Switching it up
little update
I don’t love writing. I joined Substack as a way to scratch an itch to share different parts of my brain, and, to challenge myself to do something new. Something sticky. Something hard.
This is hard for me. Words stress me out. I prefer images.
I want to share something that I am walking through.
A few weeks ago, I received a 20-years-too-late diagnosis of endometriosis, adenomyosis, and fibroids. To top it all off, I have something called a sub-septate uterus, which means that my uterus didn’t fully form in the womb, so it is heart shaped. Cute, I know ◡̈ But, comes with a lot of tough implications (more on that later).
I have struggled with my periods from the moment I got them in high school. I remember having to skip swim practice. And then, after freshman year of college, I had maybe 4-5 throughout the rest of my career until I retired (hello overtraining, but I had a ton of fun, I must say). Retirement from professional sport came with depression and a complete identity crisis, and one of the ways I coped was that I developed an unhealthy relationship with my body, food, and exercise. I then lost my period for nearly 11 years.
When I got it back, it came with a vengeance. I initially just thought it was “making up for lost time”, but long story short and many years of injuries, integrative, and (albeit successful) functional medicine practices later - I knew I needed to seek further help.
After carefully searching for the right doctors that specialize in endo/adeno, I finally feel like I have landed in an amazing place, with a solid support system. So, in typical social media fashion, I wanted to share a few lessons I’ve learned over the years. My hope is that this helps someone out there… even if it isn’t an identical situation.
Compassion. You don’t know what you don’t know. And you did the best with what you had at the time. Let go of the “shoulda-woulda-coulda’s” and tackle what you can tackle right here, right now.
Eastern AND Western Medicine are both important. Surgeons do the job of surgery. You do the job of keeping the environment healthy. Act accordingly.
Mindset. How you view what is going on with you is most of the battle. I have not always done this in a constructive way, but wow… does it make a world of difference.
On that note, address your angers and frustrations with people, your own body, and your situation. Your body holds onto things. Don’t let it hold onto it longer than it needs to. It doesn’t do any good.
Advocate for yourself. If something isn’t right, trust your gut. Get it checked out. You can only tough things out so long. And, if you are dismissed, keep trying. (and yes I know health insurance poses many difficulties in our world today… I wish I could say I could crack that code but unfortunately I have not. Do what you can with what you have, but speak up in the process).
Be honest. I spent many years of my life fluffing up details of my life because I thought it would make others more comfortable. What a waste of time. Just own your stuff, but remember - it isn’t anyone else’s problem. ex) “I have endometriosis and it takes me out each month, so I can’t attend this, but have so much fun!” No need to lie, unless you aren’t comfy sharing something personal. But if it means more freedom, I vote be honest and open.
Helping others is a great way to get out of your head. My work lends to this, but if your work is in a different field, it is really wonderful to provide support to people or animals or whatever allows you to give back and help others.
Find the good. Cliché, I know. But when we look for the good in our days, our brains want to find more of it. Try it out.
Know thyself. What works for Sally or Joe may not work for you. Try. Fail. Try again. You will land on what works for you, and stick with it.
Master the basics. Sleep, get sunshine, utilize breath work, fuel intentionally, and move your body. Only then can you add in various other things.
Thank you for listening. What’s next for me? Well, I am on the path for life, baby. It’s the only way. I hope you are on yours too. Follow that yellow brick road.
Happy Sunday,
Caroline
I love you so much. Thank you for sharing your heart, sister 🧡