Secondary Anemia

Adenomyosis causes anemia from the large loss of blood. This causes you to have other problems such as:

• Fatigue
• Paleness
• Cardiac Problems or Worsening of ones already present
• Chest Pain
• Shortness of breath
• Chills
• Cold hands & feet
• Headaches
• Weakened immune system
• Anxiety
• Irritability or Moodiness
• Inability to Think Clearly
• Constipation
• Tinnitus
• Muscle Cramps

There are many other symptoms-too many to list.

I have fatigue. Just a constant tiredness that never goes away. No matter how many hours you sleep at night or taking a nap--you are still tired. "I'm so tired my tired is tired."

Skin paleness is present for me but most people that don't know me don't notice it. I am dark skinned with an olive complexion. I see it every time I look in a mirror and it is dis-heartening. 

Cardiac problems-for me this is bouts of palpitations. The key is stay calm and not panic, panic only makes it worse. My blood pressure has also lowered. I have taken hypertension meds from age 27 to December 2008. My blood pressure is now normal without medication due to the anemia but with spells of being low enough to make me dizzy and fainting.

Shortness of Breath--Walking any distance has to be paced and even then I need to stop and catch my breath. Taking a load of laundry to the clothes line can totally wind me and its not that far. 

Chills--I have never had chills before unless I was feverish. I now have chills on a regular basis but luckily, so far, I have not developed an over all coldness. It takes me longer to warm back up after getting cold such as going out to feed the chickens, waking out to the mailbox, etc.

Cold Hands & feet--I have recently began wearing socks most of the time. 6 months ago, that was not going to happen, I couldn't stand to have socks on my feet unless I had shoes on--now I need them.

Headaches--I wake up with a headache almost every morning, sometimes in the middle of the night I have to get up due to headaches. 

Weakened Immune System--I am sick more often now and it takes longest to shake a cold or bacterial infection. 

Anxiety--I am not sure if my anxiety levels are higher than before or not, I do worry as all people do but I have always had this place deep down inside that knows all be okay.

Irritability or Moodiness--I am more moody and little things that would never before have bothered me drive me slap a** batty now.

Inability to think clearly--I don't retain things as easily. I don't recall things I know as readily as before. My "think fast on your feet" abilities are all but gone.

Constipation--this occurs more frequently no matter the diet and only adds to severity of the rectocele.

Tinnitus--Ringing in the ears.

Muscle Cramps--Due to the lack of oxygen in the blood and lack of amount of blood to carry the oxygen around, muscles cramp.

Think about these things. Think about living with these things on a daily basis for years. My life is full but not like it should be, all because of Adenomyosis related anemia.

Saving Money--Cloth Menstrual Pads

I was thinking-using as many sanitary napkins and tampons as I do, I could save a lot of money going to cloth and even more if I made them myself.

This is a subject I have researched over the years in the past.

As I was up at 3:00 a.m. with a head cold, I think I'll be productive and do some pattern searching and go through my stash of cloth, see what I can come up with. May need to order some waterproofing for the backs.

Here are the web pages I have found with patterns and/or information and Etsy has lots of patterns and pads for sale.

Adahy's Cloth Pad Patterns There are several patterns here including an 11 inch pad, panty liner, a 8 inch pad & a circular pad. She has done a lot of work and research and it shows. 

Jan Andrea Great picture showing how to lay out your pattern so as to have extreme little waste of cloth when cutting out. Also some patterns.

Instructions for Cloth Menstrual Pads Pattern will need to be enlarged and then follow the simple instructions.

There are lots of other great sites out there. Go ahead-step into the water and do some research and make your own reusable, washable cloth menstrual pads.

Related Problems

Along with adenomyosis comes:

• Anemia
• Hair Loss
• Lower Back Ache
• Pain in the legs
• Feeling of abdominal fullness-similar the last trimester of pregnancy
• Heavy, prolonged menstrual bleeding that lasts from 7-14 days, in some cases even longer
• Sevre uterine cramping during menstruation
• Passing of blood clots both small and large
• Sudden, sharp cramping even when not bleeding
• Feeling full after eating only a small amount due to the uterus being enlarged and pressing on the stomach
• Enlarged uterus
• Pain and/or lack of sensation during sexual intercourse
• Sudden pain upon sitting down
• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Frequent urination
• Nausea
• Extreme Fatigue
• Changes in weight-loss due to not being able to eat a full meal, gain due to edema
• Edema
• Insomnia due to pain and needing to constantly get up and urinate and/or clean yourself
• Miscarriage
• Inability to Conceive

You can only imagine how these things interfere with your life on a daily basis, on an hour by hour basis. I never leave home without a change of clothes. No matter what form of protection I use, up to 3 kinds at once (menstrual cup, super plus tampon, & overnight pad) there have been many times that suddenly, with one sharp cramp, all that was full and overflowing and m clothes literally soaked--to my knees. 

I am tired all the time. My daughter cooks supper and my grand daughter cleans the kitchen up. Sweeping the floor wears me out. I dearly love hanging my laundry out, even in the winter, but can not carry the baskets to and from the line. 

I have migraines that put me out of commission. I have had these for a long time, probably as long as the adenomyosis has been developing, but not like what I have now. Now there is sensitivity to light, nausea, inability to move my head, and no noise is tolerated.

Edema, or retention of excess fluid is something I have had since high school. Adenomyosis only makes it worse. I take 50mg. of HCTZ for this and have for quit some time now. Several years ago when the dose had to be doubled, and I was having heavy menstrual bleeding no one even thought to connect the worsening of one condition to the development of the other. It was, "Well, your edema is worsening because you are working standing on your feet more now. Your bleeding is worse because you are working on a concrete floor." 

Hair loss--my hair started thinning about 1998. I talked to the doctor about it. He ran his hands through my hair and said, "Seems thick enough to me." Again, nobody even cared to try and put the symptoms together. His notes sound as if he thought I was vain and bordering on some personality disorder.

Lower back pain--This one has been fun. At first I am told its because I have had children. (at some point all my symptoms have been blamed on the fact that I have children). I do have spondylosis. That was mis- diagnosed repeatedly as a "pulled back muscle" at least 6 times. Finally a nurse practioner said no, there is something else wrong here. She sent me for an MRI that showed three bone spurs, bulging discs and spondylyosis of the lumbar region of my spine. I would say that is the major cause of pain there for me.

Pain in my legs--There are times my hips, thighs and even to the soles of my feet are in pain or completely numb. Before the aforementioned MRI, that again was blamed on child bearing--up to ten years after my last child was born. I will also say that at least some of this is due to the other conditions found during the MRI.

Constipation is a constant companion. This only makes the cramping and the rectocele worse. Again, doctor's have never put it together. Just told me to take a smaller dose of iron or slow release iron oh, yea, take a stool softener every day too. It does not always help.

Change in Weight-This was the one that made people start getting on the ball. I lost weight. Can't tell you how much. Between the stress of caring for a sister-in-law with late stage Alzheimer's, a husband dying of liver failure, and keeping my job and the yet un-diagnosed adenomyosis, I went from a size 18 to a size 10 in about eight weeks. Part of it was not actual weight loss, but my uterus was enlarged to the point of being the same size as a 4 month pregnancy, and that went down, but people got on the ball. Thought I might have cancer. Thank goodness I did not. Maybe it would have been better-could have have the hysterectomy and repairs done. See in Tennessee, if a woman has cancer she gets TennCare for 45 days.


Ladies, do not take a plain out stupid answer like, "Well, that happens when you get older." or "You stand on your feet too much." or "You stand on concrete." or "That's what happens when you have children."

Men, do not let your women take these stupid answers.

Insist your doctor do more tests. Put the symptoms down on paper with times and dates. Take pictures of those blood clots with a ruler beside them. Keep a log of every pad, tampon, menstrual cup, etc. you use on a daily basis with how full it is. Show these to your doctor and scream if you must, "This is NOT normal!!"

Print out this chart and use it-take it to your doctor and let them put a COPY in your file, keep the original.

The Woman with an Issue of Blood

Mat 9:20 KJV - And , behold , a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood  twelve years, came  behind, and touched the hem of his garment:
Mar 5:25 KJV - And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve  years,
Luk 8:43 KJV - And  a woman  having  an issue  of blood  twelve years, which had spent  all her living  upon  physicians, neither could be healed of  any,
Luk 8:44 KJV - Came behind, and touched the border  of his garment: and  immediately her  issue of blood  stanched.

For many years now, I have admired this un-named woman's faith. It was not the fact that she touched the hem of Jesus' garment that healed her--it was the fact she BELIEVED that simple act would heal her. 

Mat 9:22 KJV - But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.

Does this mean my issue of blood continues, actually worsens after ten years, because I have little faith? Because I am a sinner? Because I am dis-obedient? I choose to leave that to the more theology minded to debate. I do pray about these issues, and seek guidance from the God of my and all Creation. 

I'll keep you up to date with the answers. For now my point is that many people, male AND female, and I dare say more females, use this passage (and others) to say that if a woman has "female problems" she has "asked for it" or, using other verses and passages, that she has a "generational" curse on her, after all, women bleed in cycles because they are being punished for being the daughter's of Eve! 

In my mind and heart and soul, these reasons can not be totally discounted. But and that is a BIG but, these are used as excuses more often than not. After all, ALL female mammals, have fertility cycles that include bleeding. Also, these very beliefs are judgmental to the very core and put God/Creator in a very bad light--

There are physical reasons, ones with physical not spiritual explanations, for these problems. The way to prove this? My faith is such that if you have an issue of blood due to spiritual reasons, even a complete hysterectomy is NOT going to fix it. You will continue to bleed. Yes, I have enough faith to KNOW that God/Creator/The Wonderful and Great Mystery can make you have an issue of blood, even after a surgeon removes your uterus/womb from your body. He is all powerful and a Great Mystery and He has the ability and power to fix or break what He created.

My point with post though is that humans use this, and other passages from the Bible to not only say, but actually believe-deep down believe, that women deserve to be punished for no other reason than they are women, and that God says it!

Please click on the tab above above that says "Woman's Sabbath" to find a very different view on the fact that women bleed on a regular basis. I will later be writing a post about what many Native/Aboriginal people believe about this fact.

Today's Happenings

Today and yesterday have been days of pain--it truly feels like I am in labor. I can go from 4:30 a.m. to about 2:00 p.m. before it starts.

Nothing so far has relieved the pain. I have tried Advil, Aleve (prescription strength), and Loritab, heating pad, relation, hot bath, hot shower. . .

If you have any suggestions, please leave them in a comment.

The pain makes me not nauseated but desirous of vomiting-just like labor with my eldest.

I continue to work every day. I sit with an elderly lady with Alzheimer's. She is very sweet. She can't wait for it to get warm enough she can go outside to feed her chickens herself. She tries to feed all her visitors! Once a Mama always a Mama!!

I don't get much sleep as between the pain and getting up to change myself so as to not have to change the bed, keeps my sleep interrupted.

I updated the fund raiser today. I so appreciate all the gifts and prayers. I have found some creative ways to save some extra money for the surgery and recovery period: I do in-home mortgage closings as a Notary Signing Agent. This occasional work as most times they are scheduled during the hours I am at my regular job. But I have decided to take out my expense money only for each job (printing costs & gas) and to put the rest up in the surgery fund. Every time I buy feed for the animals, I match the 10% taxes and put that in the surgery fund. It will build and I will be able to do this.

My eldest daughter, Virgillia, is set to take my place patient sitting while I recover. There is also a relative of her family as back-up. My job will be there when I recover.

Virgillia  bought a bunch of strawberries on sale. We froze a lot and tomorrow I plan to make jam with the rest. Distraction helps to some degree and the jam will be really good!