Friday, October 26, 2012

I didn't qualify! :(

Science Fair 2011, about to eat my research. Photo credit goes to Shelby M.
Due to the severity of my Endometriosis, I have undergone 3 surgeries and many awful hormone therapies. My doctor says that it is possible that the scar tissue traveled from my uterus to the rest of my abdominal cavity, which would explain all the pain I'm in. Sadly, if this is true, I'm going to need more surgery very soon.

For those who want to know what my pain feels like, here's a little description:    

My pain is composed of four layers.
Layer 1: You know how when you cut yourself, you get a scab? (duh) And you know that if you try to stretch the skin with the scab on it, it won't stretch properly and will cause pain, as the scab won't stretch with the skin it is attached to. Now imagine you have lots and lots of scars and scabs on your intestines, bladder, and anywhere else inside your abdomen, and make that the first layer of pain that I feel every day.
Layer 2: Ladies, you know what menstrual cramps feel like, so you can add a layer of that underneath the stretching, stinging pain from the scar tissue. Guys, in case you were curious, menstrual cramps burn; it almost feels like you have to poop really, really bad, but can't.
Layer 3: This layer can only be described as an angry little dude in there taking his frustrations out on me with a dull butter knife. I really have no other way to describe this one because I don't know what causes it. If your imagination is as active as mine, you'll be able to imagine what this layer feels like. If not, at least the description will make you giggle.
Layer 4: Lastly, there is an overall achy, flu-ey feeling in all my muscles, due to the Fibromyalgia. It almost feels like I've been working out (that awful feeling of lactic acid building up in your muscle fibers) while sick with the flu.

That being said, I have been searching for different ways to treat my pain, and last week, I signed up to be a test subject for a clinical trial studying the effectiveness of a new drug that claims to treat Endometriosis. I was very excited to try it because the medication was supposed to stop the scar tissue from forming at the source.

But when a representative from the study called to interview me about my medical history, she said I didn't quality to be a test subject because I had been on the Lupron Depot shot within the past year. For those of you in the dark about obscure hormonal therapies, the Lupron Depot shot basically turns off all female hormones and is commonly used for FTM transgender patients. I was on a six-month cycle to suppress the hormones that were causing the endometrial lining of my uterus to grow and develop elsewhere in my body. Sadly, the "flush-out" period for the Lupron Depot shot is 1 year, and the study requires that you not have any kind of hormonal birth control/therapies in your system.

Now, since I have done plenty of research of my own, I know that when a researcher picks human subjects, they have to make sure to eliminate as many third-party variables as possible. However, hormonal birth control is the VERY FIRST THING most gynecologists put you on after an Endometriosis diagnosis. You'd think that a doctor who specializes in Endometriosis would know that. What an idiot. He's gonna have a real tough time finding subjects who haven't been on birth control for at least a year. For the sake of the study, I hope he can find enough women who meet his ridiculous criteria., but for the sake of me, I hope he doesn't find anyone. That'll show him. Dumbass.

Not that I'm bitter, or anything.

<3 Mouse

1 comment:

  1. hey lil mouser! i'm a friend of your mom's. i've been a patient of a naturopathic physician (NP) for about 5 years now. what impresses me most is the testing that is done for underlying causes and the treating of the cause (rather than the symptoms, which is the approach of our modern western medicine). i'm posting this link for your review. i know my own NP's tested my adrenal levels right from the start and we took corrective measures. i never suffered from endometriosis, but did have a whole slough of other stuff that was cured by addressing the causes of my medical problems. anyway, good luck.

    http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2004/09/29/endometriosis-health.aspx

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