Testimonial: Ovarian Cyst Support & recovery with Oils
By Ellen Schweikert
Scroll to the bottom for essential oil protocols for Ovarian Cyst Support…
(I’m the one on the right.)
Nothing has convinced me of the value of using essential oils more than the nightmare I have been living for the past year and a half.
I’ll tell you why…
It was September 2019 and I was actually at doTERRA’s Global Convention in Salt Lake City with my friends…including Aisha Harley herself of course!
I was having so much fun.
And then…I wasn’t.
See, I arrived on Sunday refreshed and excited to attend the Convention, but by Friday I was in poor shape. I felt like I had indigestion or something and it was awful. Not to be TMI, but I wondered whether the crazy vacation food I was eating was causing certain…digestive upset. I felt uncomfortable and sick.
On that Friday I was supposed to watch the last day of Convention which is basically a huge party and concert! But instead, I felt so ill that I was across the street at the Nordstrom’s Department Store, on the floor praying for relief because I felt like my insides were being manhandled.
I went down to the car in the parking garage and waited for Convention to be over. I was in so much pain that I was crying (and I NEVER cry)! I knew something was terribly wrong but I was thousands of miles away from my home in Oregon and I drove to Convention. I just wanted to drink some water, huff some Peppermint and feel better like I do with most stomach issues. But clearly that did not happen.
My friends finished at Convention and met me back at the car. I told them I had considered driving myself to the ER but we all laughed about it because they know how I HATE hospitals. We went back to the airbnb and I laid down to rest. We discussed the possibility that I had eaten some bad food or something.
By midnight, I was writhing in pain on the ground and bawling. It was SO BAD. My dread set in - Again I was thousands of miles from my home and my family, I drove all the way to Utah in the car by myself and it was the night before we all had to pack up our airbnb and leave the state! This was terrible timing, to say the least.
I finally gave in hours later and they drove me to the hospital. I don’t remember the drive to the hospital because I think I blacked out, but I recall receiving morphine and getting a bunch of scans and tests.
When I was getting scanned, the technician’s eyes got HUGE. I may have been high on morphine but I told her she didn’t have a good poker face. Clearly this was not indigestion.
“What’s going on?” I asked. “Please,” I begged, “Please tell me what’s happening.”
But I had to wait.
I laid in a hospital bed, receiving dose after dose of morphine until a Doctor arrived and told me: I had an incredibly huge and aggressive-looking tumor inside my fallopian tube that had completely taken over the tube itself, rendering it unusable. On top of that, I had a massive ovarian cyst…and the weight of both had caused my tube to twist, entirely cutting off blood to my ovary. I felt sick to my stomach.
I could lose an ovary at 27 years old. I panicked.
Before they wheeled me into surgery I had to sign a legal form that gave my Surgeon the ability to do whatever was necessary. Drugged and scared, I called my mother in Oregon and told her I was in the emergency room. She booked a flight to come get me.
The next thing I remember, I was in a sun-filled hospital room and I was wearing a very unflattering hospital gown.
Through groggy eyes, I peered around the room. A glass of water…a little tray of food I would never eat…and a little plastic cup with my jewelry. A vase of fresh flowers. My phone.
My phone. Where was my mom??
I had to lay there for a few hours before the Doctor came back and told me the news: “You are very lucky! We saved your ovary, but your entire fallopian tube had to come out. We’re going to send the tumor in for testing…because we need to know if it’s cancerous. However, you will be discharged today.”
I had so many questions.
“How long could I have had the tumor?”
“I have not seem one quite like it before, but it’s likely that you have had it for years. A decade even, perhaps.”
“Was it bad?”
“Yes. We will absolutely need to know whether it is cancerous.”
“What about… fertility?” I said through teary eyes.
“You will need to get follow-up ultrasounds when you back home to Oregon. But you still technically have both of your ovaries. It is too soon to give you more specific information, but you are likely able to have children.”
I breathed a sigh of relief.
My mom arrived and drove me the 13 grueling, painful hours back to Oregon. I crawled into bed and slept for days, ate healthy food, drank lots of water. The bills started showing up immediately.
I found out that despite the fact that my tumor was Incredibly rare, it was thankfully not cancerous.
But my story did not end there.
When I went in for an ultrasound 4 weeks later, I had news: I had another massive cyst on my other ovary. My Doctor told me I might need another surgery. It was well over a “normal” ovarian cyst size. I was so depressed and discouraged.
Will I just need a surgery every time I get one of these?
Why am I in so much pain?
How am I going to pay for all this?
How can I prevent this from happening again?
I laid in bed and felt sorry for myself for a couple days. I cried. I felt hopeless. But at some point, I had to face the situation I was in. Every cell in my body said NO to being cut open again. I didn’t want the healing process or the scars, I didn’t want the tests and the bills.
So I decided right then that I would do whatever it takes to try to avoid surgery, pain and more suffering. I would do anything.
I called my practitioner and asked her to give me any information she had about shrinking a cyst or eliminating this problem altogether. My Doctor told me she didn’t believe it was possible to shrink ovarian cysts. And while I respect her so much, I knew that my body was telling me something! It was communicating that something just was not working the way it should be. I could not just keep trying to fix a symptom…I needed a complete health overhaul. I needed to know, for myself, if it was possible to balance my hormones naturally. And I had nothing to lose.
I researched ovarian cysts for HOURS in peer-reviewed research journals and compiled a list of steps I could try and I communicated my plans to her for support. I wasn’t sure if any of it would work, but again…I was willing to try anything.
I made a list of health changes and I went for it. 7 months later, after monitoring a huge cyst that was seemingly never going away, I had another ultrasound and I got the call I had been waiting for.
“Ellen, your cyst is gone.”
She paused, and the sound of surprise was apparent in her voice over the phone. I felt a rush of uncertainty. Was she sure???!
“Your cyst is gone, and I see no signs of inflammation at all whatsoever. You have no fluid in your abdomen like you did before. Your system appears incredibly healthy and whatever you’re doing…KEEP doing it!”
I got tears in my eyes. This was the call I had been waiting for over a year.
All the bills. All the tears.
The worry. The concerned looks of my family. Crying on the bathroom floor in pain after my surgery, worried that I would affect my ability to become a mom. My mailbox full of never-ending bills. Upping my health insurance to cover all the ultrasounds. The nights spent awake wondering if this was all my fault.
It was over.
I could breathe again. I could dream again.
If you have ever overcome a health issue like this…you probably know this feeling. The sudden rush of freedom, the feeling like maybe new doors are about to open up for you after all. A sudden bright future is possible for you, if you heal and recover. The feeling dawns on you that perhaps suffering is over for you…because you did it. You did what it takes.
So I’m not going to lie to you…I’m proud.
I’m so proud of myself for listening to my body and to trusting my intuition. I knew that it was possible, and I did it with the support (and subsequent disbelief) of a medical practitioner. I did not allow myself to be pushed around, and I made conscious decisions about my health from the inside out. I’m proud of myself, and if you;re on a journey like this one I really hope you’re proud of yourself too.
You deserve to feel better.
You do not deserve to suffer. You are worthy, and a bright future is possible for you no matter what happens with your health. And if your gut is sending you a message, I hope you tune in and listen because those messages are there for a reason.
Check out the steps and protocols I used below. Please consult a doctor if you decide to take steps like this, particularly a Naturopathic Physician who can be of support…
These are the steps I took…
I Changed my diet.
When I began researching things I could do to avoid this issue going forward, something kept jumping out at me. It was about diet.
The truth is, the “normal” American diet consists of sugar, carbs, dairy, processed meats and a little bit of vegetables thrown in. But based on what I was reading, I needed to turn that list completely upside down and backwards.
Instead of eating lots of sugary, dairy-rich things every day, I decided to make some serious dietary changes. This was not easy because these things didn’t seem to be affecting the other people around me. I sometimes got annoyed that THEY could eat something and be fine and I was not. Some people in my life even implied that what I was doing with my diet was extreme. But I stayed the course because truthfully, unless they are paying for my medical bills…what difference did it make if they thought I was crazy??!
So this may seem next-level, but in my moment of desperation I made the decision to give up refined sugar and almost all dairy. I love sugar, but…I was willing to do anything right?!
After 4 days of hellish sugar cravings (I’m really quite a huge fan of sugar, and my body put up a real protest at first because I was craving it like mad) - I literally just stopped wanting it. I never thought I would ever be able to say that I don’t eat sugar because I love it so much, but honestly I just don’t even think about it anymore. For real.
After about 2 weeks, I felt noticeably better. Like, SUPER noticeably better physically and mentally. People were even commenting on how I looked healthy.
I am not sure if this was the “silver bullet” for me. But knowing that I made this change and went full-on with my health from the inside, I am honestly super proud of what I did. Extreme diet changes are hard for some of us. But my gut was telling me to make this change, and I am definitely glad I did.
I Re-examined my relationship with hormonal medications.
I had been taking hormonal birth control for years. Like, I had literally been taking BC for over a decade by this point.
Every time I brought up a troubling symptom related to my repro health, a Doctor would say oh, “It’s probably a side effect of ___.”
Like okay, sooooo… was all of this a side effect?
I wondered.
Everyone is different and has the right to choose what medications they do and do not feel comfortable taking! This is a no judgement zone. But my gut was telling me that taking hormonal birth control was not working for me. I seemed to be the person whose body got the worst, rarest and craziest side effects of whatever medication I took…and perhaps hormonal BC was no different. It was always like, “That is super rare, it’s super unlikely.” But what if I was the 2% of people who it was happening for?
If you don’t feel comfortable taking a medication and want alternatives, seek opinions, do research and ask questions! It is your body. You ultimately get to make these decisions.
I stopped taking hormonal birth control. (Please consult a doctor before changing or stopping any medication). It the only prescription I was still on, and my gut was telling me that it was part of an issue for me. Regardless, I no longer personally felt comfortable taking it.
I began a protocol of essential oils and supplements to support my body naturally.
I have been using essential oils for 4+ years now but when I decided to work on my hormonal health, I sought opinions of other Essential Oil experts…particular those with an extensive background in hormonal health.
Daily:
To start things off, I began doing the following things daily. Also if this overwhelms you, don’t worry! I encourage you to reach out to Aisha directly if you’re new to using oils because getting started can be super simple.
I took doTERRA’s Lifelong Vitality Pack Vitamins every single day. (This is a high-quality essential-oil-infused multivitamin that specifically helps with inflammation and gut health). I had already been doing this prior to my issues with Ovarian Cysts but frankly, I was inconsistent. I often forgot to take them or took my 1/2 dose when I was supposed to be taking the correct amount. If you’re new to using supplements, know that consistency is everything. Don’t take them sometimes…take them and make them an actual priority! Please consult your doctor before embarking on a supplement journey.
I took 2-3 doTERRA Turmeric Softgels every day for inflammation. These softgels have Turmeric powder capsulated on the inside and pure potent Turmeric oil encapsulated on the outside, providing benefits of both. These softgels are much stronger than using Turmeric root, and have been a very convenient choice for me. I take 2-3 daily, to this very day, with my lunch.
I added a drop of doTERRA Lemon essential oil to every glass of water. I ingest 3-5 drops of pure Lemon every day, and it is far stronger than Lemon Juice. Pure Lemon essential oil is very helpful for the kidney and liver, and for the endocrine system generally. You will know if your doTERRA essential oil is recommended for internal use if the side of the bottle reads “Supplement Facts”, rather than “Ingredients.”
I applied doTERRA Frankincense essential oil topically, directly over my ovaries and massaged it into my skin. If you are new to oils, begin by using just Frankincense. But over time I began using Frankincense, Cypress and Lemongrass oils together massaged over my abdomen. This trio of oils jumped out to me when I was reading about hormonal issues and oil usage, so I jumped in and began using all 3, three times daily. If you are seriously working on your hormonal health, I would really suggest getting all 3 of these and implementing this 3 times daily too.
Important around period time:
Around Period time, I rolled ClaryCalm essential oil blend onto my ankles 2-3x daily. This blend is formulated specifically for hormone support!
Add a drop of Geranium to your bath salts, shake them and add to your bath. This is a hormone helper and feels so nice in the bath.
Use oils for crampiness as outlines below…
For discomfort:
First, roll doTERRA PastTense essential oil blend into your abdominal area. This blend is strong so you only need a little bit.
If you don’t yet have doTERRA Deep Blue Rub, I recommend that you get it ASAP. This is a cooling, soothing nontoxic muscle rub and it feels amazing. I have literally wondered how I got through my painful period before doTERRA. This Deep Blue Rub is like a lotion and you can massage it into your abdomen. For best results, apply PastTense blend FIRST and then follow it by massaging Deep Blue Rub on top. This is my go-to every month (although my pain is not bad anymore!)
You can click below to get the Oils & Supplements from this post for hormonal support. This link takes you to a cart with ALL the oils and supplements I just talked about and you can add or subtract from this cart easily. Everything is bundled to save you money and get you a Free doTERRA Account.
And lastly, If you’re healing from a health issue, my advice for you is this…
Trust your intuition. Trust your body. If your gut is telling you something about your health, embrace that message with open arms.
Work with a healthcare provider and communicate your progress.
Be willing to do what it takes to feel better…don’t just grab a quick fix. Quick fixes seem like the right choice until they cause more issues that they fix.
Work from the inside out. Begin with nutrition and hydration. Think about the input creating a healthy or unhealthy environment.
I hope this helps you.
Love, Ellen