My Endo Story Part 2 : Healing

Part two of my story with endometriosis is all about healing. If you haven’t read part one, you can do so right here as we’ll pick up right where I left off. But if you’re only interested in the healing bits, then that’s cool too. You’re in the right place. ;)

So. The first two weeks post surgery were routine. I was sore and drugged up, with a lineup of tv shows that kept me entertained. The opioids made me nauseous, and after a week, I decided to stop taking everything cold turkey, figuring I could handle any amount of pain. Turns out, I could. And I was finally able to down food (an entire pizza, thank you very much) for what felt like the first time in forever, too. The part that got to me, though, was my ability to move around. My husband and I would go for walks, but I’d only be able to make it one house over before I had to sit down and rest.

At this point, for lack of a better word, I was rage-y. So much so that I googled “how to release negative emotions” and stumbled upon this article by Amy B. Scher. She spoke about energy healing and EFT (tapping) and things I had never really heard about. But she had YouTube videos showing how to do it, so I followed along, intuitively swapping the words she was saying with my own. Releasing releasing releasing.

The next day, I walked for two miles straight. I repeat, TWO. MILES. A big difference from having to rest every minute or so just the day prior. It was then that everything changed, opening me up completely to a world of holistic healing.

From there, I resurrected my yoga and meditation practice, got serious about eating real, whole food, and decreased stress by cutting back on work by 50%. I also got into Human Design, practiced pranayama (breathwork), bought a Tarot deck, started learning astrology, and journaled … a lot. All in the name of processing and getting to know myself on a deeper level.

During this time, I learned a lot about the mind-body connection and how our emotional health can, in fact, have a say in how our physical health is expressing itself. And while I certainly utilized all of the above for this purpose, I would be remiss not to give breathwork an extra shout out, as it is truly my go to for emotional regulation. An almost daily practice that has undoubtedly changed my life. Not only in clearing emotional baggage that perhaps had been contributing to some of my pain, but in making my experience here on earth so much brighter and peaceful.

This way of living carried on consistently for the next two years with gradual improvement to my aforementioned symptoms. And while I had a few setbacks (in the form of a few uncharacteristically painful periods), I was doing really well overall.

Then, on the long drive home from celebrating Christmas in 2019, my partner and I listened to this podcast episode with Karen Hurd, who is a nutritionist and biochemist in Wisconsin. To this day, it’s one of the most pivotal moments in my healing journey as it was the first time since getting diagnosed that someone explained to me what was happening within my body in a way that I could actually understand.

As it turns out, I am an over producer of hormones. Specifically estrogen. Karen’s suggestion for this was simple: adding (a lot) more soluble fiber into my diet. Why? Because these excess hormones are unable to leave my body without it. While she explains the science of this in the episode, I created my own analogy and started thinking of soluble fiber as a bouncer, escorting said excess out of my body. If a bouncer (soluble fiber) is not present, the toxins we SHOULD be eliminating get reabsorbed into the body and can be repeatedly recirculated.

Sadly, we live in a fiber deficient society here in the states, and my upbringing was no different. The buildup of toxic bile for anyone has the potential to manifest as disease, and for me, that was endometriosis.

I’m not gonna lie, Karen’s protocol for healing is both restrictive and fringe. The former of which because of how much you cut out (primarily sugar, fruit, dairy, caffeine, and alcohol) and the latter of which because of how many beans you eat (we’re talking upwards of 2+ cups a day). Beans have the highest concentrated amount of soluble fiber and so Karen has basically hung her life’s purpose on their power. And yup, I was all in.

Logistically, this looks like eating a serving of beans at least three times a day, but usually a lot more (through snacking), each an hour and a half away from fats (like olive oils, nuts, and seeds). I also eat a lot of vegetables and eggs (since I need protein and am a vegetarian).

I’m basically a plant based human
who eats a shit ton of beans. And it’s working. 

I spent the entirety of 2020 eating this way and watched my periods get less painful each month. And six months in, I was able to get pregnant naturally* when I was told that we had less than a 1% chance of doing so.

* That pregnancy ended up being ectopic, which I had no control over. And although the loss was tough, it was beautiful to see that I can, in fact, get pregnant. The hope I now hold for our future family is immense.

The downside of this protocol, at least for me, was how tightly I held onto it. Meaning, I had no chill if, for example, I wanted cake on my birthday. I wanted to heal SO BADLY and SO PERFECTLY that I forgot about the importance of balance. Of treating yourself. And so, in 2021, I lifted up my own restraints to allow for more joyful eating.

I still follow the protocol 95% of the time and genuinely love the way that I eat. But if my intuition is calling for ice cream on a hot summer day, I’m going to have some. ;)

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My healing journey has now been going strong for 3+ years and in that time, I’ve learned that I feel my best when I’m taking the health of my body, mind, and spirit into account. Simply put, this translates to most of my days centering around beans (ha), emotional regulation (via breathwork or EFT tapping), and honoring the whole of who I am.

Have I fully healed? Nope. At least, not yet. And that’s okay. If I had to guess, I would say that I’m 85% of the way there. Any pain I now experience mostly occurs on the first day of my period, instead of all of the time. And it’s not the kind of pain that I need medicine or heating pads to get through, either, which is a major improvement. We’ll see how everything unfolds from here. :)

PS. If you are going through something similar to me, please remember that what works for some, may not work for others. So please, take (or try) what resonates and leave the rest. You are strong. You are whole. And you are certainly not alone. I’m thinking of you. <3