Since my very first menstrual I have suffered from painful periods. After countless tests, numerous doctors, and 25 years of searching, I have finally found something that helps and I want to share it with others that suffer from endometriosis.
My Journey with Endometriosis
This is very personal and somewhat embarrassing for me to share but if this helps just one person, it was worth it. I am a long winded person but I will try to keep 25 year story short and to the point.
I remember it like yesterday, my first menstrual period...
December 8, 1989, I was 11 years old, in math class when I began having stomach pains. I thought it was just a stomachache and it was so close to time to go home that I wasn't going to go to the nurse or bother my mother to come to the school to pick me up. I just sucked it up, sat through class, took the hour long bus ride home and walked the quarter mile up the drive to my house. When I got home, my mother wasn't there. I immediately went to the bathroom to find one little spot of blood in my underpants it just so happened that my older sister walked in at this moment and proceeded to point out the fact that I got my period and, of course, teased me about it. I wasn't an ignorant or dramatic kid, I knew what it was so I put a pad on from under the sink and went to take a nap. When my mother got home I didn't have to tell her that I got my period, my sister was yelling it the moment she walked in the door.
The Journey begins...
Each month became more and more painful. After a couple of years, additional symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, sweating, extreme bloating, and other unpleasant happenings began to occur and get worse with each menstrual cycle. I couldn't go to school, I missed family functions, I called off work, I couldn't get out of bed (sometimes for up to 3 days).
At the age of 16 my mother finally took me to the gynecologist for the first time. He did the routine exam and after my mother and I explained what was happening every month. I suggested that I might have endometriosis and he told my mother that I was faking it. He said "no one gets periods like that" and I was just pretending to be sick so that I wouldn't have to go to school. That was my first experience with a gynecologist.
My mother knew better, she knew I wasn't faking. She had witnessed the pain with her own eyes, it would be impossible to fake that kind of pain, the vomiting, sweating, passing out cold, diarrhea, etc. We tried a couple more gynecologists that pretty much said the same thing. "That doesn't happen", "She's faking it", "You are exaggerating", etc. Finally, one of them put me on a birth control pill and said that would take care of it. The birth control pill was the answer, or was it?
15 years later...
It was time to start a family. After taking the pill faithfully for 15 years, I stopped. I knew things wouldn't happen right away, that it takes time for your body to adjust, blah blah blah. One month later I began having pain during ovulation (Mittelschmerz). Not just pain, extreme pain, accompanied by sweating, diarreah and vomiting. I missed my niece's baptism (because of ovulation) and that was just the beginning. Each month, more symptoms would arise that would last longer and be even more painful. After 4 years of being "off the pill" I got to the point of only feeling "good" about 3-5 days out of the month. The rest of the month was filled with chronic pain, chronic diarreah, exhaustion, and vomiting. I missed Christmas, Thanksgiving, 4th of July celebrations, Birthday parties and just about everything in between. I felt like a shut in. I hardly ever left the house and if I did it was for a short period time. People didn't understand, my in-laws thought that I didn't like them (because I never showed up to family functions), my friends thought I didn't want to be involved in their plans, and I couldn't get a job outside of the house. I went through boughts of depression and anxiety.
Four years later...
I couldn't live like this anymore, it wasn't living at all.
I had been putting it off for too long, it was time to go back to the doctor. I went from gynecologists to midwives to chiropractors to natural healers and alternative doctors (PSE Testing, Applied Kinesiology, NET Practioners, Biomeridian, etc), back to gynecologists and digestive specialists. While looking into dysmenorrhea, IBS, Mittelschmerz, endometriosis, and psychosis. I have been poked and proded, hypnotised, and "lasered". I had hypnotherapy, laser therapy, and massage therapy. NOTHING WORKED! Don't get me wrong, some of it helped to a degree and I had a month of relief here and there but ultimately, NOTHING WORKED.
To be quite honest, I didn't give a shit what my problem was called. It didn't have to have a name, it just needed to be fixed. I couldn't take it anymore. It was ruining my life. I was tired of planning my life around my period. I was a prisoner to my menstrual cycle. When to plan a vacation, a party, a visit to a friend, a meeting with a client, etc. The excuses, cancellations, and lies my husband and I told to avoid the questions. It was ridiculous, the things I missed because I was "sick". My OB told me that the only way to fix the problem was to go back on the birth control pill or have a hysterectomy. Alternatively, I could address the problem with laparoscopic surgery.
I did a little research and asked a lot of questions, only to uncover that laparoscopic surgery will only diagnose endometriosis and if endo is the case, the doctor can "scrape it out" while they are in there, the procedure will most likely leave some small scars on my abdomen, and the relief only lasts a couple of months. Endometriosis grows back. The pain, and symptoms will most likely be back within a couple of months of the procedure. WHAT?! A couple of months? Are you f%&*$ng serious? There had to be another way.
I kept delaying the procedure and searching for another way. Another treatment or method that would relieve my pain without surgery or hormones. A friend of mine had suggested that I read this article on Project Endo that introduced me to Endovan and the BioMat. My friend has many similar symptoms and has been clinically diagnosed with endometriosis and IBS (many times these two go hand in hand). She swore by the BioMat but had not yet tried Endovan because she had recently had a child (after having laparoscopic surgery) and was still breast feeding. I trust her and highly regard her opinion so I purchased the BioMat Mini using the Bill Me Later option so that I could make payments on this "magical mat". I started sleeping on it every night and noticed the reduction in daily discomfort and pains. Endovan and the BioMat both offer 100% Risk Free money back guarantees so I had nothing to lose. I decided to try them both and I am SO GLAD I did!
Getting My Life Back (The Results)
Since January 6, 2014 I have been sleeping on the Mini BioMat almost every night and have been taking Endovan. I can't be sure that the BioMat has helped as much as I know the Endovan has but I would recommend both to anyone with endometriosis. (Since I never did go through with the laparoscopic surgery I have not actually been clinically diagnosed with endometriosis. It is a self diagnosis. After doing the research and comparing my symptoms to others who have been diagnosed, I took it upon myself to decide on my diagnosis. The doctors seemed to be guessing so why shouldn't I give it a shot?)
BioMat
I realize that it is expensive but if you can swing it, get it. It is beneficial to you no matter what. I purchased the Mini BioMat for myself using the Bill Me Later option so that I could make payments on it. The BioMat is a medical-grade infrared heating mat used in healing practices all over the world. My husband uses it for back pain and I use it for menstrual pain. I used to use a regular heating pad and this is different, the Mini BioMat helps in a different way which I can't explain but can only feel when I am using it. It has a 60 day trial, 3 year warranty, and 30 year repair policy. What do you have to lose?
Endovan
A definite must have! IF YOU HAVE ENDOMETRIOSIS YOU MUST TRY ENDOVAN! I am not kidding you. First off, Endovan is ALL NATURAL & NON-HORMONAL and Komodo Labs offers a 100% Risk-Free Money Back Guarantee. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain by trying this product!
I took the gamble and ordered up three bottles (there was a three bottle special at the time). I realize that it takes things time to work. I wasn't expecting results right away (no matter what any of the reviews said), I decided that I was going to commit to Endovan for 6 months and if it didn't do anything for me I would go have the laparoscopic surgery done.
After the first 30 days of taking Endovan, my first menstrual cycle was better. I still had pain, I was still quite miserable but not as bad as usual. I kept taking it and each period has gotten better since. I have been taking Endovan for 4 months now and my last two periods were almost like nothing happened. I was tired, I was crabby, I bled, I bloated (a little), but I had almost no pain. I was still able to perform my daily tasks! I was amazed! Don't get me wrong, I wasn't ready to run a marathon but I was able to perform my daily tasks! I can't repeat this enough! Those of you who experience the pain, sickness, and suffering that comes with endometriosis can understand what a big deal that is, to get your period and be able to go on with your day. I would compare the discomfort level that I am experiencing from my period at this point to having a slight head cold or some other minor ailment. Before Endovan, I would compare my period discomfort level to being hit by a car.
This is my personal experience, other people have reported pain free, no bloat, periods. I hope to have these one day but I will take what I can get right now and that is minimal pain and discomfort. Pain that is diminished by some Aleve (vicodin couldn't cut through the pain that I used to endure) and diarrhea for a day or two (not uncontrollable but loose stools for a couple days). The length of my period has not gotten shorter, and the flow has not been lighter but that doesn't bother me. I can have a life now! I can leave the house and I don't spend 3 days in bed because of my period anymore. I can perform daily tasks!
I know this sounds like a miracle, it sounds too good to be true, but it's not. ENDOVAN REALLY WORKS! Maybe it is a miracle, but it is not too good to be true. It is absolutely true. Give it a try and when it works for you, you will be a walking billboard for it too!
WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? END ENDO PAIN NOW!!
Endovan: http://www.endovan.com
BioMat: http://www.crystalbiomat.com
Am I Receiving Payment for this Post?
NO. I am not receiving any compensation from Endovan or from BioMat. I am not an affiliate or distributor of either of these products. This post is not to make money. This is just my experience with and opinion of these products. I really just wrote this in hopes that I can help someone else that is suffering from endometriosis end their endo pain.