19. Endometriosis & Self-Care, with Jane Keep Follow Your Flow

Endometriosis is experienced by 1 in 10 women. It is a condition where endometrial like tissue grows outside of the uterus, forming adhesions in the pelvic cavity and therefore can affect other organs such as the bladder and the bowel. When the endometrial lining responds to hormonal changes each month, so too do the adhesions growing outside of the uterus which can cause severe pain, along with other complications.The average length of time for a woman to be diagnosed with endometriosis is 7 years – the reasons being that it can be passed off as just being bad period pain; symptoms associated with endo are similar to other pelvic conditions; and 1 in 3 women consult 3-4 physicians before getting an actual diagnosis – so this takes time…The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare estimated that this condition cost $7.4 billion in 2017/18, mostly through reduced quality of life and productivity losses – and they acknowledge that this may actually be a considerable underestimate given the difficulties in diagnosing and in underdiagnosing.In this episode, I had the great pleasure of interview Jane. She is a professional woman who is 60 years old this year and works in health-care, manages a large number of people, also works at a University and volunteers for other numerous organisations.And she has a very interesting history with Endometriosis that we are going to hear about in this episode. What she came to in her understanding of the condition and how she was living is incredibly valuable and I am so pleased that she has very generously shared her experience with us on the Follow Your Flow Podcast, for you all to hear her story.If you experience severe period pain and or have a diagnosis of endometriosis, have you considered Counselling as part of your treatment? I work with women 1:1 in a counselling capacity to support them to deal with any trauma associated with these conditions – and there is often A LOT of trauma involved that can be due to the pain itself, the management of the pain, the effects and impacts on your life – and then I also work with you to look at any underlying patterns that may be contributing to what you are experiencing. Head over to the Follow Your Flow website and go to the ‘work with me’ tab and you can get in touch from here.Topics we discussed –Jane talks about her life in her younger years, working a very stressful job and not taking care of herself. She was absolutely exhausted and ‘burnt-out’ eventually.Jane needed a big stop to help her recognise that she was not taking care of herself – even though part of her role was to advocate for wellbeing in the workplace. Is being stoic really a desirable way to be in work and in life? And how did this impact Jane’s body and her overall health?Jane’s experience of extreme debilitating pain as a young woman – disillusioned and blind-sided by the lack of medical support, the succession of pain-killers and being prescribed by the oral contraceptive pill.Jane had numerous investigations into the pain and associated symptoms she was experiencing however endometriosis was never mentioned until she was in her 30’s.What options was Jane eventually given?What changes did Jane make and how did this change her experience of the pain?Considering the detail of understanding your cycle and how you live your life – and how they mutually exclusive.The link between self-worth and endometriosis. Jane makes astounding revelations around this that so many women will be able to relate to.Jane realised that building a relationship with her body is essential to working in partnership with medical professionals rather than giving her power away.There is a ‘before’ model and an ‘after’ model that Jane shares with us that summarises her experience – super inspiring and makes so much sense.‘I love people, love being out in the world, I love the magic of the world…I look in the mirror now and I’m more and more loving myself,