How I Manage Endometriosis
My story – 15 years in the making
If you’re dealing with endometriosis or another chronic illness please hear me say YOU’RE NOT ALONE. IT’S NOT YOUR FAULT. THERE IS HOPE. Though I have to remind myself of this daily, I know it to be true. Let’s lean on each other.
Here’s the thing – you never really know what someone is going through. The truth is I’ve been in a head-on battle with my period for over 15 years. For as long as I can remember since starting puberty, my life was a sequence of life-debilitating ‘episodes’ during the months of my period.
For me, an episode looked like passing out and/or intense body weakness and faintness where I could barely get myself to the bathroom. Vomiting, diarrhea, hot flashes, body sweats, followed by excruciating cramps. The type of pain that has had me making promises to the Universe. And at times wishing I wasn’t here to bare the pain. These episodes happened in public, on vacation, when meeting my boyfriend’s parents for the first time. I was even fired from a job where it happened at work – which has led me to work remotely for the past 5 years. So I can be in my own space “just in case”.
The unexpected nature of the episodes made it hard to work. Hard to make plans. Hard to relate to friends. Hard to enjoy life when I was consistently in fear of my impending period and not knowing to what extent it would take me out.
During the last episode I had, I begged my boyfriend to bring me to the hospital as I was in agonizing pain on the bathroom floor, knowing there was only a chance of a short-term fix in exchange for a bill I couldn’t afford to pay. That and I have a history of trust issues with doctors after my years of negative experiences with traditional medicine and a failure to get to the root cause of my pain. On average, women go 10 years before they receive a proper endometriosis diagnosis! At that point, the disease can progress and leave few options other than surgery to remove the lesions. This was the case for me.
For those who know me, I approach life holistically. From what I eat to the products I use, I am very particular about how I approach health and wellness. That extended to the methods I have tried to address my period problems. Weekly acupuncture for years, herbs, hypnotherapy, meditation, yoga, castor oil packs, strict anti-inflammatory diet, bodywork therapy, breath work, cleanses, etc. While these are all essential tools that I still have in my tool belt, they were not enough on their own to omit my level of pain.
I tried so hard to heal myself from within. But by the time I realized what might be going on, the ‘natural’ methods weren’t enough on their own. And I knew I needed to return to Western medicine and ask for help. This was a very difficult process for me – to surrender. Once I was on board enough to take the next steps, I was stopped by outrageously expensive medical expenses. Infuriatingly, most insurers do not cover the (steep) surgeon fee cost for excision surgery. I couldn’t afford to get the type of tests and care I needed in the United States. So I traveled to Guatemala to live with my mom & sister for a few months and be treated.
It took over a decade, but I now have an endometriosis diagnosis and I underwent laparoscopic surgery in February 2023 to clean out my pelvis. I’m told that my uterus is in great condition and that I should have no problem having children when I’m ready. I pray that’s true. And that the pain is behind me.
While my endometriosis was cleared out, my doctors are still unsure if it is the root cause of my issue given the small amount they found and the extent of my symptoms. I have gratefully not had an episode since my surgery (yay!) and post-op have returned to holistic modalities and embraced new ones to continue my healing. The road to recovery is ongoing and will be a life-long journey. Endometriosis is a chronic, progressive disease. While it can be maintained, I’ll live with it and continue to treat it for the rest of my life.
As I’ve started to share more of my story, many women have reached out who are struggling with endometriosis as well as friends and partners of women who have the disease. I have found great purpose in sharing what I have learned with them and most importantly finding a community to navigate the unknown. I truly believe that our bodies have the ability to heal themselves if we give them what they need to do so. Finding those things has been a personal quest – and I’ve finally found some results. With that, I want to share some of the resources, modalities, and practices that are working for me. Note: every person is different, especially when it comes to endometriosis; symptoms vastly vary. I simply want to share my story in case any of it resonates and can help someone else.
Below, I’ve outlined some of the main tools I’ve found thus far to make a positive impact on my health, from books to daily practices. Some I’ve incorporated for several years, others I began after my surgery. They have all come together to create a strong foundation for continued healing. For me, the combination of these tools has given me the best results. As I continue to learn about my endo journey and come across additional resources to share, I will update this post!
I’d like to reiterate that this is purely a sharing of my journey, I am not a doctor or endometriosis specialist, nor am I saying you must do all of these things in order to heal. Each person and journey is different. I have found that by sharing our stories, we can greatly help one another. Take what resonates, and leave the rest.
Endometriosis Tool Kit
Resources, modalities, and practices
Take what resonates with you.
Through much trial and error, I have discovered a handful of tools that greatly help me manage my endometriosis symptoms. My hope is that this list will cut out some of the guessing games and help you find the tools that work best for you.
The Core Recovery Method
The role that pelvic floor dysfunction has on chronic period and back pain is something I wish I had learned about sooner! In short, it can be a game changer for reducing period pain by lifting the internal organs away from the pelvic floor and strengthening the core muscles. When I found The Core Recovery Method, it felt like an answered prayer. It is a comprehensive program to help you heal core dysfunction yourself through:
Core Education
Core Therapy
Hypopressive Training
Glute Strengthening
Watch my overview reel here.
I started the program seven months before I decided to have surgery, and I’m convinced that the structural progress I made in that time helped prepare my body to respond well to surgery and recover quickly post-op. Now it’s still part of my weekly routine. I love it so much that I left a personal testimonial on The Core Recovery Method website and asked for a discount code to share so you can try it for less!
Use code ‘FRANKIE10’ to save 10% on any subscription.
Breathwork
Resetting my nervous system has been extremely helpful in rewiring my brain-body connection. I have been working hard to lessen the fear response I feel when my period is approaching – ingrained from years of traumatic episodes. Breathwork helps to move the body out of a flight-or-fight response by stimulating the vagus nerve, which activates the parasynthetic (rest and digest) nervous system. This can help reduce anxiety, stress, and inflammation, and help balance hormones, among many other benefits.
I resisted consistent breathwork for years because, honestly, it felt hard to commit to. But then I found ‘Breath with Sandy’ on YouTube. It’s my favorite channel to follow for a weekly breathwork routine because you can choose from a range of methods and durations and he’s a great teacher. On the days I really don’t feel like doing a sesh, I remind myself, “You can do anything for five minutes”, or 10, or 15. I highly recommend you try it.
I alternate days throughout the week – one day, breathwork, and the next, Hypopressive Training breathwork from The Core Recovery Method mentioned above.
Qigong
The acupuncturist I saw in Guatemala post-surgery recommended I try qigong to move blocked energy in my body and create a clear flow of energy. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, qigong practice is believed to be beneficial for physical, mental/emotional, and spiritual health and well-being. As it is understood, qi circulation, or energy flow in the body, is healthy then we are healthy; if qi is blocked or stagnant, we experience poor health. (Read more about the history and benefits here.)
Truthfully, I was quite skeptical it would give me any sort of ‘real’ benefit until I tried it. Now, it’s part of my daily morning routine. My acupuncturist recommended ‘GiGong for Vitality’ on YouTube and I love it. Dr. Jeff Chang, a licensed acupuncturist and Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner, leads a range of qigong flows of different durations (5-45+ minutes). It’s meditation in motion. Similar to my breathwork practice, the key is consistency. I recommend trying it every day for one week and seeing if you notice any differences. I definitely experience a release in my physical, mental, and emotional body after practicing.
Acupuncture
Similar to activating the body’s qi circulation in qigong, acupuncture is based on the same energy flow belief. It helps to balance the physical, mental, and spiritual bodies by activating specific points on the body with small needles. And it can be super effective in reducing pain, balancing hormones, reducing anxiety, and promoting the body’s self-healing process – especially post-surgery.
I am grateful to have found an excellent acupuncturist that also specializes in fertility, which is important to me and my desire to have a family in the future. I attend monthly sessions to support my body-mind wellness.
Here’s a PubMed study on the benefits of acupuncture for endometriosis.
Meditation
We’ve all heard the benefits of meditation. The tricky part, I’ve found, is actually doing it. I integrated a meditation practice by first following guided meditations. And I have a few I highly recommend. I’m grateful I now have a daily practice because it is an integral component of nourishing my mental health.
My first love was Deepak Chopra’s guided 21-day meditation challenge series on the Chopra app. I recommend the ‘Hope in Uncertain Times’ series with Deepak Chopra and Oprah Winfrey: “Leave fear and anxiety behind as you discover how to embrace uncertainty as an opportunity to grow and evolve.”
It is a bit of an investment, but worth it. You purchase it for life and I’ve revisited it more times than I can count over the past five years. Like a good book, it gives me something a little different every time I do it. I recommend it first because it has specifically helped me in accepting health challenges.
I also highly recommend the ‘Creating Abundance’ 21-day meditation challenge with Deepak Chopra: “Fulfill your deepest desires and effortlessly attract anything you wish.” Free on Spotify! I have also repeated this series numerous times.
And finally, I recommend Mei-Ian Maurtis Soul Code Transmission on Spotify if you want to try powerful, guided activations.
HOCATT™
Hyperthermic Ozone & Carbonic Acid Transdermal Technology, HOCATT for short, is a technology that powerfully detoxes the body and restores the body at a cellular level. It uses a combination of 10 different modalities at once, like infrared sauna and micro currents, instead of getting each of the treatments separately. The primary modality is Transdermal Ozone, which is a super-charged flush of oxygen that absorbs in the skin and binds to heavy metals and toxins so your body can eliminate them.
Here’s the catch – the machines are in limited locations, the closest one I found to me is a 90-minute drive each way, but if you can locate one I highly recommend you try it. I have experienced drastic changes in my periods since starting monthly sessions. Not only does it reduce overall body inflammation, it can specifically help in reducing endometriosis, ovarian cysts, and vaginitis.
Check out this PubMed study on the benefits of HOCATT use on endometriosis symptoms.
If you live in Los Angeles, learn more about the center I go to in Ojai, CA for sessions here.
If you don’t have access to a HOCATT, I highly recommend the following to support detoxification and reduce inflammation:
Try ozone therapy instead, it is one component of the HOCATT modalities and can be extremely beneficial for healing.
Frequently visiting an infrared sauna.
Invest in red light therapy – I use my KOZE Mini every morning while I meditate and throughout the day during my period to reduce inflammation. Use code ‘BIRDIBITES’ to save 10% on any product.
Diet
Unpopular stance: I will refrain from telling you there is a one-size-fits-all approach to diet – because there isn’t. I believe that every person is different, and we all have varying needs, down to the minerals and vitamins we may be deficient in. I highly recommend you meet with a nutritionist or dietary specialist with expertise in working with endometriosis to find the best fit for you. It can also be extremely beneficial to get lab work done to identify and address any deficiencies.
That said, my approach to reducing inflammation and nourishing my body is eating a variety of organic, whole-food-based foods. I also avoid refined sugars, gluten, and dairy because that’s how my body responds best. I’ve experimented with various diets and protocols, and I remain open to following what my body tells me it needs. As my food journey evolves, I’ll continue to share the recipes that I enjoy!
