Lily

(Lily)

Pets.  Throughout my life, I never really had a strong appreciation for pets.  I had a guinea pig when I was young and I would pet a cat  or dog if I was at someone's house but they never invoked a strong emotional response in me.  And, to be honest, dogs often slobber and I never found that endearing. After college I ended up with a cat by pure happenstance.  A friend of mine was trying to give away a kitten and brought him over to my apartment one time, which honestly is cheating because all kittens, puppies, babies are adorable so of course I ended up with my first real pet... a cat who unfortunately, died suddenly at the age of two.  In a very strange confluence of events, I then ended up with a new kitten, already named Lily.  Lily is the cat I've had since before I was sick and she is the one who has opened me up to a whole new bond with animals since I've been sick.  

My Story (Part 1) - Beginning

I think I need to chronicle my "journey" for a few reasons.  One, for myself to maybe get some perspective.  Two, for people in my life who know the basics but never got enough details.  Three, because I know it will lead to a lot of random topics as I go, which are always fun!  So I will post my story in parts... this is the first one :)

In November, 2009, I experienced a very sharp pain in the middle of the right side of my back that wasn't responding to any over the counter pain meds.  I also had a constant urge to urinate.  So I went to the doctor when I got back from the final game of our volleyball season and was diagnosed with a kidney infection.  My doctor gave me Vicodin for the pain and Cipro (a strong antibiotic) for the infection.  Well, I found out quickly that the Vicodin helped relieve that pain and I was allergic to Cipro.  I got bumps on my arm that seemed to be a rash so I had to start the antibiotic cycle again...  (You have to take them for a full 10-14 days and if you miss a dose, or I guess if you switch medications, you get to start over).  So I was out of work with a doctor's note until the infection when away.  At this time I was seeing a primary care physician who I had been going to for a few years but I had never really had any cause to see her about anything serious.  I also was covered insurance-wise through my work with insurance that had always covered anything I needed, but I would soon learn the Beauty that is Personal Choice.  Seriously, I know most companies don't pay for it and I had never had reason to feel I should pay for it, but that would be great insurance to have in my situation.

My Cancer Hypothesis

(Disclaimer: The following is not meant to make light of anyone's hardships or trivialize cancer in any way.  My only desire is to try to explain endometriosis using a well-known disease).

CANCER.  
That is a word that strikes fear in most people, no matter who they are.

ENDOMETRIOSIS.
This is a word that strikes fear in pretty much no one.

Both involve the growing of cells outside the region of the body in which they should be growing.  Both cause pain.  Both can cause a significant decrease in quality of life.  Both can grow anywhere in the body.  Both can cause problems in the body outside of the area where they originated.  Both have a wide range of severity and prognoses.  Both have no known cure.

I have spent years trying desperately to get the people in my life to understand what I am going through.  I've made inroads, but it is a slow process.  For some reason, the fact that endometriosis stems from the uterus seems to trivialize it to some people and make others uncomfortable.  But if I were to tell someone I had cancer, I believe that I would immediately receive sympathy, understanding and offers of help.  If I had cancer, people would have a reference from which to talk about my disease.  They would ask about treatment and oncologists and pain management or even possibly surgery.