Chronic Illness

For anyone reading this who knows me and knows how my last month has gone, you may know why I had to step away from blogging for an entire month. These blogs help me process information about my body and mental health quite well but a lot of what's been going on cannot be shared publicly. Therefore, I can't write about it here. Anything I would've put out in the last month would've been fake. So I waited. But yesterday, I hit my 2 month mark since the second surgery (just und

As of Monday (yesterday, Nov 10), it has been 4 weeks since my surgery. Technically the 1-month mark will be Thursday, Nov 13, hence the title "1 Month(ish)". AND THEN - Nov 19 marks 6 months since the first surgery. So if anyone else is experiencing time collapse like I am, all of these dates and markers make me feel completely delusional. I didn't even experience the year that is 2025. It's really bizarre. I went on one of the BEST trips I'll probably ever have (Denver in J

We're midway through week 3 and I'm starting to feel more hopeful! The weekend was rough for pain due to overdoing it on Friday/Halloween but it was totally it. I will say I'm still quite a bit behind where I was last time but seeing comparison pics like the one above really helps me see how baby steps add up. These are only 3 days apart and there's a noticeable difference in abdominal swelling/bloating. My incisions still physically hurt, especially the bigger belly-button o

Day 18: Halloween! Yesterday was the first day I attempted anything at all other than laying in bed. We streamed Fortnite (I was in bed playing on my laptop while Trish was running the stream and playing in the stream room) for 4 hours from 1:30-5:30pm, and then decided last minute to go outside and hand out candy from 6-8pm. I basically had a full day of activities, as I did some cat makeup before the stream around 10:30am, as well. By the time 7pm rolled around we'd been ab

Happy 2 Week Recovery Day!!! 🥳🥳 I want to start this blog with my wins... because let me tell you, it's been a rough few days. I am drying my own legs getting out of the shower now. I am not using the handles we installed on the toilet anymore OR the shower stool. I am done bleeding forever! (haven't been for maybe a week? but I forgot to mention it) I am pooping almost every day! I am mostly off the Norco (hydrocodone-acetaminophen) and just taking Tylenol (acetaminophen)

It's been a better few days here on the recovery front! On Wednesday, I was hit with the WORST fatigue I've dealt with in a long time. At around 11am, I forced myself to stay up for a while to eat and hydrate, and then I finally gave in to a nap around 3:45p or so. I thought I'd be asleep for just a few hours... I was out until nearly 7pm. So needless to say, I was up a little later Wednesday night than I intended to be. But I suppose not a bad day. Thursday, yesterday, has p

As to not bore you into oblivion with medical jargon, here are the results of my surgery: A total of 13 more endometriosis adhesions were removed; all were found to be benign by pathology 1 small fibroid was present and removed along with uterus; found to be benign by pathology my left and only ovary had to be freed from new endo growth in the pelvic walls both of my ureters had to be freed from new endo growth my bladder was found to have irritation; more endo growth around

Day 5, Oct 18: After I blogged yesterday, things took a turn for the worst. I was too high and knew it, and I feel like a lot of us have been there. I was starting to feel nauseated but my script for Zofran (anti-nausea drug) was still at the pharmacy. Trish took a quick trip over there to grab it (and my new glasses - pictured - because they just came in) so I could take a dose, which did help. With my dinner, we did end up halving the next Norco dose. And thank goodness we

Oct 16, Day 3: 4/10, more meds but somehow more pain. I am still eating and sleeping ok but the Norco just isn't pulling enough weight to keep me functional. I can't even distract myself with media today. The day felt so long but ultimately, just glad it's not as bad as day 1. Oct 17, Day 4: 7/10, Norco is Norco-ing. I am eating a little bit more at every meal time. I slept in until 11am, minus the med alarms every 4 hours, course. I was even able to sleep on either side duri

Pre-surgery photos on Oct 13; Almost exactly 5 months after first endometriosis excision surgery. Previously on Erin's Surgery Updates ~ On Monday, October 13, I had a supracervical hysterectomy (removing uterus, leaving my cervix and left ovary) as well as a secondary endometriosis excision surgery. I haven't received the surgical reports yet so I'm unsure of exactly how many endo lesions were removed but I'll be sure to update y'all when I know. What I do know is that Dr. Z

~ DAYS 'TIL HYSTERECTOMY: 12 ~ Disclaimer: I'm adding photos into this post specifically to show where my body is at currently. I'm not...

(Photos by Haus of Vladia; 1-2 @ The Token Lounge on 8/29; 3-4 @ The Vault on 8/30) On the 100th day after my surgery (8/29), I performed...

Left: 9 days before surgery with end-stage endometriosis flare + frozen pelvis. Right: 95 days after surgery that removed 20 endo lesions...

Aug 5, 2025 It's been nearly 2 weeks since I've updated. Last week, I worked 5 days in a row for the first time since my surgery, 3 of...

About 24 hours ago, I got home from my D&C and hysteroscopy procedures. Both went as well as could be imagined but the IV process (again)...

I've been back to working three days a week for exactly one week and I'm already exhausted... What people don't tell you is how hard it...

Still bloated but getting closer! It's been just over a week since we got home from Denver and it's been a rough one. My body felt so...

Erin and Trish at Denver Pride 2025 in front of the Capitol Building. From 5.5 weeks completely off from all work and not leaving my...

Recovery Update Day #34 We are finally passed the one month marker and I can finally travel in a car again with minimal pain or...

Recovery Update Day #27 So being in a car sucks big time. My organs are acting all willy nilly in there without their endo glue and that...