My Year of Radical HEALING
Every November around my birthday, I choose a word that embodies my intent for the next 12 months. My word for 2025 was “prioritize.” I planned to focus my attention on my health and taking care of my body. Little did I know what was in store for me. It was one of the hardest years of my life, but it was absolutely life-changing.
After 7 years of abnormal abdominal pain and countless tests with no diagnosis, I made major lifestyle changes in 2016 - removed meat and dairy from my diet, swapped personal and household products to cleaner options, and hit the reset button on how I approached my health. Although I missed some of my favorite foods, the transition to a plant-based diet went well, and I saw early results that motivated me to continue. I was sharing ideas and changes with others, which birthed the idea to start my business, Rooted in Balance. If everything continued to flow exactly how it had been, this post would be completely different.
I'll start by saying I'm really proud of how well I managed my health and improved my life for almost a decade without having multiple surgeries for a possible but unknown diagnosis. In 2015, the surgical path was more likely to start with a diagnostic surgery, then an excision surgery, and then repeat surgeries for returning lesions and pain. While flipping my life upside seemed drastic to others, it felt like a better option as we continued to seek answers without going through surgery and recovery repeatedly. I routinely had ultrasounds to monitor changes, embraced alternatives like acupuncture for pain, and learned my body so well. The awareness of my body that I gained over the past 16 years has been the greatest gift. Despite my best efforts and clear shrinkage of growths, we ended up right back at the same conversation.
January
Things kicked into high gear early in the month when I received MRI results. For the first time, I had a clinical diagnosis of Stage 4 endometriosis (endo), and surgery was the best option to improve my quality of life and actually get an official endo diagnosis via pathology. I can't say for sure if I'd elected for surgery a decade ago that I would have definitely needed another one. But I can say that endo research and approaches have significantly improved, so the decision about surgery didn't feel as hard. I felt validated hearing doctors confirm that I had done good things that allowed me to get this far and that the pills likely could've suppressed some symptoms but not necessarily stopped the growth.
FebRuary
Surgery preparation became my top priority. As much as my husband and I love to travel (read: eat in new places), we decided to defer trips in preparation for a year of medical expenses. Plus, my body was already struggling to handle the physical strain of day-to-day tasks let alone traveling. I sought out specialized endometriosis excision surgeons and pain management solutions. The whole process had a long lead time because excision surgeons can have lengthy wait times to be seen and get surgery scheduled.
March
Following my annual physical, it felt like déjà vu as I returned to more doctors and treatments. I was scheduled to see a hematologist, gastroenterologist, and acupuncturist … again. As we navigated my symptoms, we set up treatment plans and tests to help prepare my body for surgery. At home, I relied on old tools to help me track my numbers and manage my pain. I reduced processed foods again and upped the fresh juices and protein shakes. The ball was rolling.
April
And it was rolling fast. I had regular hematology appointments and began a series of iron infusions to improve my iron and ferritin levels before surgery. The infusions exhausted me, and it took a couple of days to recover every single time. I also began weekly acupuncture appointments to help the pain because there were days that I literally couldn't sit in a chair. I was glued to my heating pad. I had new prescriptions for everything from heartburn to muscle spasms.
MAY
By this point, I had at least 3 appointments each week, and I kept getting tests done to rule out issues. Despite being under 45, I was already repeating colonoscopy and endoscopy screenings that started in my 20s. I even swallowed a pill cam to get more info. Nothing was abnormal … again. The constant testing without progress took a toll, especially when the pain continued to show up, yet perspective always gave way to gratitude as I knew it could be worse.
June
But still, meeting with multiple excision surgeons for surgical consultations and the potential multidisciplinary team needed while making major life decisions was a lot. Endometriosis is not just a gynecological disease; it can go beyond the pelvic cavity and invade other organs. Imaging is better these days, but we couldn't confirm every location in my body. Going in, we had a list of planned procedures to excise the endo and remove cysts. Then there was the "what's possible" list commonly associated with Stage 4 endo and my symptoms including an appendectomy, gallbladder removal, ovary and tubal removal, hysterectomy, and a bowel resection.
JuLY
The list of what ifs consumed my mind at times. Then I had to cancel plans from my class reunion to family gatherings to an anniversary trip with my sorority sisters. As all of this added up, it showed up in my body. I started network spinal analysis, and we worked through the bound energy in my back and pelvic region while utilizing somatic breathwork. While my experience didn’t quite match the videos I saw on social media, I definitely felt the physical shift. When I paired this when a mental shift, I really saw changes.
August
My body was already very sensitive to stress, and I had to be mindful of how heavy my load was. I prayed, journaled, and meditated. I was processing a lot, including a parent recovering from a serious accident. Prayer bought solace as I needed guidance, and journaling provided an outlet for a wandering mind. Meditation helped me more than I realized with being still and sitting in quiet moments. It was truly a spiritual, physical, emotional, and mental journey.
september
Things finally seemed to calm as my schedule shifted to only one appointment per week. But I noticed my body started to slow down. I couldn’t keep the same pace on my daily walks, or my hip got irritated when I did too many hills. My endo flares were getting worse with sharp stomach pains hitting mid-stir as I cooked and had to hand cooking over to my husband or stopping me in my tracks and immediately retreating to the couch because I couldn’t stand. If felt like things got worse before they could get better.
october
As someone who likes to have the details and a plan, so much about surgery was out of my control. Everything was swirling in my head - what would they find inside ... how long would surgery be ... how much time I'd have to stay at the hospital. I finally let it all go. By the morning of surgery, I was completely at peace with it and every decision up to that point. Surgery went extremely well but took a little longer than expected, and the colorectal surgeon on standby was called in. There were a few surprises like a second chocolate cyst that imaging didn't see and finding pockets (aka literal holes) in my body from the endometriosis. Later that night, I saw the pictures and listened to the surgeon describe what they found. It finally all made sense and perfectly explained why I had been in so much pain.
november
Going into recovery, I knew that I couldn’t compare mine to anyone else’s. But my post-op experience did not match anything I read online. I saw all these posts about moving around after 2 weeks and returning to regular routines minus heavy lifting. I, on the other hand, was waking up in tears from the pain. I still needed help getting out of bed and sitting down. My brain wanted to do something, but my body rejected the idea. Besides the sheer pain from attempting to move, I was frustrated when I couldn’t even do a simple task. Recovery was slow to say the least, but it was the stillness I needed.
DECember
As much as I itched to get back to cooking and being a busy body, healing became my only focus. I am a multitasker and tend to keep myself busy with the house, work, or my business, so sitting still while relying solely on somebody else was a lesson for me. But this has been the most beautiful reminder of a true partner's love. I’d been given the opportunity to be still and truly heal while my husband managed everything. He made me calming music, wrote me healing affirmations, prepared activities to relax my mind, and ensured that I was as comfortable as possible.
MY takeAways
After spending most of my time on the couch or in bed, I was a bit disconnected from everything outside our home but had a great deal of time to reflect. I was incredibly grateful for family and friends who listened as I weighed pros and cons, prayed for and with me, sent cards and gifts, checked in, and poured into me as I recovered from surgery. I am fortunate to have a loving, supportive community. And just as your community shows up for you, it's your responsibility to give back and share with them. So, I offer a few takeaways that I hope helps someone.
After years of dealing with chronic pain, I know that we often take good health for granted. It's like when you have a cold and then can finally breathe out of your nose again. It feels amazing, but it's a little task your body normally does without you consciously thinking about it. Take care of yourself before your body forces you to do it, and learn your body to know when something is off.
This will help you become your own advocate as well. Know what's normal for you, and don't be afraid to share that. Also, I'm not saying blindly trust the internet or push back on your doctor on everything because AI told you something. But utilize your resources and ask important questions. Endometriosis diagnoses are often delayed and take multiple years on average. Blogs and personal experiences on social media were actually incredibly helpful to identify weird symptoms, like leg and rib pains, that were connected and needed to be shared with my doctors. Get the 2nd or 3rd opinion if it brings you peace.
Finally, find the gratitude in the great moments and especially in the harder ones. I fully acknowledge my privilege to try alternative therapies and take a couple months of paid leave, as I know this may not be accessible to everyone. Despite constantly driving over an hour in Atlanta traffic to most appointments, I am so thankful to live in a metro area with resources that gave me choices for services and doctors. We anticipated a larger bill based on the surgery complexity, so I was happy to find a provider who was actually in network. The total was still high, but I am grateful for the means when I see so many others suffering in pain because they can't afford it.
As I reviewed my year of radical healing, I can say I got to know myself better. I continued journaling through recovery and learning my new body. This entire experience pushed me to slow down and dig deeper to heal my body, physically and mentally. Cheers to having more energy to do what my heart desires in the next year.