An Endo Journey Guest Blog By Josie Cummings

So many people do not understand what the medical term of endometriosis is so this is the medical explanation and the first time I’m talking about a small part of my story without going into to much detail :If you have someone struggling or dealing with a chronic illness or any illness in your life just being there is enough . Understanding that they have support is all they need.Endometriosis is a disorder that results in the endometrium, or tissue normally lining the inside of the uterus, to grow outside of the uterus and can lead to scar tissues or adhesions. It commonly affects the ovaries, fallopian tubes and tissue lining in the pelvis, and is often painful, especially during menstrual cycles. Fertility problems may develop. Treatments include hormonal birth control and/or surgery to remove scar tissue. Endo is an illness that is very different for each warrior. For me endo has effected my everyday life. When I started my journey it frustrated me at the mount of pain that I was experiencing and that no one believed  me. The only people at the time that believed in me was my family and my partner at the time. I truly cherish the people that were in my life at that point because it truly was the biggest struggle that not only effected my life but it effected there’s. Understanding that my struggle turned into there struggle and It was challenging for me to see my pain reflect onto them. This is something I felt that I had to change and I separated myself from many people that I loved because of my illness. When I finally got diagnosed I did not get the answers I thought I was going to achieve. I was in pain 100 percent of the time and  I couldn’t engage in daily life. It felt like my whole world fell down around me. I was an athlete and all I wanted to do was be apart of a team and do what I loved and I no longer could do that. I felt like my body was failing on me and I did not know what to do. So I pushed all my energy into school but I struggled for a lot of my high school years.  I was taking 22 pills a day trying to keep myself functioning and from falling apart. Many treatments did not have good results and left many in worse shape then when they started. After many treatments and feeling like I did not have a choice. I settled on a drug called lupron. Lupron is a form of chemotherapy to treat males with prostate cancer. I did 2 years worth of lupron treatments which made my hair fall out, increased weight gained and changed everything about me that I thought I new. ( I did this to decrease the scar tissue and tumors in my body)Fast forward to finding a new treatment, finding a doctor that beloved in me, three surgeries later, changing my diet to no dairy, eggs and red meat and getting into university. I was able to start to regain the life I once new when I was 13 years old. Pain decreased allowing me to gain much more of my life back. In the last 9 months I have been able to loose weight and mentally regain the person I thought I lost so many years ago. Looking at myself now and realizing that I still have bad days and understand that those bad days are ok and to honor myself for everything that my body has been through.Currently, I am on 2 pills a day, a patch and an IUD. I also am very aware about my diet and exercise. I am finishing university this year and looking into how I’m going to help the Medical system. Yes I am still sick, yes I have hard days, and yes I am still fighting but you gotta keep getting up and killing everyday no matter now much you might want to quit. Keep going ! I am so thankful for my family, friends and my partner that help me keep going everyday ! I am so very very thankful for you !