I started my period at nine years old. By the time I was twelve, I was having extremely irregular periods, sometimes lasting two weeks or more. Heavy bleeding and cramps sometimes kept me in bed for days. To top it all of, I started getting migraines on a regular basis. My mother took me to the doctor...several in fact. They put me on birth control pills (at twelve years old) to regulate my periods. They said that the cramps and migraines were all in my head, and that I was doing it for attention. If I wanted attention at that age I would have just taken my top off in the boys locker room, since I was one of the few girls who had boobs. My physical education teacher was given this information by the doctor, who did this without my consent or knowledge. The teacher punished me for "whining" by making me run lap after lap in front of my classmates. Despite my abundance of physical activity, I began to put on weight. Shortly before my sixteenth birthday excruciating cramps rendered me unconscious, and I woke up in the hospital. They had removed ovarian cyst #1, part of the left ovary and my appendix. After recovering, they placed me back on the pill (but hey, I finally got out of gym class and my mother and friends started to believe MAYBE it wasn't all in my head). A few pain killers were ruled out at this point as well, as they all made me violently ill.

After I moved to California, my friend Di referred me to a general practitioner in about 1988. He also introduced me to a new drug at the time, Imitrex (injection). It was considered experimental and was not covered by insurance, making the shots $40+ each! On a limited budget, I had to ration them, only taking them for the very worst. Via journals recording everything from temperatures, smog levels and food diaries, we were able to determine many of my triggers (wine, perfume, gatorade, mountain dew soda, and prolonged heat exposure). The list of things to avoid grew, and I was still getting debilitating migraines on a regular basis, sometimes several in any given month despite avoiding the things on my list. Then I had another attack of severe cramps that landed me in the emergency room in 1993. That time they removed ovarian cyst #2, which was the size of a softball. At this time more pain killers were ruled out, and there was no choice but to just deal with the pain.

In the spring of 1995 I was diagnosed with ovarian cyst #3. This time it was detected early on, and the doctor confessed that he felt he was not able to do enough to help me. He referred me to a Los Angeles gynecologist who was an up and coming pioneer for women with extensive problems. This doctor diagnosed me on the first visit with severe endometriosis. He explained everything to me, and then we went over treatment options. We decided to try Lupron injections for six months. At the time, I had no idea of the possible implications from taking this new, experimental drug. For the next six months, my body was put headfirst into a state of forced menopause - with hot flashes and the works. During the first six months after stopping the injections, I was pain and problem period free for the first time in my life since my very young puberty. I flatly refused to go back on the pill because of my weight, and the few things I could find about the health dangers from birth control pills. Then, after only six months of being pain free, the problems started to quickly attain the level of pain that they had been prior to taking the Lupron injections. At this time the last of the pain killers were ruled out, and I made the decision to NEVER try another one.

In the spring of 1998 I was diagnosed with ovarian cyst #4, and it grew at a rapid rate. Dr. Matlock and I agreed to take a radical departure from the normal procedure that would usually follow - a hysterectomy. He felt I would age rapidly, and I was now very leery of the synthetic hormone replacements usually given afterwards. I agreed to be his guinea pig in hope of relief and helping other women in the future. He lasered off the lining of my uterus, and removed the cyst via laproscopy, the same day. Finally I was pain and period free! For the fist time in my life since I was 12, I was also synthetic hormone free. After a while, there was a bit of spotting around period time, and the migraines had become fewer and farther between. But, unfortunately for me, the story does not end happily ever after here...

In the winter of 2001 I started having pains again. Three visits over two months to Kaiser resulted in being told there was nothing wrong with me! In spring of 2002, I went back to Dr. Matlock. I was diagnosed with Cervical Dysplasia, and he suspected ovarian cyst #5 had ruptured and that was what had been causing the pain. I was overwhelmed, in shock and scared. PRE-CANCER. That weekend, I saw Sha at Rox's party. I had met her many times over the years, but we had never really gotten to know each other closely. She told me about her experience with this same disorder, other things, and more details about the oils. Within a day she sent me an email FULL of information. I ordered the things I could afford right then and there. After the surgery I used the iodine they recommended in a sitz bath and took my antibiotics for a couple of days. I was was sitting there soaking and doing some research when my package came. I stopped taking the antibiotics and using the iodine solution right there. I started using lavender essential oil in the sitz bath per Sha's suggestion, and clary sage in my diffuser and on me. The area healed quickly and perfectly, with no complications or side effects! I then decided that the next time a doctor says I have to take antibiotics for something, I'm doing what Sha did for her infected tooth instead!

I am currently working on getting all the chemicals out of my life. I have been going through cupboards tossing cleaners, drugs, sundries, and non-organic food items. I am educating myself and making healthy changes to my life and my home. Headache Helper essential oil blend helps with my migraines, but does not make them go away. So, I am still working on that, and I'm also searching for a Naturopathic Physician or Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner. My next step is to do a serious cleansing to get all the toxic crap out of my system! I have just set foot on my long road to recovery, but I can tell you after just a few short weeks, I feel much better already!

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Be sure to read the second installment from Jessica, 40 Miles Down the Path.