“I menstruate a lot.” — Liz Lemon
Welp, I did it.
I ran — and finished — the New York City Marathon. Since getting into running a few years ago, this was my second marathon. I ran the Chicago Marathon in 2016 and wanted to run another in 2017, but my second endo surgery and a thyroidectomy later in the year sidelined me.
You may have noticed my posting lately has been a bit spotty, particularly since I went on vacations. Forgive me, my friends! Training for the NYC Marathon to raise money for the Endo Foundation has more or less obliterated my life (or my productive Sundays at least).
As a thank you for sticking around, I’m sharing my race day playlist! It’s…eclectic. Don’t judge me (too much).
One of the biggest problems with endometriosis is the severe lack of doctors who can properly treat it. There are only about 200 endometriosis specialists in the WORLD, even though one in 10 women has it.
This is why most women who have endometriosis end up having more than one surgery to treat it and why I experienced no relief after my first surgery. My doctor, perfectly capable of prescribing birth control pills and delivering babies, simply wasn't trained to properly treat endometriosis. Like most general gynecologists, she performed an ablation surgery, burning away the rogue tissue.
But what I later learned is that ablation surgery only removes the tissue she could easily see. It's akin to melting the tip of the iceberg but not the majority, which is underneath, attached to and continuously growing over my organs. Additionally, it caused scar tissue and adhesions, worsening my pain.
There's something you should know about me.
That something is that I'm a bit of a masochist. And as such, I've made the decision to run my second marathon.