Endometriosis Awareness Month

March is endometriosis awareness month.

In my last post/rant I mentioned endometriosis. This month is endometriosis awareness month, so I thought I would take the opportunity to talk a little bit about the condition.

Lately, it has been a struggle to keep a positive outlook on things. In general, I should consider myself very lucky, because I know many women who have endometriosis are much worse off than I am. At the same time, I'm hurting, a lot. So far, it has been some kind of Sophie's choice between the treatment, which causes all kinds of cramping and side effects, and the condition itself. It's really hard to know what course of action to take.

It's always strange when something unexpected leaves you wondering how you will manage from that point forward. Will the bleeding stop? Will the terrible pain and cramping abate? How will the medical bills get paid? What's the right approach to treat this condition?

The one good thing is that I have some amazing support in my life right now. That makes even my worst days more tolerable.

I always say that nothing will be as bad as going through the hell of anorexia or experiencing the meningitis episodes, but that doesn't mean I no longer face hard times. I'm not going to turn this post into a whiny, complaining rant. There are others who have endometriosis who are suffering much more than I am. I do want to raise awareness about this condition, though.

Below are some links:

Endometriosis Explained:
http://womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/endometriosis.html

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/endometriosis/basics/definition/con-20013968

Support:
http://endometriosis.org/support/support-groups/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/EndometriosisAngelGateway/

United States Suicide prevention hotlines:

http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/

http://contactwecare.org/Suicidal.htm

I have to say that I called a local suicide hotline once on behalf of a friend and the lady who answered told me that they were busy and asked me to call back later. Unbelievable, right? Well, I assume national hotlines are not like that. I hope not anyway. Still, one should reach out when feeling suicidal, no matter what the cause.