Last posting was a bit bleak. I am happy to report that the doctor's initial thoughts were wrong and I have lots of good quality eggs. So starting tomorrow, I begin my IVF days.

Since I thought I couldn't have babies, I got a fur baby. Here are some gratuitous shots of her. Should be an exciting year with the potential for twins and a young Ernie!

Hopeless

The diet didn't help. Nothing works. This last month my pain was so bad I threw up and worked from home for 2 days. I knew it was back and it came back fast. We went to the fertility doctor today. An ultrasound confirmed the endo is back on my right ovary and possibly on my left. On top of that, I have half the egg follicles of the low range for someone my age. I should have 12-20. I have 6.

I feel hopeless and angry. Angry that no one listened to me (including myself). We start our major tests next month. I have to endure another month or more of pain.

This article perfectly explains.
http://www.cureendometriosis.com/diagnosis/

Endometriosis Diet

This past weekend was the last of my normal eating. I decided to make one of my favorite Vietnamese foods - Banh Mi (pronounced - "Bang Me"). I even tried to make the bread from scratch. It was a major fail. I must have killed the yeast because my baguettes came out like bricks. Luckily, there are a lot of nice bakeries around here in West Seattle, my favorite being http://www.bakerynouveau.com/welcome/. Needless to say the Banh Mis were great, with purchased bread.

In January, I went to the emergency room for what doctors thought was a twisted ovary. During the laparoscopic surgery, they discovered it was a ruptured chocolate cyst caused by my stage IV endometriosis. Something I always suspected I had, now confirmed. There is no cure, however, the best natural treatment is for me to get pregnant. They have given me 3 months to try and conceive on my own before I have to have fertility treatments. Therefore, I am doing everything I possibly can to control this disease.

First step is the diet. The theory is that endometriosis is an autoimmune disease, which can be helped through diet. The link between diet and endometriosis symptoms has not been proven medically. All I have are testimonials. The way I see it is that I have nothing to lose by trying this diet (except weight). The things I need to remove from my diet are:

1. Wheat and gluten

2. Soy products

3. Meat

4. Dairy

5. Eggs

6. Caffeine

7. Alcohol

8. Sugar

What the Hell am I supposed to eat? I don't know. I decided to buy a book called "Recipes for the Endometriosis Diet" from Amazon.com. Hopefully, I can eat more than lettuce, kale, and fruit. Did I mention I am starving today?

My other "to do" is to make an appointment with an acupuncturist specializing in fertility. More on that when I find one.

Since I cannot have Banh Mi for 3 more months, please enjoy this recipe for me.

Meat filling (pork/chicken/beef will work, serves 6)

1 lb 2 oz of meat of choice

6-7 scallions

4 Tbs of fish sauce (the lighter sauce color, the better the quality)

1Tbs honey

2 Tbs sugar

1 Tsp black pepper

2-3 garlic cloves finely chopped

2 Tbs of olive oil

Thinly slice meat (1/8 inch thick) and set aside. Finely chop or mortar and pestle the scallions into a paste.

In a separate bowl combine the fish sauce, honey, sugar, and pepper. Stir until the sugar is dissolved.

Add meat, spring onion paste, and garlic to the fish sauce mix and toss to coat. Pour oil on top, cover and marinate for at least 2 hours. Over night is best.

The meat can be grilled on skewers or cooked on a cast iron pan. Cooked until browned and cooked through.

Vegetarian filling (serves 4)

14 to 16 oz of extra firm tofu

Vegetable oil for frying

1/2 yellow onion

1 Tbs minced garlic

2 cups of flavorful canned diced tomatoes

1/2 Tbs of grated ginger

1/2-1Tsp of sugar

Tamari sauce to taste

Salt and pepper

Slice tofu in 1/2 inch thick slices and cut each slice into quarter. Fill a deep frying pan 1/4 inch with oil and fry tofu until golden. (I usually let my tofu sit in a strainer in the sink for at least an hour to dry it out- makes for better frying).  Drain the fried tofu on paper towels.

Heat 1 Tbs of oil in skillet, add onions 1/4 tsp salt and a pinch of pepper. Cook on medium heat for 2 minutes. Stir in garlic and ginger. Add tomatoes, tamari sauce, and 1/2 teaspoon sugar. Cook for 15 for tomatoes to thicken. Add tofu and simmer for 5 minutes.

Pickles - the easiest and best part of these sandwiches

2 large carrots sliced into match sticks

1/4 daikon radish peeled and sliced into match sticks (this smells a bit like farts so you don't have to use radish if you don't want to)

1/2 medium yellow onion thinly sliced

1 jalapeno chili sliced and seeded

1/2 cup rice vinegar

1/3 cup of water

2 Tbs sugar

1/3 Tsp of salt

Place all the sliced vegetables in a bowl. In a sauce pan heat the vinegar water sugar and salt to a boil. Remove from heat and pour over vegetable mix. Set aside for an hour to pickle. Transfer to airtight container and refrigerate.

Assemble Sandwiches

Purchase (or make your own) 6-7 inch baguettes

Slice vertically

Put mayonnaise on the bread

Fill the sandwich with:

meat/tofu

sliced cucumber

cilantro

Optional Sriracha sauce can be dotted in the sandwich

I like to drizzle a little tamari sauce on the other half of the bread that doesn't have mayonnaise