not

a

substitute

for

professional

medical

advice

or

diagnosis
,

but

a

place

to

equip

you

with

information

and

a

sense

of

community
,

ensuring

you

never

have

to

face

this

journey

alone
.

Join

me

as

I

navigate

the

ups

and

downs

and

share

stories

of

strength
,

resilience

and

hope
.

While

navigating

the

world

of

endometriosis

and

adenomyosis
,

from

personal

experience

to

expert

insights
.

I'm

your

host
,

elana
,

and

this

is

Indobattery

charging

our

lives

when

endometriosis

drains

us
.

Thanks

for

joining

me

today
.

Grab

a

cup

of

coffee
,

a

cup

of

tea

or

whatever

you'd

like

and

join

me

in

this

discussion

at

the

table
.

Many

of

you

have

followed

this

journey

of

Indobattery

for

quite

some

time
,

and

some

are

brand

new
,

so

I

just

wanted

to

start

the

new

year

off

by

introducing

Indobattery

and

what

the

goal

of

Indobattery

is
,

as

well

as

who

is

this

host
,

elana
.

Indobattery

started

with

two

women

who

wanted

to

get

the

most

accurate

information

out

there
,

and

in

order

to

do

that
,

we

felt

like

the

podcast

was

the

best

way

to

go
.

As

I

continue

this

journey
,

it

has

not

changed

my

goal

at

all
.

I

still

want

to

get

the

most

accurate

information

I

can

out

there
.

But

you

see
,

I'm

not

an

expert
,

I'm

no

one

that

is

overly

qualified

to

do

so
.

I'm

not

someone

that

understands

everything

about

endometriosis

and

the

Indo

community
.

I

am

someone

that

has

lived

experience

and

you

can't

undermine

that

lived

experience
.

But

it

also

needs

to

have

a

balance
.

There

needs

to

be

a

balance

between

expert

insights

and

individual

stories
.

I

value

the

experts

that

come

onto

the

Indobattery

podcast

because

they

bring

resources

that

I

would

not

be

able

to

provide
,

but

they

do

it

in

a

way

that

is

understandable

for

many
.

See
,

I

am

someone

who
,

although

I

was

pre-med

and

got

to

O'Kim

and

I

was

like

bye
,

felicia
,

I

am

not

doing

this
.

That

wasn't

my

skill

set
.

I

went

to

communications
,

so

this

is

right

up

my

alley
.

But

there

are

times

that

when

I

would

hear

things

quoted

or

papers

stated

or

research

stated
,

I

didn't

really

understand

the

full

grasp

of

that

and

it

honestly

wasn't

super

relatable

to

me

because

I

didn't

put

it

in

place

of

where

I

was

within

my

own

journey
.

Speaker 1
2:41

My

goal

in

doing

this

podcast

is

that

anyone

can

sit

down

and

understand

a

majority

of

what

we're

talking

about
.

Not

everyone

will

relate

to

every

topic

and

that

is

okay
,

because

we

all

have

different

journeys
,

our

stories

are

very

different
,

and

what

interests

us
,

as

it

pertains

to

our

story

or

otherwise
,

is

going

to

be

very

different
.

And

that's

okay
,

and

that

is

the

beauty

of

having

a

well-rounded

podcast
,

which

is

what

my

hope

is
.

My

hope

is

that

I

can

continue

giving

information
,

giving

insights

and

stories

from

other

patients

so

that
,

when

you're

walking

through

your

journey
,

you

don't

feel

alone
,

you

don't

feel

isolated
,

that

you

feel

like

there

is

someone

else

out

there

that

gets

you
.

Sometimes
,

in

our

most

vulnerable

moments
,

it's

important

to

remember

that

other

people

are

there

with

you

and

walking

alongside

you
,

and

that's

what

I

want

this

place

to

be

A

place

of

refuge
,

so

that

you

can

recharge

that

battery
,

that

you

aren't

expending

all

your

spoons

of

the

day

trying

to

figure

out

research
,

trying

to

figure

out

what

next

steps

to

take
,

all

on

your

own
.

There's

value

in

doing

things

together
,

and

that

is

why

this

podcast

really

was

created

is

so

that

we

can

all

do

this

together
.

We

can

learn

together
.

Like

I

said
,

I'm

not

the

expert

in

everything
,

and

so

having

experts

on

is

just

another

tool

to

form

a

community

that

gives

you

the

tools

you

need

to

navigate

your

journey
.

Speaker 1
4:12

I'm

really

trying

to

be

careful

about

the

way

that

I

present

information
,

because

it's

important

that

we

get

it

right
.

I've

been

on

the

other

end

of

that
.

I've

been

on

the

receiving

end

of

misinformation

and

mistreatment
,

and

that

is

the

last

thing

that

I

want

for

those

trying

to

navigate

this

nasty

disease
.

It's

not

easy
,

it's

tiring

and

if

you're

anything

like

me
,

fatigue

sets

in

tenfold
.

So

when

you're

trying

to

sift

through

the

information

presented

to

you

and

you're

not

sure

what's

right

or

what's

wrong
,

or

you

know
,

maybe

you

just

don't

understand

what

they're

talking

about
.

That's

why

it's

important

for

me

to

be

able

to

present

information

to

you

that

maybe

it

makes

it

a

little

bit

easier

to

understand

and

even

a

little

bit

more

relatable
.

Speaker 1
4:59

I

certainly

have

learned

a

lot

from

the

people

that

have

been

on

this

podcast

and

the

questions

I

ask
.

I

ask

keeping

in

mind

that

not

everyone

is

going

to

understand

all

the

concepts

of

endometriosis

or

all

the

concepts

of

what

can

affect

us

when

we

live

with

endometriosis
,

and

I

certainly

have

learned

by

asking

these

questions

and

I

hope

that

these

questions

have

been

helping

you

kind

of

understand

this

from

a

different

perspective
.

Something

that

my

daughter's

first

grade

teacher

said

to

her

one

time

has

stuck

with

me
,

and

that

is

it's

not

always

what

you

say
,

but

how

you

say

it

and

sometimes

how

you

say

it

really

can

help

you

connect

and

learn

along

the

way
,

and

I

have

learned

a

lot

in

doing

this

podcast
.

I'm

learning

from

other

patients

what

they

went

through
,

which

is

helping

me

navigate
,

helping

other

people

Walk

through

some

of

these

similar

steps
.

It's

also

helped

me

understand

the

disease

as

a

whole
.

Speaker 1
5:56

I

felt

like

I

was

so

naive

when

I

first

started

this

and

I

think

the

beauty

in

doing

this

podcast

for

me

has

been

that

I

have

learned

along

with

you
.

I

have

learned

so

much
.

I

am

still
,

again
,

not

an

expert

in

any

way
,

shape

or

form
,

but

I

do

feel

like

I

have

a

better

understanding
,

not

only

of

the

disease

but

of

the

community
.

I

didn't

realize

this

community

was

so

robust
,

and

you've

heard

me

talk

about

this

many

times

before
,

about

the

value

of

community

and

it

being

irreplaceable

when

it

comes

to

walking

through

something

that

can

feel

so

isolating
.

But

I

really

want

to

highlight

the

fact

that

when

I

learn

with

you
,

it

adds

a

sense

of

deep

rooted

community
,

and

what

I

didn't

realize

as

part

of

this

deep

rooted

community

came

with

a

bunch

of

knowledge

and

a

lot

of

commonality
,

which

added

to

understanding

the

complexities

of

endometriosis

and

all

the

different

complexities

of

endometriosis
.

Speaker 1
7:02

I

really

didn't

know

how

many

connections

between

endometriosis

and

other

what

some

people

call

comorbidities
,

and

I

really

think

that

for

me

I

really

like

to

call

those

co-challenges
,

because

there's

nothing

more

about

some

of

the

things

that

we're

going

through
,

although

that

is

the

medical

term

for

a

lot

of

that
.

They

become

more

challenges

and

I

don't

want

them

to

hold

me

down
,

but

I

do

wanna

learn

how

to

manage

and

kinda

navigate

that

a

little

bit

better
.

And

I've

heard

from

many

of

you

which

I'm

so

thankful

that

you've

reached

out

to

me

and

talked

to

me

about

this

as

well
,

but

that

it

has

helped

you

to

kinda

walk

through

your

journey

with

me
,

and

that's

been

my

goal

all

along

is

to

bring

information

that

has

been

vetted
,

that

can

be

well

understood

from

different

resources
,

whether

that's

a

patient

advocate
,

whether

that

is

an

expert

or

whether

that's

a

patient
.

I

also

have

really

found

it

important

that

I

highlight

all

these

nonprofits

and

organizations

and

people

within

the

endometriosis

community

doing

amazing

work
,

so

that

you

have

more

resources

to

pull

from

when

it

comes

to

navigating

your

journey
.

I

again
,

don't

know

everything
,

but

you

may

connect

with

someone

else

within

the

community

that

really

helps

you

navigate

this
.

Speaker 1
8:25

See
,

this

podcast

is

not

about

me
.

Although

I

am

learning

a

lot

and

I

really

enjoy

it
.

It

is

important

for

me

to

tell

you

that

this

podcast

is

about

you
.

This

podcast

is

about

helping

others
.

If

I

can

do

that

by

pointing

people

the

right

direction

and

the

way

that's

going

to

best

help

them

and

assist

them
,

I'm

going

to

do

it
.

There

are

so

many

amazing

people

out

there

and

there

are

so

many

amazing

resources

and

organizations

and

experts

out

there

that

I

think

that

it's

important

that

we

highlight

all

of

them

as

best

as

we

can
.

Speaker 1
9:01

I

don't

always

get

everything

right
.

As

much

as

I

say

this
,

I

really

want

you

to

hear

my

heart

that

you've

become

part

of

this

endobattery

family

and

I

want

to

take

care

of

my

family
.

I

want

to

take

care

of

these

people

whom

maybe

I

haven't

met

you
,

maybe

I

don't

know
.

You

listen

and

that's

okay
,

but

you

are

still

dear

to

me

and

everything

that

I

do

and

I

put

out
,

I

really

want

to

make

sure

that

I

do

it

with

the

best

of

intentions

behind

it
,

that

I'm

doing

it

for

you

and

to

help

you
.

That's

not

all

I

want

to

do

with

the

Endobattery

podcast
,

highlighting

experts
,

highlighting

organizations
,

advocates
,

patients

and

other

stories
.

Speaker 1
9:42

I

also

want

to

highlight

topics

that

can

sometimes

be

really

challenging

to

talk

about

and
,

for

those

that

are

my

international

people
,

I

want

to

start

reaching

out

more

internationally

and

there

are

some

amazing

resources

internationally
,

but

it

can

be

tricky

to

navigate

and

understand

that
.

I

also

think

that

for

everyone

around

the

world
,

understanding

each

system
,

understanding

each

doctor's

approaches
,

understanding

kind

of

the

challenges

that

we

as

patients

have

in

different

parts

of

the

world
,

will

help

us

understand

the

disease

better
,

will

help

us

understand

care

better
,

and

I

want

to

be

able

to

highlight

that

Some

of

these

conversations

are

not

going

to

be

easy

to

have
.

But

if

I

can

have

these

conversations

with

a

little

bit

of

a

positive

outlook
,

I

want

to
,

because

this

can

be

a

daunting

disease

and

sometimes

it

can

strip

our

joy
,

and

my

goal

with

this

podcast

is
,

even

if

you

smile
,

chuckle

or

laugh

for

five

seconds
,

that

is

well

worth

it
.

We

take

so

much

on

and

it

is

such

a

heavy

disease

oftentimes

that

I

want

to

bring

a

little

joy

to

and

navigating

this

with

a

little

joy

makes

it

a

little

bit

easier
,

in

my

opinion
,

and

sometimes

it

can

be

ridiculous

things
,

but

I

really

don't

want

to

be

so

serious

that

it

takes

the

life

out

of

it

and

takes

the

joy
,

and

so
,

yes
,

topics

can

be

heavy

and
,

yes
,

we

will

talk

about

things

that

sometimes

aren't

the

most

enjoyable

things

to

talk

about

but

can

be

helpful
.

But

I

want

to

do

it

with

just

a

little

bit

of

joy

as

well
.

So

now

that

we

know

where

Indobattery

has

been
,

where

it's

going

and

our

overall

goal

as

a

family

at

this

table
,

let

me

just

tell

you

a

little

bit

about

me
.

A

lot

of

you

are

new

to

joining

the

Indobattery

family

and

I

am

so

appreciative

that

you

take

the

time

to

listen

and

I

hope

this

podcast

lightens

your

load

just

a

little

bit

Reflections on Endometriosis and Personal Journey

Speaker 1
11:41

.

Speaker 1
11:41

But

as

for

me
,

I'm

a

wife
,

I'm

a

mother
,

I'm

a

daughter
,

I'm

a

sister
,

I'm

a

friend
,

I'm

an

aunt
.

I

do

not

find

joy

in

my

family
,

my

faith
,

my

friends

in

my

community

and

I

find

the

most

peace

on

the

back

of

a

horse

stirring

up

at

a

mountain

and

for

all

my

equestrian

friends

out

there
,

yes
,

I

ride

western

because

I'm

from

Wyoming
.

You

can

take

the

girl

out

of

Wyoming
,

but

not

the

Wyoming

out

of

the

girl
.

But

have

a

deep

respect

for

those

who

are

writing

English

as

well
,

I

enjoy

traveling
,

I

enjoy

gardening
,

cooking

and

baking

and
,

yes
,

of

course
,

I

enjoy

my

coffee
,

my

tea

and

my

occasional

cocktail
.

I

do

not

find

joy

in

things

like

dusting

and

mopping

and

reaching

the

thing

at

the

top

of

the

shelf

that

is

just

too

tall

and

out

of

my

reach

because

it

taunts

me

to

hurt

myself

in

order

to

get

it
.

Words

of

affirmation

is

my

love

language

and

I

do

enjoy

giving

words

of

affirmation

to

others

because
,

let's

be

honest
,

this

world

is

full

of

criticism

and

harsh

words

ready

to

tear

you

down
,

so

I

find

great

joy

in

building

others

up
,

because

we

all

can

use

a

kind

word

now

and

again
.

I'm

also

an

Indow

Warrior
.

Speaker 1
12:45

This

podcast
,

in

many

ways
,

has

put

a

lot

of

pieces

together
.

In

my

own

story

and

in

my

own

Indometriosis

journey
,

see
,

there

have

been

times

that

I
,

like

many

of

you
,

have

been

told

that

painful

periods

are

just

normal
.

Or

get

pregnant

and

maybe

you

won't

have

this

pain

anymore
.

Or

take

this

lube

brawn

and

it

will

stop

any

growth

that

you

have

of

Indometriosis
,

or

this

ablation

will

help

get

rid

of

your

Indometriosis

and

will

likely

it

won't

come

back
.

These

are

all

things

that

many

of

us

have

heard

and

often

have

been

the

most

harmful
.

See
,

I

don't

think

my

doctor

meant

in

any

way
,

shape

or

form
,

to

hurt

me
,

but

because

of

the

misinformation

they

had
,

I

was

misinformed

and

misled
.

This

also

led

to

many

years

of

mismanagement

of

my

symptoms

and

of

the

Indometriosis
.

This

podcast

has

also

highlighted

that

I

will

have

a

continued

journey

because

of

the

Indometriosis
,

whether

that's

because

of

hormone

replacement

therapy

or

because

of

the

lasting

effects

that

the

Indometriosis

or

the

treatment

of

the

Indometriosis

has

had

on

me
.

Speaker 1
13:47

In

staying

true

to

transparency
,

this

season

has

been

very

challenging

in

many

ways
.

It

highlighted

the

times

that

I

trusted

doctors

and

other

resources

to

help

manage

my

pain
,

like

the

insets

that

I

often

took

to

manage

the

pain

as

I

was

growing

up

that

have

now

wreaked

havoc

on

my

kidneys
.

Was

that

hard

to

hear
?

Absolutely
,

is

it

hard

to

navigate
?

Absolutely
,

I

still

have

hope
,

but

it

is

still

a

challenge

for

me
.

Speaker 1
14:15

Some

of

the

other

realizations

that

I've

had

in

doing

this

podcast

are

the

fact

that

mental

health

plays

a

huge

part

in

our

journey
.

I

didn't

realize

that

as

I

was

growing

up

and

the

fatigue

was

so

severe

and

the

mental

fatigue

was

so

severe

that

I

wasn't

dumb
.

There

were

times

I

could

just

not

retain

the

information

that

was

spoken

to

me

or

that

I

was

learning

in

school
,

because

my

fatigue

was

so

bad

and

all

I

could

do

to

get

through

the

day

was

to

kind

of

zone

out
,

for

lack

of

a

better

word
.

I

didn't

realize

that

this

was

an

effect

of

the

endometriosis
.

It

wasn't

until

years

later
,

and

really

until

I

started

doing

this

podcast
,

that

I

fully

grasped

just

how

extensive

the

endometriosis

played

a

part

in

my

growing

up

and

in

my

life
,

because

it

took

me

so

long

to

understand

the

effects

of

the

endometriosis

and

all

the

failed

attempts

at

treatment

and

management

of

the

endometriosis
.

And

then

along

with

that

came

some

of

the

medical

trauma

that

I

experienced

because

of

that
.

I

faced

a

lot

of

disappointment

when

treatments

didn't

work

like

the

doctors

said

that

they

would
,

or

when

my

pregnancies

made

my

pain

even

worse

than

it

was

before
.

Speaker 1
15:26

So

in

part

of

doing

this

podcast
,

it's

been

my

mission

to

provide

information

given

by

real

experts

and

real

patients

that

can

help

you

navigate

this

journey

just

a

little

bit

easier
,

with

accurate

information

that

can

give

you

better

results

long

term
.

That's

not

to

say

that

after

proper

excision

you're

not

going

to

struggle

with

certain

things
.

Like

many

of

us

who

have

to

be

on

hormone

replacement

therapy
,

that

is

a

tricky

beast

in

and

of

itself
,

trying

to

manage

the

different

elements

of

something

that

is

not

well

known

in

women's

health
.

I

continue

to

reach

out

to

those

who

have

a

better

knowledge

and

a

better

understanding

of

all

of

these

things

that

we

are

faced

with
,

and

I

hope

that

this

is

going

to

bring

you

even

more

clarity

within

your

journey
.

Speaker 1
16:18

Now
,

if

you've

listened

to

me

ramble

this

long
,

you

deserve

a

reward
,

so

go

ahead

to

my

Instagram

page
,

indobattery
,

like
,

share

and

comment

that

you

heard

this

podcast
.

You

might

be

one

of

the

few

that

get

some

of

the

OG

swag

to

show

off

just

how

supportive

you

really

are
,

as

well

as

a

few

other

little

gifts

just

for

showing

your

support
.

I

also

want

to

say

thank

you

for

being

such

a

great

supporter

of

Indobattery
.

I'm

going

to

work

my

tail

off

to

try

to

make

this

podcast

as

helpful

and

as

informative

as

possible
,

because

it's

not

about

me
,

it's

about

us
.

It's

about

all

of

us

learning

and

growing

together

so

that

we

can

make

future

generations

and

current

generations

better
.

With

the

endometriosis

care

and

information
,

there's

still

hope
.

Within

the

metriosis

education
.

There's

a

lot

of

great

things

coming

up

this

year
,

and

I

am

excited

to

share

some

of

the

things

that

I'm

learning
,

as

well

as

what

all

our

guests

will

bring

to

the

table

this

year
.

So

until

next

time
,

continue

advocating

for

you

and

for

those

that

you

love
,

and

happy

new

year
.