Still Sunflowers: My life with endometriosis

Dear Galentines, Love Each Other

Artist website: http://shebanirao.com/

As you may know, the day before Valentine's Day is commonly referred to as Galentine's Day - a day for women to celebrate the female friends in their lives. If you're unfamiliar with it, you need to watch more Parks and Recreation, but here, I've got you covered:

So anyway, I'm technically a day late in posting this, but it was something I wanted to talk about in my last blog post regarding Lena Dunham's personal endometriosis announcement. But to avoid packing too much into one post, I decided to recognize Galentine's Day by delivering the following message:

ENDO SISTERS, SUPPORT EACH OTHER.

Now, if you don't know why I'm emphasizing that in bold font, that's actually great. It means the infighting that's sprung up in support groups, Twitter feeds and comment sections hasn't been very noticeable, unless you're really involved in those realms.

But this is a message for all women, regardless of whether or not you have something like endometriosis. This is a message to ask women to stop tearing each other down, cease the petty arguments and build each other up.

When a bunch of articles came out about Lena Dunham, I read a shocking number of comments like:

"Must be nice to be able to take time off. She should just get over it like the rest of us have to."

"I have endometriosis, and I've NEVER had to take time off for it! She needs to suck it up."

"Wish I had that luxury. But I have to work ## hours and take care of a family and also feed a goldfish and make time to write mean comments like this one."

Listen to Paul...

Okay so, like, why are we saying to each other all of the things we're tired of hearing?

I would never tell another endo sister to "suck it up" because I went years being told the same thing before my pain was given a name. I would never compare my symptoms to another woman's and say that mine were worse than hers. I'd also never give a long list of my responsibilities, as if that invalidates her pain because now mine is more legitimate.

Doesn't this sound familiar to The Sick Games?

Women, when we fight among ourselves about anything - not just endometriosis - we weaken our message. We make it harder for other women to find a place in our community and get behind our movement. When so many women are being alienated in their professions, organizations, social groups and - not to mention - doctor's offices, why are we perpetuating this isolation by picking each other apart?

I get it. I really do. Sometimes it's frustrating when you've fought for something for so long, and it looks like it's just so easy for another person. It's why we got mad at those kids in school who didn't have to study but aced every test.

Or maybe you've been fighting to be heard for years and years, and it's frustrating to see a celebrity or another woman so embraced and given a platform to say what she wants. Especially if you still feel like you're being ignored.

Okay, sure. It's a little irritating for some. But doesn't that voice amplify your voice? Doesn't another story, another face and another experience add to the collective female and endometriosis communities?

We're all here to promote awareness for our illness, so that other women don't have to wait 10+ years for diagnoses. If we push a woman away from the endo community, that's one less voice making heard our mission. From an organizational standpoint, we can't afford to eliminate a voice when endometriosis is so little-known. But from a feminist and humanistic standpoint, we shouldn't be silencing or belittling other women.

So I'm asking not only endo sisters, but all women to lay down the gauntlet. If you see a woman in need, support her. Build her up. Show her that we're a family, and we're here for each other.

Stop competing for airtime because all women deserve a voice. Quit the nitpicking and take your sisters at their word. Please don't invalidate experiences that might not be like yours, and please don't belittle women who might have opportunities you currently don't have. Celebrate those opportunities and differences.

This Galentine's Day, let's all - myself included - do a little better at loving each other and supporting other women. Let's share stories that might be different than ours and celebrate what makes us all unique and diverse. Let's bring to the table more women who might not look like us, talk like us or live like us.

Because, as I've said before, we're all in this together. You poetic, noble land-mermaids.

11:18 AM
1 Comments

When a Celebrity Has Your Illness

women's health

(I'm writing this post with a very needy dog on my lap, so please stand by.)

Even if you're not a part of the World of Endo,™ you probably heard about Lena Dunham's uterus yesterday. In short, she's taking some time off of promoting her show, Girls to manage her endometriosis.

This isn't the first time she's talked about her experience with this disease. A few months ago, I had the privilege of being mentioned alongside her in an article by Prevention Magazine, following a blog post she made after her diagnosis.

She's also not the first famous woman to have endometriosis. But judging by reactions to her very personal and very vulnerable announcement, she's apparently the most polarizing. (Yes, it seems as though not even Hillary Clinton could be as polarizing as Lena Dunham...)

Before I launch on a rant about my feelings, let me be clear that I wholeheartedly love and appreciate what Lena is doing. I've really never taken much interest in her work, so I'm not going to pretend I'm some big fan of hers. But I am a big fan of talking openly about endometriosis and women's health in general. So my emotional venting has nothing to do with Lena.

It completely and 100 percent has to do with how we treat women and their illnesses.

So anyway, I'm going about my life this week and see that the disease I've been fighting for about 14 years is trending. You know, the one where I had to google my symptoms because I'd never, ever heard of it. YAY!

"What an excellent opportunity to raise awareness and share stories about women with endometriosis!" I thought. "It's so exciting that more people will know about it, and maybe more women won't be afraid to talk about it, and maybe we can encourage more research, and maybe there will be better treatment for people with debilitating symptoms, and maybe we'll find a cure, and maybe - ummm why aren't these Internet commenters as excited about this as I am?"

I should really take one of my own pieces of advice to heart. Never read the comment section. But I did because I'm a masochist, I guess.

Here's a nice preview of said comments that The Endo Challenge put together:

That's not to mention the slew of comments aimed at Lena herself. Like I said, she's polarizing. Apparently, a lot of people just straight-up hate her and can't have an ounce of sympathy for someone who has literally done nothing to them. But anyway, let's not get too far into that.

I read these comments, and I wasn't angry. More than anything, I just felt sad. Mostly sad for these pathetic people who I guess can't imagine anything happening to someone that doesn't happen to them. Maybe a little disgusted that these comments are just thinly veiled misogyny, like the one about taking care of families and not complaining. After all, women should be seen and not heard...

But I also felt very, very sad for the women reading these words. The women who, like I did, downplay their excruciating pain because they've been told to "suck it up" or that the pain is "all in their heads." Women who weren't ever taught in schools that life-altering period pain that causes you to pass out is NOT. NORMAL. EVER. Women who are too afraid to advocate for themselves and make their symptoms known because a condescending doctor has told them "nothing" is wrong.

It's words like this that keep women silent.

Being the loud-mouth that I am, I didn't really think about it. Until I tweeted out that image above and saw a reply to the effect of "This is why I don't talk about my endometriosis."

Why would you want to when people say things like "No one needs to know this"? It's why I briefly hesitated - and still sometimes do - before beginning this blog.

But how many other diseases out there do we do this to? No one ever tells someone with heart disease or diabetes to stop talking about it. And gosh, I can't turn on the TV without seeing an ad for erectile dysfunction medication - further supporting my theory that if endometriosis happened to men, we'd have a cure by now.

But just because it deals with *gasp* LADY BITS, we should all be very quiet and not let anyone know that women have uteri.

From now on, I'm using this gif every time I talk about "lady bits."

"Now, now, now, overreacting lady," you may say. "You are simply overreacting again. After all, as this wonderfully researched CNN article inferred, endometriosis is just a little period pain that's very easily treatable and curable! And it's not life-threatening at all!"

Sure, I probably won't die from endometriosis. (But eff you, CNN. It's not curable by hysterectomy or anything, and it isn't a walk in the park to treat either!) But do you know what diseases have very, very similar symptoms to endometriosis? Cancer. Gynecological cancers.

Fine, don't give a crap about endometriosis. But if you're telling ladies to hush up about their painful symptoms and discouraging them from visiting a doctor when they just "need attention," you are putting lives in danger. When it's so critical to catch ovarian and cervical cancers early, we can't be mocking women who are being open and proactive about their health.

We need to talk more about diseases like endometriosis. No one should have to be in pain all of the time, even if they are a woman and clearly exaggerating their pain because that's how I certainly love to get attention, along with the other 176 million women worldwide who have this illness.

"Is that the girl with endo? Oh wait, no. It's Saturday, and she's at home with a heating pad..."

So thank God for the people like this woman on Femsplain and this woman on The Independent who chose to share their endometriosis stories this week. Who didn't let awful people get in the way of their conviction to speak up for themselves and for other women who have been silent for too long.

Please, I encourage you, endo sisters, to share your story, too. Even if it helps just one woman who isn't sure why she's in pain, you will have made a difference. Hey, even if you just informed someone who had never even heard of this disease, you made a difference. You can make a difference just by being a part of the discussion.

We didn't choose our illness. But we can choose what kind of dialogue we have about it. We can choose what we do with the cards that we are dealt.

Like Lena Dunham, I choose to keep sharing my story, regardless of what other people say.

11:33 AM
3 Comments

Empathy vs. Sympathy

emotional health

Here is some required viewing for everyone, especially those who have or love someone with a chronic illness. It's a video from Royal Society of Arts, based off of a talk by Dr. Brene Brown.

This blog post will make a little more sense if you actually watch the two-minute video, but if you have a short attention span like I do, I'll do my best to walk you through it.

The narrator begins by summarizing the two like this: Empathy fuels connection. Sympathy drives disconnection. You know the empathetic people in your life. The ones who not only listen, but hear you. The ones who help you understand feelings that you might not even know you're experiencing. The ones who you consistently return to because they refill you.

There are four qualities of empathy, she goes on to say...

Perspective taking
Staying out of judgment
Recognizing emotion in other people
Communicating that

When you're in a dark, scary and lonely hole in your life, empathy says, "Hey, I know what it's like down here. And you're not alone."

Sympathy, on the other hand, looks down from above that hole you're in and says, "Oof. That's pretty bad, huh?" You know those people, too. The ones who say you can vent to them, but it seems they're not connecting with you. That their mind is completely somewhere else.

Whereas empathy is a vulnerable, self-aware choice, sympathy distances itself, drawing a silver lining around whatever you're experiencing. As the narrator says, no empathetic statement has ever started with "At least..."

I'm sure you've heard them, if you have a chronic illness.

"At least you don't have cancer."

"At least you're not dying."

"At least you have health insurance."

"At least you're not as sick as this other person I know."

Truth is, we've all done this, whether intentional or not. I know that I've done it to people, and I know that I've done it to myself. I've distanced myself from my own emotions and issues with statements like this. Because they're painful sometimes, and they're not always easy to manage.

A lot of times, as Dr. Brown says, when you share these problems or frustrations with other people, they'll try to fix them or say something to make it better. But as you already know, it's unlikely that a response will make you forget about what's bothering you. It's the connection that makes you feel better.

That's why sometimes the best thing to say is "You know, I really don't know what to say. But I'm so glad that you told me."

[End video summary. Begin commentary.]

I love this because we've all been there. Whether we've vented about an illness, a break-up, a death or even just a problem at work, we've all experienced reactions from empathetic and sympathetic people.

This video really encouraged me to be mindful of how I talk to others. Although I can't pull out specific examples, I know there have been times I've defaulted to being the sympathetic person, instead of the empathetic person.

As the video points out, it's just easier and less painful sometimes. But I also know that hearing these type of responses tends to make things feel more uncomfortable, rather than encouraging.

There have been times I've walked away from conversations with sympathetic people and felt drained and discouraged. Maybe I really shouldn't be complaining because other people have it worse than I do. Maybe I need to stop whining about my pills not working or feeling sick for weeks because, hey, I'm not dying.

As I've said in previous blog posts, yes, absolutely. There are millions of people out there who have it worse than you, no matter what you're facing. But that doesn't invalidate your experience, your feelings or your pain.

I always say that I hate when people say things like, "I feel sick... But not as sick as you, I'm sure. I should stop complaining." No! I want you to complain! I want to connect with you and support you and maybe even realize something about my own concerns in talking to you about how you're feeling.

I don't care if you just have a cold, and that's all that's bothering you. Tell me about it. I never want to drive away someone just because I "have it worse" than they do.

In knowing all this, I realize it's my responsibility to ensure empathy in my relationships goes both ways. I've been guilty of being so absorbed in my own problems that I don't want to be empathetic at that moment. There are times I do want to judge or refuse to take another person's perspective, just because it isn't the one that I would have.

But at the end of the day, when does that ever help another person? You can't change what a person feels. But you can love them and support them through it.

So I'm committing to being a more empathetic person, even if there are perspective and feelings that are difficult to take on. Because I know how important that personal connection is to me and how much I need to give it to other people.

7:10 PM
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Turn and Face the Strange

symptoms

Why is my body deformed?

If you want proof of how quickly endometriosis can turn around and bite you, look no further than this photo of me jumping in a trampoline park last weekend. I also kind of look like an overjoyed demon, so that's cool. I had woken up feeling pretty okay that day and decided to be an adult with my husband, a fellow endo sister and her husband by jumping on trampolines all day.

Fast-forward 24 hours later, and I was down for the count. I thought that maybe it was just from trampolining for an hour, which (shocking to me) kind of feels like running a marathon but jumping all of it. My husband and I made the mistake of buying a two-hour pass the first time we went to this place...

But one day turned into two... which turned into a full week of pain. And then I realized something. This pain feels different than usual.

Okay, don't panic. Take a symptom inventory.

Stomach? Ehhh same ol'.

Left ovary? Also about the same, although it hurts a little more than usual.

Right ovary? Ouch. Owww owww it's radiating down my leg. Uhhh that's certainly new...

Rest of the uterus? WHY DOES MY ENTIRE UTERUS HURT?! ALL OF IT?!?

My endometriosis was found on and around my left ovary and burned off fairly easily. But since I did not see an excision specialist, there is a high likelihood of recurrence and of the endo spreading. I'm honestly not even sure if there is an excision specialist in my state... But if you happen to know a good specialist in the Midwest, hit me up.

I knew that, which is why I'd been holding my breath ever since my one-year endo anniversary came and passed. I looked at myself as a ticking time-bomb, and it's partially why I've devoted so much effort and energy to working out. If I can stave off the pain - which exercise often can do - then maybe I won't need another surgery. At least not this soon.

So anyway, up until recently, my pain had mostly hung out around my left ovary with occasional pain in other places. Oh, and with pain shooting down to my left knee. That leads me to believe there's a spot putting pressure on my sciatic nerve, but hey, I'm no doctor. I just diagnosed myself on Google...

Another fun fact. Endometriosis can spread to organs outside of the reproductive system. Oftentimes, implants accumulate on the bladder, bowel and other nearby areas. Without subjecting you to gross details since I do that enough, I'm pretty sure the endo has spread to my bowel.

What really sucks about endometriosis is that I can have a laundry list of symptoms, and I still will have absolutely no idea what's going on until someone cuts me open. As I learned the first time around, ultrasounds and pelvic exams will generally reveal absolutely nothing about the present state of my condition. Only a laparoscopy.

So I spent a lot of the week laying on the couch, trying not to feel sorry for myself. But finally, I broke down last night after feeling too crappy to make it to the gym for the third or fourth time that week. I didn't cry, since at that point I was too cranky to do so, but I threw a pillow off the couch, dramatically flopped my arms over my eyes and so eloquently ranted:

"Ughhhhh WHYYYY is this disease so stupid and pointless?! It makes NO. SENSE. A lot of illnesses are just because your body is confused, it's like, (insert high, squeaky voice) 'Ohhhh! I'm just trying to make new things for you because I'm a good body, and I think you need this!' But NO! NOT THIS ONE. It's seriously the dumbest disease EVER. It's all, 'Here! Have some endo because I don't want to be a normally functioning uterus anymore! I want to be in pain ALL the time, and also, let's NEVER make babies and be forced to pay a crap-ton of money to making sure I function like a normal organ should! IT'S. SO. DUMB.'"

My supportive husband listened sympathetically while trying not to pay attention to the much more interesting and well-written show that was on TV. I couldn't blame him. I was being a bit over-dramatic. There are plenty of people I know who are sicker and have more to complain about than I do, although I never like it when people say that about their own conditions to me.

But I had enough that week. I was exhausted. It was a fight to get out of bed every morning, and I'd probably have kept sleeping if it weren't for my dog gnawing at my hair and pawing my face. And I had work obligations that suddenly became harder to deal with, now that my changing symptoms were taking over the majority of my mental energy. (I also was pretty pissed about my state defeating a tampon tax exemption that morning, but that's another story for another day...)

I'm an impatient person sometimes. I get frustrated when my emails aren't answered within minutes. I yell at traffic jams, and I roll my eyes very obviously when people walk too slowly. I also apparently belittle my uterus when it's not being a productive member of the House of Tracy. I don't deal well with ambiguity, and I hate not having all the information that I need.

But that's the reality of endometriosis and other chronic illnesses. In fact, this blog post doesn't have a happy ending where I learned something about myself and resolved to be more positive and a better sick person. I'm still angry. And it's okay to be angry, as long as you don't stay there forever.

So I'm getting ready for this weekend and next week, picking up some disposable heating pads and hoping that Aleve will get me through until my ob-gyn appointment because it's the only painkiller I have. It's hard to stay strong when the odds are so stacked against you, and you've been "strong" for way too long. But sometimes, you don't have a choice. You just keep your head down and power through.

And if that fails, that's why there are electric blankets, ergonomic pillows and naps. And David Bowie records.

10:32 AM
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Sorry for the Convenience

recovery

"I haven't seen you in a while."

It's one of those benign statements that drives me up a wall.

Behind this seemingly innocent remark is what they're really saying to me.

"You owe me an explanation."

I thought maybe I was being too sensitive to assume that was the real meaning, until I started explaining my illness and watching people's expressions. They instantly transformed from an air of condescension and patronizing to empathy and understanding.

And the people I didn't explain my "chronic pain condition" to? Well, they probably still think I'm a flaky, lazy piece of crap.

I honestly don't like to explain my illness to people, especially those I don't know well. I generally don't feel like people owe others explanations. And I hate to make people think I'm just making excuses when what I'm really doing is hanging out in pajamas all day, watching TV and not being a productive member of society.

Obviously.

But the thing is, I'm skipping out on your social events not just because it's easier on me. It's easier on you, too.

As I've said before, chronic illness has probably one good feature and one good feature only. You become very aware of your body's warning signs and needs. I typically know when I wake up if I'm going to have a bad pain day. Or if I'm going to be in a mental fog and unable to focus on the easiest of tasks. Or if I'm going to fall asleep sitting up while you're trying to talk to me.

(Hilarious aside: After I talked in my last blog post about my pain level being relatively low, it decided to shoot up and make my life difficult. Thanks, endo!)

So when I stay home, it's not because I don't want to be there. I really do. But it's honestly better if I'm not there, for everyone involved.

I've been in a lot of situations in which I've been unable to drive myself home because I was too sore, too exhausted, too nauseous or a combination of the three. There were a few times before my husband and I got married that he had to drive my car back to my apartment while his roommate followed in his own car. Or when I had to stay the night and then wake up super early to drive home and make it to work on time.

Or when I've been wide-eyed and silent during social events because I'm focusing all of my energy on hiding the fact that my body is about to implode upon itself.

I really don't want to put other people in a position where they have to take care of me. Or where I look vulnerable and sick. Or where someone has to pick me up off of the floor or help me walk because I finally pushed myself too far.

Unfortunately, chronic illness is often about prioritizing. So maybe I'll skip out on a four-hour social gathering or work from home so that I have the energy to exercise for an hour (which helps keep my symptoms at bay.) Or go grocery shopping. Or attend a work function. Or visit my parents.

Or so that I can see you later in the week because you really are a priority to me! Just maybe not as much of a priority as something else on a particular day.

If you see me too often, it might not mean I'm feeling better. It might mean I'm pushing myself too hard.

You might say, "Well, that's tough! Take some medication and toughen up." The irony is that I've already done both of those things, and this is where I'm at right now. There are days my medication just never kicks in, and I have to face the cards that I'm dealt.

Yes, I also think that's an unreasonably difficult way to live, which is why I'm fighting so hard for better treatment and a cure for endometriosis. If it bothers you, then you should join, too!

So when I finally have the energy to put on makeup, do my hair and get out the door, don't say "I haven't seen you in a while."

Say "I'm glad you're here."

Or "How are things going?"

Or just don't say anything and treat me like a normal person.

Because I'm trying really hard to do what's right for me and for the people and things I care about. And that includes you.

12:36 PM
0 Comments

The Sick Games

chronic pain

This picture was taken when I was the sickest I'd ever been...
and I still went to Bonnaroo and Third Man.

This is a topic I've wanted to discuss for a while, but I haven't really found a delicate way to approach it. I still don't think I have, so everyone hang on.

Chronic conditions like endometriosis are often called "invisible illnesses" because you usually can't tell that the person is sick by looking at them. I included a picture of me as an example. This was taken in June 2013, while I was still searching for a diagnosis and unable to eat anything or even go about my life without excruciating pain.

However, I'm standing and smiling outside of Third Man Records in Nashville en route to Bonnaroo because I was not missing Paul McCartney for the entire world. Unless you took notice of how much weight I had lost over the previous few months, you probably would have had no idea that I was sick.

That's the nature of invisible illnesses. You become really talented at faking it. You learn to ignore certain symptoms and discomfort and push forward, despite the fact that your body is slowly smoldering from the inside out.

Some people fake better than others. Some aren't able to do that due to the severity of their symptoms on that particular day, week, month, etc. But at the end of the day, no matter how "invisible" your invisible illness is, it's still there.

With these invisible (and sometimes not invisible) illnesses comes something that I like to call "the sick games" - the constant competition to figure out who truly is sickest of them all.

"We're on fire so we're, like, way sicker than you."

My sick kid cred was recently challenged because I'm able to go to the gym frequently. A few people made remarks like "LOL I wish I could even walk upstairs without being in pain" and "That must be nice to feel well enough to even think about exercising." They seemed to insinuate that maybe I didn't really feel that terrible after all.

It stung a little because I didn't understand why that somehow invalidated my sickness. This was just my experience. Yes, I know not everyone is well enough to go to the gym. So... I'm sorry?

I'll admit it. I don't hurt as severely as a lot of people with endometriosis or other chronic pain conditions. Recently, my pain level has been fairly low, but I'm well aware that can and will change soon enough. Endometriosis is a progressive disease, so right now, I'm treasuring the ability to work out, and therefore, I go to the gym as much as I can.

And maybe someone else can eat meat without going into a pain coma like I do. Maybe someone can crawl out of bed in the morning faster than I can or not fall asleep in social situations or have a not-painful love life - all of which are major, ongoing struggles for me.

But I have to ask: Why does any of this matter?

The thing I love about illness support groups is that you have the opportunity to share your experience with other people who personally understand what you're going through. People who understand why "I did it! I went grocery shopping today!" is such a big accomplishment. Or why finding a doctor who listens to you makes such a huge difference in your general opinion on life.

And the thing I hate about support groups is that, if they're not properly moderated, they can turn into an endless cycle of negativity and "I'm way sicker than you."

"My pills stopped working today, and I'm really frustrated."
"Oh yeah?! Well, my pills haven't worked in three weeks."
"Yeah, well, my pills haven't worked in months, AND I have new symptoms!"

"So? My pills have never worked, and also, my house is currently being invaded by lizard men who look like Ted Cruz."

Okay, sorry, I just... wanted some encouragement.

This isn't exclusive to illnesses like endometriosis. My mom has been fighting cancer for the past five years, and she frequently hears conversations like this while waiting to get chemotherapy.

"What stage cancer do you have?"

"Stage one."

"Oh, that's nothing! I was diagnosed with stage four cancer, and I also have this other disease on top of it!"

Why are we fighting like this? What does it accomplish? Why do we want to be sicker than other people? And why do we want to diminish the experiences and feelings of other people with diseases that we have and that we're trying to raise awareness for?

If there's anything I've learned from observing the state of our world over the past year, it's that little conflicts like this only further divide us and divert us from our goals. Fighting between sick people only makes it harder for other people with our conditions to share their stories, advocate for their disease and feel accepted and understood. And as I'm sure you know, readers, those three things are hard enough to do on their own.

The fact of the matter is that there will always be someone "sicker" than you. There will always be someone who hurts more, faces bigger hurdles and experiences more problems than you do with your disease. But you shouldn't feel guilty or invalidated because you aren't as sick as someone else.

I don't want anyone to have endometriosis. If I had it my way, this stupid, pointless, illogical disease wouldn't exist, and I wouldn't have to rant about it on a blog because not enough people know it's a thing. I don't see a point in making sickness and pain a competition when everyone is unhappy and everyone hates it.

So I'm not going to play the sick games. I'm not going to fault someone who doesn't hurt as badly as I do, and I'm not going to feel bad that I'm not as miserable as other people. I'm not going to compare my symptoms to others' and make statements like "Yeah, [insert illness] is bad, but I heard you don't hurt nearly as bad as you do with endometriosis."

Because we're all in this together. We're all spoonies. And that means we need to uplift and encourage one another. In a group of people who already feel so alienated and different from "normal," we can't further isolate each other or turn this into a competition.

So let's all resolve to end the sick games.

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Dear Galentines, Love Each Other

When a Celebrity Has Your Illness

Empathy vs. Sympathy

Turn and Face the Strange

Sorry for the Convenience

The Sick Games

Prevention: This Is What Endometriosis Really Feels Like

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Dear Galentines, Love Each Other

When a Celebrity Has Your Illness

Empathy vs. Sympathy

Turn and Face the Strange

Sorry for the Convenience

The Sick Games

Prevention: This Is What Endometriosis Really Feels Like

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