a struggle

i have adenomyosis. it's that condition wherein the uterine lining (that thing that lines the uterus in preparation for possible pregnancy) penetrates the uterine muscles, where it shouldn't have. because of this condition, a regular menstrual cycle for me usually involve heavy bleeding (think miscarriage proportions, where big blood clots are discharged!) and 10 out of 10 intense muscle cramping. i've had this condition since i was twelve years old. however, it was only when i was 24 that i had a label for the irregular, heavy bleeding, and pain symptoms i had back then. when i was in sixth grade, i went to my first ob. that experience didn't turn out pleasantly so i decided against seeking further medical help. i endured bouts of bleeding on a daily basis that lasted two or three weeks. of course, there were months that i had reprieve and didn't bleed at all. but when i do have my period back, it would return with a vengeance. when i thought i was mature enough and now had the resources to seek medical help, i saw my 4th ob. it was then that i got a name for my condition. she ordered a transrectal ultrasound of the uterus and it was there that i learned i had adenomyosis. ha, not only did i learn of the condition's name, i also learned that i won't die from this condition. while it's true that this condition is not debilitating, this condition, however, will afford me great discomfort and intense pain bordering on hampering social activities should i have my symptoms. i'm now almost 32 years old, and since i was 24 i was on/off different oral contraceptive pills (ocps) and depo provera shots until now. end of last year, the symptoms got so worse that my 5th and current ob ordered another ultrasound. the ultrasound result was suspicious of endometrial hyperplasia. it was because of this that i had to underwent a dilation and curettage (DnC or raspa in the vernacular) procedure last october 2010. DnC is another form of diagnostic procedure. my doc urged me to have this procedure done so we would find out what's going on with my uterus this time and rule out cancer for good. the biopsy from the DnC revealed that i had simple endometrial hyperplasia without atypia. though this sounds complicated, this was good news according to my doc. of the four types of hyperplasia, i got the 4th type - the noncancerous one!!! the other three are precursor to endometrial cancer, eventually leading to uterine cancer! thank GOD, right!?? in some respect, i am thankful, but in another respect i'm confused, hehe. the DnC was supposed to help ease up my symptoms. it only did for a month or two. after the DnC (oct. 30), i had depo shot (nov. 6). the shot was supposed to last for three months. i was given this treatment in order to halt my ovulation so that i won't bleed for months. this was done in the hopes of curing the hyperplasia. apparently, hyperplasia is dependent on estrogen production in your body. to cure this, estrogen production had to be suppressed, thus, the progesterone shot (via depo). unfortunately, barely a month from the depo shot, i was bleeding again. now, i've shifted to another oral contraceptive pill (gracial). my first pack of the pill didn't turn out quite well. i was intermittently bleeding. however, i continued with the pill thinking to give it time to work before i go running back to my doctor. as with other pills, there was a rest period (of 6 days before starting another pack). this rest period turned out to be my HELL!!! the pain symptoms were so intense and the bleeding equally heavy. it was so bad that i couldn't endure it and decided to visit velez hospital's E.R., but like my other previous ER visits, there's nothing much the doctors could do save for prescribe pain killers. the january episode led me to rethink my take on pharmacology. while i still trust (a little) in science, some parts of me want to try out the nutrition approach. to go back to basics and eat healthy. i've been switching from depo to pill to pill and yet nothing have come out of it, at least nothing that satisfies me permanently. it is for this reason, that i'm attempting to alter my diet. i'm a meat eater and a lover of UNhealthy foods (haha). so i'll see how switching from red meat to fish and greens will help my condition. the medical literature is very clear that THERE IS NO CURE for my condition except taking out the uterus out of the equation. the cure for my condition happens when i hit menopause. i'm very clear against hysterectomy, so - even if it's hard, i will attempt to eat healthy. definitely, i will slide back to eating my beloved pork, pastas, and cakes - but i will try hard to keep it to a minimal. i know it won't happen overnight, but if the initial results were to be replicated, then perhaps there's truth to the countless accounts of women suffering the same fate as i have that THERE IS A CURE FOR US By WAY of NUTRITION. since the last episode in january, i've been eating nothing but greens of the cruciferous family (cabbage etc.) and fish with very minimal intake of meat and ZERO intake of WHEAT products (breads, cakes, biscuits, pastas etc.) and DAIRY. my second rest period only lasted for 2 and half days. this is very good compared to my history of 5 days or weeks of misery from heavy bleeding and pain symptoms. so yeah, i want to continue eating greens and fish, but for the love of me - it's a very HARD struggle. i'm craving the meats, pastas, and everything sweet. ha, if the past three days were to be considered, MAN - i'm losing the battle. i so hope that i can sustain altering my diet! else, i suffer longer days. so help me GOD!