So, if you're going through something similar - be encouraged because help is out there.  I'm glad I had to go through different doctors to finally meet the right one. 

Healing from an ovarian cystectomy which eventually ended up being a Salpingo Oophorectomy because the cyst had taken over my ovary is a process. You might get emotionally drained, but it brings so many other blessings as well.

• You get lots of rest.
• Opportunities to be more in the moment (power of "now")
• More time to focus on your work (if you work on your computer) because you're not taking care of household duties.
• More time to do things such as "blogging".

So, I'm finding out from my last post that this condition is so much more common than I thought. 

I want to shed light on this because so many women suffer from unnecessary discomfort and pain and have no clue what is going on in their wombs. 

If you have any of the following symptoms, you could be experiencing the effects of a cyst:

• Painful periods.
• Feeling faint or weak.
• Pain in your legs, shooting down from pelvic area.
• Vomiting from pain in your belly area.

Go see a doctor immediately if you have the above symptoms.

There are generally three types of cysts that a woman can develop. They are not all the same and have different functionings. 

1. Follicular cysts are more temporary. They can appear and then disappear in a few months. They usually occur during ovulation, when your ovary releases an egg from a small, tiny sac called a  follicle. A cyst may form if the follicle grows an egg but it is not released for ovulation. If this cyst ruptures, you may experience severe pain on the side of your ovary.
2. Corpus Luteum Cysts occur after your ovulation when the the egg is released from the follicle and instead of shrinking in size, fills up with fluid. Sometimes the cyst will bleed, causing pain or discomfort.
3. Nonfunctional Cysts are cysts that don't necessarily develop during ovulation. They can be:

 

• Endometriomas - they grow from your uterus usually and can take over your ovary.
• Dermoid Cysts - this what I had on my right ovary. They are also known as teranomas.  They might contain skin, teeth, nails or hair. Mine had skin, fat and hair.
• Cystadenomas are cysts that grow on the surface of the ovary and can be filled with fluid.
• Polycystic Ovaries are when the ovary is occupied by many small cysts - this condition is called Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). If you want to know more about this check this post: Dr. Fiona McCulloch is an expert.

 
Thank you for taking the time to read! Take care of yourself!

There are a few instagram wellness influencers that I follow avidly on instagram. They had made a major impact on my health and general well being. 

I am so grateful for people who have a passion for living a full and wholesome life and are willing to share their in depth knowledge with everyone - for free!

Social Media has played an awesome role as a platform for these awesome individuals to intelligently share their gifts, understanding of a subject and practical tips for people who are wanting to better their health and wellbeing.

They have been listed in order of who I came across first:

Natural_Natosha - Plant Medicine Extraordinaire

I came across Natosha's IG handle about a year ago or so. She is so intensely passionate about digging deep into a subject and then sharing how it can help improve one's health.

She has her own line of skincare that is cruelty-free and plant based. I love how she encourages her readers to eat a plant based diet.

Natosha has influenced me in so many ways: what to eat, how to prepare certain foods, how to combine certain foods for optimum efficiency, what books to read on Chinese medicine (and other relevant issues), the list goes on ... 

TheHealthyMelissa - Blogger and Researcher

I've been following TheHealthyMelissa for quite a few months now. Every time I go on her profile, she has something highly valuable to my overall health and wellbeing. 

Melissa is an avid blogger and researcher of Functional Medicine. Her goal is to educate her readers on how to live a physically and mentally healthier lifestyle.

Functional.Foods - Wellness Enthusiast

Tyler Jean came into my insta-radar while scrolling through @doctor.g_ 's insta feed. 

Tyler who is an aspiring Naturopathic Doctor, has a passion for educating the public on the importance of food as medicine.

He has inspired me to live a healthier lifestyle and has incredible tips on at-home remedies for when you're feeling under the weather.

Dr_Holistic_Health - Natural Health Doctor

I love visiting dr_holistic_health's instagram profile for my daily dosage of ayurvedic or holistic information. 

I am not sure who the person behind this IG profile is, but I will gladly read all the awesome health and wellness tips they offer.

So if you are into effective herbal remedies, anti-aging, body detoxification, Ayurveda or just simply holistic health - check this cool page out! Don't quote me, but I think they are vegan too! Correct me if I am wrong!

Organic_Olivia - Creator of Herbal Remedies

Okay, so I recently came across this lovely lady's IG and fell in love! Olivia is full of life - and SONG - you should hear this girl sing! Basically, full of high vibes!

She has an awesome story of how she healed her own health issues by being intuitive with her body and did her own research on how we can use what nature provides to heal our lives.

Olivia is an advocate for natural remedies, herbal treatments, energy healing work and other mind-body-spirit healing modalities.

I'm still getting to know her and will probably be purchasing some of her products.

Gmo_Gus - Plant Based Vegan/Truth Seeker

If you're looking for an all-around, plant based, holistic influencer to follow - you must check out gmo_gus.

I've only recently come across his profile - but I certainly frequent it because he is always posting awesome health and well-being related material. 

Plus, he is vegan! YAY!

She began her healing journey by switching to a raw vegetable and fruit diet and juicing. Juicing is amazing. Her day would begin with freshly cold pressed celery, green apples, ginger, lemon and dandelions.

I truly believe this is what prepared her body for her chemotherapy treatments and then bone marrow transplant. 

By 2008 my mother no longer had cancer in her bone marrow. Being a new mother, I was naturally inspired and began my journey in healthier, wholesome eating!

Okay, let me list my favorite top five IG Doctors:

1. Dr. Jessica Peatross, MD - known as Dr. Jess MD
2. Dr. Christian Gonzalez N.D - known as doctor.g_
3. Dr. Carrie Jones, ND, MPH - known as dr.carriejones
4. Dr. Jolene Brighten - known as drjolenebrighten
5. Dr. Fiona McCulloch ND - known as drfionand

You can find her at www.drjess.com. 

One of the things that really drew Dr. Jess to me was her authenticity and humility. I first came across her IG profile through an awesome Naturopathic Med Student on instagram by the name of natural_natosha. I'm going to write a post about her soon!

Dr. Jess is big on eating a healthy balanced diet, allowing food to be our medicine, and she is an awesome advocate on women's health.

What I love about Dr. Jess MD:

• She's big on hormonal balance (she even has her own line of products).
• She is a Gerson Therapy practitioner.
• She is well versed in cannabis therapy.
• She believes in preventative and functional treatment.
• She is into ayurvedic treatments and holistic healing.
• She is an advocate of eating a more plant based diet.
• She helped me in my struggles with an ovarian cyst (she doesn't know this yet)

​She really is a bright shining light! I could go on, but there some other doctors I want to acknowledge.

I came across Dr. G's instagram profile via Dr. Jess. I was hooked from the get-go! One of the things that draw's one seeking to improve their health to Dr. G is his very personable and interactive persona. 

He has a lot of followers, but will answer your questions as soon as he can. I really like this about him. Another thing is that he really explains how things work in a simple manner (if you don't have a degree in science or medicine).

Here are some of the reasons you should follow Dr. G:

• He explains how certain foods can contribute to your health or "dis-ease".
• He shares what kind of products to use or stay away and explains why.
• He advocates for a more plant-based diet.
• He is thorough in explaining how your body works.
• He cares for his patients.

Check his page out - you will be glad you did!

Dr. Carrie Jones has certainly made an impression on me. Thanks to Dr. Jess, MD - once again - I was introduced to this dynamic woman who not only knows what she is talking about but speaks to the heart of everyone, especially women!

She shares from her heart and explains explicitly how the human body works. She doesn't give medical advice, but instead points you back to the basics - healthy diets and taking care of your body with what nature provides.

Her "expertise lies in the areas of hormonal, adrenal and thyroid health" (See the thedutchtest.com).

Dr. Jones has made an impact on me due a number of reasons:

• She is a leading Functional Medicine Doctor.
• Her expertise in hormones speaks to a women all over the world.
• She is down to earth and open, so her followers feel a sense of connection.
• She is clear and concise in her explanations on how the body works!
• She is into how the moon affects a woman's cycle.

I would love to interact with her more, so that is one of my goals!

Dr. Jolene Brighten is a leading Naturopathic medical doctor who specializes in helping women balance their hormones.

She is amazing in explaining how the woman's reproductive system works. 

• Offers alternatives to the pill; she is a post birth control symptom expert.
• Educates women in making the best decisions for their bodies.
• She openly shares her health journey.
• She has a deep background in nutritional biochemistry. She is part of the MindBodyGreen collective.

I am continuing to learn more from her on a daily basis and I am planning on getting her book, "Beyond the Pill".

I first came across Dr. Fiona's IG handle via Dr. Jolene Brighton. Since then, I am always checking out what she has to say about women's health!

She has treated thousands of patients (both men and women) who have suffered with fertility issues. 

Reasons why you should follow her:

• She's an expert on inflammatory disorders.
• She is an expert in the endocrine and immune systems (immuno-endocrinology).
• She is well versed in plant and tree medicine.
• She is humble and committed to health education.

Well, that's it for now. I am still learning more about these awesome doctors and through them, I have greatly improved my health. 

I will be checking out other doctors (some referred by the above mentioned) and will write my thoughts about them! 

Thank you for reading. Love yourself by taking care of your beautiful vessel!

Blessed be!

Sounds really funny, right? 

I thought so too. 

It's basically the removal of an ovary and fallopian tube.

This post is specifically written for women. Men can read it too! 

Imagine for a moment you have something growing in you that just doesn't feel like it should be there.

It's not a parasite. Or is it?

No! It is is not. It's your body telling you that you've not taken good care of it. You've held on to stress energy for too long. Now it's growing fast.

Imagine it is the size of a lemon, no - an orange ... or wait, a grapefruit. 

Said grapefruit-sized object was not a growing baby either. My days of having babies are long gone - phew! I've had three already and been pregnant four times - first was an ectopic pregnancy. That was my first experience with laparoscopic surgery.

The thing growing inside of me that I jokingly called my "hairy toothed ovary" or "gremlin" was actually a dermoid ovarian cyst. Read about my story then you can come back here.

GOING INTO SURGERY

The most scary thing was "fear of the unknown". Then there was also:
​

• Not knowing how my body would react to the general anesthesia.
• Not being comfortable with the fact that my body would have all sorts of drugs in it.
• Not having control over my body as I was about to go under.
• The emotions of having a possible ovary removal, along with the cyst.

Even though I was putting on my brave face, inside I knew I had to face this fear like one facing a dark night.

​Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right?

DAY 1 - FRIDAY, JAN 18th 2019

This was the actual day of surgery. Got to the hospital at 5:30 am. It was an outpatient surgery so I was discharged around 3 or 4 pm.

Surgery took about 2 and a half hours. 

Last thing I remember before surgery was telling Vinny I love him, as the nurses wheeled me towards the O.R.

DAY 1 Continued

I was dreaming when I heard the nurses saying "Lulu, wake up! Surgery is over!" 

As I looked at the clock in front of me with my blurry vision, the time was 11:11 a.m. (magick moment)

I began weeping with joy. Apart from the pain in my belly button, which the nurses immediately took care of, I was so grateful to have made it back. They asked me why I was crying? I told them how grateful I was of how well they had cared for me - and to be alive.

Vinny joined me shortly after. I was so happy to see him. Let me tell, you - it really is nice to have people who truly love and support you by your side.

WHAT TO PREPARE FOR AFTER OVARIAN CYSTECTOMY

There is going to be a lot of bloating. Especially on Day 1 -3. 

You might also become constipated. Yup, I said it!

Here are some things you can get before surgery:

• Gas X (helps relieve some of the gas that gets pumped into your abdominal cavity).
• Smooth Move Tea (trust me you will need this)
• Essential oils for calming and healing.
• Fruits, veggies and soup/broth.
• CBD oil for pain management.

WHAT NOT TO EAT OR DRINK ON DAY 1, AFTER SURGERY:

• Alcohol. Remember, there are a bunch of drugs inside of you and general anesthesia is wearing off.
• Greasy food. Man, I really wanted to eat truffle french fries, but that would not have helped.
• Avoid beans, broccoli or any other gas producing foods.

OTHER HELPFUL TIPS FOR AFTER LAPAROSCOPIC SURGERY

• Going to bed was not very comfortable. Thanks to the prescribed pain killers, I was able to feel a bit more relaxed and I had to prop up pillows and sleep in a "sitting-up" position.
• Make sure you really support your lower back.
• Have someone around to help you get up from the bed or couch.
• Try not to bend at the waist.
• Walk around as much as you CAN. This helps the gas come out of your body.
• Grounding or Earthing. Walk barefoot on real grass. This was a real amazing way to speed up recovery.
• For bathing, use a washcloth and try not to get your wounds wet.

DAY 2 - SATURDAY, JAN 19TH 2019

Still in pain, but more manageable. The painkiller was fabulous. It helped me conk out on the couch.

There was still a lot of gas trapped in my body. Not only in my belly, but also in my shoulders and back.

Still hadn't gone # 2. Uncomfortable!

TIPS FOR POST SURGICAL RELIEF

• The essential oils really helped with that. I used Frankincense.
• Walked around.
• Go barefoot outside.
• You might be constipated at this point. Try not to eat too much.
• Drink water. Stay hydrated.
• Relax. The work isn't going anywhere.

DAY 3 - SUNDAY, JAN 20TH 2019

Still hadn't gone # 2 and my belly seemed to be getting even more bloated. 

I kept eating healthy food like soups, salads, veggies and fruits.

​Vinny was amazing at serving me all the time!

Still haven't gone #2!

​I don't know why I waited this long but I finally had Vinny buy me the Smooth Move Tea. That's why I mentioned to buy it before hand!

I took the tea right before bed!

DAY 4 - MONDAY, JAN 21ST 2019

Hallelujah! That Smooth Move tea worked! It made me go twice in the morning and once at night!

Bloating went down significantly. 

Gas is subsiding in other parts of my body.

Continued walking around a little. I had to resist the urge to do more physical stuff.

Painkillers still help.

DAY 5 - TUESDAY, JAN 22ND 2019

My sweet friend Sasu came to see me. She brought me soup from one of my fave Vegan Restaurants in South Florida - Screaming Carrots.

It really helps to surround yourself with people who love you, like I said earlier.

Sasu brought me the Mushrooms in Coconut Soup and the Lentil Soup.

I really appreciate when friends check on me and spend quality time with me.

Bowel movements back to normal! YAY!

Only took one painkiller at night this time, before bed.

DAY 6 - WEDNESDAY, JAN 23RD 2019

Woke up with more energy. Pain very low - more of a discomfort than anything.

Walked around a bit. Made myself coffee - boy, did I miss my coffee!

Didn't take any painkillers at all! 

A few people I know are aware of about this situation. I wanted to share about it here because I feel it would help any woman who might be struggling with the same issue.

It really helped me, leading up to the actual surgery to read stories from other women who had been in a similar situation. I feel there is a need for women to unite and really be there for each other during times like these! Go, sister-hood power! 

I'll begin my story by going back about three years or so. I was laying in bed one day - on my back, when I felt a strange knot on the right side of my abdomen. It felt like a little golf ball. It didn't hurt or anything but felt completely foreign.

I chose to ignore it since I was not under any medical insurance - single mom issues. Not long after that, I had a dream that definitely alarmed me. In my dream I was walking down a dirt road, when three eerie women dressed in white 1800-style dresses, approached me.

In my dream, the three women had long blonde hair down to their waists. It seemed as though they were just walking along the road as messengers. One of the women came up to me and while quietly placing her hands over her right ovary, tilted her head. She seemed concerned. 

Upon waking up I realized something was definitely going on in that area of my body. Then life got busy because I was struggling financially and could not afford to go see a doctor. 

Every now and then I would feel pain on my right side and soon realized it was on or near my ovary because the pain would come when I was either ovulating or going through my menstrual cycle.

Sure enough, the time came again where I felt the pain again in my belly, near what seemed like my ovary. I felt like I had a lot of pressure, kind of similar to menstrual cramps, but not the exactly the same. 

There are few different symptoms to watch out for if you suspect you have an ovarian cyst. 

There are a few symptoms that you definitely need to look into:

1. Relentless pelvic pain: any pain around your ovaries needs that keeps persisting needs to checked. This could also be while having intercourse or while beginning your menstrual cycle.
2. Unexplainable belly bloating. If you are not used to this and you keep having a bloated feeling, you must have this looked at.
3. A feeling of constant constipation. Cysts can cause blockage and make you feel full.
4. Needing to pee and not really peeing. Cysts will sometimes sit right on your bladder, making you feel like you need to go but nothing comes out.
5. Back or leg pain. My cyst sometimes would sit on my sciatic nerve which caused back pain and pain to shoot down my leg. 
6. Pain while having sex. If you feeling uncomfortable while having sex because you literally have something in the way, then then by all means get this check as well!

There are different types of ovarian cysts, which you can find out more about here. Mine was a dermoid cyst, according to the diagnosis of my Emergency Room visit. At that time (about a year and a half ago), it was about five centimeters or more in size. 

A dermoid cyst is a harder type of a cyst. It may contain skin, nails, teeth, bones, hair or all of the above. So the only way it can go away is if

a) disappears miraculously or
b) it is removed surgically.

They ended sending me home because I didn't have insurance (another topic I want to talk about in another post) and they explained, I didn't have any ovary torsion. Ovary Torsion is when your ovary twists over and causes severe abdominal pain. This could be very dangerous as it cuts off blood flow to your ovaries.

They also told me that my blood did not show any indication of cancer, so I would just have to go home and monitor my symptoms. They told me if I have pain accompanied by nausea (another symptom), then I should come back to the E.R.

Needless to say, I was frustrated and confused. The pain would come and go. Until one day, I finally got medical insurance a year later. It wasn't the best, but it was a push in the right direction. 

I found an OBGYN that I thought would finally take care of my "growing gremlin". Yes, I did come up with a name for it! I met with Dr. Andrade of Dr. Hanna Farris' practice. He was very nice to begin with and seemed very concerned about my now larger ovarian cyst. He told me it was about seven centimeters and it needed to be removed as soon as possible. This was around July 2018.

As you know, timing has to be perfect. The time he had available for the surgery was not until after October. I had follow up visits but the doctor's office just didn't seem very concerned about me. I came to the realization that my medical insurance was not their optimum choice, so they kept pushing my case further back.

Fueled by frustration and anger, I kept calling the office and following up. My message finally got through and I was scheduled for surgery on December 5th, 2018. By this time, you could imagine my emotional state. A day before my surgery, Dr. Andrade called to inform me that my surgery was to be postponed due to some alarming test results.

CA19-9. That blasted marker! The Doctor was concerned that I could be experiencing endometriosis or a chocolate cyst. Another concern was pancreatic cancer. So he felt that I had to have another CT Scan of not only my pelvic area but abdominal as well.

Back to the waiting game again. After endless, frustrated calls back and forth with the Dr.'s office because I had to go through a lot of "red-tape" due to my insurance coverage, to ensure I had referrals for all my exams, I finally got the tests done. 

The results came back negative for cancer, but for some reason, the Doctor saw this was a good time to go on vacation without telling me. The pain came back, accompanied by nausea - which sent me to the E.R. again.

By this time, the cyst was notably bigger but they refused to do the surgery during my E.R. visit because there wasn't any available OBGYN Surgeon. I ended up getting a referral through this visit to the awesome Dr. Laurel King. 

I was very happy and relieved to meet with Dr. King. She was extremely thorough in explaining how ovarian cysts can be dangerous and cause various markers to go up during tests. She wanted to get my cyst removed as soon as possible because she could see that it was really affecting my whole pelvic area. She explained how she would remove the cyst and do her best to save my ovary. If necessary, she would have to perform a Salpingo-oophorectomy which basically was the removal of my ovary and fallopian tube.

The date was set! January 18, 2018. I felt a real final wave of relief even though in the background, there was a fear that this procedure would be postponed again. Life is not normal when you have an abnormal growth in your body. I wanted it out!

Since you are reading my words, you know that I made it through despite my anxiety about going under General anaesthesia. Needless to say, I am here and can confidently say that the hospital staff at Memorial Regional was amazing. 

They made me feel very comfortable and ensured that I had minimal discomfort or pain. I was afraid that I would react to the anaesthesia, but honestly I came out of it while I was dreaming. The nurses had to wake me up.

I found out after surgery, that my ovary indeed had to be removed, along with the fallopian tube. Apparently, my ovary had been overtaken by the little "gremlin" and was no longer of service. Who needs a "hairy toothed" ovary anyway (inside joke with my friend Julie)?

I learned a lot from this whole situation. But the one things that really stuck out is:

Your body is incredibly and intelligently intuitive and communicates with you all the time. There are signs all over the place! I said it earlier, everything is connected. For me, I feel the cyst served its purpose in showing me that I tend to hold on to pain in an unhealthy way. 

Questions to ask yourself:

1. Am I holding onto emotional stress?
2. Where am I holding on to this stress?
3. What areas of my body are alarming me?
4. Do I have unprocessed grief that is hidden in my body?
5. Am I giving my body the rest it needs?
6. Am I listening to my body?

Emotional stress can grow into ugly looking things that take up space and ruin the environment for other normal activities. Apparently women can have dermoid cysts while still in their mother's womb. Over time, the cyst grows - acting as a messenger to take care of yourself.

Apparently the cyst I had was about the size of a grapefruit. It took me that long to pay attention to my sacred womb. I got the message though. I am going to be more attentive to my temple.

I'm learning that oral health is so crucial and important because how we take care of our mouth and teeth can affect our whole body. I know now that each tooth is somehow connected to an actual organ in the body and how you treat it will affect that specific organ. 

EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED.

I've been following this awesome Holistic Dentist on Instagram called Dr. Steven Lin, who is is big on eating healthy, organic food. He has a book called: The Dental Diet - which links eating healthy food to life changing oral wellness and overall health and how you can reverse various conditions in your body by changing your diet. I borrowed mine from the local library, but you can get yours online at amazon.

So here is my list - I guess Dr. Steven Lin's book could have been an item but I have listed him for reference on "healthier teeth". On to my list.

#1 - TONGUE SCRAPER:

This is definite must have in your bathroom, right next to your toothbrush. If you're really into oral hygiene and want to have a fresh-tasting, nice-smelling tongue, get these amazing ayurvedic oral care items. They literally scrape off a butt load of nasty bacteria off your tongue and make you feel better than if you only brushed your tongue. 

• They kill bacteria and bad breath
• They are easy, quick and comfortable to use (even my kids love them).
• They are so much more effective at removing debris than just tongue brushing!
• They help improve digestion.
• They are easy to clean.

I could go on - you just need to get them already? Okay, I feel better telling you!

I LOVE THIS STUFF because it helps replenish the necessary minerals my teeth need for the best dental health. Here are some reasons I love using this:

1. It is FLUORIDE FREE! I am going to write a post soon on why FLUORIDE is not as safe as you think!
2. It helps build up sensitive gums and teeth.
3. It is minty fresh!
4. Helps ward off mouth infections.
5. It's vegan - if you haven't noticed, I am very "pro-animals"!

Well, there you have it! Five awesome products to try out if you haven't already! Do something awesome for your teeth!