Amy speaks with Dr. Laura Gouge, ND about managing mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS). We talk about: —the varied symptoms we can have with MCAS, including neurological ones —the importance of a multimodal approach for addressing MCAS symptom drivers —what she’s learned over years of working with MCAS patients and what she would have done differently in her own MCAS journey 🎤WHO IS DR. LAURA GOUGE, ND?🎤 Dr. Laura Gouge is a licensed naturopathic doctor and Certified Nutrition Specialist with...
Aug 16, 2025•1 hr 5 min
Amy and Brittany talk about what it’s like to live with chronic diarrhea: —the social embarrassment it can cause —the close calls we’ve had in public, including times we just didn’t make it to the toilet! —the unhealthy coping mechanisms we had ☀️CONNECT WITH AMY☀️ Instagram @in16yearsofendo Website: www.insixteenyears.com Like my show? Please rate it or leave a review! Support me by buying me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/insixteenyears ⚠️DISCLAIMER⚠️ Remember, the information on my platforms is ...
Aug 10, 2025•58 min
Many of us understand the benefit of PFT for pelvic pain, bladder, and bowel symptoms, but it’s hard to know how to actually find an expert PT. Amy speaks with Abby De Angelis about: —where we can search online to start putting together names of potential PTs —what kind of questions we should ask them to judge their knowledge and treatment plans —examples of PFT practices they are likely to do during your appointment 🎤WHO IS ABBY DE ANGELIS?🎤 Abby De Angelis is a specialist in women’s physical...
Aug 04, 2025•51 min
Amy speaks with Stephanie Moss, MD about: —the importance of trauma-informed medical care —how being an endometriosis patient has informed her perspective as a new doctor —navigating disability accommodations and her insights on this as a medical student 🎤WHO IS DR. STEPHANIE MOSS?🎤 Stephanie Moss, MD, is an endometriosis warrior and a PGY-2 Psychiatry Chief Resident Physician at Rosalind Franklin University. Dr. Moss is an active public speaker and writer, with her work featured on platforms ...
Jul 27, 2025•51 min
Amy speaks with Tanner Murtagh about the nervous system. We talk about: —how having a flexible nervous system helps us to better face the challenges of our lives —Polyvagal theory and what a dysregulated nervous system is —ways we can regulate our nervous system for physical and emotional health benefits 🎤WHO IS TANNER MURTAGH, MSW, RSW?🎤 Tanner is a therapist who treats clients with chronic pain and symptoms that are fully or partly brain generated. He is the director of Pain Psychotherapy Ca...
Jul 21, 2025•55 min
Amy speaks with Rey about various topics. We talk about: —the independent research project they spearheaded which is focused on illustrating how improving practitioner education will result in positive patient outcomes. —why they made the decision to leave their country to seek expert treatment elsewhere. —their experience with MHT/HRT. 🎤WHO IS REY?🎤 Rey (they/she) is an independent patient advocate dedicated to raising awareness and driving change in endometriosis care. After a strong suspici...
Jul 15, 2025•50 min
Today Amy speaks with Dr. Tatnai Burnett about endometriosis treatment. We talk about: —the challenges of treating pain associated with superficial endo. —how endo needs a multimodal approach using all the tools in the toolbox. —his approach to exploring the causes of recurrent pain post excision. 🎤WHO IS DR. TATNAI BURNETT?🎤 Tatnai L. Burnett, M.D. is an assistant professor in obstetrics and gynecology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Following medical school and residency at the Unive...
Jun 23, 2025•1 hr 3 min
Today Amy and Brittany talk about working with endometriosis: —the mental battle to decide when you’re “sick enough” to call out and take the day off —the pressure we might feel to hide how we are really feeling —how draining it can be to work with chronic illness and how much it can take out of you physically and emotionally Clickable links at www.insixteenyears.com/episode152 —Episode 89: Endometriosis and Disability ☀️CONNECT WITH AMY☀️ Instagram @in16yearsofendo Website: www.insixteenyears.c...
Jun 16, 2025•59 min
Today Amy speaks with Christina Saldanha about HRT/MHT. We talk about: —options for hormone therapy such as: combined options, progestins vs progesterone, and using the pill in perimenopause. —the different types of estrogen and how much estrogen blood levels rise with systemic HRT/MHT vs blood levels during our cycling years —how soon a person should begin HRT/MHT after surgical menopause 🎤WHO IS CHRISTINA SALDANHA?🎤 Christina Saldanha is a PA, writer, speaker, and fierce advocate for women's...
Jun 07, 2025•1 hr 15 min
Today Amy speaks with Anna Holtzman about mind-body pain. We talk about: —how black and white thinking in the mind-body world has led to gaslighting patients and harm. —some of the ways that mind-body practices have helped us as people who had chronic pain. —how are goals for our symptoms aren’t focused anymore on being 100% pain free, but rather on improving quality of life and knowing how to support ourselves on high symptom days. ***IMPORTANT: Both Anna and I recognize the harm that can come ...
Jun 01, 2025•1 hr 6 min
Amy speaks with Lula Cuba about: —how impossible it can be to find trustworthy endo information for non-English speakers —her experience as an adolescent with endo growing up in difficult housing conditions —the importance of checking your medical charts for mistakes, misdiagnoses, and harmful comments. 🎤WHO IS LULA CUBA?🎤 Lula Cuba is 33 years old and from Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay. She was diagnosed with endometriosis in 2020 after more than 10 years searching for answers. Since hea...
May 20, 2025•57 min
Listen to 2 chapters from Amy’s audiobook: 📖Chapter 8: “Climbing Out from Rock Bottom” 📖Chapter 56: “Be Proud of Yourself” Amy’s book is available as a paperbook, e-book, and audiobook. See where to find it here: https://insixteenyears.com/where-to-find-my-book/ ☀️CONNECT WITH AMY☀️ Instagram @in16yearsofendo Website: www.insixteenyears.com Like my show? Please rate it or leave a review! Support me by buying me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/insixteenyears
May 11, 2025•20 min
Amy speaks with Dr. Naomi Whittaker about: —what NaPro Technology is and how it’s goal is to identify and address the underlying causes of gynecologic issues and infertility —some of the tools that have helped her patients with fertility, such as formal cycle instruction and charting, intentional adhesion prevention during excision surgery, and the use of progesterone. —the difference between NaPro Technology and IUI and IVF. 🎤WHO IS DR. NAOMI WHITTAKER?🎤 Dr. Naomi Whittaker is a board-certifi...
May 05, 2025•1 hr 5 min
Amy and Brittany both follow an individualized diet for endo and chronic illness, which we’ve each been on for over a decade. We talk about the mistakes we made when we changed their way of eating for, such as: —cutting out too many foods at once with no focus on bringing in new foods —waiting too long to learn how to cook —not realizing we needed mental health support for the feelings that came up around diet change. This episode is a continuation of the previous episode on how we changed our p...
Apr 20, 2025•46 min
Amy and Brittany each changed our diet over 15 years ago due to help manage our symptoms. While at first we abhorred our way of eating and found it tedious and a chore, we now embrace it as something that helps us feel our best, and we’ve learned new habits and ways of thinking that has made following our way of eating much easier. We talk about this shift in the way we see our food choices and how we got there, such as by: —understanding how diet culture played a role in our thinking —identifyi...
Apr 10, 2025•1 hr 7 min
Amy speaks with Yesenia Villalta about: —the importance of boundaries and some examples of them in relation to chronic illness —if there’s room for joy among our pain and how to find it —how to redefine what a good life means to us with chronic illness Yesenia and I also chatted in episode 129 about the emotions that can come up with endo. 🎤WHO IS YESENIA VILLALTA?🎤 Yesenia Villalta is a bilingual and bicultural social worker licensed in Virginia and Maryland, USA. She is the founder and owner...
Mar 24, 2025•44 min
Today I’m speaking with Kimether Redmon about how: —the healthcare system is getting more and more dysfunctional and confusing —healthcare provider burnout is common —the average 10-12 minute appointment time doesn’t give enough time to meet the patient’s medical needs, which are becoming increasingly more complex. 🎤WHO IS KIMETHER REDMON?🎤 She is an endometriosis patient as well as a Family Nurse Practitioner serving low-income uninsured patients in her area. Before her nursing career, she wa...
Mar 03, 2025•38 min
Amy speaks with Dr. Abdala Karame about: —if endometriomas can be distinguished from cysts in an ultrasound. —how to treat endometriomas and the evidence available on hormonal suppression and endometrioma recurrence. —if endometriomas always grow or not. 🎤WHO IS DR. ABDALA KARAME?🎤 Dr. Abdala Karame is a gynecologist obstetrician and specialists in assistive reproductive technology as well as an excision surgeon for endometriosis. He did his residency in Mexico after studying at the University...
Feb 23, 2025•1 hr 5 min
Amy speaks with Alysia, who tells us about: —her experience with thoracic endometriosis —the challenges of recovering from 2 strokes brought on by COVID —what has helped her get through the darkest times with her health 🎤WHO IS ALYSIA J. DAGROSA, BCPA, CFSD, CLC?🎤 Born and bred in Brooklyn, NY Alysia grew up in a biracial household. Exposure to the rich cultures of both Southern Italy and St Vincent & the Grenadines has afforded her a unique perspective. After 20 years of suffering with th...
Feb 02, 2025•55 min
Amy and Brittany talk about the challenges of getting good sleep. We chat about: —some reasons why it’s tough to sleep well, from histamine to hormones to pain. —our tips for improving our sleep, from using red lights at night to meditation apps to worry logs for our anxiety. ☀️CONNECT WITH AMY☀️ Instagram @in16yearsofendo Website: www.insixteenyears.com Like my show? Please rate it or leave a review! Support me by buying me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/insixteenyears
Jan 22, 2025•56 min
Amy speaks with menopause specialist Jackie Piasta about: —menopause, perimenopause, surgical menopause, and early menopause —how the risks of hormonal replacement therapy were exaggerated by the media after the WHI study and how that’s led to unnecessary fear around HRT —taking testosterone as part of HRT: what symptoms does it help and what data is there on it. 🎤WHO IS JACKIE PIASTA?🎤 Jackie Piasta, WHNP-BC, is a board-certified Women's Health and Gender-related Nurse Practitioner, menopause...
Jan 13, 2025•1 hr 20 min
Amy speaks with Bev about: —ableism and healthism: what they are, and how they affect people with chronic illness and/or disability —the social vs the medical model of disability —equity vs equality and the social determinants of health 🎤WHO IS BEV HERSCOVITCH?🎤 Bev Herscovitch is a writer, communications professional and healthcare and disability activist/advocate living in Toronto, Ontario. She is passionate about sharing insights into how our society perceives and addresses the body, and ab...
Jan 05, 2025•1 hr 22 min
Today Amy continues her conversation with Sophie about we want you to know if you are diagnosed with endo. In part 1, we talked about the importance of educating ourselves on endo and the treatment options available. In this episode, we talk about: —how the best improvements to quality of life often come from a full body approach —the importance of finding mental health support —how endometriosis isn’t your fault 🎤WHO IS SOPHIE KINLOCH?🎤 Sophie Kinloch (she/her) is an endometriosis advocate, t...
Dec 22, 2024•41 min
Today Amy speaks with Sophie about we want you to know if you are diagnosed with endo. We talk about: —the importance of educating yourself about this disease —how it’s vital to inform yourself of the treatment options available so that you can have more informed consent when you make treatment decisions —how connecting with the endo community can help you feel less isolated 🎤WHO IS SOPHIE KINLOCH?🎤 Sophie Kinloch (she/her) is an endometriosis advocate, teacher and creative based in Northern I...
Dec 16, 2024•1 hr
Amy speaks with Lyssette Horne about: —their perspective on the myriad of obstacles endometriosis patients face in receiving adequate care —their personal experience with endometriosis 🎤WHO IS LYSSETTE HORNE?🎤 Lyssette Horne (she/they) is a black, queer, and chronically ill artist, activist, and documentary filmmaker. Lyssette is a fierce advocate for mental health and suicide prevention, harm reduction, and body positivity. She has spoken on panels on the way trauma manifests in BIPOC LGBTQ h...
Dec 09, 2024•1 hr 7 min
Amy and Brittany talk about how low self-worth has impacted their experience with endometriosis. We talk about: —the untrue stories we told ourselves about our appearance and productivity and the negative effect that had on our lives —how society taught us those stories through ableism, ageism, fatphobia, and other systems of oppression —how much our lives have improved now that we understand our inherent worth 📖AMY'S BOOK is available as a paperbook, e-book, and audiobook. See where to find it...
Dec 01, 2024•1 hr 21 min
Today Amy speaks with Dr. Maurice Chung about: —the study he co-authored called “A Pain Desensitization Algorithm for Phenotyping and Treating Chronic Pelvic Pain” —the details of this algorithm for trying to establish a patient’s pain generators to reduce pain —nerve blocks for pelvic pain and the role of the bladder in pelvic pain. 🎤WHO IS DR. MAURICE CHUNG?🎤 Dr. Chung received his medical training from Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, and post- graduate OB/GYN residency training...
Nov 16, 2024•1 hr 3 min
Amy speaks with Lyssette Horne about: —their experience with ovarian torsion, skin, and breast cancer. —some of the tools and practices Lyssette used to cope during these difficult times. —the ways endometriosis and cancer has changed their body, and how they are learning to find acceptance with them. In Part 2, Lyssette shares about their experience with endometriosis and the obstacles in finding care. 🎤WHO IS LYSSETTE HORNE?🎤 Lyssette Horne (she/they) is a black, queer, and chronically ill a...
Nov 03, 2024•1 hr
Listen to 2 chapters from Amy’s audiobook. In this episode: 📖Amy briefly shares what her book “Finding Peace with a Devastating Disease” is about. 📖Amy shares about the challenges of producing her audiobook as a chronically ill and dynamically disabled person. 📖Listen to chapter 2 “It’s Like Being Upset the Sky is Blue” and the prologue “Is Endometriosis a Devastating Disease?” Amy’s book is available as a paperbook, e-book, and audiobook. See where to find it here: https://insixteenyears.com...
Oct 29, 2024•36 min
Amy speaks with Dr Wendaline VanBuren about: —the 2024 publication called The Society of Radiologists in Ultrasound Consensus on Routine Pelvic Ultrasound for Endometriosis that Dr. VanBuren was a senior author on. —the goal of the consensus, who participated, and the vision for implementation in the future. — the difference between a Routine Pelvic ultrasound, Augmented Pelvic ultrasound, and Advanced endometriosis imaging. 🎤WHO IS DR. WENDALINE VANBUREN?🎤 Dr. VanBuren is a board-certified ra...
Oct 21, 2024•1 hr 9 min
