AutoimmuneErin

Please spare a moment to sign this petition and help this women with Lou Gehrig’s disease (aka ALS)

Can you spare a minute to help Erin Chalmers? Change Durham Student Transportation Services Discriminatory Eligibility Criteria

Anyone care for a bite of my uterus? 😝

I think my fav was asking my 90 year old grandfather if he likes the taste of my uterus 🤣 He wasn’t impressed.

Super happy and thankful that my monthly subscription is finally cancelled! Death to my uterus was honestly the best thing. Definitely got rid of the excruciating, dropping to my knees in pain. It will still be a long recovery as the longer you are in pain, the longer the recovery time and 18 years is not a short amount of time.

The Pathology results:
✖️ Endometriosis of Bladder
✖️ Endometriosis of Bowel
✖️ Endometriosis of the Cul de Sac
✖️ Endosalpingiosis (which is a very rare cousin of Endometriosis) of right fallopian tube
✖️ Paratubal Cysts of the Right & Left Fallopian Tubes
✖️Adenomyosis (when the lining of the uterus starts to burry itself and invade the muscle layer of the Uterus)
✖️Leiomyoma (Fibroids) of the Uterus Myometrium (middle layer of the uterine wall)
✖️ Left peri-inguinal mass showed benign
✖️ Referral sent to a Interventional Radiologist to investigate possibility ‘Pelvic Congestion Syndrome’ (aka Pelvic venous insufficiency) due to overly enlarged right ovarian vein

All pathology samples were benign as expected.

What does this mean from here? A Part 2: A high possibility of another surgery in the New Year. This means having coils placed in my pelvic veins to stop the blood from pooling in my pelvic cavity. Hopefully this will be the last of pelvic surgery for a while at least. I’m glad I did both the Laparoscopic excision & total hysterectomy at the same and got both of those over with resulting in less delays.

💛 Pelvic Congestion Syndrome is basically varicose veins in the pelvic cavity. It is when the flaps of the veins stop working and blood starts pooling in the pelvis rather than being pushed back up to the heart.

💛 Pelvic Congestion Syndrome is commonly seen in a triad with POTS & Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (I’m on a 2 year waitlist for EDS to be reviewed and have another 4-8 mo wait remaining. I was diagnosed with POTS 11 years ago.

💛 Extra Pelvic (Endometriosis outside of reproductive organs) is NOT rare!!

🦋January is Thyroid Awareness Month. Up to 20 million Americans have a thyroid condition & 60% of them don't know it. If thyroid isn’t regulated it can be overactive Hyperthyroid (Graves disease) or underactive (Hypothyroid). In addition, the thyroid can also be attacked by one’s own immune system causing inflammation and this is called Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis.

🦋What you should know!
- S*X: Women are much more likely to develop Hashimoto’s
- AGE: Can occur at any age, but much more likely to occur mid age
- HEREDITY: Your risk increases if you have a parent or others in your family with Hashimoto’s or other autoimmune diseases
- OTHER AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE: Having an autoimmune disease increases your risk of developing Hashimoto’s
- RADIATION EXPOSURE: People who are exposed to much more radiation levels in the environment/workplace are more prone to development of Hashimoto’s disease.

🦋 Untreated Health Complications!
- GOITER: When the gland becomes enlarged due to constant stimulation of your thyroid trying to release more hormones.
- HEART PROBLEMS: Risk of heart disease as people with underachieving thyroid produce high levels on LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol- the “bad” cholesterol and this can lead to an enlarged heart or in serious circumstances heart failure.
- MENTAL HEATH: Depression can be seen in Hashimoto’s, starts earlier in disease and increases over time. It can also lead to lower levels of libido in both men and women.
- MYXEDEMA: (miks-uh-dee-muh) This is a rare, but life-threatening complication and sue to severe long-term untreated Hashi’s. It starts as drowsiness followed by extreme lethargy and unconsciousness. Myxedema coma is trigger by exposure to the cold, sedatives, infection or other stress o your body and requires immediate emergency medical treatment
- BIRTH DEFECTS: Pregnant women with untreated Hashi’s may have higher risks in birth defects such as heart, brain and kidneys and even intellectual and developmental problems.

🦋 How to get tested!
1. HORMONE TESTS: TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) measures the amount of hormones produced by your thyroid and pituitary glands. Other blood tests like T3 (triiodothyronine) & T4 (Thyroxine) maybe needed to properly analyze.
2. ANTIBODY TEST: Because Hashimoto’s is an autoimmune disorder that means there may be involvement in the production of abnormal antibodies. Therefore, a TPO (Thyroid Peroxidase) must be completed in order to test for the enzyme normally found in the thyroid gland and plays an important role in hormones. Keep in mind this test isn’t positive in everyone with Hashimoto’s and it can fluctuate! Also, she people have TPO antibodies present, but do not have a thyroid problem.

Source: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hashimotos-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20351855