After almost 20 years of being dismissed by doctors and told my periods were 'pretty normal,' trying SO many different medications, having period symptoms take up 20+ days of any given month since I was a teenager, after bleeding through layers of clothes in public and at work, several years of my period lasting 4 weeks straight, after decidual casts, infections, torsion, nerve compression, PMDD & severe dysphoria, after years of PT, PFPT, CT scans, ultrasounds, MRIs, ER visits, a laparoscopy, biopsies; after finding cysts and fibroids/ tumors and being told to just " keep an eye on it" to "preserve my fertility," after disabling amounts of pain & a lot of weight gain, after several new diagnoses, and several new doctors, I FINALLY HAVE A DATE FOR MY HYSTERECTOMY. My recovery is going to be at least 6 weeks (maybe more because of EDS/ hypermobility & Long Covid-- my body stays pretty busy, haha), and I've been out of work for half a year while I've been trying to get my health back on track, so I have no savings to speak of. I'm in negotiations for applying for disability formally, but I may not be able to get a temporary claim, and a permanent claim may end up doing more harm than good (since I *can* work part-time while I manage my health full-time) but, we'll see how that goes! If you've ever had to go through the process yourself, or known someone who has, you know it's a years-long nightmare, so I'm not counting on it. I'm currently in therapy-therapy, have referrals for PT and PFPT for after surgery, and the care team I've assembled is great, so I should be able to manage overall health better after this chapter is over! I'm counting on the support of friends, chosen family, colleagues, 'fans,' and strangers, and I appreciate all of your help! If you'd like to help in person, or contribute to the meal train, the care calendar is below. If you'd like to donate, get something from my wishlist, or send me a gift card, all links are on this page. For easy copy/paste sharing, my GFM link is: https://gofund.me/fd573eb25 To donate via other apps, my handles are all "anjlelatihac" (so, @anjlelatihac, $anjlelatihac and /anjlelatihac) To follow along, I'm most likely to share daily & weekly updates both here, and on my IG stories and posts: https://www.instagram.com/anjlelatihac/ Thank you so much! <3
If you stop by to help or visit, I ask that you wear an N95 (I will have some available). I'll be in recovery from surgery, and I have Long Covid already, so if you feel sick or under the weather for any reason (including allergies), please skip or reschedule any home visits-- I'd love to see you when you're feeling a bit better! I have asthma triggered by chemical allergies, so please do not smoke before a home-visit, and refrain from any candles/ perfumes/ scented things if making a care package. DIETARY RESTRICTIONS/ NO: - gluten/ wheat/ flour* - dairy/ milk/ cheese, etc. (butter is okay, just let me know) - bananas - broccoli - cauliflower - yellow onion (onion powder okay!) (red onion okay if cooked down for hours, like in a soup) - garlic (garlic powder okay!) I can have trace amounts of gluten (I have an intolerance, not celiac) but I have to be careful and spread this out. Things like soy sauce and gumbo are usually fine, just not every day. Favorite foods: - Sushi - Thai food - Indian food - BBQ - shrimp - crab - ice cream