My Next Word of the Year: Gifts

"When I'm singing, that is when I feel the most free. Not even when I'm on stage, just when I'm singing. I could be singing in the car and I could be belting at the top of my lungs something that I know. Or if I'm in choir and I'm singing something that we've practiced over and over again and I know the parts where we get loud and the parts where the choir director is going to quiet us down. I get to hit all my notes and I nail it. I love it. It's one of those things that takes me out of my body so that the adenomyosis doesn't still affect me." — Emily, 5 Days Until Uterus Eviction Day

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In This Episode:

• I just finished my last choir rehearsal before surgery and I'm slightly optimistic I'll recover enough to sing in the holiday concert in about a month and a half.

• Adding more to the Lovely Day List: Hearing my kids' voices and any day I get to sing.

• One of the main reasons I got into podcasting almost 9(!) years ago was to fill the time when my oldest kid was with their other parent. It's funny how that little hobby became a hyperfocus and now my job. Add having a hyperfocus to my Lovely Day List!

• I've also been playing with the word "gifts" in my head lately and thinking about gifts that are natural to us, like talents we've been lucky enough to have. For me it's music, singing, writing, creating, ideation, problem-solving, and so many more that sometimes I forget about when I'm only focusing on what's missing or wrong with my life.

• Making the connection between singing and using my diaphragm vs. the TENS machine and how that stimulation to that area seems to help with the pain of Adenomyosis.

• By the way, for those looking to ease the pain of Adenomyosis, I liked the TENS machine until the wires and sticky pads just became so much of a hassle, I only used it when I knew I'd be stationary for a while. Sometimes it was a bit shocking to use it and that turned me off.

• Even though I don't need an official "T-Break" (see previous episodes), I've been cutting back on my THC/CBD use before surgery and trying to practice more "Radical Acceptance."

• Currently feeling ovulation pain for hopefully one of the last times! It's instances like this when thepain is so apparent that makes it difficult to picture a time when that won't be the case anymore.

• Is it ovulation pain or is it gas? Or both? (Most likely both, uuuuuuugh!)

• Going to take this moment to shout out my favorite queer-owned, plus-size-friendly thrift shop where I got my purple sparkly star shirt called Witch Bitch Thrift in New Haven, Connecticut, USA!

• Want a podcast that reminds you to put yourself on your own list? Check out Wellness While Walking with Coach Carolyn. (Apple | Spotify) OH! And she has an episode all about the health benefits of singing, if you want to take a listen.

• What gifts do you naturally possess? If this episode leaves you with one thing to think about until next time, I hope it's asking yourself that question and looking for those answers as you go about your days.

• Is it weird we have no idea how much this hysterectomy will cost and how much our insurance with cover? Or is it just a USA thing?

• By the way, reframing things and gamifying things to make them more interesting is one of my favorite ADHD traits. It's one of our survival skills (and another gift!).

• Sorry for the quick ending! Pretty sure a kid or adult in my house walked in on me "talking to myself" on my podcast, haha!

Note from Future-Emily:

LOL, as I'm editing and writing the show notes for this episode and listening to myself talk about how I always have a song in my head, I'm actually listening to a song on repeat that's been in my head the last few days. If you need an '80s banger to get you going, might I suggest "Something About You" by Level 42? If you listen to adult contemporary radio, you know it. It's probably playing in your local grocery store right now, because we all know they play the best forgotten hits. (Translation: I love '80s music.)

Additional Links and Resources:

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• Adenomyosis - Symptoms — Mayo Clinic

• Adenomyosis - Diagnosis + Treatment — Mayo Clinic

• Adenomyosis: A Significantly Neglected and Misunderstood Disorder - Book by Maria Yeager

• Adenomyosis Advice Association Facebook Group — Facebook

• Helpful Reddit r/hysterectomy Post To Read If You Have Pre-Op Anxiety — MamaO2D4

• HysterSisters — Hysterectomy Support & Stories

• Tara Brach's Podcast and Radical Acceptance Book

• Adenomyosis at hysterectomy: prevalence, patient characteristics, clinical profile and histopatholgical finding — PubMed

• Adenomyosis: An update regarding its diagnosis and clinical features — PubMed

Disclaimer: This podcast is based on personal experience and should not be taken as medical advice. Resources are provided for you to look into further and talk with your medical support team about.

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