The Silent Struggle: Endometriosis Revealed

Join us for a heartfelt and enlightening conversation tackling one of women's health's often-overlooked issues: endometriosis. Through the eyes of three women who bravely share their personal narratives, we uncover the complexities around the experiences of living with this painful condition. From the onset of their first menstrual cycles, fraught with discomfort and uncertainties, to the ongoing struggle to have their pain validated by medical professionals, their journeys are filled with resilience and empowerment. 

Listen as they candidly discuss the challenges of misdiagnosis and the importance of advocating for oneself—a central theme that resonates throughout their experiences. This episode emphasizes the necessity of self-advocacy when navigating the healthcare system, where symptoms are often dismissed as "normal." Each story sheds light on the emotional turmoil faced, creating a powerful narrative around the need for medical professionals to listen and respond adequately.

As the conversation shifts toward treatments and the tough decisions surrounding surgeries, including hysterectomies, our guests share invaluable insights into recovery and the bittersweet journey toward finding relief. They reflect on how community and peer support have played crucial roles in their healing processes.

This episode is not just about sharing stories; it's about fostering understanding, breaking stigmas, and building a supportive environment for those affected by endometriosis. We invite you to listen, reflect, and engage with us as we ignite discussion on a topic that profoundly impacts countless women. Don’t forget to subscribe, share your thoughts, and connect with us on our journey toward awareness!

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Transcript

Introduction and Welcome

Speaker 1 0:08

Welcome back to my Spoonie Sisters podcast. We are here to talk about all things endometriosis, or endometriosis awareness month. Hello ladies, hello, hello Tiffany. I'm going to call on you first. Guilty Pleasures. What is your favorite guilty pleasure? Tv?

Speaker 2 0:30

show. Oh my gosh, it would have to be the Office. I love the Office. I've never watched it. You have to.

Speaker 3 0:40

I've never watched it. It's so good. I tried one episode and I couldn't get into it, and maybe it was. You know how you go through phases where certain shows just don't. I'll have to try it again.

Speaker 1 0:52

You have to. I was told that we need to make it through the first few episodes and then we will love it.

Speaker 2 0:59

Oh yes.

Speaker 3 1:00

Yes.

Speaker 2 1:00

Okay.

Speaker 1 1:01

Yeah, so we're going to give it a try again because I think it's right up my husband's alley and everyone said if you have to even skip to season two, but whatever you do, get in and watch it.

Speaker 3 1:12

You, you know this one is a really easy one, big bang theory. Okay, my husband got me the blu-ray set of all the seasons for christ. I had them all but the last season, and so for christmas he got me all of them. That is my binge. When I don't feel good, that's what I've been watching the last week, really.

Speaker 2 1:31

Yeah, when I don't feel good, that's my go-to my husband keeps saying we need to watch the big bang theory and it's like okay, so you said it. Now I guess we're gonna have to do it. Yeah, okay if you, if you, watch the office I will watch the big bang theory what's yours?

Speaker 1 1:48

I'm throwing a weird one at you. No, no, married at First Sight. The reality show I know Is that the reality show it is. I'm not huge on reality shows.

Speaker 2 2:01

Yeah.

Speaker 1 2:02

We do like Survivor. We watch that together every night, mm-hmm. But after everyone's in bed I like to watch Married. At First Sight, I feel like.

Speaker 2 2:10

I've heard of that show before, but I watched it the first season.

Speaker 3 2:15

There's one couple I still love. When I see them pop up on my fyp on instagram I'm like yeah, they're still together. It just makes me happy that they're, and they've got like three or four kids now.

Speaker 1 2:27

So but they were on the first season yeah, exactly, some are still together, some have families. Yeah, all of them stay together. But what I think is neat is how they have this panel completely vetting them, asking all the important things, whether it be questions about their sex life, religion, children, all the things, because they're trying to pair up a couple they really think will bring out the good qualities in each other.

Speaker 1 2:53

Yeah, also want the same kind of things, and it's interesting to see because there was one couple I remember watching and she was not attracted to him whatsoever. She actually was kind of like you, I don't want to do this right, and then you'll watch her just fall madly in love with him. Madly in love favorite person is this guy now and they're still together.

Speaker 2 3:14

You know, you've heard the thing opposite the tracks.

Speaker 1 3:17

Right, you know so yeah, and I will agree he was kind of a goofy looking dude. I think he had this like mole in a weird spot on his face that I couldn't help but stare at. Do you know how sometimes people see something on someone's face and you can't help but zero in and don't?

Speaker 1 3:32

get like I have moles, I have this one that I zero in on. Things on myself too we could easily talk all kinds of, but the real one we wanted to come here and discuss is endometriosis. What I love is all three of us have dealt with that. Tiffany, do you mind kind of starting out the conversation and tell us a little bit of your background with it?

Speaker 2 3:53

Yeah. So here's the thing. My menstrual cycle started at the age of 12. And you know, I was told, yeah, you're going to have cramps, it's going to hurt a little bit, you're going to have a bellyache. So they gave me that you know whole spiel and I thought, oh well, that's going to suck. You know I don't like that. But when that time came and I had my first experience, I felt like I was dying. It felt like, you know, someone had just squeezed me so tight, like someone dropped a fireball in my stomach, and my stomach just blew up like a balloon. My flow was heavier than I ever expected. I passed out a few times over the years. I passed out. I told my mom I'm like is this normal? This isn't a normal menstrual cycle, is it?

Speaker 2 4:45

We went to a gynecologist and first they diagnosed me with PMDD, which I get, and so I lived with the impression that I had PMDD. They just told me and sent me on my way, said it was bad periods and I lived with that, but it was hell. It was hell Over the years, all throughout my teenage years. I blew up like a balloon. My flow was heavy. I was irritated. One minute I'm irritated. One minute I'm bawling my eyes out. It was just emotions fluctuating everywhere, but I just felt like this isn't a normal, you know, period like a woman has, like something's not right here.

Speaker 2 5:27

I went to my first gynecologist appointment and I said could you test me, because this doesn't seem normal? And they dismissed me and they said just bad periods. Let's put you on some birth control and you'll be fine. I was naive. I'm young, I'm naive and I'm thinking okay, maybe this would work. It made my periods worse. It made me worse, my emotions worse, and it just was not helping. I still experienced the pain, the bloating and nearly passing out all the time, and that's the way it was for years. I had more OBGYN visits and they told me the same thing and that's the way I lived for probably over 20 years. I hate that for you. Yeah, that was terrible. I had to call off days of work. I had to call off things with friends.

Speaker 1 6:22

Miss school is awful. Linnea, you ready to chime in what was yours?

Speaker 3 6:29

It's a lot of the same. Tiffany, I had a complete hysterectomy in January of 2000. Yeah, I had had my second child in September of 99. So nothing ever went right after I had him. But my endometriosis came back roaring and they ended up having to do an emergency hysterectomy and I got rid of it all. But that's the way I was in high school. I mean, I was 22 when I had it done. But in high school same thing A lot of pain, a lot of bloating, a lot of just miserable.

Speaker 3 7:06

And everybody telling me oh, it's just bad period pain. I'm sorry, I should not be doubling over like I feel like I'm going to die and everything's going to rip out of my insides. At that time, 90s, doctors didn't know as much about it, but also they thought you were just whining, because you were being a baby, about some period pain, when it wasn't just period pain. So yeah, that's kind of been my, but again, it's been a long time since I'm 40, almost 48. So it's been a while since I've had any. But I don't have any endometriosis any longer. I have nothing.

Speaker 3 7:43

So, I'm thankful for that, but I remember it. What about you, jen? How was yours? Was yours like that? I?

Speaker 1 7:48

think mine was a lot similar to both of you Going through. I started having my period at the age of 12. And here's a fun fact for you that summer I was staying with my aunt and uncle in Las Vegas visiting them for a whole month. I was so thrilled to go and one day, all of a sudden, the house started to shake. I went in the kitchen and I could see the chandelier swinging and I thought it was going to hit the ceiling. I remember my aunt running out with my cousin in hand and she's like we got to get out of the house. We got to get out of the house.

Speaker 1 8:21

Now, growing up in Idaho, we always talked about Yellowstone and we always did these preparations for earthquakes. So in elementary school we had to hide under the desks and prepare. We did those for tornadoes, yeah. So we had to do that. But nothing prepares you for one to really happen. So here I am, 12 years old. I should be ready for all the practice, right? Nope, scared to death, thought I was going to die.

Speaker 1 8:49

We go outside. Promise this is going to make sense in a second. We go outside. We promise this is going to make sense in a second. We go outside, we finally are allowed to go again, we turn on the TV to see what's going on and an aftershock happens. So we have to go run outside again and then we're having to survey the house looking for cracks in the house and in the pool and all the fun things, but it just set me off. It set me off and that is when I had my first panic attack was while I was in Vegas, and then the next morning I woke up, went into the bathroom. I started my period when people ask me how I like Vegas. I hate this. It's not on a priority for me to go back to. I haven't been since I was 12. But for me it's like earthquakes, panic attacks and my first period, thanks.

Speaker 2 9:36

Yeah.

Speaker 3 9:38

It's the earthquake's fault that you started.

Speaker 2 9:41

Yeah, it totally scared it out of you. I was just going to say that yes, see, yes.

Speaker 1 9:48

Yeah, yeah, and I don't know about you guys, but I remember, you know, going to school and having the period start and nothing, nothing would help that pain, the lightness, the icky feeling. I even got upset stomach with it and it was something positive.

Speaker 2 10:04

Yeah, me too. Yes, I would get physically sick.

Speaker 1 10:09

Sometimes no one prepares. You are prepared to even explain to us about how medication works. No, I can go home from school and say Mom, I started my period, I'm having really bad cramps, and she can hand me some ibuprofen. Mm-hmm. Did we really understand how it worked? And, of course, back then I was allowed to take it with me to school, right, mm-hmm. And I remember one time trying to take Tylenol and nothing was getting better. This was, I think, in high school, and I went home and got some Advil, took some Advil, tried to get through the rest of my day, but it was horrific. Sometimes you could put a tampon in and a pad on too. I believed through all of it.

Speaker 3 10:45

Believed through all of it. Yeah, numerous times calling my mom and she's like I know there's more going on, but getting a doctor to listen to you at that time yeah, like was like.

Speaker 2 10:58

Oh, you're just, you're being dramatic yeah, see, that's the thing you know there. There was a point where I just got so frustrated with ob-gyn I just quit and I decided you know I'm I have to defend from ben, from theend for myself, because no one's listening to me, so I'm going to have to do this on my own. I had to learn tips and tricks to get through the pain and it was just awful.

Personal Stories: Early Menstrual Experiences

Speaker 1 11:24

Absolutely Bless my mom's heart. You know she did her best and I remember her sitting down and saying I miss two days of school every single month. I'm sitting here going this is my future. You miss two days of school every single month. I'm sitting here going this is my future. You missed two days of school every month. I'm gonna miss two days every month. Yeah that, we gotta do better than that. She did take me in to be seen. Oh bless my heart. I was such a I didn't know anything. So here she puts me into my first ob-gyn and they wanted to do a full exam. Right, had never had one, had not had one of those. I was terrified and this delusional girl that had been to all the classes in school was still convinced that I was going to lose my virginity if they did this to me. I'm going. Oh my gosh, you poor child. I swear. My mom talked to me about sex and all the things, but somehow in my head I was going to lose my virginity by them placing this in to do the exam.

Speaker 3 12:15

Wow, it's amazing how our minds are young and we catch on to certain things, Because all I heard from the girls in the locker room oh, if you use a tampon, you're not going to be a virgin. That's not how it works. I know it, but we were not explained, even though some of the things work that way.

Speaker 2 12:35

It doesn't work that way health class didn't really no inform us of that kind of thing.

Speaker 1 12:42

Even even if it did, it's not like we really listened.

Speaker 2 12:45

We're too busy being embarrassed or giggling or excited about our new thing of deodorant yeah, I know, I know it, and reading those instructions on the pamphlets when you get the box is like the tedious time.

Speaker 3 13:29

My mom was much older. My mom was like grandparent age to my friends and so my mom even grew up in a different time where they didn't have all the tampons and the different size pads and everything. When my daughter started I was like what do I buy?

Speaker 1 13:44

I'm looking at the counter going.

Speaker 3 13:46

It's been 20 years I haven't had to do any of this. Yeah, and I saw I could see where our moms would struggle with that, not knowing what to buy because now we have all these options but we didn't even have, we didn't even have doctor options back then. No it was not a thing until I got pregnant. Did I ever go to a gynecologist?

Speaker 2 14:09

It's so crazy too, because when I would go to the store to buy my pads, I would have to get the ultra, you know ultra strength. But, like I said, my flow was so heavy I was like, do they have ultra ultra? Because, like, at this point I'm going to need diapers. You know what?

Speaker 3 14:27

the heck. I was just going to say we should have just. It would have been nice to have those period panties that they have now. I know. Do those work for people like us?

Speaker 1 14:38

Boy, do I have a story for?

Speaker 3 14:40

you. I want to know if, for people with endometriosis, would this be helpful?

Speaker 1 14:46

So tell us, yes. So my daughter my daughter and I just had For people with endometriosis. Would this be helpful? So tell us it has. So my daughter and I just had this conversation last week. She has the period panties and she told me that they are wonderful, she loves them, but last week she was at work. Evidently she didn't have them on snug enough. You need to make sure they're snug in the correct position. If not, they have to be worn a certain way either.

Speaker 3 15:06

You have to make sure they're snug, I'm in the correct position. If not, they had to be worn a certain way either you have to make sure they're snug.

Speaker 1 15:11

She had to talk to the teacher, which was a man which is like your dad's age. Luckily he's got daughters.

Speaker 3 15:18

It was all fine doesn't matter how old you are, you still get no yeah, I know, I know I can talk to you guys about it, but you know bringing up somebody else in public, yeah no and hopefully you know those who are.

Speaker 2 15:32

You know, watching this, you know they will not feel so embarrassed or needing to shell up anymore, because they're not alone and that's that's the point is that endometriosis used to be so hidden, not talked about.

Speaker 2 15:48

It needs to be talked about. It really does. You know, I got to a point because I have epilepsy and endometriosis was impacting my seizure activity and I thought I'm going to give it one more try. After 20 years I have to give it one more try and talk to an OBGYN. And so I did and I begged and pleaded. I said please, please, test me, because I know I have a gut feeling that I have endometriosis. And they were like, ok, we're going to do this test and we have to, you know, place this thing inside of you. And they did. And it was an ultrasound and I looked over and I had tears running down my eyes and they said you have endometriosis.

Speaker 2 16:30

I looked at my husband and I said I'm so, so, so sorry because we wanted to have children so bad and I can't have children. But I cried, tears and I said cried tears and I said you have no idea how much, how long I've waited for this. I said I'm both happy and a little sad because I'm looking at my uterus, where my child should be but will never be. But I see the endometriosis that I knew was there for years, and then I decided to have a partial hysterectomy and my life has been so much better. I had to make a sacrifice, but it was worth it. What age were you at that point? This was just last year. Okay, wow, that I had.

Speaker 3 17:21

Yeah, see, I don't think I would have ever had my kids if I didn't get pregnant when I did. I don't think I would have ever been able to have them because of how the endometriosis was taking over. I got pregnant with my son little window like this itty bitty window from surgery to when it all starts growing back and you gotta find that window and that window's limb.

Speaker 3 17:51

well, yeah, jj, we found the window because he is now a 25 year old. But they were shocked when the pregnancy test came back positive, because they're like we have no idea how you're pregnant. I said you said there was a window. Yeah, well, we don't even really tell patients that because we don't want them to get their hopes up. I did not have any hope to having another child, right, but yeah, so I understand. I tell him all the time you're my blessing, they're both my blessing, because not everybody gets when you have endometriosis that severe and have babies. It's an unfortunate side effect of endometriosis. Has your endometriosis attached to anywhere outside of your uterus Besides the ovaries? Did it go anywhere else in your body?

Speaker 2 18:41

No, it was just in my uterine lining. So they needed to take my right ovary, my uterus, and they also took out my cervix because they noticed some cancerous cells. So they didn't want to take any chances and they took that as well.

Speaker 1 18:58

So what happened for me was I went to bed that night and my back was hurting really bad and I got up about 4.30 and my husband was already off to work and at 4.30, I was just hurting, hurting, hurting, went to the bathroom and I peed blood. I called him up and I said okay, I don't know what's going on, but I'm peeing blood and he's like I'm two hours away and I'm not the one driving, so you're going to have to get yourself to the hospital. I had to wake up. My daughter Well, I guess she was five at that point, she was in kindergarten Woke my daughter up and we were driving to the hospital and I missed the turn to the hospital and I had to actually pull over to the side of the road and I threw up on the sidewalk.

Speaker 2 19:43

I was missed so much.

Speaker 1 19:45

And I got to the hospital and then, long story short, I found out I had kidney stones that had to be surgically taken care of. Well, it was a year later that I was having what I thought was that same kind of pain, but it felt a little different. But it still felt a lot the same, but I wasn't peeing blood. Jeremy was like well, still go see the urologist, let's find out what's going on. And it wasn't kidney stones, I wasn't having those again. And finally it got to the point where I ended up in the emergency room and they did multiple ultrasounds and multiple doctors came in and they were just like we don't know what's going on, we're just going to have to give you some pain medicine and get you comfortable. And then my husband said we are not here for pain, pain meds, that's not what we're here for. We want answers. We are not leaving until you get her answers, right. So this poor man, he left the room and he finally came back and he said okay, we found you a doctor, he will see you tomorrow, but can we at least send you home with some pain meds to get you through the night. So the next morning I had to drive to the next town over, which is only a couple miles away. I got in there and he said I'm not putting you through any more ultrasounds. They've done enough of these on you. I need to get in and scope and find out what's going on. It was the following week he went in there and he found it growing all over the place, lasered off as much as he possibly could and then explained to us that the best option was going to be a hysterectomy for me, but he wanted to do a partial.

Speaker 1 21:11

Now, mind you, I only had one ovary. I lost one of my ovaries when I was eight months old. My poor mom was put through a lot. I had gone gangrene and twisted and they couldn't salvage it. They had to remove it. The second ovary almost did that at 18 months old, but they were able to salvage it. They had to remove it. The second ovary almost did that at 18 months old, but they were able to salvage it. Hence I had Madison. So Madison's my miracle baby. Yeah, well, he's explaining to us. I'm going to take everything out except for this ovary. You're only 20. We would like you to have your hormones and all that fun stuff. We argued, we tried to get him to take it out because the endometriosis was growing all over the place. I was in so much pain we didn't want to take the chance of going through more surgery. He wouldn't listen, so he took out everything with that last ovary. That was 2006 and in 2014 I had to have emergency surgery because my ovary was engorged about to burst.

Speaker 3 22:03

Wow, yeah goodness, and that is why they took out the second one. That wasn't really it was acting up, but nothing like the other one. But they're like with. We can't take the chance. So they took both of mine. But see, mine grew on my colon and was growing outside of in other areas of my body. I was telling Jenny earlier today, I had it grow underneath a mesh from a hernia patch. It was not there when they put the hernia patch on. It was there when they went back in because I was having pain and they're like why is this still happening? And they went back and it had grown.

Speaker 3 22:40

I had been put on estrogen, like we all get after we have hysterectomies. If they take all your ovaries, the estrogen was causing my body to cycle even though I wasn't having a period, and so it was growing and multiplying in other places. I was taking off all estrogen in 2002. I went through about two years of some exploratory surgery where they kept finding it and they're like you don't have anything. And the doctor was brave enough to say no, we're taking you off of it. Went into surgery two years ago for a prolapse. I asked him can you please look around and make sure nothing's in there. I need reassurance that the pain I'm having is just from this other, it's not from it, and he goes you are completely clean. It was the first time I was excited for the doctor to tell me everything was clean, Even though he just put everything back in. It wasn't there anymore, but it was from not taking estrogen any longer. I've had a few argue with me, but this is where you have to stand up for yourself and say I know my body.

Understanding Endometriosis

Speaker 2 23:46

I cannot have that. You have to kind of argue with the doctor, because if they don't listen and they try to be the authoritarian, it's like no, I know my body, you know yeah, you know yeah, we got to, I'm not leaving, I'm not leaving.

Speaker 3 24:10

I want to encourage people, though, that if they feel like their estrogen is causing it to grow back, it's a conversation you should have with your doctor. It's a conversation to really weigh the options. For me, with my RA, they said it would be good to have the estrogen for my joints, but for the endometriosis it's not good. I have to weigh yeah, I'm not doing any more surgeries, I'll deal with the RA.

Speaker 1 24:29

It's interesting too, because some people get endometriosis all over the place. So it doesn't matter if you have the hysterectomy, You're still going to get it in places. And then there's people like myself who had the surgery, haven't seen endometriosis since. Yeah, same here.

Speaker 3 24:47

That makes my heart so happy. When I hear others that can tolerate the estrogen but also they don't have to go without. Everything Like it makes my heart happy.

Speaker 2 24:59

There's often times where I will have my time alone, or I'll be alone and maybe I'll be washing the dishes or folding laundry and I cry, I tear up and cry just because I'm happy. You know that I won. I feel like I won the battle after fighting for so long. Like I won the battle after fighting for so long and, as you know, I'm not afraid to show my scars. You know my hysterectomy scars, because it's like that. Those are my battle wounds, or my battle scars after fighting for so long.

Speaker 3 25:28

Exactly we did. We earned those scars.

Speaker 2 25:31

We earned those scars.

Speaker 3 25:33

Yes, I hate it. The ultrasounds FYI Worse Worse, yeah, FYI Worse worse.

Speaker 2 25:38

Yeah, I know the tests to find out that that was very uncomfortable. I mean, it was uncomfortable but worth it. It's worth it.

Speaker 1 25:48

Yeah, I want both of you to tell me what would be your biggest tip for someone with endometriosis and tip for someone after a hysterectomy.

Speaker 2 25:58

The first tip with someone with endometriosis is to definitely advocate for yourself. If you have that hunch, stand your ground and advocate for yourself. If you have to get a second opinion, if you have to get a third opinion, do it, because don't let a doctor push you around and shut you down. Honestly, I could have had answers probably years ago, but you know I was naive at the time. I let the doctors push me around. So stand your ground. If you have that gut feeling, definitely voice your opinions and voice your concerns. I agree.

Speaker 1 26:34

And I would also add if you are not comfortable standing up for yourself, take someone with you that is comfortable and will fight for you. There you go.

Speaker 3 26:43

Yep, and if you can build a community. That is the one thing I did after my hysterectomy, because I was so young and all my friends were starting families. I found an online community. It was my very first online community. Women with endometriosis and hysterectomies I think they reassured me at 22 that I wasn't losing my mind. Yeah, ask the questions. I think finding that community online because, even if you can't take them with you to your doctors, you can have them in your pocket. With their list of questions. They're going to say, hey, ask them this, ask them that, write this down. Take that notepad with you.

Speaker 2 27:30

Yes, that right there is it.

Speaker 3 27:31

I mean right with you.

Speaker 2 27:32

Yeah.

Speaker 1 27:33

Now I'm curious Linnea was yours, the same one I went to. I joined Hister Sisters. It is, oh my God. That would have been funny if we were might have talked on there. There's so many more options now and I know Tiffany is super savvy. I picture Tiffany going over to Instagram or TikTok or all the things and searching hashtags. But we didn't have that option. You had to join other things they held a hand when I have a newborn.

Speaker 3 28:01

I just got done with all the pads and everything from after having a baby and now you're taking all my innards out and it's still not stopping. But there were ladies on there that had been there right where I had walked, I actually until she mentioned about endometriosis I forgot I had it Like I don't talk about it anymore. Most people don't know I've ever had it because I don't have it anymore.

Speaker 1 28:29

Well, we talk more about our RA right, Exactly, Exactly.

Speaker 3 28:33

But I got rid of that endometriosis. I was one of the lucky few that I got my babies and was able to get rid of that pain. I'm very I would share my grandbaby with you. I'd let you cuddle with her, Tiffany.

Speaker 2 28:47

Oh, I would love that so much. I would love that so much, I'm just going to let you, what would be your tip for after a hysterectomy? Yeah, definitely seek out a community to really support you, lift you up and maybe you can even offer your tips and your wisdom for someone who might be going through their journey and just starting off on their journey.

Speaker 3 29:13

You need those people because those people are going to understand the pain you're in. But after your hysterectomy I think you need those people. Even those people are going to understand the pain you're in, but after your hysterectomy I think you need those people even a little more because of your emotions and your roller coaster of the hormones. I think it's so important. But I think my biggest tip about the hysterectomy is get your butt up. As soon as they give you permission to walk, you get up and you start walking. That's right. It will help your recovery time. I learned that from my C-sections. I am so glad I did it because it did get me moving better and I felt more like myself when.

Speaker 2 29:52

I could move. That's true. I was encouraged to do that.

Speaker 3 29:56

Yeah, yeah it's really important and talk. Talk to your spouse, talk to a friend, talk to somebody. Do not keep it inside.

Speaker 1 30:04

No, no, not at all. My next question tiffany. For someone that is wanting to navigate and join this, the space of advocating online, you and I are both patient leaders. It's been really fun. What would be your tip to someone starting out and wanting to join in and doing these kind of things?

Speaker 2 30:26

that's a great question. I would definitely just connect with the community, you know, just really get to know the community, get to know what they need and really what you need, and just talk, start talking, raising awareness, sharing content, all kinds of different things, and even talk about your story, tell your story, I agree.

Speaker 1 30:50

I think a lot of times we get stuck in thinking we don't have all the knowledge, we don't have all the tools and you don't always need to be in Congress. Oh, if you're advocating, you can advocate from anywhere. Yes, your voice Right?

Speaker 2 31:08

Yeah, just soak up the knowledge. Soak up the knowledge from reputable resources and just talk about it with family, friends, online communities, just everyone that you family friends online communities, just everyone that you know is willing to listen.

Speaker 1 31:22

This has been a fantastic conversation.

Speaker 3 31:25

I think it was a conversation that needed to be had. Looking back, endometriosis does not get a big enough voice out there. No, no, I'm glad you did this, jen.

Speaker 1 31:34

I'm going to close this out with one more fun question, oh no, I'm going to close this out with one more fun question. Oh no, I know, I know, bring it. If you could eat only one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Speaker 3 31:50

Chipotle. I think we're on the same Mexican. Just give me a plain taco or quesadilla. I could live on that for the rest of my life.

Speaker 2 31:58

Yes.

Speaker 3 32:00

Just think about it. You can do different variation If you ask for a taco and you get all the toppings for a taco. You see where I'm going.

Speaker 1 32:07

I was about to say zucchini or squash, but that leaves out all the other things I need. But that leaves out all the other important things I need. So if I say, like a taco or a taco salad, that opens up way more healthy options to keep me alive.

Speaker 3 32:24

I think it's funny that she went like zucchini and we went a whole big group, like a whole ethnic group.

Speaker 1 32:31

Yes, we did, we did yes we did my first thought was salmon, and I was, but my body needs more than salmon. And I was like, ooh, I really like zucchini. I just can't you see how my brain was going. I was thinking tacos and she said chipotle and I'm like yes, oh yes, I was over here being a ping-pong, going back and forth, trying to decide okay, this, this, this or this you know where Tiffany and Ice Heads are?

Speaker 1 32:57

Oh, yes, I need a taco tonight. Well, thank you all for giving your time today. I think this was fabulous and I hope it's helpful to someone out there. And besides all the usual places that we look for things, if you're needing it, check out History Sisters 2. I bet it's still around. Yes, if you ever have questions or just want someone to chat with, our dms are always open tiffany and linea. They're great people. Don't be afraid, don't be shy, go say hello. All right, until next time. Don't forget your spoon.