When you have endometriosis, sometimes it is painless, and you don’t know you have it until you try to get pregnant and are unable to, but unfortunately, severe, debilitating pain that significantly affects your quality of life is a common struggle for many people with endometriosis because it’s not just a bad period. I live with severe chronic pain because of endometriosis and have medication to help manage pain, which helps some, but it does not cure endometriosis pain, and for many, it does very little for your pain. Recently, my pain levels have changed and have gotten worse over time, which has significantly affected my quality of life, so I’ve been forced to make some changes to prevent it from getting worse. Some days, I struggle to walk because if you are in enough pain, it will affect your ability to move. There is very little that can be done for endometriosis because, although surgery and pain medication can sometimes help, it does not guarantee relief. How have I accommodated my life for increased pain? In this post, I am going to talk about a few things that I have done to make my life easier to accommodate my increased pain levels.
I have cut back on content creation- Endometriosis can cause debilitating fatigue, which can be worse than the physical pain itself. I love blogging, and even when I work ten hours, it doesn’t feel like work to me because I enjoy it so much. Recently, I have had to make the tough decision to cut back on content creation because I am more tired and don’t have the energy to create as much content as I did when my pain was lower. I reduced my blog posts from three days a week to two, and I only create Instagram reels maybe once a week, if that. You wouldn’t think that sitting in a chair creating content would use up a lot of energy, but for many people with chronic pain, it takes everything out of you. Fatigue from pain is very different from fatigue that you would get from a long workday. When you are fatigued from pain, every muscle in your body is completely drained, and you don’t have the energy to do anything. I hope that my increased pain is only temporary and will get back to my regular schedule if it improves, but for now, the best thing I can do for my pain is to cut back on content creation and focus on self-care.
I exercise less- I have been walking five days a week with a weighted backpack for a couple of months, and for the longest time, I had no issues doing that. Exercise is important for people with endometriosis, but it can be hard because the pain sometimes prevents you from being able to exercise. I have never struggled with being consistent with my exercise routine, but lately, my fatigue has been so bad because I have had very poor sleep, and I struggle to do exercises I used to be able to do. I have been forced to exercise less and have cut my walking days from five days to three (maybe four) because it’s the only way I will have energy some days. Exercise can support endometriosis pain, but it can make it worse if you force yourself to exercise when you aren’t well.
I eat meals at a more accessible table- In my home, we have a bar that I normally sit at to eat meals, which has never been difficult for me because I have been doing that for years. Lately, I have been struggling to move more, and even people who can’t recognize invisible pain as easily have noticed I have more pain. I have changed the location of where I eat meals, and instead of eating at the bar, I sit at my dining room table because it’s closer to my room and I don’t have to walk as far.
I use my wheelchair more often- As a physically disabled person, I use a wheelchair for long distances, but I am able to walk with crutches and don’t use it all the time. My wheelchair doesn’t usually come into my house, because I can do most tasks without it, but it is now in my house because I struggle to do tasks that I used to not struggle with. I am not technically supposed to walk without braces, but in the morning, usually, I do because I am not doing a ton of walking and can walk without falling. I have stopped walking without my braces, my increased pain makes it even more difficult when I am not wearing braces, and I often struggle to support my body. I use the wheelchair a little more often than I used to because sometimes it’s the only way to do tasks safely. I walk around my house most of the day, because I don’t want to lose strength but I do rely on my wheelchair a little more than I ever have.
Endometriosis is not just a bad period and can affect any area of your body, which is why it’s so difficult to manage. It can be difficult to get pain under control because not all doctors understand the complexities of the disease, and you can have other symptoms that are similar to other health conditions. Surgery can help some people with endometriosis get relief, but it does not guarantee relief, and some people get no relief from surgery. Pain medication can help you function, but it doesn’t end there because you aren’t going to see progress in your pain if you aren’t willing to make changes in your life. I can’t stop my endometriosis pain from progressing, but I can make diet changes to slow the progression and accommodate my life to make it easier. It is frustrating that I can’t do things to the capacity I used to be able to without pain, which is why it’s so important to listen to your body to prevent more suffering. How do you make your life easier while living with severe chronic pain? If you liked this post, please leave a comment below and share it with your friends.
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