As Kurt Vonnegut (RIP) aptly coined in Slaughterhouse Five, I will choose this as the launching pad for my own story. We are born and spend our childhood harboring the expectations that we're all created equal, going to achieve greatness, and take on the world full speed ahead at the precipice of adulthood with no limitations holding us back. One day we have a rude awakening where we discover this is not the case, which happens earlier for some than others. For me, it hit at the age of 12.
"I was a victim of a series of accidents, as are we all." More wise words from Vonnegut and still appropriate to the topic at hand. I've experienced a good many happenings which have shaped the individual I am today, mentally and physically, and if you asked me 20 years ago what I thought my life would look like in 2020 I definitely couldn't have been more wrong in my answer.
As the years roll on I've had to accept one painful diagnosis after another, adding new strikes to my livelihood and doubts about the outcomes of my perceived, happy future as someone's spouse, but the main point of it all is simply this: the years continue to roll on. I'm still here, surviving, at times even thriving, and I strongly feel that it's my purpose to spread the knowledge to others that no matter how many bad days you have or how many times you've said it to yourself, your body is not broken. We're in this fight for the long haul and though I'm sure you've felt like giving up time and time again (lord knows I have) I'm here to give you some good reasons not to. Take power in your determination, take power in your diligence, and most importantly, remember that you are not alone in your suffering. We are all different, but hold many similarities in our issues and the way we cope and beat them (if they are not chronic). Always give yourself time and patience to heal at your own pace.
If this sounds like what you need to read right now, then you're in the right place! I will be featuring blogs with detailed descriptions and advice on the below given conditions, plus more, as ideas enter my mind:
- Vaginismus: spasming of the PC muscle as a protection mechanism from perceived fear of penetration that makes entry either painful or impossible
- Vulvodynia: pain on the skin of the vulva that can cause Vaginismus or be caused by Vaginismus
- Bartholin’s Cyst: a cyst on the vulva that occurs as a result of the way the skin heals after vaginal surgery
- Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome: cysts on the ovaries caused by excess testosterone
- Scoliosis: curvature of the spine
- Piriformis Syndrome that leads to Sciatica: tenseness in the Piriformis muscle that puts pressure on the sciatic nerve and causes shooting pain down the leg
- Gastroparesis: paralysis of the stomach, causing delayed emptying
- Hiatus Hernia: an opening in the bottom of the esophagus where a piece of the stomach has slipped through which causes pain, sensitivity to certain foods, and excessive burping