I always thought I handled stress EXTREMELY well. Because I grew up in a family of 9- imagine the steady culture of chaos- I hardly even notice when life begins to spiral out of control. In fact, I've always thought that deadlines motivate me. I may be aware of stress in my life, but I keep calm and manage it well.
Now I've come to the realization, that while I may mentally handle stress well, physically I do not. I think that's apparent by the state my body was in 5 weeks ago before the surprise laparotomy. I no longer have dilusions that stress doesn't effect me. As it happens, there appears to be a direct link between stress and endometriosis.
In a study presented at the 121st annual meeting of the American Physiological Society, researchers described their conclusions:
“The findings contribute to our understanding of how stress may affect the severity of endometriosis. We think there is likely a connection with the immune system because of the observed levels of mast cells in the colon and the increased levels of inflammatory cells in the peritoneum of the affected rats, since this has also been observed in patients with endometriosis.” Appleyard continued, “The results offer a jumping off point to help identify stress-management interventions that will help those women who are affected by the disease.” (Dr. Appleyard, senior researcher on study)
Now that I'm aware of this, my knowledge itself is a stressor. I can imagine the endometriosis growing back inside of me with each frustrating encounter in this over-congested city.
I am acutely aware now of things that are obvious or hidden stressors, not to mention the BIG one: wondering if we'll ever get pregnant, wondering if the endo will rush back, wondering if the hubby will get the job he wants, etc.
Stress literally can kill you if you don't know how to handle it. So instead of letting it slowly eat away at my insides, I need to figure out which stress-management methods will work for me. More to come on that!
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