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Gina’s Fight Like a Girl Story (Endometriosis)

by 14 Comments
Feb
28
2012
Gina's Fight Like a Girl Story (Endometriosis)

To all my friends and supporters in my fight for survival, As you know, we have one heck of a fight ahead to get people closer to awareness and  possibly even benefits. It has been a longtime dream of mine to leave behind a legacy for those who truly love me, would be proud of me and would remember that I did all I could with what little I had left. With the help of friends and strangers to fight this battle. So that long after I am gone girls will have a chance at a life they dream of, whatever that may be.  A foundation that educates and gives hope and understanding for a disease that can cause you to lose yourself completely, dreams and all. Before I begin this, those of you who know me know I love the outdoors and was a runner when I lived in Florida. I would ride a mountain bike almost 30 miles a day. Work, camp, hike, climb mountains, outlast most of the men in my life and was up for anything active. I was a lot of fun, with plenty of stamina, swim team in school, danced … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Endometriosis Stories Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Rachel’s Fight Like a Girl Story (Breast Cancer)

by 26 Comments
Feb
20
2012
Rachel's Fight Like a Girl Story (Breast Cancer) LR

So, one night back in April last year, I was so tired that I fell asleep with my clothes on. I woke up around 4am having some pain in my left breast because the underwire from my bra was poking into it. I started feeling the red spot on my breast and began to panic cause I felt a lump. Two days later, my journey to combat cancer started. I went from feeling a lump, to having a mammogram, to having a biopsy - in a matter of about a week. I fell on my kitchen floor crying when I was told over the phone that I had breast cancer. Next up was a lumpectomy and 33 tiring treatments of radiation. My world got turned upside down. But here I am… cancer free!! I fought like a girl! I fought for me and fought for the memory of my mom who passed away twenty years ago from cancer. Cancer survivor and proud of it!! Rachel Submitted 9-14-11 The informational content of this article is intended to convey a personal experience and, because every person’s experience is unique, should not … [Read more...]

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Ebony’s Fight Like a Girl Story Part 2 (Chronic Pain)

by 13 Comments
Feb
20
2012
Ebony's Fight Like a Girl Story Part 2 (Rheumatoid Arthritis)

So, I have been here before…sharing my FLAGC story about RA. Since that post, my story has changed. I received a phone call from my doctor that left me in tears, then ready to press on. As of today, I don't have answers as far as my diagnosis, but I'm finding my way back from square one! The following is from a blog post in September; I decided to continue sharing my story so others won't be discouraged by their present situation. " I ask not for a lighter burden, but for broader shoulders." This was one of the first quotes I clung to when I first made the choice to speak up about my illness. I knew it was going to take a lot of God's guidance, faith, and guts. I have reached many cross roads over the last year: raising my son, getting laid off, losing insurance, my condition getting worse, finding "the right doctor", trying to uncover the best pain management, looking for work, applying for this and that while keeping a smile on my face and saying "I'm okay". This … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Chronic Pain Stories, Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) Stories Tagged With: , , , , ,

Anita’s Fight Like a Girl Story (Parkinson’s Disease)

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Feb
20
2012
Anita's Fight Like a Girl Story (Parkinson's Disease)

In November 2009, I was diagnosed with something most would panic and question, ”Why me?” I have Young Onset Parkinson’s Disease. I am now 47 years old. I noticed the tremor in my right hand in May 2009 and I finally decided in October of that year, ”I don't think this is normal.” My physician did several tests including an MRI to rule out certain things. He had already told me he was sending me to a neurologist anyway. On the first visit, my neurologist had me do specific movements and actions while he observed. He noticed that the tremor wasn't the only thing not normal. My right arm has almost no swing when I walk, I get tongue tied and have to hunt for words when I speak, and since the diagnosis other symptoms have appeared confirming that I do have Parkinson's Disease. I have a daughter that is a senior in High School. She plays clarinet and marches in the band. I go on every trip. I help the band members get ready and this year I am in charge of their uniforms. … [Read more...]

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Cheryl’s Fight Like a Girl Story (Endometriosis)

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Jan
28
2012
Cheryl's Fight Like a Girl Story (Endometriosis)

I remember my Mom telling me how lucky "we" were that we didn't get painful periods. Heavy, yes. Painful, no. Well, at least according to her. And for some reason I can't pinpoint, this made me unwilling to speak up and say that I DID have pain. In the early womanhood years, the pain was bearable. The heavy flow (had to get up every two hours the first couple nights to change) was a tougher battle. But, over time and bit-by-bit, the pain came. At first, it was pretty minor but it steadily got worse. In college, I'd occasionally lie down to escape it. By grad school, I'd curl up to cry and lose a few days of studying. Within a year after finishing school (24 yo), it was at the "just hope to die" level. I still didn't speak up. I don't know why. I'd never been healthy. Two prior ENT surgeries, hives from nowhere, migraines…I was used to docs and talking but there was a block here. I went on the Pill for the heavy flow (and, well, the birth control side) and STILL didn't speak up … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Endometriosis Stories Tagged With: , , , , , ,

”Living” with Endometriosis

by 5 Comments
Jan
27
2012
Living with Endometriosis

Before you go running for the antibacterial wipes I just want to let you know that I’m not contagious. What I have is not catching. What I’m about to relay will not travel through your computer’s innards as a deadly Trojan virus or spread through the air like an uncovered sneeze. It’s called stage IV endometriosis and according to the information traffic jam, over 70 million women around the world live with it every day and, I’m guessing another 50 million or so women don’t even know they have it. Those women are probably lying on the bathroom floor right now, gritting their teeth, clutching their wombs while saying, “What the F*ck!?” and praying for the strength to live through the next couple of days. So what is endometriosis? I usually tell people, strictly out of exhaustion, that it’s a “girlie” disease. This comes from being raised in a household where you don’t talk about stuff like this. If by some circumstance of extreme horror a particularly cute … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Endometriosis Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Kerry’s Fight Like a Girl Story (RSD aka Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy)

by 15 Comments
Jan
22
2012
Kerry's Story (RSD) LR

In 2000, when I was 13 years old, I was running pre-season for cross country…my FIRST year in high school!!! During a practice, I twisted my ankle, but finished the practice before finding the athletic trainer and talking with him. He told me to get an x-ray and stay off of it for a week before trying to run again. The x-ray came back negative and I began high school on crutches, just as I was told. A week later, the pain was worse, NOT better. I went through a series of MRIs, more x-rays, bone scans, etc. Nothing was coming back with any reason as to why I was in pain. I now felt as though I was on fire, my foot was swollen, and quite discolored. After about 3 months, my pediatrician ran out of ideas and sent me to a pediatric orthopedic about an hour away. After talking with me, my mom, and looking at my foot for about 5 minutes, he diagnosed me: Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy. That’s quite a mouthful of jumbled words with ZERO meaning for someone so young. He explained it to … [Read more...]

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Judi’s Fight Like a Girl Story (Polycystic Kidney Disease aka PKD)

by 11 Comments
Dec
31
2011
Judi's Story (PKD)

In brief I was born with polycystic kidney disease and began suffering symptoms when I was in my late teens. The cysts are in my kidneys and liver which caused both organs to be enlarged. When a cyst itself enlarged and became engorged with blood or infection they became extremely painful. Eventually they would rupture and cause internal bleeding for which the only "cure" was to lie flat on my back for weeks at a time. I once figured out that if I added my "down time" all together out of 16 years in my twenties and thirties I spent an entire three of those years flat on my back in bed and/or on the sofa trying to get the bleeding to stop. It was disabling and caused me to limit and exclude many activities I wanted to do and it also meant that I couldn't wear many types of clothing that I wanted to wear because I could have nothing touch my waist – ever. It would cause the cysts to act up and bleed if I did. In spite of all of this my husband and I did adopt ( because we didn't … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Kidney Disease Stories, Organ Transplant Stories Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Laura’s Fight Like a Girl Story (Lupus)

by 9 Comments
Dec
31
2011
Laura's Story (Lupus)

I was diagnosed with lupus a week before Christmas Eve. I'd had psoriasis all my life - until 2006. My skin had cleared up everywhere, except my forehead. Anyway, in Summer 2010, I had high blood pressure so last August I went to the doctor. He said it wasn't high so he ran some tests on me and told me to come back the next month. Well, I went back in September and the doctor said that my cholesterol and ANA were high so he told me to come back in 3 months to test for lupus and it came back positive on 12/17/10. Now, the mini symptoms are here and my blood pressure goes up every Summer but it is normal when I go to the doctor. Laura Oklahoma Submitted 9-5-11 The informational content of this article is intended to convey a personal experience and, because every person’s experience is unique, should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional healthcare advice. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Lupus Stories Tagged With: , , , ,

Jaymi’s Fight Like a Girl Story (Osteoarthritis, Total Hip Replacement)

by 3 Comments
Dec
31
2011
Blue Ribbon Arthritis

At first, I wasn't going to share my story because my story seemed easy compared to the other stories on Fight Like a Girl Club and to other total hip replacement stories. At the age of 37, I had a left total hip replacement. I had no warning signs that this was coming other than I had had knee surgery at 20 and the doctor told me then that my hip didn't rotate completely and, like my father, I’d need THR someday. My dad was in his mid-forties when he had his first THR so nowhere in my mind did I ever imagine I'd get diagnosed for one at age 36. The summer when I was 35, my nephew came to visit. He was almost a year old and needed to be carried up and down the stairs, put in and out of the stroller and car seat, etc. After a few days, my hip started to hurt from this. I thought that since I had multiple knee surgeries, I was just bending my hip badly to protect my knee. I really didn't think anything of the pain. The pain continued intermittently - only occurring when I exerted … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Osteoarthritis Stories Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,