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Pelvic floor therapy 💛 Have you tried it for endometriosis? ~ This form of physiotherapy can help with painful sex, incontinence, chronic pelvic pain conditions and other pelvic related health issues. It can be super tricky to get it on the NHS in the UK (I’d actually never heard of it until @theendotwins educated me!) but it’s becoming more popular in the US for endometriosis management. ~ So many of us don’t know much or anything at all about our pelvic floor - but the truth is, the pelvic floor is so very connected to the level of pain we can experience with endometriosis. We pay so much attention to our muscles in other areas of our bodies - if we have back ache, we get a massage; if we have an injury, we get sent to a physio. Why should it be any different for our vaginas and pelvic region? Why do we ignore this incredible group of muscles? ~ So I’m super excited to have @thepelvicexpert on the podcast tonight! ~ Let me know in the comments... Have you tried pelvic floor therapy for endometriosis pain management? How did you find it? Are you curious and want to know more? Do you have questions about how it could help you? Tell me below and I’ll do my best to cover all the topics with Heba! ~ #pelvicfloor #endometriosis #chronicpelvicpain
The pill. ~ How do you feel about it? Do you take it as a contraceptive or to manage your endo symptoms? ~ Do you have questions about the pill? Do you want to come off it but you’re worried about what’ll happen with your endometriosis symptoms? Do you feel different on it? Are you wondering about its side effects? ~ I get a lot of questions about the pill from you guys, and like many of you, I’ve had some really adverse reactions to it (hence why I no longer take it). So today I’m having your questions answered! ~ This evening I’m interviewing @fertilityfriday all about the pill, the menstrual cycle as a vital sign and using fertility awareness to understand our bodies. ~ What questions do you have about the pill for Lisa? Let me know in the comments below and I’ll make sure we cover them in the podcast! ~ Pic by @duvet_days ~ #thepill #endometriosis #fertility
Five years with this one. ❤️ ~⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Endometriosis hasn’t always given us the smoothest ride in our relationship, but together we’ve found ways to manage the challenges it’s thrown at us. Admittedly I’m lucky with this guy, but I’ve had my fair share of boyfriends who don’t get endo and made my life even harder with it. Chris takes on the majority of the house work so I can stay well and stay on top of self-employed life, he makes sacrifices to his social life to keep me company when I’m low and he’s pretty good at recognising when my PMS is kicking in. 😂 This isn’t always possible of course, some of us may have extremely busy partners, partners who travel away a lot or partners who just feel helpless.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ~⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ If you or your partner are finding endometriosis is taking a toll, Chris actually writes about all of this over on @endometriosis_hu and we now even share a monthly column together too (we made the most AWKWARD video and decided never to do that again!). We’re pretty damn honest, even I’m taken by surprise by some of the things we write! Hopefully you’ll find something in there that resonates with you and helps you manage endo as a team. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ~⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ P.S. This pic was from our winter break, 7am, with a telescope watching the sunrise and the birds fly. ~⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #love #endometriosis
We’re off to Budapest! ✈️ This beauty of an Airbnb has been on our wish list for a while now and I’m so excited to finally go there for our 5th anniversary (although I’m heading there with a cold! 😷). ❤️⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ~⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Usually I do loads of prep before I go away. I seek out the best vegan restaurants, the best gluten free bakeries, coffee shops where I can get a good decaf flat white. I like to make sure that I can enjoy my food and drink without causing myself a flare up or a really bad period. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ~⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ But this time round, we’ve been a bit too busy getting back into work to do much research! 🙈 So I’d love to know if you have any favourite veggie hangouts in Budapest? Or know any restaurants that cater for gluten free diets? Chris also really wants to know where he can get a good coffee and pastry! 🥐⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ~⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Also, what’s your favourite spots in Budapest? We love art, history, nature and vintage/antique shopping! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ~⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Thank you guys, can’t wait to hear your tips 😘⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ~⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #endometriosis #budapest #endodiet #alternativehealth #alternativehealing #alternativehealthcare #selfhealing #glutenfreediet #glutenfree #vegan #vegandiet #veganbudapest #vegantravel #dairyfree #dairyfreediet #endodietfriendly #endometriosis #endometriosisdiet #endometriosisawareness #endobloat #endobelly #endosisters #endosister #endowarrior #endostrong #chronicpain #chronicillness #chronicfatigue #chronicillnesswarrior #invisibleillness
How’s tracking your symptoms going? ~ I’ve always found my energy, pain, mood and cognitive function fluctuate throughout the day. If you do too, it’s fine to note down how they vary all day long. I hate it when apps or worksheets force you to summarise or give one answer, so you can do this however you like. ~ It’s also definitely worth noticing when these change and making a note of the time and perhaps anything that may have affected it. Did your fatigue worsen after lunch? Did your pain increase after a particularly tense meeting with your boss? Did you suddenly feel wide-awake when it was time go to sleep? All these are clues to what’s going on with your body and is your map to managing endometriosis. ~ Becoming aware of the patterns in my symptoms helped my discover that mornings were the hardest for me, so I learnt to give myself extra time to get ready. It helped me notice that my pain flared during ovulation and menstruation, so I began learning how I could prepare for that and eventually reduce that pain. It helped me realise that too much caffeine and sugar sent me into a spiral of anxiety and would send my pain to a level 10. ~ The biggest thing? It helped me feel more in control again by demystifying my body and offering some predictability to endo. We’re all different, so see what tracking does for you. ~ If you haven’t downloaded your free Endometriosis Symptom Tracker, just head to the link in my bio and download it from my site. ❤️ ~ Share your tracking journey using #owningthisendolife Each month throughout 2019 I’ll be sharing a new way to help you manage endometriosis - let me know if you join in! ~ #endometriosis #thisendolifehack
Is 2019 the year you want to take back control? ~ It can be overwhelming, scrolling through your feed, seeing countless posts about goals. Maybe it seems like everyone is raring to go, and you want things to be different, but you’re still exhausted, still in pain, still at the mercy of endometriosis? ~ Change for me didn’t come overnight. Whilst I’m now pain free 90% of the time, I’ve spent years getting to the point where I am now. I made mistakes along the way and had to learn alone, but with help and support I could have got there sooner. There’s so much information, so many different places to start from. ~ So every month, in 2019, I’ll be offering you a helping hand to take back control. This month, we’re starting simply. With tracking your endometriosis symptoms, your triggers, your level of wellbeing, your self-care. It’s about understanding the relationship between your body, your life and endometriosis. It’s about learning the patterns in your cycle, when endometriosis feels worse and what helps it to feel better. ~ I’ve created a free Endometriosis Symptom Diary Tracker template, just download, print off for every day of the month (or fill out on your laptop) and fill out at the end of your day. At the end of the month, we’ll look back together and see what you’ve noticed, if any patterns are emerging. ~ There’s no obligation with this - you don’t have to do it every day, you don’t have to do every month’s step, just go with what feels right to you. If you want to join in, welcome! If you want to miss a month, go for it! This is about discovering a path and a way that works for you, and hopefully some of these steps and resources will help you along the path. ~ I want us to support each other as much as possible, so share your posts and cheer each other on using #owningthisendolife and let me know if you’re going to join! ~ Get started by downloading the template, link in bio. Pic by @duvet_days 💛
Worried about having an endo-flare over Christmas? You’re not alone! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ So the lovely @totmorganic asked me to share some tips for managing endometriosis over the festive period. Head over to their blog (link in my bio) to have a read of the full piece, but for now, here’s a little sneak peek - ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ “Whilst having a flare up at Christmas obviously sucks, there are some benefits of it falling at this time of year. Christmas is the time where it’s acceptable to stay in your PJs for a large portion of the day, trouser buttons are undone and pretty much everyone looks like they have a bad case of the endo bloat. Comfort is so important when it comes to an endometriosis flare, so if you can get away with wearing your checked Christmas PJs – go for it!” ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Wishing you all a gorgeous Christmas, as pain free as possible - and if it isn’t, I hope some of my tips are useful to you. ❤️ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ P.S. This is the nature reserve we escaped to for our Christmas break @elmleynature (Pic by them!) ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #alternativehealth #alternativehealing #alternativehealthcare #selfcare #selfcaretips #selfcareday #selfhealing #sharemycycle
Proof that you can still eat for endometriosis and have birthday cake! 😍⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Feeling all the love from two of the most beautiful souls in my life @stillbeckyidol and @lauren_lovatt who planned this gorgeous endo-friendly cake for me and just spoilt me with friendship and love over the weekend.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ In case you’re wondering what makes this cake ‘endo-friendly’, it depends what endo-friendly is for you!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Some of my triggers are gluten, dairy and sugar. This cake is make from goodies like nuts instead of your usual cake ingredients and is only naturally sweetened. Because of the natural sugars I still have to be careful (though if I want lots of cake I can, I now just have the awareness of how my body/endo will feel) but Lauren’s creations are so rich and decadent I don’t need to eat as much to feel satisfied. It was, without a doubt, the best chocolate cake I’ve ever had! Continually astounded by this women’s culinary talents. 🧁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Personally, I feel endo management is all about working out what suits you and your body. Getting to know your triggers is really helpful but if an M&S triple chocolate cake is your favourite kind of birthday cake, you get to make that choice whether to have it or not!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I enjoy eating this way. It helps my body and mind to feel good and allows me to live without pain. It’s not about deprivation, it’s just about having an awareness and making empowered choices about your health that feel right for you. ❤️ Pic by Lauren Lovatt⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #endometriosis #endometriosisdiet #endometriosisawareness
Anyone else suffer with insomnia? 🙋‍♀️ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Many of us experience what’s been dubbed as ‘pain-somnia’, but for me, my challenge has always been getting to sleep at all, or being woken randomly at 4am and being unable to get back to sleep. This ongoing problem definitely hasn’t helped my fatigue in the past! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I’ve spoken a lot about oestrogen dominance and the link between endometriosis and this hormone imbalance. I’ve always wondered whether my insomnia was linked and as I learn more about or hormones on my Women’s Health Coaching course, I’ve learnt just how much oestrogen dominance can affect us - including sleep problems. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I’ve been working to balance out my hormones through following @floliving’s protocol, and it’s been challenging but so worthwhile. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Yet I still suffer with insomnia, which I think is largely to do with expecting to struggle with sleep after living with it for so long, even though I’m feeling much more balanced hormonally. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ So I’m trying @gracesmithtv for both insomnia and sleep quality. I’ve had hypnotherapy in the past and I really like it, so am keen to give these recordings a go. This is NOT an ad (I’m just a normal customer), but this weekend they have lots of discounts, so I just bought a couple of self-hypnosis downloads on sleep, anxiety and energy. I wanted to let you guys know in case you’re interested in trying hypnotherapy and this is an affordable way to do so! I’ll be sure to let you know how I get on with my sessions. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Have you tried hypnotherapy for any of your endo-related symptoms like depression or anxiety? I’d love to hear your experiences! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #alternativehealing #endometriosis #painsomnia
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