My Endo Diary

When you suffer with endometriosis, you will begin to realise that this chronic illness follows no rules or boundaries. Pains can be unexpected and your symptoms can change frequently. Pains can get worse at certain times of the month or be more persistent. Therefore, it is useful to maintain a pain diary. Recording your symptoms will help you and your doctor to identify if there are any patterns or triggers. It will also give you some insight into how you are impacted by endometriosis on a daily basis. Here are FIVE things to record in a  pain diary that will benefit your pain diagnosis and management. Pain Location  - Where are you getting pain? If in your stomach, then what side? Are you having pains near your ovaries or around your belly button? What about in your lower back or legs? All details can help to pinpoint pain and work out the causes. Pain Types  - Are you having sharp, shooting pains? Or is it more of a dull ache? A burning sensation? Twisting or

When you are first diagnosed with Endometriosis, you may find yourself confused with all the different terminology... Pouch of Douglas, GnRH, HRT, Endometrioma, Menorrhagia and Zoladex to name but a few! Unfortunately, you do not get handed a fact sheet of FAQ's  or information on what you can expect before, during or after your diagnosis. So, to provide some clarity, I have compiled a glossary of 'need to know' terms and phrases, that you may find helpful when learning about this chronic illness. Adhesion:  This is a band of scar tissue that can join your internal organs together. Think of it like a sticky glue, bonding organs to other organs or to your pelvic wall. This can cause a lot of pelvic pain. Anaesthetic:  This is used during surgery to either put a patient to sleep/make them unconscious (general anaesthetic) or to numb a certain part of the body (local anaesthetic). Biopsy:  During surgery for Endometriosis, a biopsy may be taken. This is when