Short introduction: 'Oh, damn ...'
[bonus] Your cheatsheet!
A page or two after the intro cross-referencing some key issues discussed in the book so readers who are having a moment in crisis can skip there and get immediate answers/advice. [E.g. what to expect during surgery, painful sex, pain relief.]
1. Meet endo *This chapter was so big, so now each condition is going to get its own chapter
- What it is
- Diagnosis
- Types and stages of endo
- stats from various countries about endo
- symptoms and advice on how to get diagnosed, etc.
2. PCOS
What is is
What are the symptoms
What are the treatments
Statististics
Diagnosis
Erin's bursting cyst stories.
[bonus] TOP 20 burning questions! [Or top 10, depending on how long the answers are] Erin is sourcing these questions from her Instagram followers. She and Tom Manley will both answer, but Erin's take will be 'raw' from the POV of the lived experience, while Tom's will be science-based.
3. How I became a pregnant virgin
- paint the picture of young Erin, and her/her sister/mother/grandmother experience w their periods. Possibly kick off with the pregnant virgin story.
- her first experience of having an internal ultrasound
- what to expect during one of these ultrasounds
- be prepared for doctors who don't understand. How to deal with them.
- diagnosis is the first step, and it's a really important one. Average diagnosis takes 7 years!
- how Erin dealt with her diagnosis and experience of having these as a teen and young woman. What did she understand/ not understand about her condition and the surgeries.
- Story of her first surgery
4. Make friends with pain (not really)
-Tens machines, heat packs, medication
- Working with endo (sick days get used up quickly. The condition on its own also costs the average woman $30,000 p/y as well + the government (lost productivity)
5. Step up to the surgery buffet
- Erin's surgery timeline
- Different types of surgeries on offer.
- The politics of surgery
- What's going to happen in those procedures
- How will it feel
6 My surgery survival guide
- How to prep your home and life for recovery
- What are your rights when you're in hospital
- How to pack the ultimate 'recovery' bag for the hospital
- How to get what you want in the operating theatre.
- What can you ask for How to ask for it.
- Finances, insurance - the cost and practicalities of managing hospital bills, keeping good records, navigating insurance.
7. Love on the rocks
- her experiences as a young woman with boyfriends, sex and pain
- playing the field with endo
- relationship challenges - fertility challenges, frustrations, communication
- what a healthy relationship looks like.
- If he/she doesn't understand what you're going through, you'll be better off and recover faster alone!
8. Painful sex: the elephant in the bedroom
-causes, possible solutions
-how to foster sexual and mental wellness within a relationship when pain is a constant companion
9. Life can still be an adventure
- Experiences of being on TV shows
- Navigating endo while on those shows.
- Blowing up on social media, learning to deal with that, and be real and open about her condition. The beauty of being part of a global endo community
- Body image: diet and exercise - Erin's approach is very much that the latest trends don't work and won't cure your endo or PCOS on their own. Eat well(ish), exercise if
you can, and give your body a break. If you spend a week on the couch eating Maccas bc you're in pain, forgive yourself, and just try to do better the next week.- Talk about My Fitness Pal in this context, how it's mostly about food and this is a great tool for giving you an idea of how to control that.
10. Live as well as you can now, don't wait
-The roller coaster is real: Erin can talk about how she was looking forward to an improved quality of life now that she's been able to have the surgery she's fought to have for so long. But that's been taken away again.
- One last reminder to the reader to get support from the global endo community
- You're not a woman unless you pop out a baby: Erin's feelings about not wanting children but having to fight for the medical system to accept that.
- Finish strong with Erin's philosophy about living the life YOU want, not the one medical professionals and society tells you you should want. Advocate for yourself to ensure you get the quality of care you deserve, and a life that you want to live.
(fairly short)
Links to helpful resources UK/US/Aus
