Endometriosis Awareness Month

So, normally, I really hate awareness campaigns.  I mean, let's be honest, most of them are for things that everyone is already aware of (like breast cancer) and, generally speaking, our time and money would be better spent looking for solutions to the various problems we're supposed to be aware of.  Seriously, buying something pink for breast cancer awareness is kind of stupid when you could just donate that money to an actual cancer research fund (I have a friend who recently kicked some breast cancer ass who agrees with me on this).

But, every now and again, you do get something that the majority of people don't know about, and in those cases an awareness campaign can be helpful.  After all, you can't fix a problem if people don't know it exists.  And this month's awareness topic is one that I'm more familiar with than I'd like to be--Endometriosis.

Endometriosis is one of those problems that's not widely known.  I mean, it should be--since I was diagnosed with it, it seems like everyone I know knows another woman who has it.  But there's no cure, they don't know what causes it, and, frankly, the available treatment options suck balls.  We're not even sure exactly how many women suffer from it because the only way it can be definitively be diagnosed is surgically.

Here are some of the few things we do know about endo:

• Endometriosis is when, for whatever reason, the tissue that normally grows inside the uterus and sheds every month grows outside of the uterus instead. 
• The most common symptom of endo is pain, typically in the pelvic region.  The amount of pain appears to be unrelated to the severity of the disease.  This pain occurs mostly frequently during a woman's menses, but can happen at any time of the month.  It can even be constant instead of only being for a few days at a time.
• There is no cure.  Many endometriosis cases end in a hysterectomy, but it is possible for it to recur if all of the endometrial growths are not removed.
• The "gold standard" for treatment is laparoscopic surgery. This is often follow by hormonal treatments (i.e. birth control or other medications) to prevent it from coming back.
• Endometriosis can cause infertility--in the same vein, many women who suffer from it can still have children with few or no complications.

Like many "invisible" diseases endometriosis causes a host of other problems for those who suffer from it.  There are the typical emotional struggles anyone who suffers from chronic pain experiences--depression, despair, and hopelessness--as well as increased absences from work or school.  Worst of all is probably the way in which endometriosis symptoms tend to be trivialized as "girl problems."  Indeed, there is nothing quite as awful as being in excruciating pain and having it brushed off as PMS.  Personally, I've been fairly lucky--at the same time, I have a very limited number of personal days--for more than that, I have to have a doctor's note.  For endometriosis related issues, this is, frankly, ridiculous.  There's not really anything a doctor can do about it other than give me pain killers (which will either render me insensible or not touch the pain) and look at me like I'm crazy for wanting a doctor's note for menstrual cramps.  Once I've been there a year, I'll be eligible for additional days off through FMLA, but, in the meantime, I just have to hope that my monthlies stay bearable.  And I'm lucky.  There are women out there who can't work at all due to the pain.

Endometriosis is a very serious, and very real problem that most people don't even know about.  By increasing awareness about it, we can make life easier for those who suffer from it and hopefully increase funding to research so we can find a cure for it.  This is not something anyone should have to deal with, and if we can prevent future generations from suffering like this, then maybe our pain won't be for nothing.

Linkfest for more information:

Mayo Clinic fact sheet on Endometriosis
Endometriosis.org
Endometriosis Foundation of America
Endometriosis Research Center

 

Getting To Know You....

So, a buddy of mine recently nominated me for a Leibster award. Long story short, it seems to be a sort of pass it along, let's increase your traffic sort of thing.  Which is kinda cool (Thanks, Debi!).  Of course there are rules for accepting your award but I'm lazy and withdrawn so I'm not really up to following them.  However, among these rules was answering a series of questions posed by your nominator.  Well, my nominator came up with some pretty darn good questions and I thought it might make for a nice little random facts about me post.  So here goes!

1. If you could vacation anywhere in the world, and money was not an issue, where would you go and why?

 I would go to Europe.  Firstly for the obvious reasons--the art, the architecture, the history, and the castles.  High points would include Pompeii, the Vatican, and of course the Louvre (I'd buy my way to the front of the line).  I would also try to get in as many concerts as I could--many of my favorite bands are from Germany, Finland, Norway, Spain and the like, and they don't often make it to the states.  I'd also like to visit Nitra, Slovakia--my great great grandmother (maybe three greats) was from there and it would be neat to see where my ancestors were from.

2. If you had a time machine, and could go to any time, past, present, or future, when would you go and why?

I have to pick one time?  Just one?  I don't know if I could do that.  I mean, I'd love to visit ancient Greece, or even Rome to see all  of the cool ruins while they were being used.  It'd also be really interesting to see how similar/different the people were. I'd also like to visit the 1930's-1940's for the fashion.  And, on a lark, I'd like to go really far into the future, maybe like a million years, just to see what's there.  Will we have destroyed the planet?  Will humans still exist?  What will the dominant life form be if we don't?

3. Do you have any phobias?

I'm pretty severely claustrophobic.  Like, not just small spaces phobic, but being trapped phobic.  It's why I don't do well in large crowds and why I usually try to sit on the end of the row at the movies.  Even though I know I won't need to escape, knowing that I can makes a world of difference.

I'm also not real great around bugs, although I've gotten much better about spiders since they infested my bushes this summer and started stalking me.  (It was a living in terror or learn to  love them sort of thing.)  Oogie Boogie from Nightmare Before Christmas is and always will be one of the most terrifying things EVER.

4. Who is your favorite author?

Again, just one?  So hard.  I have a lot of favorites, but if I could only read books by one author, I'd probably go with Andre Norton.  She wrote hundred of books in multiple genres, mostly scifi and fantasy, but she also wrote for younger readers and did some gothicky type stuff, too.  A legend in the field and one of the first women to write science fiction, she knew how to write a good yarn.  Many of her books have a central character who doesn't really fit in, which is definitely something I can relate to.  If I had a bucket list, one of the things on it would be to acquire all of her books.  If I count my mom's books (which will one day be mine), I'm less than 20 titles away.

 5. Who is your favorite artist?

I know it's kind of sophomoric and common, but I love Vincent Van Gogh.  I like a painting you can feel.  And because I have no respect for numbers, I also have a great fondness for Alexander Calder, who not only made some of the most amazing mobiles, but who also did some very nice jewelry work.

6. Where is your favorite place to spend time with friends?

Based on where I currently spend time with my friends, it would seem to be restaurants or my house.  I like hanging out over a meal because you have something to fill in the awkward spaces and if you get tired you have a good excuse to leave.  

7. What makes you weep with laughter?

 I'm not really sure.  Usually I weep out of despair, not laughter.  It does happen, but the source is fairly random.  Usually the stuff I get the biggest laugh out of is witty, smart, and kind of absurd and over the top.  The type of humor in shows like Better Off Ted is the closest thing I can think of, as well as situational humor where it's only funny if you were there.

8. What is the first thing that you notice about someone that makes you want to know them better?

I don't notice what I notice.  I tend to function pretty intuitively, so it varies wildly.  Sometimes someone will look really friendly, or it'll be something they said, and sometimes they just feel like they might be a kindred spirit.  I think it really depends on the person.

9. What skill that you lack, do you most wish you had?

 This is a hard one.  I have a lot of skills and an alarming knack for picking up new ones--if I want to do something, I just learn how.  I have noticed that physical skills, like dancing, are a lot harder for me to pick up, but I'm not sure if that's a most desired skill for me.  Maybe something more practical, like time management?  Or maybe something that better compliments my other skills, like woodworking (as many media as I work in, wood is my kryptonite--it just doesn't work right for me).  Or maybe a more intrinsic skill like not being so damn anxious all the time.

10. Do you like to cook, and is there a favorite dish you like to make?

Not really.  I like the idea of cooking, and I enjoy making things, but somehow, when I have to make it to eat it turns into work.  However, I will occasionally go to the effort of making potatoes au gratin with ham, which is my favorite food.  And I'm not talking about the crappy kind in a box, either.  I'm talking, peel the potatoes, make the sauce from scratch potatoes au gratin.

What Do You Do?

So, the other day I had a conversation with one of my coworkers that resulted in mutual pity for completely different reasons.  I usually try to avoid conversations with this particular lady because it rarely ends well, but there's only one vending machine with Dr. Pepper in it, so sometimes it's unavoidable.  Anyway, her end of the conversation ended with pity for me because I have no maternal instinct and can't see the joy in having children.  I ended up pitying her because she cannot believe that a woman can have a fulfilling life without having children and that she apparently has no curiosity about the world at all.  In my defense, I pointed out that there is a whole world out there to explore--I was rebuffed with, "You're working here."

"I'm only here 40 hours a week," was my response. 

And that's the thing--a lot of my coworkers (not just this one) love to take advantage of overtime because, "What else am I going to do?"

What else aren't you going to do?  We have such a wealth of culture and history.  We have thousands and thousands of years to look back on and explore.  Don't like history?  That's okay.  We have a vast natural world that you can explore with billions of plants and animals.  Think nature's messy?  Explore the city.  Mankind has built so many amazing playgrounds (I use that term very loosely) with massive buildings, roads, and other oddities.  Want to escape from reality?  We have thousands of years worth of stories that we've been telling ourselves.  You could spend a lifetime hearing, reading, and watching them.  More interested in other people?  You could spend another lifetime watching them and trying to figure out what makes them tick.  Want a more active role?  We've developed a gajillion different sports that you can play with others or by yourself--you could spend your time finding the limits of the human body.  Are you a doer but not into sports?  As a species we've figured out how to use a wide variety of tools.  Why not pick up a new skill?  You can go for something practical, like cooking, knitting, or woodworking, or you can go for something more expressive with the arts.  Add some beauty to the universe by learning to play an instrument or learning how to paint.  Does life somehow seem like it's not enough?  We have untold religions and spiritual viewpoints that you could explore.  Find out what life's really all about--are there really astral planes to explore, or are they all in your head?  And how does your head have that much room in it, anyway?

The point is, I have always been an extremely curious person.  I want to know everything  (even though I know there are some things I'm better off not knowing).  And I realize that's a little out there.  But how can people not want to know anything?  Even if it's just learning new recipes and reading harlequin romance novels, how can a person not want to know more about something?  This is the 21st century.  We've got most the basics covered--you no longer have to spend all day hunting for food and finding shelter.  How can you confine yourself to the basics of work and sleep?  And I get that taking care of your family is hard work, too--but why not bring them along for the ride?  I'm not saying you have to have wacky adventures every day, but maybe, every once in a while, instead of staying in with the kids and inactively watching TV (because you can actively watch, and you can just veg out) you could take a day trip somewhere--hiking, a boring historical site, even just out miniature golfing.  Even if you're not up to going out after a long day's work, read a book, or do something quiet.  Do something more than just exist.  Even a movie as dysfunctional as Fight Club gets it--"You are not your job."

I was reading The Black Iron Prison the other day, and there was a comic in it that touched on this subject perfectly:

So, this year do yourself a favor and think on it.  What do you do?