Stay At Home Day Due To Having XX Chromosomes, AKA I Am One of the 4-10% of Women

So today was a day of my my body got a memo saying, "You have been given your monthly visit of insanity causing pain that will completely make movement, breathing, existing hurt so badly that your usual bodily pain will pale.  As you know...that is saying something."  So I called into work and cried almost every other hour.  My stomach hates everything, even tea sadly, but I am still making myself cups so I can at least stay hydrated.  No dears, I have not found a tea that actually lessens my dysmenorrhea (look it up if you really are interested).

For your information, I am one of the roughly 4-10% of women that suffer from a hormonal and immune system disease known as Endometriosis.  Yes, on top of the standard daily pain scale living of 5-7 due to Fibromyalgia, with the occasional 9-10, I have another added bonus that visits each month.  For any of you that want a brief explanation, see below:

"Endometriosis is a disease in which cells similar to that which line the uterus (endometrium) grow outside the uterine cavity, most commonly on the membrane which lines the abdominal cavity, the peritoneum. The uterine cavity is lined with endometrial cells, which are under the influence of female hormones. Endometrial cells in areas outside the uterus are also influenced by hormonal changes and respond in a way that is similar to the cells found inside the uterus. Common symptoms of endometriosis are pain and infertility.
Endometriosis has a significant social and psychological impact. There is no cure for endometriosis, but it can be treated in a variety of ways, including pain medication, hormonal treatments, and surgery."

I thankfully do not have the usual impact of being unable to work for one whole week a month, but I have the unfortunate usual happening of missing at least one day of work.  I manage my pain for this period with medication, my GP has been writing me varying amounts of Tylenol 3 and above since I have been 18 years old.  Hormonal treatments do not work for me, actually they make me more sick.

So, since my body hates food and even water today, I usually try to have tea that will at least settle my stomach or help me sleep.  I tend to go for ginger tea and chamomile.  Today I had both.  The Ginger tea blend was a tea from our local Asian Supermarket.  It really isn't tea, it is a tisane as it is made from ginger and honey in hot water.  In traditional Chinese medicine, ginger was used to warm the stomach, spleen and lungs, and to help promote healthy digestion and circulation.  Ginger drink is believed for nausea and for colds.  So usually it is perfect to at least keep me hydrated and keep liquids down for a while.

The chamomile I had was from the tea that my Dad and stepmom, Nancy, sent me.  It's Chamomile and Vanilla from Taylors of Harrogate.  It is an interesting mix and unique to Taylors, see below for an explanation from their website:

"Chamomile tea is sold as the perfect pre-bedtime drink for its natural calming qualities. But while researching for our own range of herb and fruit teas, Taylors tea buyer Kate found that its slightly acidic taste put some people off the wonder drink.
Her solution was to start with a really high quality chamomile from Germany...and soften the flavour with vanilla and a blend of orange leaf, aniseed, liquorice root and fennel." - per the Taylors of Harrogate website.

I also tried one of the Adagio Special Blends, Aurora.  This blend is black tea, chamomile, rose hips, hibiscus flowers, apple pieces, natural creme flavor, natural strawberry flavor, strawberries, raspberry leaves.  I really like the flavor, it was a bit too sweet, but ultimately I liked the blend and if I was feeling the need for a sweet but soothing tea, this is one I would turn to.

All of the above, even the black tea of the Aurora blend helped keep my stomach calm enough to be able to keep fluids down today, though my movement has been very slow and I've rested all day.  So, I did get to some tea reviews for the day, but I also wanted to actually share something in my life that impacts my days and also brings about the need for something to help me calm my body.  YAY tea.  I just wish there was a tea that completely did away with the associated dysmenorrhea of having endometriosis.  But for now I will be unapologetic and frank about my experiences and health issues because hiding it behind the guise of being polite or ashamed of my physical issues doesn't bring awareness and it doesn't help anyone.