I am on a mission to raise critical funds for the 200 million individuals worldwide with endometriosis. Every dollar counts to adapt endometriosis education to online learning, fund cutting-edge research on treatment and diagnosis, advocate for endometriosis care on the state and national level, and promote disease recognition in our broader communities. Please join me in supporting this important cause.

My endo story: The following timeline is shorter than a lot of others who have suffered from this disease, but I hope it illustrates the dramatic effect that endo can have one ones health and whole life in so many confusing, fascinating, hurtful, unpredictable ways. Thank you for your consideration in supporting this cause.

Oct 2019 : Paraguard IUD placed. Expectations high for lower-maintenance, non-hormonal birth control. Existing GI conditions.

Dec 2019 : ER visit during holiday vacation in TN. The lovely folks at UT Medical Center found no reason for my near syncope. No diagnosis.

Jan 2020 : Cardio follow-up to rule out heart conditions. Wore a bluetooth heartrate monitor for a few weeks. No conditions noted except my already diagnosed, negligible ectopic heartbeats. No diagnosis.

Dec 2019 - Feb 2020 : Self-imposed WFH because the near syncope (also combining with my general anxiety to give me panic attacks) was random and unpredictable.

Feb 2020 : Urgent care visit for intermitten abdominal pain and bladder tenderness/urgency. Tested for UTI or BV. Imaged for diverticulitis. No diagnosis.

March 2020 : COVID-19 pandemic locks down Reno, NV.

April 2020 : ER visit for abdominal pain and fever. Paraguard IUD blamed for abdominal pain/discomfort, even though the IUD had been in place for months and periods had adjusted (heavier, more cramping, etc.). No diagnosis.

April 2020 : OBGYN follow-up with a specialist who is new to the OBGYN's office. Though he specializes in treating endometriosis, given everything else I had going on, we developed a game-plan to rule out everything else we could before we took the endo path. No diagnosis (yet).

April 2020 - Sept 2020 : Worked with OBGYN, Cardio, GI, and Urology to rule out cardiological, gastrointestinal, and urological issues that would cause any of my symptoms: bladder pain/urgency/lack-of-feeling empty when emptied, general lower abdominal pain/discomfort, pain referring to hips and down legs, random near syncope episodes, lack of energy/appetite, and general decreased quality of life.

After countless urinalyses, imaging, symptom-treating prescriptions, etc. no issues identified by other specialties.

Having ruled out all other potential causes of my symptoms, a date was set. Time to have a look inside. No diagnosis (so close).

Oct 2020 : Hysteroscopy (bye-bye Paraguard) and laparoscopy to diagnose and treat endometriosis. Diagnosis: endometriosis.

Nov 2020 : Mirena IUD placed in the hope that it will stave off endo for as long as possible.

Nov 2020 : ER visit for severe abdominal pain, later attributed to ovarian cysts. Hormonal roller coaster from Paraguard removal, surgery, recovery, Mirena insertion gave me my first experience with a ruptured cyst. Thankfully, it wasn't endo, but merely a side effect of treating endo.

Today : Endo free until the pain returns. Recovering mentally and physically. Maintaining optimism for the Mirena. Feeling grateful for my care team. Now to return to those pesky GI issues, hoping there is no endo at play.