'Chronic Healing' located at: http://chronichealing.com/: 'Jeanne's Endo Blog': Prevention Magazine Reference - Is It Endometriosis Or Is It Irritable Bowel Syndrome?

3/02/2009

'Jeanne's Endo Blog': Prevention Magazine Reference - Is It Endometriosis Or Is It Irritable Bowel Syndrome?

My friend Stacy, who has endometriosis, emailed me a blurb today from Prevention magazine. Be sure to read the hyperlink on endometriosis, which even talks about dioxins in food. (Just click on endometriosis and then click endometriosis again on the next screen).

Surprise Cramp Culprit -
IBS and Endometriosis: How to differentiate symptoms

While the article may be short, it's nice to see endometriosis in the media! This simple, brief article could be a helpful step to a woman reading it... to seek medical attention that gets at the true cause of her symptoms.

By clicking endometriosis hyperlinks from the article above, I found this:

Vitamins Ease Endometriosis
Could vitamins E and C be natural fertility boosters?

Here's some info on irritable bowel syndrome (IBS):

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Thank you, Stacy, for emailing me the link.

MARCH BLOGGING MADNESS FOR ENDOMETRIOSIS AWARENESS!!!!

This article was posted by Jeanne via "Jeanne's Endo Blog" at www.endendoat.blogspot.com.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...: This is a very valid point. Thank you for sharing it. I find that certain food aggravate me (mainly peppers) meaning it is probably IBS rather than endo that is bothering me at times. Or, as we've discussed, possibly IC...geez...who knows, I just don't eat peppers anymore!
But back to the point, it is important to be fully aware of your body. And as we know, endo can be so invasive that at times it's hard to tell if it is actually the endo or not.; March 2, 2009 at 4:48 PM
Jeanne said...: Alicia,

Yes, it can get confusing! I have endo, IBS, and IC and sometimes it's tricky to figure out what's what.

As you pointed out, sometimes certain foods trigger symptoms and that can be a clue as to the cause.

I think the article was nice because someone with endo could easily get misdiagnosed with IBS and proceed to chalk things up to that... when the symptoms might not be IBS (or might not be just IBS).

For a short article, it hit some important points!

Kudos to Stacy for finding that article.

Jeanne; March 2, 2009 at 4:57 PM
Mckay K said...: As always, Jeanne, very interesting and informative post.

Being someone who suffers with IBS, I can tell you that the pain can bend you over-uncontrollably. I can see why it could be misdiagnosed as endo.

As Alecia said; "geez."; March 3, 2009 at 7:09 AM
Pen Pen said...: I wanted to share that when I first was diagnosed, I was put on a plethora of meds---and then started having bowel problems. I was "diagnosed" with Irritable bowel, but after I stopped taking Klonapen(sp?!) the bowel problems went away. I dunno if i actually had irritable bowel or if it was being irritated by the meds or combo of meds---just want others to be wary and know that I had this complication that hasn't been figured out yet in case they have the same situation!
THanks for writing this blog!!!
I don't feel so alone! :); March 3, 2009 at 2:37 PM
Jeanne said...: Pen Pen,

Hi! Thanks for stopping by! You said, "when I was first diagnosed"... Did you mean diagnosed with endometriosis?

Thank you for sharing your story!

Many prescriptions can cause gastrointestinal side effects, to be sure. It's good to point out to people that misdiagnosis of IBS can happen for multiple reasons... whether it's similar symptoms from another illness or side effects from medications.

Thank you very much for sharing what happened to you. It very well may help someone else. :)

Jeanne; March 3, 2009 at 9:01 PM
Jeanne said...: Mckay k,

Thank you!

Having both IBS and endo myself, it can be confusing! I could relate to Alicia's thought as far as watching for patterns of GI symptoms following ingestion of certain foods. Then, of course, I also have IC... which certain foods can aggravate (i.e. acidic things like pizza sauce and orange juice)! Yes, ladies, I agree "geez". :)

Jeanne; March 3, 2009 at 9:16 PM
Unknown said...: I've often wondered if I had both. Thanks!; March 3, 2009 at 9:34 PM
Jeanne said...: ...love Maegan,

Holy Cow!! I am so glad Alicia directed me to your blog when she spotted that classic clip of Tori Amos on Letterman!

Whew! I just looked at your profile and felt like I was reading my own... You like Tori Amos, Madonna, Olivia Newton-John, Joni Mitchell, Chicago, and Harry Potter? Holy smokes! That makes two of us! :)

Getting a proper endometriosis diagnosis takes an average of 9.9 years from the onset of symptoms. At this moment in time, laparoscopy is the definitive means for diagnosing it. There are so many conditions that can mimic endo symptoms. It's really important to get a proper diagnosis.

Here is Endochick's outstanding post about how very crucial it is to obtain a proper diagnosis. In it she tells of her sister's situation where cervical cancer and endometriosis could have been confused for one another. It's a really good article! So check it out...

http://endochick.wordpress.com/2008/11/13/dancing-with-the-stars-endometriosis/

As far as the Irritable Bowel Syndrome is concerned, it can get very confusing since the symptoms can overlap with other conditions. It can be quite confusing.

If you ever need a place to read about these and other commonly co-existing conditions, you know where to go. :)

I'm so glad you stopped by. If you search "Tori Amos" on my blog, you can see pictures of me with her backstage (woo hoo!) and posts about her.

Thanks for stopping by!! I'm so glad Alicia told me about your blog. That Tori clip you had posted was a CLASSIC!

Please stop by again! :)

Jeanne

P.S. Did you know that Tori's autobiography says she she endometriosis?; March 3, 2009 at 10:26 PM