Send us a text with a question or thought on this episode ( We cannot replay from this link)
Ever wondered how a routine ER visit for kidney stones could change the course of someone’s life? Join us as Chelsea sits down with Alanna to uncover her harrowing yet empowering journey with endometriosis and adenomyosis. From the early, often-misunderstood symptoms like frequent UTIs and painful periods to a particularly distressing experience just before her first wedding anniversary, Alanna’s story sheds light on the critical need for accurate diagnosis and compassionate medical care.
Discover the emotional and physical rollercoaster of treatments Alanna has endured, from ineffective NSAIDs to misleading drugs. We’ll uncover the debilitating impact of chronic pain and severe bleeding, ultimately discussing the weighty decisions surrounding hysterectomy and ovary removal. Alanna’s personal narrative serves as a guide for making informed medical choices, highlighting the importance of patient education and the long-term effects of surgical interventions.
Navigate the complexities of managing hormone health and overlapping conditions such as hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) with us. Through the support of Endo Village, a nonprofit advocacy organization, we emphasize the importance of self-advocacy and community support. Using the metaphor of a six-inch dinner plate versus a ten-inch dinner plate, we illustrate the importance of managing one’s limited capacity thoughtfully. Join us for part one of this insightful series as we share personal journeys and encourage ongoing advocacy for oneself and loved ones.
Website endobattery.com
Navigating Endometriosis and Adenomyosis Stories
Speaker 1
0:03
Welcome
to
EndoBattery
,
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
,
alana
,
and
this
is
EndoBattery
charging
our
lives
when
endometriosis
drains
us
.
Speaker 2
0:41
Welcome
back
to
EndoBattery
.
Grab
your
cup
of
tea
or
coffee
and
have
a
seat
at
the
table
with
us
.
My
name
is
Chelsea
and
I
am
taking
over
for
Alana
because
today
we
are
going
to
take
the
time
to
interview
her
.
Alana
shared
her
story
with
the
audience
in
the
past
and
it's
been
a
few
years
since
we've
talked
about
things
and
we
just
felt
like
it
might
be
a
good
opportunity
for
her
to
reflect
on
what
she
went
through
during
her
initial
endometriosis
diagnosis
,
through
getting
treated
for
endometriosis
and
seeing
what
she's
learned
over
these
last
few
years
working
in
the
advocacy
space
and
how
it
applies
to
her
story
.
So
,
if
we
can
welcome
Alana
today
Hi
,
alana
,
hi
,
this
is
different
to
be
on
the
other
side
.
Speaker 2
1:27
It's
kind
of
weird
for
me
being
on
this
side
.
I'm
not
going
to
lie
,
but
here
we
are
,
but
here
we
are
,
here
we
are
,
we're
winging
it
.
If
you
want
to
go
ahead
and
just
maybe
dive
into
a
recap
of
what
you
experienced
early
on
with
your
endometriosis
,
just
so
the
audience
has
a
great
idea
of
kind
of
what
you've
been
through
if
they're
new
to
your
story
.
Speaker 1
1:46
So
I
would
say
a
lot
has
changed
because
,
I
mean
,
I
think
for
many
of
us
,
the
more
we
learn
,
the
more
we
learn
about
our
story
.
And
I
don't
know
if
you've
experienced
this
,
but
for
me
I
blacked
out
a
lot
of
my
story
.
I
don't
know
if
it
was
like
the
desire
to
never
go
back
there
or
self-preservation
.
Just
briefly
,
I
think
initially
my
story
was
you
know
,
I
always
had
the
painful
periods
as
it
goes
.
Speaker 1
2:12
You
know
,
I
had
UTIs
when
I
was
in
high
school
.
I
was
being
tested
all
the
time
for
UTIs
.
Then
they
never
came
back
with
anything
in
them
and
they
kept
trying
to
figure
out
what
was
going
on
with
me
.
I
was
in
such
excruciating
pain
and
it
also
was
interesting
,
because
every
time
my
cycle
came
around
I
passed
a
kidney
stone
,
which
I
thought
was
really
interesting
,
and
we
still
have
yet
to
uncover
why
this
was
.
But
I
haven't
since
my
excision
surgery
.
Oh
,
wow
,
so
that's
interesting
too
,
right
,
yeah
?
So
,
long
story
short
,
I
didn't
really
think
much
of
it
until
it
was
my
first
year
of
marriage
.
Speaker 1
2:50
We
were
about
to
go
on
a
trip
for
our
anniversary
and
a
week
before
we
left
I
got
a
kidney
stone
.
I
got
this
kidney
stone
.
My
husband
happened
to
be
out
of
town
at
the
time
,
working
because
he
worked
more
out
of
town
then
,
and
so
my
sister-in-law
came
,
picked
me
up
.
I
was
throwing
up
everywhere
,
oh
no
.
So
she
took
me
to
the
hospital
,
to
the
ER
,
and
they
were
like
well
,
you
have
a
kidney
stone
.
And
I
knew
I
had
a
kidney
stone
.
I
could
tell
them
right
away
this
is
a
kidney
stone
,
but
it
was
a
big
one
.
And
they're
like
,
ok
,
we're
going
to
do
an
x-ray
.
Okay
,
just
give
me
morphine
,
give
me
something
.
I
need
some
relief
.
And
they
were
like
we're
going
to
give
you
a
muscle
relaxer
.
Oh
,
that's
nice
.
So
let's
talk
about
the
care
that
they
give
you
in
the
ER
for
things
like
the
known
quantities
of
kidney
stones
and
how
painful
they
are
.
Right
,
we'll
give
you
a
muscle
relaxer
.
Speaker 2
3:39
Yeah
,
that
does
not
seem
like
it
would
be
the
effective
route
to
take
for
the
pain
that
comes
with
a
kidney
stone
.
Because
they
are
awful
.
Speaker 1
3:45
Right
Awful
,
and
the
doctor
at
the
time
was
more
interested
in
flirting
with
the
nurses
than
taking
care
of
the
patients
.
And
so
they
did
the
x-ray
.
But
they
found
something
on
my
ovary
and
he's
like
we
need
to
figure
out
what
this
is
.
Mind
you
,
I
had
a
nine
millimeter
stone
stuck
in
my
ureter
and
he's
like
we
need
to
figure
out
what
this
is
.
So
he
sent
me
back
to
ultrasound
.
I
have
never
seen
my
husband
so
furious
in
his
life
as
he
was
in
that
moment
,
because
he
saw
how
much
pain
I
was
in
.
They
didn't
give
me
any
pain
meds
to
like
do
a
vaginal
ultrasound
.
And
the
ultrasound
tech
is
like
okay
,
I'm
so
sorry
,
like
she
felt
awful
,
but
she's
just
doing
what
she's
been
asked
to
do
.
Yeah
,
long
story
short
,
he
comes
back
and
he
goes
well
,
I
don't
think
it's
cancerous
,
so
we're
just
going
to
send
you
to
an
OBGYN
.
And
I'm
like
great
,
but
that
doesn't
take
care
of
the
problem
.
So
I
went
back
.
Speaker 1
4:41
He
sent
me
home
that
night
for
the
kidney
stone
,
that
big
Ouch
,
and
I
came
back
the
next
day
.
I
was
like
I
can't
do
this
and
the
doctor
was
like
he
did
what
the
other
ER
doc
was
like
this
is
not
okay
.
Speaker 2
4:51
Yeah
,
thank
you
,
especially
if
you're
in
that
level
of
pain
to
where
you're
vomiting
from
the
pain
because
it
is
so
bad
.
Right
,
that
is
not
a
great
level
of
care
that
you
received
.
Speaker 1
5:01
No
,
and
that's
why
I
think
,
looking
back
at
it
now
,
if
you're
thinking
about
the
level
of
care
people
with
endometriosis
get
when
they
go
on
with
extreme
pain
and
it's
pretty
abysmal
most
of
the
time
and
,
like
I
said
,
the
kidney
stone
is
a
known
quantity
,
you
know
they're
painful
,
right
.
Speaker 2
5:18
You
can
see
it
a
lot
of
times
on
imaging
you
understand
people
talk
about
it
as
one
of
the
most
painful
things
you
can
experience
.
Speaker 1
5:24
Exactly
,
and
so
he
sent
me
home
and
then
got
a
referral
to
my
OBGYN
after
this
kidney
stone
was
removed
and
it
was
an
effort
to
make
that
happen
.
So
they
sent
me
home
and
then
I
saw
the
OBGYN
.
She
goes
.
I'm
pretty
sure
you
know
what
it
is
.
I'm
95%
sure
it's
endometriosis
.
But
the
thing
was
is
that
she
made
me
think
that
this
was
an
extremely
rare
condition
,
Right
?
Speaker 2
5:50
And
that
one
thing
that
I've
noticed
is
that
it
seems
like
doctors
tend
to
play
down
how
serious
it
is
too
yeah
,
you
know
where
they're
just
like
.
Oh
,
you
have
endometriosis
,
not
a
big
deal
and
they
don't
seem
to
take
into
consideration
the
fact
that
it
can
affect
our
bowels
and
our
kidneys
and
our
diaphragms
and
our
lungs
and
every
other
single
area
of
the
body
.
It's
a
systemic
disease
that
causes
,
you
know
,
loss
of
organs
,
and
they
don't
seem
to
understand
that
,
it
seems
.
Speaker 1
6:17
It
seems
,
and
I
don't
.
I'm
sitting
here
thinking
about
it
.
I
really
don't
remember
if
she
even
asked
me
if
my
periods
were
painful
.
So
the
other
part
of
that
,
too
,
was
I
had
a
miscarriage
pretty
early
on
and
I
didn't
put
that
correlation
together
.
I
mean
,
we
weren't
trying
,
I
was
on
birth
control
,
oddly
enough
,
but
it
wasn't
working
.
Speaker 2
6:37
Clearly
,
right
,
right
,
or
I
missed
something
you
know
,
because
ADHD
hashtag
ADHD
,
I
forgot
my
birth
control
because
there
was
a
squirrel
in
there
.
Speaker 1
6:48
Yeah
,
and
I
didn't
have
the
pain
on
the
birth
control
.
Now
that
I'm
thinking
about
it
,
I
don't
know
,
there's
probably
a
lot
of
correlation
there
.
But
so
I
went
and
she
was
like
,
well
,
we're
going
to
go
ahead
and
do
a
laparoscopic
ablation
surgery
and
I
was
like
,
okay
,
mind
you
,
I
thought
this
was
rare
,
I
thought
that
this
was
not
very
common
.
I
had
a
chocolate
cyst
the
size
of
a
very
large
egg
and
I
was
like
,
okay
,
well
,
you
know
what
they
do
when
they
aren't
trained
to
properly
take
care
of
those
.
Now
that
I
know
this
,
now
they
drain
it
,
but
it
gets
everywhere
,
right
?
Yep
Makes
adhesions
.
Does
all
this
other
stuff
with
your
ovary
,
right
?
Speaker 2
7:28
Yep
Creates
inflammation
.
It's
yeah
,
it's
a
nightmare
.
Speaker 1
7:30
Right
.
So
then
she's
like
we're
going
to
put
you
on
this
drug
called
Lupron
and
Lupron
will
slow
the
progression
,
if
not
cure
the
endometriosis
.
And
I
said
,
okay
.
Again
,
I
did
ask
at
that
point
what
are
the
side
effects
,
she
goes
,
you're
going
to
have
?
You
could
potentially
have
hot
flashes
because
you're
not
cycling
,
there
is
risk
for
bone
loss
,
you
know
they
have
seen
that
further
on
in
the
line
and
.
But
it's
supposed
to
really
help
and
and
,
mind
you
,
it
was
like
a
thousand
dollars
a
month
for
this
shot
and
insurance
didn't
cover
it
,
or
they
did
cover
it
,
but
not
a
lot
of
it
Anyway
.
So
we
ended
up
doing
that
for
about
three
months
and
then
I
got
off
of
it
because
of
insurance
purposes
.
Well
,
then
we
went
and
did
the
Marina
.
Speaker 1
8:16
IUD
and
I
felt
awful
on
that
.
I
came
to
like
30
pounds
,
but
it
didn't
help
my
symptoms
.
I
was
in
so
much
pain
all
the
time
.
Speaker 2
8:23
Yeah
,
and
I
think
that's
really
common
actually
with
patients
with
endo
,
where
sometimes
they
get
on
these
progesterone
or
,
you
know
,
combined
IUDs
and
they
do
well
,
but
a
lot
of
times
they
end
up
worse
off
than
they
were
before
the
IUD
.
Speaker 1
8:38
And
that
was
the
case
for
me
.
So
,
like
then
,
I
was
sleeping
one
night
,
turned
over
in
bed
and
literally
felt
like
I
was
dying
,
something
like
my
intestines
had
twisted
to
the
point
where
I
was
throwing
up
.
I
was
clammy
white
,
was
quite
literally
seeing
stars
from
the
pain
,
and
I
didn't
wake
my
husband
up
because
I
wanted
him
to
sleep
and
I
was
like
,
no
way
,
it's
nothing
,
because
at
that
point
I
was
already
gaslighting
myself
into
thinking
my
pain
wasn't
that
bad
,
right
,
into
thinking
it's
just
in
my
head
,
right
.
And
so
he
woke
up
and
he
was
like
what
in
the
world
,
you
know
?
Like
no
,
wake
me
up
,
we
are
going
to
the
hospital
.
Speaker 1
9:17
So
,
after
all
that
,
I
had
another
endometrioma
on
my
other
ovary
,
so
they
did
another
surgery
.
But
they're
like
okay
,
we're
going
to
laparoscopically
do
another
ablation
.
And
I
said
okay
,
and
I
just
thought
this
was
my
lot
in
life
,
obviously
.
And
she
goes
if
ever
I
don't
feel
like
it's
safe
to
do
the
laparoscopic
,
I'm
going
to
do
a
laparotomy
.
And
I
didn't
think
anything
of
it
,
thinking
,
wow
,
that's
not
really
going
to
happen
.
Speaker 2
9:42
Yeah
,
I
did
.
Wow
,
that's
not
really
gonna
happen
.
Speaker 1
9:47
Yeah
it
did
.
Yep
,
you
woke
up
with
a
full
incision
across
your
abdomen
.
Yes
,
oh
yeah
,
like
bigger
than
my
c-sections
.
Oh
,
wow
,
so
it
took
me
.
I
mean
,
she
was
like
I
didn't
feel
comfortable
doing
a
laparoscopic
surgery
with
how
much
endo
you
had
on
your
intestines
and
I
was
like
okay
and
just
to
clarify
,
this
doctor
was
just
a
normal
OBGYN
,
run
of
the
mill
,
normal
doctor
,
not
a
specialist
.
Speaker 2
10:08
correct
,
right
,
but
she
touted
herself
as
a
specialist
.
Speaker 1
10:12
Okay
,
so
that's
where
for
me
,
and
why
I
started
this
podcast
was
because
a
lot
of
the
story
came
from
the
fact
that
I
was
told
by
the
doctor
that
I
was
seeing
,
which
I
do
think
she
had
good
intentions
and
I
do
think
she
was
way
more
knowledgeable
than
a
lot
of
doctors
,
but
she
was
like
I
treat
a
bunch
of
patients
here
in
this
area
.
She's
like
that's
my
bread
and
butter
,
so
of
course
,
I
thought
she
knew
everything
there
was
Right
and
I
had
full
faith
in
her
.
I
had
full
trust
in
her
that
she
was
helping
me
and
that
she
knew
everything
about
this
disease
.
Speaker 1
10:44
It
got
to
the
point
where
after
that
surgery
and
it
took
me
months
to
heal
from
that
surgery
Like
I
couldn't
lay
flat
for
almost
three
months
and
I
couldn't
I
mean
forget
intimacy
because
I
could
barely
function
.
I
ended
up
getting
back
on
Lupron
for
nine
months
because
I
didn't
know
any
different
and
I
wanted
to
preserve
my
fertility
.
Speaker 1
11:04
So
,
that
was
the
other
part
of
this
.
Right
,
it's
because
I
wanted
to
have
kids
but
I
didn't
want
them
right
at
that
point
.
So
she
said
,
well
,
in
order
to
maybe
help
preserve
that
fertility
and
for
it
to
slow
the
progression
,
or
I
don't
know
if
she
said
cure
.
I
don't
think
she
said
cure
,
but
she
said
it
could
get
rid
of
the
endo
.
We
don't
know
she
goes
,
but
until
then
let's
put
you
on
the
loop
run
.
It'll
help
you
progress
with
that
and
then
we'll
we'll
go
from
there
.
Speaker 1
11:32
And
so
I
was
on
it
for
nine
months
,
came
off
of
it
and
I
think
three
months
after
I
got
pregnant
,
but
I
had
never
had
a
period
,
so
I
didn't
even
know
how
far
along
I
was
when
I
got
pregnant
.
She
told
me
.
I
remember
her
telling
me
during
my
visits
.
You
know
,
some
people
don't
have
any
endo
once
after
they
have
a
baby
or
any
symptoms
.
And
I
was
like
so
hopeful
After
I
had
my
baby
and
I
had
a
C-section
because
she
was
breech
and
she
couldn't
flip
After
I
having
the
baby
and
I
was
in
so
much
pain
all
the
time
and
my
cycle
started
eight
weeks
postpartum
Understanding Endometriosis Treatment Options
Speaker 1
12:02
.
Ouch
,
that's
quick
.
Speaker 2
12:03
That's
fast
right
,
especially
because
you
were
nursing
.
Speaker 1
12:05
Yes
,
I
was
yeah
,
Yep
,
and
so
my
pain
got
worse
and
so
I
didn't
think
I'd
have
another
baby
.
Meanwhile
she's
trying
to
.
She
did
uterine
biopsies
,
like
three
uterine
biopsies
in
between
babies
uterine
biopsies
in
between
babies
and
those
are
awful
.
Speaker 2
12:19
They're
awful
and
they
make
it
seem
like
it's
not
going
to
be
an
awful
procedure
.
It's
like
getting
an
IUD
placed
where
you're
like
and
I
had
the
same
thing
with
the
IUD
.
Speaker 1
12:26
I
almost
passed
out
in
the
office
,
yeah
,
and
they
,
they
were
like
here
take
some
Advil
,
yeah
.
So
what's
the
solution
?
All
the
time
to
our
pain
,
we
take
NSAIDs
and
then
we
take
the
narcotic
pain
medication
and
that's
supposed
to
get
us
by
in
life
,
right
.
But
we
know
they're
not
good
for
us
.
Nope
,
we
know
there
are
side
effects
from
them
,
right
.
High
addiction
rates
,
huge
,
and
then
anxiety
,
depression
,
yep
,
all
of
those
things
,
right
?
Meanwhile
,
and
also
I
have
this
kidney
issue
.
So
I'm
taking
NSAIDs
,
I'm
taking
Advil
and
all
those
other
things
narcotics
and
my
kidneys
are
terrible
.
Speaker 2
13:02
Right
,
it's
a
bad
recipe
,
it's
a
bad
recipe
.
Speaker 1
13:05
So
,
and
then
on
top
of
that
,
we
have
,
you
know
,
like
the
Luprons
or
Alyssas
,
which
,
by
the
way
,
don't
do
anything
Like
.
They
might
give
you
some
symptomatic
relief
.
But
is
it
worth
it
?
In
my
opinion
,
not
really
.
That's
something
you'd
have
to
discuss
with
your
doctor
.
Speaker 2
13:26
But
for
me
it
wasn't
worth
it
.
I
will
say
,
in
my
time
of
endometriosis
advocacy
I
know
maybe
two
or
three
people
that
benefited
from
those
medications
and
that's
it
,
after
talking
to
hundreds
,
if
not
more
than
that
of
people
,
so
it
doesn't
help
most
people
.
And
again
,
yeah
,
that
is
a
conversation
for
your
doctor
,
for
sure
,
but
it's
not
the
cure-all
drug
that
the
commercials
tout
,
and
it's
not
.
Speaker 1
13:47
Well
,
that's
what's
funny
.
So
you
said
commercials
had
my
second
baby
,
again
C-section
.
So
there's
a
correlation
here
.
I
didn't
know
it
.
After
her
I
had
such
bad
periods
.
I
was
never
off
my
cycle
.
I
bled
months
on
end
.
I
maybe
had
a
day
or
two
a
month
where
I
wasn't
bleeding
.
I
was
anemic
and
in
pain
.
I
remember
driving
places
,
not
knowing
how
I
got
there
because
the
brain
fog
and
fatigue
were
so
bad
.
I
was
short
with
my
kids
and
there
were
babies
.
And
I
just
remember
thinking
this
is
not
the
life
I
wanted
,
because
I
couldn't
get
off
the
couch
half
the
time
.
I
could
sleep
for
hours
on
end
,
like
probably
10
or
12
hours
,
and
still
be
exhausted
all
the
time
and
I
couldn't
retain
anything
.
And
I
remember
feeling
like
I
felt
lazy
and
I
felt
inadequate
.
And
then
it
kind
of
steamrolled
into
am
I
depressed
?
Speaker 1
14:40
You
know
,
yeah
,
is
this
how
?
But
I
just
there
was
so
much
self-doubt
in
that
space
.
But
again
and
here's
a
subset
of
that
is
I'm
telling
people
about
endometriosis
and
about
this
doctor
who
can
help
them
,
because
this
was
my
belief
,
right
,
like
this
person
was
the
person
that
could
help
anyone
.
And
then
it
got
to
the
point
after
my
second
pregnancy
where
I
had
seen
this
commercial
for
oralisa
and
I
was
like
it's
the
magical
drug
,
right
?
Yes
,
and
they
make
this
commercial
sound
like
it
is
like
the
B's
and
E's
,
right
.
So
we
went
to
the
doctor
and
we're
like
we
heard
about
this
thing
called
oralisa
.
She's
like
,
oh
yeah
,
it's
a
great
way
to
help
your
symptoms
or
could
help
stop
the
growth
of
endometriosis
.
I
think
is
really
what
she
said
help
your
symptoms
or
could
help
stop
the
growth
of
endometriosis
.
I
think
is
really
what
she
said
.
And
so
I
took
that
.
Speaker 1
15:27
But
then
I
was
feeling
worse
again
.
Nothing
was
helping
.
Again
,
the
bleeding
was
out
of
this
world
and
so
we
started
thinking
about
doing
a
uterine
ablation
.
And
I
remember
and
Elliot's
talked
about
this
before
on
the
podcast
but
she
said
at
one
appointment
it
could
make
your
endo
angry
.
And
Elliot
was
like
hold
on
,
no
,
because
it
gets
angry
enough
.
We
don't
need
to
add
another
monster
to
this
,
because
it
was
so
bad
,
and
I
think
I
single-handedly
supported
the
menstrual
sanitary
napkins
because
at
that
point
I
actually
couldn't
even
wear
tampons
because
it
hurt
too
.
Yep
Came
to
it
that
I
had
adenomyosis
and
it
was
really
bad
.
I
had
always
had
a
lot
of
hip
and
back
and
joint
pain
on
top
of
it
and
I
just
thought
nothing
of
it
.
My
endo
pain
was
so
bad
it
kind
of
covered
up
a
lot
of
it
too
,
right
.
Speaker 2
16:13
You're
kind
of
in
that
triage
mode
where
like
this
is
the
most
pressing
symptom
and
the
thing
I
need
to
take
care
of
,
and
even
though
all
these
other
things
hurt
,
I'm
not
even
going
to
think
about
it
because
I
don't
have
the
energy
for
it
.
Speaker 1
16:24
Exactly
.
I
have
the
energy
to
do
X
,
y
and
Z
,
but
don't
you
dare
put
B
and
C
in
there
,
right
,
because
I
can't
.
I
can't
do
it
.
Speaker 1
16:33
Yeah
,
I
ended
up
learning
more
from
Nancy
Snook
and
like
understanding
what
excision
and
ablation
was
and
the
difference
between
those
,
and
so
I
had
my
surgery
,
had
a
hysterectomy
because
of
the
adenomyosis
and
then
ultimately
ended
up
taking
at
that
time
deciding
to
take
my
ovaries
as
well
,
because
I
had
reoccurring
endometriomas
and
they
were
large
,
and
I
remember
talking
to
my
doctor
and
saying
,
if
there's
a
way
to
keep
them
,
I'd
like
to
do
that
,
but
if
not
,
then
take
them
.
Speaker 1
17:01
But
again
,
I
didn't
know
long
lasting
effects
of
that
either
.
I
didn't
know
why
you'd
want
to
keep
them
other
than
for
hormone
production
.
I
didn't
really
know
the
pros
versus
cons
of
that
,
and
so
I
wish
that
would
have
been
better
explained
to
me
,
because
I
went
into
my
surgery
thinking
everything
was
magically
going
to
be
better
,
like
intimacy
was
going
to
be
way
better
and
I
wouldn't
cry
after
every
time
because
of
pain
,
I
wouldn't
be
bleeding
constantly
which
is
true
I
don't
,
but
which
is
the
great
part
about
it
but
I
didn't
know
the
other
side
effects
that
were
going
to
be
coming
from
not
producing
your
own
hormones
.
Speaker 1
17:39
I
didn't
understand
that
I
still
had
work
to
do
in
understanding
my
body
and
healing
my
body
.
I
think
that
was
the
really
frustrating
part
from
that
perspective
,
but
I
came
out
feeling
significantly
better
,
like
my
life
forever
changed
at
that
point
.
I'm
such
a
different
person
,
but
when
I
started
this
podcast
,
I
think
for
me
it
was
trying
to
right
the
wrongs
of
guiding
people
in
a
direction
that
was
harmful
to
having
more
reoccurring
surgeries
and
more
medical
management
than
what
their
body
should
be
going
through
when
it
doesn't
really
manage
anything
.
It
might
be
a
bandaid
,
but
it's
not
managing
anything
,
and
so
when
I
started
the
podcast
,
I
was
like
I'm
gonna
do
this
as
a
way
to
like
put
it
out
there
.
Yeah
,
to
tell
the
truth
,
but
I'm
not
the
expert
,
so
I
need
someone
to
talk
about
it
.
So
that's
kind
of
where
my
story
initially
started
,
but
it's
obviously
progressed
quite
a
bit
yeah
,
no
,
it's
just
in
the
last
.
Speaker 2
18:37
You
know
how
long
have
we
known
each
other
now
?
Four
years
,
three
years
,
I
don't
know
.
It
feels
like
we've
been
friends
for
like
I
have
no
idea
just
in
the
last
you
know
how
long
have
we
known
each
other
now
?
Speaker 1
18:43
Four
years
,
three
years
,
I
don't
know
.
It
feels
like
we've
been
friends
for
like
25
years
.
Speaker 2
18:46
I
have
no
idea
.
I
don't
even
think
it's
been
that
long
,
has
it
?
I
don't
know
,
maybe
We've
been
to
two
summits
together
,
so
three
years
.
Yeah
,
almost
three
years
I
think
we
started
our
other
venture
October
of
21
,
if
I
remember
.
So
it
was
right
around
there
.
So
so
,
yeah
,
I
think
we're
going
on
.
We
almost
have
a
three-year
anniversary
coming
up
.
Speaker 1
19:02
What
are
we
gonna
do
?
My
work
wife
,
we're
gonna
get
ziggy's
,
we're
getting
ziggy's
we
do
that
anyway
,
right
,
hashtag
,
sponsor
us
,
yeah
,
please
thank
ziggy's
.
We
ask
every
time
every
time
I
haven't
heard
anything
from
you
guys
anyways
,
over
the
last
three
years
,
you
,
you
really
have
changed
a
lot
.
Speaker 2
19:18
Your
knowledge
base
is
so
much
more
than
it
was
when
we
started
.
All
of
ours
are
,
you
know
,
but
you've
done
a
really
good
job
of
really
diving
into
the
research
and
connecting
with
different
people
that
can
offer
you
good
information
,
good
education
,
good
resources
on
things
,
and
you've
really
worked
very
hard
to
do
that
and
I
can
tell
that
you've
just
transformed
over
these
last
few
years
Like
a
little
endo
butterfly
.
Speaker 1
19:40
Like
a
little
beautiful
endo
butterfly
.
Yeah
,
it's
interesting
Looking
back
at
it
now
Navigating Hormone Health and Chronic Pain
Speaker 1
19:46
.
There's
a
lot
of
things
I
wish
I
would
have
done
different
or
known
more
.
Speaker 1
19:49
Yeah
,
like
what
I
really
wish
I
would
have
known
how
to
advocate
for
myself
.
I
really
wish
I
would
have
known
that
it's
okay
to
ask
people
for
their
advice
and
help
.
I
really
wish
I
would
have
known
that
there's
spaces
and
avenues
to
get
support
and
to
talk
to
other
Indo
warriors
about
your
story
.
Yeah
,
and
I
think
that
both
you
and
I
have
felt
this
in
one
way
or
another
in
that
when
we
started
the
nonprofit
so
we
both
of
us
are
on
a
board
for
a
local
nonprofit
here
for
endometriosis
advocacy
,
support
and
awareness
and
education
.
So
it's
called
Endo
Village
and
you'll
hear
me
talk
about
it
a
lot
because
I'm
really
proud
of
the
work
that
we're
able
to
do
here
and
we
are
wanting
to
create
this
space
for
others
to
get
what
we
wish
we
had
.
I
want
to
encourage
people
,
like
if
you're
feeling
lost
and
not
sure
what
steps
to
take
next
,
to
reach
out
to
people
in
the
community
,
kind
of
vet
them
,
but
reach
out
and
ask
questions
.
Ask
other
patients
questions
,
Because
I
felt
so
alone
and
isolated
and
just
felt
like
this
was
super
rare
.
Speaker 1
20:57
Yeah
,
and
I
don't
think
I
was
.
Truthfully
,
what's
interesting
is
I
didn't
even
really
know
the
statistics
until
I
started
the
podcast
.
Yeah
,
that's
how
green
I
was
,
Yep
.
Looking
at
it
now
I'm
like
I
recite
those
probably
every
day
.
And
so
because
there's
value
in
each
of
those
numbers
,
yes
.
Speaker 1
21:16
When
you're
talking
one
in
10
,
potentially
one
in
seven
.
That
one
has
value
.
I
didn't
realize
I
was
in
such
a
community
of
people
,
with
one
in
seven
to
one
in
10
,
depending
on
who
you
talk
to
.
Speaker 2
21:30
That's
huge
.
That's
huge
and
it
makes
such
a
difference
Having
people
around
you
that
understand
what
you're
going
through
,
that
understand
the
ups
and
downs
of
this
disease
and
how
one
day
you
can
feel
great
and
the
next
day
you
can
feel
awful
and
having
that
support
where
it's
like
,
hey
,
I'm
canceling
on
you
,
hey
,
I
am
not
going
to
make
it
to
this
.
Speaker 2
21:50
I
know
we
committed
to
doing
this
but
I
just
don't
feel
well
enough
.
And
having
those
people
in
your
life
where
they're
like
,
hey
,
girl
,
I
get
it
,
can
I
bring
you
a
heating
pack
?
Do
you
need
me
to
order
you
food
?
Do
you
need
a
Ziggy's
?
Yes
,
always
.
But
having
that
support
has
made
all
the
difference
,
I
know
,
in
both
of
our
worlds
,
for
both
of
us
.
Speaker 1
22:05
Well
,
I
think
too
,
because
something
that
I
didn't
really
realize
.
So
again
,
I
thought
,
you
know
,
once
I
had
the
surgery
,
I
was
magically
going
to
be
healed
.
Things
will
be
so
much
better
.
I
heard
people
saying
they
might
need
pelvic
floor
PT
,
but
I
was
like
I'm
I'm
the
lucky
one
that's
not
going
to
need
it
,
and
he
didn't
say
anything
to
me
.
Yeah
,
everyone
does
.
Anyone
with
endo
you
need
pelvic
floor
PT
.
Speaker 2
22:26
I
would
agree
with
you
on
that
.
It
can
really
,
really
really
make
a
huge
difference
.
Huge
difference
,
Huge
difference
.
Speaker 1
22:32
But
I
also
didn't
realize
how
much
of
my
endo
pain
was
covering
up
all
of
these
other
conditions
that
I
was
having
.
Yep
,
since
starting
this
,
I
have
realized
that
my
bendiness
is
actually
a
correlation
or
a
condition
,
and
mine
happens
to
be
hypermobile
EDS
,
ehlers-danlos
Syndrome
.
Yeah
,
and
so
I
didn't
realize
that
that's
not
normal
.
I
mean
it
goes
along
with
,
like
heavy
painful
periods
are
not
normal
.
Extensive
hypermobility
is
not
normal
.
Speaker 2
23:05
Dislocating
your
job
at
the
dentist
office
not
normal
?
That's
weird
,
I
know
they
make
you
think
it's
normal
,
though
they
do
.
This
happens
all
the
time
and
I'm
like
I
don't
think
it
does
.
Speaker 1
23:14
No
,
no
,
no
,
no
.
And
then
you
know
joint
pain
and
bone
loss
and
hot
flashes
and
brain
fog
and
fatigue
.
I
didn't
know
until
about
a
year
after
my
surgery
that
I
should
be
on
testosterone
.
Yeah
,
how
much
of
a
role
testosterone
played
in
our
lives
.
Speaker 2
23:31
And
the
end
of
world
.
You
know
,
I
mean
,
I
love
a
lot
of
the
stuff
that
we're
doing
in
there
and
there's
a
lot
of
doctors
out
there
that
are
starting
to
push
this
a
lot
,
but
they
,
they
ignore
the
hormone
aspect
of
it
almost
completely
.
Not
not
all
of
them
,
but
a
good
chunk
of
them
will
tell
you
your
hormones
are
fine
,
you
don't
need
anything
,
even
if
you're
missing
,
you
know
,
ovaries
and
you
know
,
you
may
have
one
removed
and
you
may
have
one
leftover
.
Speaker 2
23:56
In
your
case
you
had
both
removed
but
even
with
one
leftover
it
can
go
into
ovarian
failure
,
right
,
and
especially
if
they
,
you
know
,
operated
on
it
and
we've
done
really
a
really
good
job
.
I
feel
like
over
these
last
few
years
in
general
,
like
I
say
,
we
as
the
endometriosis
advocacy
world
of
like
really
getting
better
care
,
teaching
people
about
the
disease
,
teaching
them
what
to
look
for
in
specialists
and
things
,
but
I
think
they
and
we
maybe
have
dropped
the
ball
when
it
comes
to
the
hormone
side
of
things
,
because
they
just
take
out
your
ovaries
and
it's
like
good
luck
,
good
luck
,
hope
you
don't
feel
terrible
and
if
you
do
,
we're
not
going
to
help
you
,
right
.
Speaker 1
24:30
And
it's
awful
and
it's
awful
and
it's
also
so
to
put
things
in
perspective
.
When
you're
hypermobile
and
then
you
add
the
lack
of
hormones
to
that
,
it
creates
a
lot
of
issues
within
your
joints
,
because
estrogen
,
well
,
and
testosterone
really
help
with
joint
health
and
help
with
bone
health
and
muscle
health
.
And
when
you're
hypermobile
,
muscle
is
key
because
your
joints
themselves
have
a
hard
time
creating
that
stability
.
You
need
muscle
Right
,
and
if
you
can't
build
muscle
because
of
a
lack
of
testosterone
,
you're
in
a
world
of
hurt
.
And
boy
did
I
feel
that
.
Speaker 1
25:06
And
I
think
what's
interesting
is
like
after
my
hysterectomy
and
not
having
that
testosterone
I
actually
think
did
me
a
lot
of
disservice
.
Like
it
,
it
really
set
me
back
in
my
overall
quality
of
life
.
I
do
think
had
I
started
earlier
,
I
probably
wouldn't
be
facing
some
of
the
issues
that
I
have
.
I
wish
I
would
have
known
,
but
again
,
there's
a
lack
of
talking
about
it
until
probably
the
last
couple
of
years
.
I
would
say
I
heard
about
estrogen
,
right
,
I
mean
,
I
got
a
patch
right
after
my
surgery
,
right
,
but
I
didn't
.
I
hadn't
heard
about
testosterone
until
our
friend
Inga
.
She
was
like
Alana
you
need
to
get
testosterone
,
you
need
it
.
Speaker 1
25:41
And
I
was
like
okay
,
you
know
,
but
how
,
who's
going
to
prescribe
it
?
And
so
I
had
no
BGYN
prescribe
it
and
but
didn't
really
keep
up
with
the
like
maintenance
of
it
.
So
I
ended
up
seeing
another
hormone
specialist
.
But
I
feel
like
it's
a
constant
battle
,
it's
a
constant
work
in
progress
,
and
what
I
didn't
really
realize
is
that
,
although
I
don't
have
the
endo
pain
,
so
to
speak
,
I
have
other
pain
that's
a
result
of
other
conditions
or
other
chronic
illnesses
.
I
wish
that
I
would
have
had
more
of
a
realistic
expectation
.
Speaker 2
26:14
Yeah
,
I
agree
with
you
on
that
.
I
kind
of
thought
,
I
mean
,
I
was
back
at
work
within
two
weeks
of
my
excision
and
my
hysterectomy
.
I
was
back
,
I
worked
in
an
office
and
I
,
you
know
,
was
able
to
kind
of
make
my
own
hours
and
work
when
I
needed
to
.
But
I
really
wish
I
would
.
Somebody
would
have
been
like
hey
,
you
don't
need
to
do
this
right
,
you
need
to
take
six
weeks
off
,
you
need
to
rest
.
You
know
,
they
said
,
oh
,
it
can
take
six
months
to
feel
better
.
And
it
really
it
took
me
years
and
I
think
it
took
you
years
because
you
have
to
battle
all
of
the
.
You
know
you
,
with
the
endometriosis
and
excision
surgery
and
the
hysterectomy
,
you
put
out
the
five
alarm
fire
,
you
know
,
I
mean
,
and
it
was
raging
and
it
was
,
but
there's
still
some
hotspots
,
there's
still
some
spots
that
are
,
you
know
,
smoldering
,
that
are
either
from
the
original
fire
or
from
other
fires
that
started
,
that
just
weren't
addressed
because
the
endometriosis
took
priority
,
because
it's
so
debilitating
.
Speaker 1
27:04
Right
yeah
,
and
there
were
so
many
things
that
I
didn't
realize
were
a
correlation
with
endometriosis
Bowel
movements
.
I
had
no
idea
.
Speaker 2
27:12
Oh
,
me
either
,
I
would
.
It's
always
everybody's
like
period
poops
and
I'm
like
,
oh
,
this
is
normal
,
Right
,
it's
normal
for
me
to
feel
terrible
.
No
,
no
not
normal
.
Constant
UTIs
with
negative
test
results
,
right
,
and
you
just
get
the
wipe
from
front
to
back
,
right
?
Okay
,
great
,
I'm
pretty
sure
I
know
how
to
do
this
.
I've
been
a
vagina
owner
my
whole
life
and
I
am
fairly
certain
that
I
know
how
to
wipe
properly
to
prevent
utis
,
but
I
will
take
your
advice
okay
,
that's
.
Speaker 1
27:39
I
mean
,
that's
better
advice
than
what
some
give
,
right
?
Speaker 2
27:42
no
,
it
is
take
what
you
can
get
.
It
is
,
I
mean
,
at
least
you
gave
me
something
Right
.
Speaker 1
27:47
But
it's
interesting
because
I
think
again
,
the
kidney
stuff
.
There's
some
correlation
there
to
how
I
felt
and
all
these
other
things
that
I
look
back
at
and
think
,
hmm
,
I'm
now
seeing
this
in
my
10-year-old
and
so
I
had
no
idea
of
the
genetic
component
to
it
prior
to
this
,
and
so
once
I
figured
that
all
out
,
it
was
like
now
this
is
another
thing
that
I
have
to
be
aware
of
for
my
girls
,
yep
,
and
I
wish
I
would
have
known
that
.
Not
that
it
would
have
changed
anything
,
I
would
have
still
had
my
kids
.
I
had
a
lot
of
misunderstood
fears
and
then
,
on
top
of
that
,
I
think
the
thing
I
am
grateful
for
is
that
I
learned
how
to
advocate
for
myself
better
in
retrospect
.
Speaker 1
28:32
You
can't
live
in
the
past
trauma
.
You
kind
of
have
to
learn
to
.
I
hate
to
say
this
,
but
you
have
to
learn
how
to
manage
and
deal
with
some
of
that
trauma
or
it's
consuming
.
Yes
,
absolutely
.
And
so
,
even
though
there
were
times
that
my
doctor
I
genuinely
think
she
cared
,
I
genuinely
think
she
wanted
to
do
the
best
by
me
,
but
again
it
was
her
lack
of
knowledge
and
understanding
,
and
then
it
created
this
false
hope
within
me
Every
time
I
went
to
go
see
her
and
a
new
procedure
or
a
new
drug
or
a
new
thought
process
.
I
had
hope
.
And
then
all
of
a
sudden
,
I
started
getting
to
a
point
where
I
lost
that
hope
and
that's
what
kind
of
led
me
into
this
excision
arena
,
cause
I
was
like
this
is
just
my
lot
in
life
.
I'm
going
to
have
to
have
surgery
every
two
years
,
and
you
don't
realize
how
damaging
surgery
is
,
especially
with
endometriosis
Right
,
and
especially
with
somebody
that's
not
an
expert
Right
.
Speaker 2
29:21
And
then
you
add
the
EDS
piece
on
top
of
this
Right
,
which
makes
healing
more
difficult
.
It
makes
everything
more
difficult
,
way
more
difficult
.
Speaker 1
29:28
And
so
I
think
,
just
looking
back
on
that
and
realizing
like
I
learned
a
lot
and
I'm
going
to
use
that
to
help
advocate
for
my
daughters
but
continue
advocating
for
myself
,
I'm
grateful
for
that
.
Like
I
was
having
kidney
issues
,
my
labs
were
off
,
so
we
were
trying
to
figure
all
this
out
with
my
labs
,
and
so
I
had
to
go
see
a
urologist
and
this
is
not
that
long
ago
and
remember
I
went
in
and
she
completely
dismissed
me
.
Speaker 2
29:57
So
common
too
.
Speaker 1
29:58
Before
I
would
have
been
like
well
,
that's
just
how
it
goes
.
Like
she
literally
told
me
you
probably
don't
have
a
kidney
stone
.
Yeah
,
she
didn't
look
at
me
.
She
didn't
even
look
up
at
me
Hardly
.
She
didn't
shake
my
hand
,
she
didn't
anything
.
She
didn't
even
come
close
to
me
.
She
didn't
acknowledge
my
concerns
.
She
didn't
ask
if
I
had
questions
.
She
pretty
much
said
,
well
,
we're
going
to
do
this
scan
and
it's
probably
like
,
like
,
but
at
the
same
time
it
was
that
was
so
invalidating
Then
it
made
me
feel
like
I'm
crazy
.
So
then
,
when
I
do
see
a
provider
who
legitimately
thinks
that
I
need
help
with
something
and
that
feels
like
they
can
,
I'm
like
but
I'm
not
worth
your
time
.
Speaker 2
30:37
Right
,
I'm
just
wasting
your
time
.
I'm
just
wasting
your
time
.
Why
are
you
here
,
you
?
You
have
a
kidney
stone
.
I'm
not
going
to
help
you
with
that
.
You
might
have
a
kidney
stone
.
You
have
a
kidney
stone
.
Speaker 1
30:44
I'm
not
going
to
help
you
with
that
you
might
have
a
kidney
stone
,
maybe
not
,
I
don't
even
really
know
.
Yeah
,
exactly
,
but
in
that
I
learned
that
I
don't
have
to
settle
for
her
and
I
ended
up
calling
back
and
saying
I
want
my
money
back
because
Kimather
Redman
actually
gave
me
this
advice
.
Love
Kimather
,
I
love
Kimather
.
She
said
they
didn't
perform
a
service
that
you
were
charged
for
.
Ask
for
your
money
back
,
yeah
.
Speaker 2
31:07
And
I
was
like
okay
,
done
,
Did
they
give
it
to
?
Speaker 1
31:08
you
.
Speaker 1
31:08
No
,
it
was
worth
a
shot
,
but
I
was
able
to
then
find
myself
a
provider
who
was
able
to
help
me
,
who
was
willing
to
be
part
of
a
team
for
me
,
and
I
didn't
realize
how
important
it
was
to
have
a
multidisciplinary
team
and
a
team
that'll
work
together
,
because
these
conditions
a
provider
may
know
their
specialty
,
but
when
you
have
multiple
things
going
on
at
once
,
it's
important
to
have
your
providers
talk
to
one
another
,
because
they
may
not
put
the
full
picture
together
,
but
if
you
have
a
complete
picture
,
there's
going
to
take
it's
going
to
take
one
doctor
to
look
at
it
and
say
this
makes
me
think
that
you
might
have
this
right
,
or
this
makes
me
think
that
this
might
help
you
here
.
Speaker 1
31:48
The
other
thing
that
I
think
I
want
to
tell
people
,
though
,
is
,
when
you
have
a
chronically
ill
body
,
like
you
,
have
multiple
different
things
going
on
.
The
thing
that
I'm
learning
is
that
I
can't
expect
the
same
of
me
that
people
without
these
conditions
can
do
.
So
,
for
instance
,
we
often
say
I
have
so
much
on
my
plate
I
can't
do
the
same
of
me
that
people
without
these
conditions
can
do
.
Speaker 1
32:05
So
for
instance
we
often
say
I
have
so
much
on
my
plate
,
I
can't
do
all
this
.
The
correlation
I
make
with
this
is
that
a
person
that
doesn't
have
a
chronic
illness
maybe
has
like
a
10-inch
dinner
plate
.
Right
,
right
,
you
go
to
a
buffet
,
you
get
your
10-inch
dinner
plate
,
you
fill
it
with
all
the
things
and
you
still
you're
able
to
enjoy
it
.
You
all
the
things
and
you
still
you're
able
to
enjoy
it
.
You're
able
to
fill
yourself
up
with
it
.
Managing Chronic Illness Plate
Speaker 1
32:32
A
chronically
ill
person
really
only
has
a
six
inch
dinner
plate
and
if
you
try
to
shove
everything
from
a
10
inch
dinner
plate
onto
a
six
inch
dinner
plate
,
it's
going
to
overflow
,
yeah
,
and
it's
going
to
get
contaminated
and
the
food's
going
to
touch
.
Speaker 2
32:41
It's
going
to
touch
.
Speaker 1
32:43
And
you're
not
going
to
be
able
to
like
,
savor
what's
on
your
plate
.
You're
not
going
to
be
able
to
enjoy
it
in
its
purest
form
,
right
,
and
it's
not
going
to
be
nutritious
in
that
standpoint
because
it's
going
to
create
more
anxiety
.
It's
going
to
.
You
know
,
all
those
things
for
us
ADHD
or
autism
spectrum
people
the
more
we
try
to
pack
on
,
the
less
fulfilling
it
is
yeah
from
people
the
more
we
try
to
pack
on
,
the
less
fulfilling
it
is
yeah
.
And
so
the
thing
that
I've
learned
is
that
my
chronically
ill
plate
needs
to
be
managed
,
and
so
I
have
to
choose
what
I
want
to
put
on
.
Thanks
for
joining
us
today
in
a
part
one
of
this
two
part
series
when
Chelsea
takes
over
endo
battery
.
Come
back
next
week
as
we
continue
to
unravel
the
things
that
we
have
learned
in
our
journeys
.
Until
next
time
,
continue
advocating
for
you
and
for
those
you
love
.