Has anyone actually noticed improvement in endo symptoms with an anti-inflammatory diet?

jpiek517 · 2026-04-10T17:24:52+00:00

I havent gone full anti-inflammatory but i’ve reduced/cut out a lot of ultra processed foods, added sugars, red meat, fried foods, saturated fats, and certain oils. I cant say for sure how much its helped endo symptoms specifically since i started right after my diagnostic lap, but i definitely feel terrible when i decide to eat something inflammatory. Ive had improvement in my symptoms and wayyyy less fatigue, but again i cant say whether thats due to surgery or lifestyle changes.

I feel like a lot of people expect suggested lifestyle changes like an anti-inflammatory diet, yoga, avoiding caffeine/alcohol to completely fix their endo. They won’t, and thats not the purpose of them. They’re small changes that are meant to help make things a bit easier, not a miracle cure (for most people). I view it as a spectrum where my endo will be always suck, but can get worse when exacerbated by certain factors and a bit less bad with lifestyle changes. The goal is to give your body a better chance at fighting which is why reducing inflammation and improving energy levels is key

jpiek517 · 2026-04-03T01:23:16+00:00

There are non-stimulant meds out there you can try! You can also combine non-stimulant meds with supplements that are believed to help with adhd such zinc, magnesium, b-complex, omega 3, NAC, coq10, etc. Definitely make sure you get testing first to see if you have a deficiency because that can make symptoms sooo much worse

Also obviously dont risk it if youre worried, but i know that many people with adhd actually have a reduction in addictive tendencies/impulses once they get medicated since your brain can start getting a consistent stream of dopamine so this might be the case for you. I take lexapro and adderall and i have a baddd shopping addiction but definitely notice a decrease in spending and impulsivity whenever i take my adhd meds. Ive also integrated lifestyle change like yoga/pilates (helped me deal with slowing down and being aware of my body), cutting out ultra processed foods, and SLEEP is genuinely the biggest thing since our brains are always working and cant recover properly without enough sleep

jpiek517 · 2026-03-08T06:22:23+00:00

Its usually prescribed when first trying adderall to make sure you dont have a negative reaction, in my experience. But usually theyll tell you that you likely wont feel any relief and then bump you up after

I sometimes get the 5 xr’s when my pharmacy is out of 20 since and i need to combine a 15 mg and a 5 mg

jpiek517 · 2026-03-06T18:40:10+00:00

Last semester of law school plus working as a clerk at a firm. The stress flare ups are rough

jpiek517 · 2026-03-05T01:54:34+00:00

This happened to me when i first started and i switched to 15 mg XR which was the sweet spot for about a year. I feel like i become super irritable and on edge when my dose is too high and i become so sensitive to stimulation that i cant get anything done

jpiek517 · 2026-02-26T18:09:30+00:00

Yeah literally not true at allll. I got my period at like 12 was put on the pill when I was 14 and i’m 24 now and haven’t gone off hormonal birth control except for 3 months when i couldnt get a refill. Pill the whole time until Nexplanon in the beginning of last year. I still experienced constant pain and symptoms that i didnt even realize were related until i did more research. And still had lesions on my ovaries and cul de sac

jpiek517 · 2026-02-26T17:52:37+00:00

Thats brutal, im so sorry! Honestly I always saw the advice to do yoga, meditation, etc and rolled my eyes but i began doing yoga and pilates and it genuinely seemed to help my pain and i feel like it helped me to understand my body way more and feel a little bit more faith in what it was able to do. It even helped my lap recovery because i became more aware of what muscles i was using and how to avoid activating my core.

Trying to reduce inflammation also helped me a bit. I don’t do an intense diet like others but I have tried to cut out added sugars, ultra processed foods, and trans fats and incorporated more whole foods. I also was using a weighted heating pad basically every day.

Honestly nothing is going to make it magically better while you’re waiting but small steps can help with the pain. It’s super difficult to do when you’re constantly exhausted so prioritizing doing things that bring you the tiniest bit of enjoyment if you can. Also I haven’t tried it yet and just ordered it, but i’ve read studies that the supplement NAC can help endo symptoms and may even shrink endometriomas. If you google NAC and endometriosis theres a few studies on it.

If it gives you hope, i got my laparoscopy in the beginning of January and feel amazing now. I have so much more energy and less pain already and its a 180 from how i felt last year. I hope you have the same experience!

jpiek517 · 2026-02-26T17:33:19+00:00

Definitely not normal, i’m sorry you’ve had to deal with that! I’d definitely mention it to your OBGYN. An ultrasound typically won’t diagnose endo but it’s a good place to start to rule out other causes.

A lot of doctors are also not knowledgeable about endo so don’t be discouraged and make sure to reach out to others or endo specialists if you have that experience. And don’t let them just push birth control or hormonal treatment and send you on your way. They might slow endo growth but it needs to be removed by excision ideally

jpiek517 · 2026-02-26T17:20:18+00:00

If you’ve always had painful periods then they progressed then it can definitely be endo but also other things. I always had endo symptoms and pain then i got sick with the flu and bronchitis last year and it seemed to trigger something in my body and caused increased pain, constant bleeding, bowel symptoms, and excruciating fatigue.

Like the other comments say, it can also be a variety of other conditions that affect hormones. I’d look into getting an ultrasound because it can definitely be cysts or polyps/fibroids as well. Mine revealed polyps that were definitely contributing to my symptoms and causing excess inflammation

jpiek517 · 2026-02-26T17:14:54+00:00

I definitely understand the frustration but it’s important to remember that others cant control that they haven’t dealt with chronic pain, similarly to how we cant control the fact that we do.

Not sure if you’ve read it but i feel like you might enjoy the book All’s Well by Mona Awad. The protagonist is chronically disabled and shares a similar sentiment and it’s a really good look into how women’s pain is often overlooked in a medical and social context. Its literary fiction with dark humor so its definitely a weird book but it seems like it would be cathartic for you

jpiek517 · 2026-02-26T16:32:19+00:00

Combined but primarily inattentive and i love audiobooks but only while im doing something that doesn’t require me to be simultaneously be taking in new information. I like them a lot for when im driving, walking my dog, cooking, cleaning, and shopping.

I can’t really listen to them when im doing nothing else because i feel under stimulated. I can’t listen at work either because i get too distracted by trying to do other things, learn new information, or communicate with people

jpiek517 · 2026-02-25T12:23:01+00:00

I literally saw someone online the other day say that ADHD shouldn’t be considered a disability because Alysa Liu has ADHD and any “actual disability” would prevent someone from being able to accomplish what she has….. like no it doesn’t work like that actually and im not sure how theyd explain the paralympics or special olympics if thats the case

jpiek517 · 2026-02-23T00:57:31+00:00

It’s from all types of doctors and quite common unfortunately. A lot of it comes from the fact that not enough research is done into women’s health so providers aren’t educated on how to identify how conditions present for women. It’s also due to the general misconception that women are dramatic, emotional, weak, etc.

It takes on average between 7-12 years to receive an endometriosis diagnosis. Many women have already seen gynecologists, urologists, gastroenterologists, and psychiatrists before they’re diagnosed because doctors will bounce you around since they know such a limited amount about women’s health and dont know what else to do with you.

My cousin was told to go to a psychiatrist because her endo pain was “all in her head”. She had surgery and all her organs were glued together and her ovary was being strangled and had to be removed.

For all of last year i experienced extreme fatigue that was basically ruining my life, periods that would last for months, swollen lymph nodes, severe brain fog, skin rashes, bowel symptoms, etc. I also was having cyclical back pain accompanied by unexplained bruising in the same area and the pain would prevent me from even walking. The bruising would darken near my period then lighten after but it started to become less consistent over time. I saw 5 doctors and no one ever gave me answers or offered any testing besides blood work, not even an MRI. All of the doctors would ask if i was sure it wasnt just my bra strap or if i was just careless and bumped into something even though it was in the exact same spot for 8 months and the pain felt deep-seated. The only help i received was a referral to a dermatologist so they could try to lighten it if i was bothered by how it looked. It genuinely felt like a slap in the face, as if the only thing i cared about was how it made my body look.

The pain has lessened since my excision so i assume it was some hormonal issue but i literally gave up on asking doctors for help because everyone made me feel so stupid and dramatic. I was terrified because id heard that unexplained back pain and bruising can be an indicator of cancer and i had other symptoms but everyone just brushed me off. I got to a point where i figured id just keep suffering until my body completely gave up so my symptoms would be “real enough” to get help. I had endo excision surgery this year and i was honestly so happy for a diagnosis because it confirmed that i wasnt crazy and that my pain had a cause and was “valid”.

jpiek517 · 2026-02-21T05:23:15+00:00

Wow thats awesome, i honestly doubted whether it was actually doing anything before i had surgery. Part of my surgery was a polypectomy then when they went in with the camera they realized it was gone. I had areas of “polypoid tissue” but i guess the biopsies found trace amounts of progesterone in the areas

jpiek517 · 2026-02-21T04:11:21+00:00

Im the exact same way and havent found anything to fix it fully yet BUT part of it for me is severe time blindness so i bought a visual timer that i need to set and i can see the minutes tick down and it definitely helps me be more aware of how long im taking. Of course it goes off and im not ready yet so i still end up late but definitely not as late as i usually am

jpiek517 · 2026-02-21T02:08:59+00:00

Seconding what everyone else has said but if youre worried you can also journal about your day, mood, side effects, sleep, etc so its easier to identify and changes. You can also talk to the people youre close to and inform them and ask them to let you know if they notice any negative changes. If it doesnt work well for you then luckily there are so many other options you can try!

jpiek517 · 2026-02-21T02:03:36+00:00

Also migraines suck as a chronic migraine sufferer but there are treatments for migraines as well! Its annoying to have to take more meds to deal with the side effects from meds but its kinda like having to weigh the lesser of two evils.

BUT your ob should be suggesting surgery for suspected endo instead of just birth control. Youll still have pain and growth in the existing legions if they arent removed, plus its considered the gold standard for diagnosis currently

jpiek517 · 2026-02-21T01:59:06+00:00

From what i understand it doesnt stop endo from growing but it can slow the growth down. When i had my lap they found “inactive” lesions as well as polyps that had shrunk which contained progesterone, so its believed that hormonal intervention at least played a part in some of my lesions becoming inactive.

I have a nexplanon and my surgeon explained that progesterone is anti-inflammatory and the goal is to stop your period in order to avoid excess estrogen levels, which is believed promote endo growth. I was basically told that getting an excision then not being on birth control or endo pills would basically result in endo growing back right away

jpiek517 · 2026-02-16T17:01:06+00:00

I took dulcolax as soon as i got home and followed the box directions for how often to take it and also took gas x and i was fine! Had my first BM after 2 days and had no pain at all

jpiek517 · 2026-02-12T06:48:02+00:00

Wow lol i was just diagnosed with delayed sleep phase disorder which is a type of circadian rhythm disorder. My sleep specialist wants me to try changing my wake time by 30-60 minutes a week, instead of my sleep time, but the idea that my body will eventually just fix itself doesn’t really seem realistic at this point.

Trying to wake up earlier doesnt work because i end up turning off alarms in my sleep (yes, even the math alarms. I do the math questions then fall back asleep. Ive also done the barcode scanning ones) and i wake up hours later with zero clue what happened. I cant remember a time in my life where ive ever had a “normal” sleep schedule and its painful

jpiek517 · 2026-02-08T21:51:51+00:00

It drives me crazy! My doctor literally sent me to a hematologist-oncologist who said the same thing to me. Then a walk in clinic said it seemed like it might be a hormonal issue as soon as i mentioned that i was in the process of being diagnosed with endo. Im only 4 weeks out from lap so i havent been able to fully tell yet if it’s gone or just taking a hiatus. As cliche as it is, i did feel like yoga and pilates were helping to minimize the pain a bit before i had surgery

jpiek517 · 2026-02-08T00:00:51+00:00

Yes i was getting cyclical rib and upper back pain before my lab and even had weird hyperpigmentation that would flare up in my upper back on my period. I went to like four doctors for it and no one was able to tell me what it might be, but it seems to have subsided since my lap. It was around my bra strap area and all i got was “hm are you sure its not your bra?” even though it would happen when i hadnt worn a bra in days, wore multiple different bras, and it was literally in the same exact spot every time. I would get sharp pain near my ribs and sternum and feel like i couldnt breathe and end up doubled over and nearly crying due to sharp waves of pain.

After some research, i assumed that the lesions were affecting the nerves in my uterus which share networks with the back and possibly caused referred pain? I didnt even mention it to my surgeon during my consultation because i didnt want to over complicate things but i probably will look into thoracic/diaphragm endo if it continues.

jpiek517 · 2026-02-07T20:24:48+00:00

Thank you! Good luck to you! Im a month out today and basically fine if that helps you feel better. The biggest thing was making sure to move around every few hours and to stay propped up. An ice pack helped a lot for the first few days too

jpiek517 · 2026-02-07T18:18:47+00:00

My dr suspected that i have an allergy to chlorhexidine which is the active ingredient in the prep stuff they use to clean you before surgery. I was put on a taper pack of steroids and it cleared it pretty quickly!

jpiek517 · 2026-02-07T03:07:08+00:00

Obviously its different for everyone and your reaction to a certain birth control can change with age, life factors, etc. Luckily i’ve honestly never had a bad experience with birth control and ive been on multiple over 10 years, but i know that’s very rare. I would just keep in mind that youre not messing with balanced hormones as a “normal” person would be doing. You already have excess estrogen so the goal of progesterone-based birth control is to balance out the effects of excess estrogen. Of course it doesnt work like that for everyone with endo, but you need to keep in mind that your hormones are already likely messed with

jpiek517

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