3 weeks of hell

I can't believe it. I have unfortunately started having pain again. It all started in January when an attack came on. I was in such bad pain that I had to go to the hospital. My mom took me to the ER at Ephrata hospital. At first, they ran some tests and did a CT scan. At first, they just thought it was a bowel obstruction before we got the CT results, but it was not yet. We couldn't figure out why I was getting pain.

They decided to admit me. Then, they just kept pumping me up with medicine. There were some differences compared to the other flare ups I had before surgery like I was getting a fever, bloating, and it was so hard for me to pee. I've never had that happen and it was concerning me that I may have something else wrong. After trying many ways to help the pain, nothing worked. Ephrata felt that they could no longer handle it and sent me to the hospital of Pennsylvania (HUP).

At HUP, they kept giving me medicine to help the pain. They thought it was my Endo pain coming back. Finally, after a few days of pumping medication into me, I was discharged from the hospital. But that is not where this ends. It is just the beginning.

For weeks, in and out of the hospital, I was in pain once again. I lost hope. I felt

Discouraged. Finally, we called down to Dr. Sinervo. Tomorrow I leave for my fourth and hopefully final surgery. I just hope they can figure out what's going on and stop it. 

Cancer vs Endo

By Good evening everyone! Tonight I want to talk a little bit about the similarities and differences between cancer and Endometriosis.

In the summer of 2014, my brother was diagnosed with stage two melanoma in his big toe. They ended up cutting it off to get rid of the tumor. Unfortunately, that didn't solve the problem. In the mean time, the cancer had spread up to his lymph nodes causing the cancer to be stage 3. They once again performed a surgery to get rid of it. During his next scan, they found even more cancer cells. It had now attacked his chest bone, liver, and a spot on his back. This now made his case a stage 4. He told my family this during Christmas of 2014 and explained that this may be his final Christmas with us. The average life expectancy for his case is 6-9 months. When I found this out I immediately shut down. I didn't know what to think or how to act. My big brother was now fighting for his life. They tried several infusions to decrease the growth and thankfully it was slowly improving. Slowly, but it was improving. A few weeks ago, I remembered he had a scan coming up and asked how he thinks the results will go. He explained that he thinks that it's not going to be any better, but it will also not be any worse. About a week ago, my mom texted him asking how the scan went. That's when we got the news... There was no evidence of disease. In other words, my brother has beaten cancer! I couldn't believe what I had just heard! Just a year ago we didn't know if he would be here, and now, he's cancer free! It was such a relief for my family and I as well as a great way to start the new year!

When my brother had cancer, he would try to relate it to Endo so I could comprehend it better. I was surprised by how similar the two were. Just because you can not die from Endo, doesn't mean it isn't life threatening. Here are similarities of the two illnesses;

1. Pain, lots of it!- Obviously both illnesses cause tons of pain! Endometriosis can be just as painful as cancer if not worse than certain types. 

2. Affect your body image- everyone knows that if you receive chemo for cancer you are most likely going to lose your hair. What most people don't know is that Endo can cause your stomach to bloat like crazy. These both affect your image!

3. Social life- with cancer, you may not be able to do everything that your friends can because of the germs in the air and such. With Endo you can not do much with your friends either! The pain can get so bad you can't go anywhere and have to stay home with your heating pad. 

Those are a few similarities. Now here's the biggest and most obvious difference;

You can die from cancer- yes cancer is deadily but endometriosis and be just as bad. The pain can make you feel like your dying and cause such drastic changes to your life it feels unbearable at times. 

I hope everyone enjoyed tonight's post! I felt inspired by my brothers news and decided to blog about cancer and Endo and how they are so similar. Cancer is horrible and no one deserves it, but so is Endo! 

I'm back!

Hi everyone! I want to start off by apologizing for my unannounced break from the blog. I have been crazy busy these past few months with cheerleading, school, etc. and now i miss blogging. This post is just going to be about where I have been and how I'm feeling. It's just to catch everyone up with what is going on in my life.

The last time I posted, it was about two months after surgery and I was feeling great. I had no pain and recovery was going excellent. It has now been six months since my surgery with Dr. Sinervo and I am PAIN FREE! I just am so amazed how long I have gone without being in pain! It is so surreal. It is everything I have ever wanted and it truly is a dream come true. I am now able to attend regular school, participate in cheerleading, and hang out with friends and not worry about getting pain. 

Once again, I am so sorry for going on a break for so long and not telling you guys! I am now back and I am going to post more often! 

Lupron shots

Hi everyone! Hope you all are having a good day! I wanted to talk a little bit about lupron shots because I got asked today from one of the endo sisters a question about it and I thought it would be a good topic to blog about.

Lupron shots overstimulate the body's own production of certain hormones, which shuts down that production for as long as the shot lasts. It basically puts your body into a menopause state. Some of the side effects are hot flashes, joint or muscle pain, depression, loss of bone density, etc. 

I was on lupron for 2 years before I met Dr. Sinervo. At first, my mom and I were unsure of it. It is not good for the body to be shut down like that. We then got to the point where we had to try it. For a year, I was doing great. I was getting pain flareups about once a month instead of once a week. I felt like a normal teenager again. Then during the second year, all the pain came back and it came back more frequently. We knew the lupron stopped working and didn't know what else to do. That is when we decided to see Dr. Sinervo, who saved my life. 

I think that if you are debating to go on lupron, that you should maybe try it for a few months, and then be taken off of it because it is so hard on the body and I should not have been on it for two years and I do not think anyone should be. I remember when I first started getting the shots, I would get the worst headaches and hot flashes. It was horrible. It does stop your period, which is awesome, but the side effects are so much worse than a monthly cycle. I have not had a shot since April and I still have not had a period which is concerning me. 

If you have any other questions on lupron, feel free to comment or message me on facebook and I would be happy to answer them! 

6 weeks post surgery!

I can't believe it has been over 6 weeks since my surgery! I am finally able to do physical activity including my love, cheerleading. 

I recently went to cheer camp about a week ago. I was extremely rusty and out of shape. I couldn't land tumbling skills that I used to be able to do practically with my eyes closed! This really made me upset because I realized for the first time that I do not have the same skills I used to have, and I'm not in as good of shape. I'm so happy that this year I was able to make it through camp even though I had to push myself a lot. It was really hard going right back into things that I haven't done in months. Now that I'm recovered, I am going to be going to tumbling classes and working out more.

This surgery has completely saved my life! I have not had a pain flare up since before the surgery which was a month and a half ago. I have not been able to say that for three years! I still do get very sore from recovering but it is slowly getting better, and I'd take that over the pain any day! I can't believe that I'm finally pain free! 

My experience with Dr. Sinervo

Good Afternoon everyone! First off I wanted to say thank you for all the encouraging messages and good lucks I have gotten. I feel so blessed to have people who care! I am sorry I have not posted in about three weeks. This recovery is more painful than the past ones. Also, I want to thank everyone who has donated to the go fund me. The final total was 3,100 dollars! I never imagined we would get that much money! Thank you all so much! Today on the blog I will be talking about my trip to Atlanta and my experience with Dr. Sinervo.

My mom and I left from Harrisburg International Airport on Wednesday, June 17th, the day before my surgery. The night before, I could barely sleep. I was so excited to get to Atlanta and meet the doctor. Are plane left around 7 am and landed in Atlanta around 9 am. We then met our driver that was taking us to the hotel which was about a half an hour away. My mom and I did not pay for the driver ourselves. The Daffodil Society, a non-profit organization for endo, was generous enough to arrange the transportation and pay for it. We went right to the hotel. On the way there, I looked out the window and took in the beautiful scenery that Atlanta has to offer.

When we got to the hotel, we settled into our room and then went to get a bite to eat. We walked to a little bagel shop called Einsteins Bagel Company. I was only able to have a light breakfast so I had an egg sandwich and apple juice. After that, we had the hotels shuttle take us to the nearby mall, Perimeter Mall. We walked around for about two hours and bought a few things. I noticed how different it was here compared to Pennsylvania. I felt that everything was more expensive and people had more money. The people did not bother me though because everyone was incredibly nice! Talk about southern hospitality!

After we were done at the mall, it was time to go to my pre-op appointment with Dr. Sinervo. It was about a mile away so we had the shuttle drive us. We got to the office and we were greeted by some of his staff at the front desk. The first person we met was Trish. She was very nice and explained clearly everything we need to do. She also explained that Dr. Sinervo was running a little behind due to a surgery going longer than expected. When I was called back, it was before he was even in the office. The nurse, Dee, just wanted to check my vitals. She was a hoot! She made me feel so comfortable and calm. After a quick weigh in and checking my temperature, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels, I headed out to the waiting area. Sitting there was my mom and this women and her husband. We talked to them for awhile and found out our surgery is on the same day. I am not going to go into much detail about that but I will in my next post when I talk about some of the endo sisters I met on the trip. About 20 minutes later, a Women named Jean, took me back to a office and talked about what to expect after surgery, where the hospital was, payments, etc. then  she gave me the stuff for my bowel prep that I needed to begin that night and sent us back out to the waiting area. We walk back out and there were at least three other couples sitting out there all waiting to see the same doctor. At this point, I was extremely nervous because 1. I was getting surgery tomorrow and 2. I was going to have my first pelvic exam ever which I felt extremely uncomfortable about. An hour later, I was taken back to meet Dr. Sinervo.

I walked back into his office and there he was... this doctor was going to give me my life back. First, we talked about all the different procedures he may need to do as well as recovery, and pain medicine. Then we went to the exam room. I changed into a gown and waited for him to come back in. Then, Dr. Sinervo, Dee, and an Assistant doctor that was helping with the surgery came back in. He did a quick pelvic exam, and then explained that he did not think I had a pelvic floor Disorder which was great because he didn't have to perform a Presacral Nerectomy ( sorry if I spelled it wrong) which is when they cut the nerves to the uterus. When we were done talking, he gave me a big hug and then we left to go back to the hotel. I started the bowel prep and then went to bed. Tomorrow was going to be a big day.

I woke up ready for surgery. The day was finally here. We had to be at the hospital at 8 am for my surgery that is scheduled for 11 am. We again took the hotel shuttle to the hospital and got checked in for surgery. My mom and I were taken to the women's center waiting room, and waited to be taken back to get prepped for surgery. We walked in and saw the women we met yesterdays husband. We talked to him for a little until I was taken back.

I was taken back to the room, I put a gown on, and laid down on the bed. I was waiting for them to hook me up to the monitors and the IV. About an hour later, after everything was hooked up and all the doctors came in and talked to my mom and I, I was all prepped. Dr. Sinervo came in one final time before we got started. he reassured me everything was going to be okay and then prayed with me. Next thing I know we were in the OR. Dr. Sinervo came in and held my hand as I was slowly put to sleep. This was it.

I woke up in recovery feeling awful. I was shaking because I was so cold, and I felt like I really had to pee because they put a catheter in. ( sorry if that was too much info). I was in horrific pain. All I wanted was my mom but she wasn't allowed to see me until I went to my hospital room. In order for me to get to go to my hospital room, the pain had to get better. Because I wanted my mom, I lied. I told them the pain got better when it didn't. When I got up to my room, my mom explained what they had found. I once again had endometriosis on the bladder, uterus, and appendix. They also found a ton of adhesions. Thankfully, Dr. Sinervo got it all out. He even took out my appendix. I was a little disappointed because it was the same amount of endo and in the same areas as it had been in my previous surgery which was only 8 months ago. I couldn't believe it had grown back so fast. Dr. Sinervo said that it is possible for it to grow back that fast. It also may have still been there and in my previous surgery they did not know that it was endo so they did not clean it out. The rest of the day, I slept off the anesthesia.

I woke up the next day still in a ton of pain. I was also very hungry since I had not eaten any solid foods for at least 24 hours. I still wasn't aloud to eat a lot of food. I had to watch what I was eating for the next few days so that it doesn't upset my stomach. I also had a brace around my stomach that helped "keep everything together". It did help me a lot when I walked. Still even when I was laying down it helped but did not take away all of my pain. The pain was horrible. I was worried that this recovery was going to go a lot longer than expected.

Later that afternoon, I was sent home. Home for me right now was a hotel room. I had to stay in Atlanta for the next 72 hours. After we got back to the hotel, I slept for what felt like forever. I ended up sleeping, recovering, and doing absolutely nothing for the next two days. Three days after my surgery, I woke up feeling some relief. I felt like I could walk around and do a few things. My mom and I went to the mall to meet up with an endosister from Virginia. Now I know I shouldn't be at the mall but I was feeling some what normal and it was only for an hour. When we met up with the endosister, she brought me a bunch of goodies from the endomarch. We then sat down and talked about our experiences with endo and how lucky we felt to be in Atlanta seeing Dr. Sinervo. She told me that this was going to be her 55th surgery! I almost fell off my chair! I then just prayed that he would help her get relief. We then said our goodbyes. My mom and I walked around the mall for about 30 minutes, and then went back to the hotel. Once again I slept the rest of the day.

The next day, I had a post op appointment with Dr. Sinervo early in the morning. Later that afternoon we were coming home. I walked into the CEC feeling pretty good. I was surprised that I could fit my jean shorts on over my belly. I was still wearing the brace though to help. We waited for a few minutes in the waiting room and then they took my mom and I back. We went back into a exam room and then a very short few minutes later Dr. Sinervo's coworker (whom I forget their name) walked in. He took a look at my incesions and then showed us the pictures from the surgery. He explained what everything was and then Dr. Sinervo came in. He explained everything they did in the surgery and where we should go from here. It ended up that I needed to find a new OBGYN close to home. I have gotten in with Madonna Talbert next week. She wasn't taking any new patients but when we explained my situation, they took me in. I feel very blessed to have gotten in this quick. Anyways, after Dr. Sinervo went over everything, he gave me a big hug and wished me luck. My life just changed forever by this guy and I couldn't be more thankful. We said goodbye to all of his wonderful staff and went back to the hotel. A few hours later we were off to the airport and were on our way home.

My experience with Dr. Sinervo was absolutely amazing. I could not believe how amazing of a doctor he was and how great his bed side manor was. This trip was something I will never forget because he gave me my life back and I cannot describe how thankful I am for him. I recommend him to anyone that is struggling with Endometriosis. Do not even debate it! It is worth every penny! As of today, I am about 3 weeks pain free. I haven't gone this long without pain in three years! I am recovering well and feel the best I have felt in years. Thank you Dr. Sinervo and his team for giving me my life back! You guys are incredible!

One week until surgery!

I can't believe a week from today I will be getting my surgery! This is unreal! I want to thank everyone who has donated to the go fund me account. I really appreciate it! 

Today I am going to make a list of things that you should bring with you to the hospital and during your recovery. This is not everything I will be bringing but just a few for my trip to Atlanta! 

1. Pajamas- you will need something comfy so wear while recovering! I would suggest something loose so it does not rub on your incisions.

2. Dress- this one is kind of weird but for the plane ride home I don't want to be wearing pajamas, but I want to be comfortable. Yoga pants is usually my go to item for this, but it will rub on my incisions. So a loose comfy dress is going to be the most appropriate option for the ride home.

3. Socks/ slippers- something to keep your feet warm and so you do not have to walk barefoot on the hospital floors. I know they do give you some at the hospital but I prefer ones from home. They are more comfortable to me. 

4. Pillow- your own pillow makes you feel more at home! 

5. Stuffed animal- there's nothing better than squeezing a comfy stuffed animal when your in pain! They just make everything better! My mom made me a build-a-bear that has yellow bows and a white cami that has a yellow ribbon attached. She made it as a good luck bear for surgery! I will include a picture at the bottom!

6. Book- I am bringing a book to keep me entertained on the flight and at the hotel during recovery.

7. Toiletries- must bring them to keep up with hygiene! (Toothbrush, hairbrush, etc.)

8. Hair ties- to keep your hair out of your face. I know from past surgeries when I was recovering I wanted my hair out of my face because it got annoying. 

Again, these are just a few things I think you should have for your recovery. Thanks again for all the support! Wish me luck!