tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5565493547330904085Fri, 06 Sep 2024 19:07:43 +0000The joy of endometriosis.http://painpants.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Nicole)Blogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5565493547330904085.post-5919144910277368257Wed, 09 Mar 2011 03:31:00 +00002011-03-08T23:00:54.110-06:00Sorry for the long, long silence. Three weeks after my last post, I had my first miscarriage. Pretty much everything not relating to getting and staying pregnant fell by the wayside after that. People get pregnant every day. Even while doing everything in their power to prevent it. Me, I spent a year peeing on sticks, counting days, obsessively documenting the smallest symptom. And it still took http://painpants.blogspot.com/2011/03/some-people-do-this-by-accident.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5565493547330904085.post-824596253551460920Sat, 22 May 2010 17:05:00 +00002010-05-22T12:14:33.131-05:00Started late this month -- day 32. (Well, 31 or 32...in the wee hours of Saturday morning, but I was still awake so it felt like Friday. Let's say 32 for the sake of argument.) Spotted lightly until actual Saturday morning, when I was awakened by worse cramps than I've had in months. Such fun. Once the meds kicked in, they (mostly) alleviated the cramps until later Saturday evening, when they http://painpants.blogspot.com/2010/05/some-good-some-bad.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nicole)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5565493547330904085.post-929548838651606892Wed, 12 May 2010 21:31:00 +00002010-05-12T16:49:52.657-05:00My Skechers did this to me. Not those scary-looking sandals I'm seeing everywhere -- soft, comfy, adjustable Skechers.Only carrying around 10 lbs of water weight, too. It's just more localized this month. I can wear my rings, but my bust is 2 inches bigger (if it didn't hurt so bad, I'd be happy about that) and I can't find my ankles. So I think tonight is a great night to lay on the couch with http://painpants.blogspot.com/2010/05/why-i-dont-own-gladiator-sandals.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nicole)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5565493547330904085.post-567302187958534385Sat, 17 Apr 2010 01:38:00 +00002010-04-16T21:05:53.402-05:00Or, at least the possibility that I'll get back to it. Strange, strange period this time -- some good, some bad. The good: I had hardly any pain to speak of until the day I started my period. The bad: 15 lbs of water weight.Wednesday morning I had minor pain -- enough for the heating pad, but not for pain medication. I thought the absence of pain was odd, as I was expecting to start Thursday (http://painpants.blogspot.com/2010/04/im-beginning-to-doubt-existence-of.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5565493547330904085.post-24511812356135690Sun, 04 Apr 2010 03:56:00 +00002010-04-03T23:20:29.120-05:00Day 17. According to the tests (yes, multiple -- I've added urine-based ovulation tests to the spit test, because what self-respecting OCDer doesn't want a second opinion?), I'm still not ovulating. But you'd never know it by looking at me. Every morning brings another zit (or three), though I rarely break out this early in the cycle. I'm carrying around at least 5 lbs of water weight; my belly http://painpants.blogspot.com/2010/04/hormonal-backlash.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nicole)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5565493547330904085.post-8535846658558993095Sun, 14 Feb 2010 04:44:00 +00002010-02-13T22:55:16.934-06:00Turns out there is a lot of math off the pill. And a lot of things to learn. For instance, did you know that Week 1 is actually period week? I did not. And it's thrown off all of my other calculations by...well, a week.In fact, I've learned that I was completely wrong about what goes on in one's abdomen sans pill. That place is pretty much a 24-7 babymaking factory. Have a period, immediately http://painpants.blogspot.com/2010/02/nobody-told-me-there-would-be-math.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5565493547330904085.post-4873552834087276293Tue, 02 Feb 2010 03:00:00 +00002010-02-01T21:17:09.669-06:00I've been off the pill since January 16. Which makes period week January 17-23; last week was Week 1 of my first pill-free cycle.Of course, I don't play by the rules. The period was heinous, even by my standards. I've decided alcohol does indeed make the cramps worse, so that's it for me and adult beverages in mass quantities. Just not worth it. The cramps were nigh intolerable -- I even missed ahttp://painpants.blogspot.com/2010/02/first-pill-free-update.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5565493547330904085.post-2819042437469261943Sat, 09 Jan 2010 00:30:00 +00002010-01-08T18:47:01.523-06:00So I'm not the most regular blogger. Mostly, I was waiting until I had something new to report.The past two months, my periods haven't been all that bad. (Except for the fact that they coincided with Thanksgiving and Christmas, that is.) Pain, yeah. Bloating, pimples, moodiness. The usual. This month, though, is going to be interesting. I'm not supposed to start until next weekend (so, http://painpants.blogspot.com/2010/01/remember-me.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5565493547330904085.post-539410781227599614Sat, 31 Oct 2009 19:00:00 +00002009-10-31T14:19:04.640-05:00First, the update. From what I can tell, the new pill makes the flow lighter and shorter; I'm pretty much done (I think), and it's only been 4 days. Things have been...chunkier, though. Not real sure what that's all about. The pain was also pretty intense the first two days - it's worse in the hours before and after I start, then begins to taper off. But it's not like I've had to be on pain pillshttp://painpants.blogspot.com/2009/10/new-tactic.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5565493547330904085.post-6597703100749504396Sat, 19 Sep 2009 01:44:00 +00002009-09-18T20:55:29.672-05:00Major stress as of late. Working late, bringing work home, spending nearly every waking moment working, stressing, cussing under my breath. And I've been cramping the whole time -- the period stopped, but the pain didn't.Shoulda known I'd start early.A week and two days, to be exact. Well, if I were to start on time...which I never do. Pretty much the only thing that ever makes me start early is http://painpants.blogspot.com/2009/09/should-have-seen-this-coming.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5565493547330904085.post-6280816586803313572Fri, 04 Sep 2009 02:48:00 +00002009-09-03T21:56:06.792-05:00Don't get me wrong -- there's been pain. But compared to what I've been dealing with, not that much. Three days into month two (for once, I started kinda-sorta on time), so I'm guessing I've had all the major pain I'm going to with this period.Pain: Nearly constant Ponstel/Lyrica on days one and two. (And heating pad, of course.) Today, a Ponstel, no heating pad. (Also no Lyrica, though I wanted http://painpants.blogspot.com/2009/09/not-so-painful-pants.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5565493547330904085.post-214591639241516127Fri, 14 Aug 2009 02:24:00 +00002009-08-13T21:33:30.610-05:00First month on the Microgestin was...interesting. More like the periods I'm used to than the ones I've been having: 7 days long, mostly clots, with intense pain before and during and some residual pain after (I'm still aching, and I stopped Monday). Plus, the Microgestin doesn't appear to have reduced the bloating one bit -- but it didn't increase it, either. My face is also breaking out more, http://painpants.blogspot.com/2009/08/microgestinponstel-report.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5565493547330904085.post-5117329192301618234Wed, 08 Jul 2009 22:11:00 +00002009-07-08T17:37:04.339-05:00It's been a very, very long time since I've posted. Sorry. Didn't have much new to report. Pain's about the same. Lumpies are about the same. My handle on my stress level varies -- some days I succeed at being all zen, and some days (like today) I smile while screaming inside, wishing I could just throw a Mr. Mackey fit: "You go to hell! You go to hell and you die!" It's been that kind of week. http://painpants.blogspot.com/2009/07/miss-me.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nicole)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5565493547330904085.post-4610222586967489075Tue, 19 May 2009 02:50:00 +00002009-05-18T21:58:43.264-05:00A new line of thinking. I've been realizing the effects stress has had on my health, life, and outlook, and have recently made efforts to alleviate and eliminate it. Some of it is situational, and some of it psychological. The situational stuff I can't change; however, I can do something about the psychological stuff. A friend gave me a really helpful book: The Worry Cure. It's helped me see how http://painpants.blogspot.com/2009/05/stress.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nicole)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5565493547330904085.post-3371496970325812480Wed, 06 May 2009 02:01:00 +00002009-05-05T21:52:59.287-05:00For roughly 36 hours. And I felt like hell the entire time. I thought at first it was caffeine withdrawal...then I realized I was just starving. I normally eat around 1400 calories a day; with this endo diet, I was eating less than 1000. No wonder I felt like crap. The food to bring me down wasn't bread or cheese, either...it was tater tots. Made a Sonic run at 9 p.m. two days into the diet -- http://painpants.blogspot.com/2009/05/i-tried-diet.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nicole)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5565493547330904085.post-7613092662995926892Sat, 11 Apr 2009 16:23:00 +00002009-04-11T11:40:35.545-05:00Bought a recipe book for endometriosis. (I got the e-book; it is so very cool to buy a book online and have it immediately!) I'm contemplating her other book; I guess I'm just not sure how far I buy into this stuff yet. For instance, there's a section on soy in the recipe book that confirms my experiences with it, and my thoughts (based on research into soy) about how a food full of estrogen http://painpants.blogspot.com/2009/04/new-book-new-resolve.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nicole)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5565493547330904085.post-1134299106952221636Fri, 27 Mar 2009 21:11:00 +00002009-03-27T16:33:50.657-05:00While it's not conclusive proof, I'm even more suspicious of soy now. Last month's period was ten days long; this month's was four. The difference: Last month, I ate soy tacos for a week. This month, no soy. Makes you wonder, huh?In fact, this month was better all around, though by no means enjoyable. The worst part was this past week; I had a migraine that lasted several days, which may or may http://painpants.blogspot.com/2009/03/adventures-in-vegetarianism.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nicole)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5565493547330904085.post-512460527721852216Sun, 22 Mar 2009 02:20:00 +00002009-03-21T21:23:34.087-05:00Confirmed today the theory about movement helping cramps. Bad pain day (Lyrica + Darvocet), yet have been doing some light spring cleaning. (I'm not moving furniture, but I'm doing everything else.) And so long as I keep moving, the pain is tolerable. When I stop (like now), it feels like someone's got my hips in a vice. So I'll get back to it. Just thought I'd share that.(Longer post to come...http://painpants.blogspot.com/2009/03/get-off-yer-duff.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nicole)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5565493547330904085.post-7218828885910002770Wed, 25 Feb 2009 03:13:00 +00002009-02-24T21:24:23.232-06:00Or maybe just going "pfft," like the dud bubbles in bubble wrap.Finally, finally wrapping up this month's period. Ten days this hugger lasted. And while I'm not still gushing, I am still bleeding, and hurting -- more in the 1-4 range than the 7-9, as I was a few days ago, but still.So much for the shorter period.I'm not completely abandoning hope, though. It may be the soy. (The "estrogen + more http://painpants.blogspot.com/2009/02/that-sound-would-be-my-bubble-popping.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nicole)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5565493547330904085.post-2952692311064812936Tue, 17 Feb 2009 23:26:00 +00002009-02-17T17:34:04.327-06:00Many thanks to the Goddess Kelly for suggesting I start a food journal. Because mine's not just a food journal...no, anal-retentive person that I am, it's a state-of-my-body journal. I'm tracking not just what I consume, but also my mood, severity and location of my pain, and any other symptoms I may have. And just in the past few days, I'm seeing the effect starting has on my mood. I went from http://painpants.blogspot.com/2009/02/journal-now.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nicole)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5565493547330904085.post-1910424025712718777Sat, 14 Feb 2009 22:09:00 +00002009-02-14T16:11:52.758-06:00Just filled my new BC prescription (and renewed my Lyrica prescription). There is a generic form of the Mircette! It's called Kariva. So instead of spending $35 a month, I spend $10. I am doing one hell of a happy dance right now. (Well, not literally. In too much pain to sit, let alone dance. But inside, I'm gettin' jiggy wit it.)http://painpants.blogspot.com/2009/02/oh-happy-day.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nicole)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5565493547330904085.post-4089773493358678549Thu, 12 Feb 2009 01:27:00 +00002009-02-11T19:35:01.106-06:00This isn't even fully brewed (roughly 8 minutes into the 10-minute steep time). Looks more like coffee than tea. And when you open the packet, this brown powder gets all over everything. (It also leaves a murky residue in the mug after drinking.)Oh, and a word to the wise: If you drink this tea right after eating something sweet, it's extremely bitter. I recommend drinking it before eating, so http://painpants.blogspot.com/2009/02/maybe-it-is-dirt.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nicole)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5565493547330904085.post-1767510535144939369Wed, 11 Feb 2009 03:08:00 +00002009-02-10T21:27:34.111-06:00Two posts in one day...I'm just as shocked as you are. Guess this means I can slack off for a bit now.I've been test-driving some yoga videos, thanks to my handy-dandy Roku box. (Seriously...I love this thing. I don't watch TV, but I love me some Netflix.) Mostly I've been doing this for my mother, who has high blood pressure (part genetics, part stress) and other assorted heart problems...the http://painpants.blogspot.com/2009/02/yoga-for-cramping-people.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nicole)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5565493547330904085.post-8235713749988889666Tue, 10 Feb 2009 22:43:00 +00002009-02-10T16:55:43.487-06:00I'm not kidding -- it really exists. And I'm at that point where I say "What the hell?" and try just about anything that might work. And this might work. The main ingredient is dandelion root, which I've read is helpful for endo. (Improves liver function, which flushes out all that estrogen and thus reduces bloating, pain, temporary insanity, and so forth. Or so they say.)Another tea that I'm http://painpants.blogspot.com/2009/02/pms-tea.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nicole)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5565493547330904085.post-4240431738059975511Sat, 07 Feb 2009 04:11:00 +00002009-02-06T22:17:45.547-06:00Started spotting today. A little over a week out from the scheduled date. The spotting wasn't completely unexpected...my complexion's gone to hell, my back's been killing me, I'm waterlogged despite eating a low-sodium diet, and I've been extremely moody and insecure today. (By which I mean wondering, with no provocation whatsoever, if my boyfriend is cheating on me, and planning what I'd say to http://painpants.blogspot.com/2009/02/i-just-dont-know.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Nicole)4