I'd like to share about my experience with endometriosis. Since January of 2012, I had been getting pain on my right side. Sometimes it would wake me at night. Over the course of about 7-8 months it cycled up and down growing progressively more present and more painful - to the point of my white knuckling it through varying points of the month.
Of course like any good neurotic with high speed internet, I self-diagnosed - which lead me to worry something fierce, do a half-ass attempt at Gerson, and just become downright miserable. Finally, my friend convinced me to seek medical care. Not having health insurance, I went to the doctor I had seen prior to being uninsured.
She did a pelvic exam and told me, "there's nothing wrong with you. Don't drink milk."
"I don't drink milk."
"Good."
"I mean my son drinks camel milk and occassionally, I take a sip."
"What! Why? Don't drink that. It' is probably bothering your intestines."
"Shouldn't you do an ultrasound to make sure it's not my ovaries."
"No. First stop milk. Then come back if you still have the pain. Then we'll discuss an ultrasound."
Yikes.
Back to pain - day in and day out.
I went to my herbalist and she gave me a mix. It would make the pain go away, but then return again. So basically if I stopped, blamo - back to pain.
I felt like I was getting nowhere. So I went to the government hospital and got an ultrasound. They told me there was an enlarged follicle. One doctor called it a cyst - another - not a cyst.
Come back in 4-6 months to check again.
In the meantime, obsessed with this pain, worried... it felt like I had a lemon in my abdomen when I would sit down. I was convinced of the worst.
In my obsessive reading, I came across studies about ginger having cancer-killing properties - especially with ovarian cancer. It was also shown to work to assist chemo for patients doing both. In desperation, I blended a thumb size piece of ginger in some apple juice and slugged it down. This is going to sound unbelievable, but within about 20-30 minutes, my pelvis felt warm... and then the pain subsided... better than an ibuprofen. I did it several days and then stopped. At the first sign of pain, I would ginger again for a day or two. I would say it took about 2-3 weeks for the pain to completely go away.
Upon returning for my second ultrasound my ovaries were clear. The doctor I met with this time, said that given the pain, and the enlarged follicle at the beginning - she would say I had endometriosis. She gave me a script for birth control pills and sent me on my way.
I have not had the ginger drink in about 2 months. I have a tinge of pain returning, so I'll be blending up the powerful concoction this weekend.
Again, I'm not a doc - just someone looking for ways to take control of my own healing. I'll take a couple ginger shakes over birth control pills for now.
Articles that inspired my regimen
Ginger kills ovarian cancer cells
Cytotoxic effects of dried ginger in mouse model
Ginger inhibits cell growth of cancer
Ginger's anti-inflammatory effects
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