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Walk-In Talk Podcast
Living with Endometriosis in Hospitality | Ciji Castro on Pain, Advocacy, and Showing Up
00:44:08
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- [00:00]
A
This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever find yourself playing the budgeting game? Well, with the name your price tool from Progressive, you can find options that fit your budget and potentially lower your bills. Try it@progressive.com Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates Price and coverage match limited by state law. Not available in all states. Today's episode is going to feel a little bit different, and honestly, I think it should. We spend a lot of time on the show talking about food, kitchens, chefs, hospitality, and the people who keep this industry moving. But sometimes the bigger story is what people are carrying while they're still showing up. CG Castro is back with us. And this time, the conversation goes deeper than the plate. She's walking through a serious battle with stage four endometriosis, a disease that has impacted her health, her family, her work, her body, and her day to day life in ways most people never see. And that's the real point today. Because in hospitality, we're trained to present well, smile, serve, cook, host, show up. But behind the polished moments, there are people dealing with pain, fear, uncertainty, and still finding a way to create care and keep going. CG is also cooking with us today, which says a lot about who she is. She's not here because it's easy. She's here because this conversation matters. We'll talk about endometriosis awareness and what it looks like to advocate for yourself, what support looks like from the people closest to you, and why these stories need more space. And of course, we'll bring it back to the food because food has a way of making hard conversations feel a little more human. I mean, you can say that out loud, too. Jay. Good. You can't. It's okay.
- [01:42]
B
That was a fantastic intro.
- [01:44]
A
Thank you. Welcome back.
- [01:45]
B
Thank you for having me. I love coming.
- [01:47]
A
You're a friend. You're always welcome. I thought.
- [01:50]
B
I thought we were family.
- [01:51]
A
Carl, when you're here, you're family. And that's the truth. That is the truth. Got it. You know, I have to tell you, you are good. You're just simply great, I should say. All right, before we get into the food that you prepared, how are you doing? Really?
- [02:13]
B
I am heavily medicated today. You know, it's nice to be here. It's nice that my body is cooperating, but I spent the last three days in bed sick, you know, so that's what it takes. You know, Monday and Tuesday was incredibly, unbearably painful. Yesterday, I was just sore and exhausted. So, you know, I let my body guide me. And typically, if I know that something's coming. I can make sure that I get the rest I need to prepare. And then, like, tomorrow, I've got nothing on my calendar just in case. However, this has escalated incredibly fast. So I've gotten to the point where my health is incredibly unpredictable. And I don't know, am I going to be able to walk, am I going to be able to cook, or am I going to faint in your kitchen? You know, that is a real fear. Am I going to faint in the car on the way home? So, you know, there's lots of worries and things I have to plan for because I could be perfectly fine and then, you know, feel like I'm 7, 8 centimeters dilated out of nowhere and have a pain so severe that it makes me blind. And that's what I know, that I'm going to start to pass out. So, you know, it's driving in the right lane and being really aware of what's going on in case I need to pull over for an emergency.
- [03:35]
A
When we were cooking earlier, you had a cough and you had a pause. I saw what you did. I asked, hey, are you okay? And you replied to me with something to the effect of, well, it feels like my ovaries just got crushed from the inside. I don't know how on earth you decided that you wanted to do this today, but, like, for real. And I told you you didn't have to, but you're a gangster.
- [04:00]
B
You did.
- [04:01]
A
You are a culinary gangster. And you said, no, no, no, no, I need to do this, because I don't know when it's going to happen again anytime soon. And also, this is an important conversation. And you know what? I feel like it gets. I feel like it'll get more attention because you're literally going through it now. I can see it on your face. I can hear it in your voice. And God bless you.
- [04:25]
B
Thank you. It is hard. It probably wasn't the wisest decision from a medical standpoint, so to push myself. But like I told you, I respect the platform that Walk and Talk has, and I'm incredibly grateful that you've given it to me for this cause, because we're friends or family, depending on the day, but just pick it on you. And so, yeah, you know, endometriosis is a word that I had never heard until I was diagnosed with stage four at, like, 30, 31 years old. And it wasn't until three years ago that I actually met someone that had endo. So up until that point wasn't something we heard about. And I felt like we gotta talk
- [05:11]
A
about it more, and we're gonna get into that. Before we do, I don't wanna get too far into this particular conversation without talking about the beautiful food that you made today.
- [05:25]
B
Oh, I'm so excited about this because, you know, I felt like this is kind of like a family environment, at least when I come and I wanted to. Honestly, I'm probably going to be taking a little bit of a medical sabbatical for the next, you know, two to three months. I don't know. As I prepare for my next surgery. And cooking, and cooking on TV is something that I just love. It makes me happy, and feeding you guys also makes me happy. So I wanted to bring something today that honors the friends and family that surround me and that have carried me through this journey. And so that's why I brought you what my family affectionately calls Barcelona chicken, which is literally just roast chicken and potatoes. But it reminds us of this pollero who used to work on the corner of our apartment when we were living in Barcelona.
- [06:12]
A
What did you call me?
- [06:14]
B
Pollo. No, you got to be careful. So pollo is someone who sells chicken, or, I mean, depending on where. I don't know another word for it, but a pollardo can also be another word for like a coyote, you know?
- [06:28]
A
Okay, all right. You know, listen, this is an educational program sometimes and, you know, we get into language and.
- [06:35]
B
And yes, so we're talking about chicken, not human trafficking.
- [06:39]
A
Okay. Yeah. I just want to be clear, people.
- [06:40]
B
Yes.
- [06:41]
A
And by the way, it was a delicious, delicious chicken. Talk about it. Go on. I. I completely interrupted you. Please, if you will.
- [06:48]
B
You know, it was just something that happened by accident. I make a line of spices from scratch. So we have the adobo and the sazon and then may annatto oil. And we just make like a compound butter and slather the chicken in it and then bake it. It's a one pan dish, but when it came out of the oven and we ate it, we were like, oh, my gosh, it tastes like Barcelona chicken. And that's how that got named. So my kids refer to as Barcelona chicken. When only one out of three lived in Barcelona with us, the other two weren't.
- [07:22]
A
So we had two other flans on this program in the history of walk and talk media. One was from my wonderful, wonderful mother in law, Cuban mother in law. Like legit, amazing flan. And then also our other dear friend Rona, who is a best. One of your besties.
- [07:44]
B
She's not one of them. She's she's like, yeah, the bestie. My soul sister, 100%.
- [07:50]
A
We love her. When she was here last, she had done a coffee flan, and that was yummy, too.
- [07:57]
B
Anything she makes is delicious.
- [07:59]
A
So you're number three. Yeah, yeah. And I don't think we're going to do flan for a while. So you're. You're. I think that you are. You're in great, great company.
- [08:08]
B
Thank you. Well, this was actually, you know, aside from the fact that the family loves flan, and this flan is special because it is a love letter to my best friend. You know, she makes vanilla sugar. She makes vanilla extract and paste. And so this kind of brings the full circle. You know, the Barcelona chicken. It's my husband, it's my kids. You know, I don't get the pieces that I. My favorite. I love a drumstick, but, you know, a mother's love is sacrifice. So I never get the drumstick, but I did today, which was nice. So, you know, it's just when I think of these two dishes, I think of my family around the table after school, five o'. Clock. It's sacred. And, you know, the vanilla flan. You know, Rona, I never thought that I could have this kind of a friendship in old age. I'm not old. But, you know, I've never had a best friend. I've never had someone that I talk to as much as I talk to my husband or my mother, you know, and just someone to go through life that can still be a friend to me. Because the fact of the matter is, is I am chronically ill. And people that I work with don't see it because I make sure that I show up in a presentable way. But my reality is that I am sick a lot. And so to be my friend means that I'm not always gonna make the dinner or the pedicure or the lunch or whatever. I am unpredictable because that's my life, and she loves me through it.
- [09:33]
A
She is awesome. And by the way, she's out of Tampa. It's Rona's cookies and more. Any people out there in Tampa who hear this, check her out. She'll take care of you.
- [09:43]
B
Yes, she will.
- [09:45]
A
I did five years in hospitals while I was in the restaurant industry back in my early 20s, mid-20s, and you see all sorts of conditions come through. Endometriosis isn't one that would register in my mind as something that I saw very often. So for people who don't know what this disease is, can you give an explanation, support for walk and talk media comes from Metro food service solutions, trusted by kitchens that need storage and workflow that actually does the job.
- [10:22]
B
Learn more@metro.com Sure, I can try to make it succinct. Endometriosis is when endometrial tissue, endometrial, like tissue, which is like the lining of your uterus, grows outside of the uterus. Now, it's not the same thing. It's like it. It mimics cancer. So it creates its own blood supply, it creates its own food source, and it attacks the entire body. Most commonly, it does attack, you know, the reproductive organs. But I've also had it on my bladder. I've had it on my rectum. I've had it on my intestines, my colon, I lost my appendix, pat it in my diaphragm, which then makes it very painful to breathe or walk or, you know, I have a friend who has it on her brainstem. I have multiple friends whose lungs have collapsed because endometriosis has grown on the lungs and perforated the lungs. And they didn't even find out they had endometriosis until they went in for lung surgery. Right, because their lung collapsed. There's a really famous professional young golfer there who had her lung collapse on a plane on her way to, you know, like the pga tour or something like that. And, you know, she was young. So a lot of us find out we have endo after emergencies like this. I have spent years and years of going to the emergency room with all kinds of pain that I couldn't explain because at the time I didn't know what it was. And so, you know, they'll just send you home, right? But I found out that I had endo by accident. I had an IUD placed before I was a mother because my menstrual cycles were so painful that I would pass out or vomit or just lose control of my bowels. I was in a really, really bad way for years. And so even though it had just come out and we knew that it was primarily for women who've had children, they thought I was a good candidate for it with the risk that my uterus might deliver it. That's exactly what happened. So it got lodged in my cervix. They had to surgically remove it, which, by the way, they do that without anesthesia. Just take tumotret and come into the office. We'll dig it out. And when they went with the ultrasound to find the iud, that's when they found a mass on my left ovary. And then when they went in for surgery to remove that mass is when they discovered I had stage four.
- [12:55]
A
The IUD was a blessing.
- [12:57]
B
It was a blessing in disguise. Absolutely. I was suffering and miserable for about 20 years. This started at 9 years old. I would pass out, I would vomit. I would miss school every single month. We had no idea. This wasn't something that. It wasn't until I got diagnosed that I even heard that word.
- [13:15]
A
That must have been brutal on your parents.
- [13:18]
B
It was. Because, you know, my mom, you know, she didn't know. She doesn't know if she had endo or not. She suspects, but, you know, she stopped having painful periods after she had kids, so we just did the best we could, you know, hot tea, hot heating pad, leave. You know, cd.
- [13:38]
A
You have a terrific support system.
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B
I do.
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A
And I'm talking about Miguel, your husband. You speak so wonderfully about him.
- [13:48]
B
Because he's amazing.
- [13:49]
A
Right? He's actually on the line. He's gonna be coming on here in a minute. You've said in the past that the public sees you, your polished version, and Miguel gets to see what it takes to get you to that version. What don't people actually see?
- [14:07]
B
They don't see the suffering or the work that it takes sometimes to just make it on a red carpet. You know, I've gone to events where I've been incredibly sick, and Miguel is holding my hair back while I'm vomiting, literally all night. You know, he's. And we're traveling too, right? So I travel quite a bit. So he'll run to the pharmacy. He makes sure I have water. He makes sure that I get all the nourishment that I need. Because nourishment is incredibly important when you have endometriosis. Right. So when I have events, I have to plan, eat plant based, eat anti inflammatory, make sure I drink, I stay hydrated, and Miguel will run. And he literally takes care of me because when I have a flare up, I am completely incapacitated. It is debilitating. And I couldn't do it without him.
- [14:57]
A
Miguel, it's been a. It's been a while. I wish you were here in person, man, but. But welcome to the program.
- [15:03]
C
Thank you so much. Thank you for having me.
- [15:05]
A
Of course, man. Like I said, if you were here today, would have been. Would have been more beautiful than just having you on the call. So, Miguel, from your side, what's it like watching CG fight through this while you're still trying to show up for the family? You still have a lot of responsibilities.
- [15:24]
C
Yeah. It's been basically a living nightmare watching someone who really taught me a lot about how to live life to the fullest. You know, if you know cg, you know that she is this bright light that enters a room and her energy and her just her smile and, you know, she allowed me and taught me to embrace going from being an introvert to somehow an extrovert, and to watch that person, my wife, cg, go from that light to just like a flicker laying in bed, totally succumb to endometriosis. I mean, living through debilitating pain, surgery after surgery, frustrating doctor visit after visit. I mean, we've celebrated, you know, birthdays for my children, you know, while she was weeks at a time at a hospital. You know, it, it could really feel soul crushing to witness that. And at the same time, as you know, someone, I'm in a leadership position, I have direct reports I have to shift mentally to, into work mode and be present for, for my career and more importantly, my children.
- [16:59]
A
Right.
- [17:00]
C
And how do I stay, you know, very level headed and consistent and, and not just wear that on my face for my children? So it's certainly really challenging. But days like this, where CG rises like a phoenix, right. Is where it really just helps me keep going when I see how she's able to bounce back as we work through this together.
- [17:34]
A
Well, let me just give you insight. Well, you and the audience for that matter. So when we do these production days, obviously we have the podcast, we're doing it now, but we also, we cook, we film, we have photography happening. There's a lot going on in the studio, but the very first thing when someone arrives is it's the storytelling part of the show. Meaning we're filming, you're on set and you're talking about yourself, you're talking about what you're cooking. You know, there's a whole process. I've known CG long enough to know about that energy you're talking about. And she does. She's bright, lights up the room. She didn't come in here bright today, but let me tell you something, when the camera turned on, it took us a couple of times, but man, she turned it on. You wouldn't know what she's going through right now. Abject, professional, unreal with the circumstances. Seriously, I'm staring right in your face right now, cg. Amazing. You did terrific today. One of the biggest frustrations I hear from operators is putting time and money into things that don't actually bring people through the door. Franke is approaching that differently. It's a pay per visit model, so you're only paying when diners actually come in and spend. They're also leaning into user generated video. Real diners sharing real experiences. With over 220,000 restaurant videos out there already, what stands out is the accountability. You can actually see what's driving real traffic and revenue into your restaurant. If you're looking for a more measurable way to bring in diners, Franke's built to do exactly that. They're offering $250 in in store purchases to get started. Find the link in the show notes to redeem the offer.
- [19:25]
B
Thank you.
- [19:26]
A
And with that, Miguel, this, this is not like you went to school for this. There's a learning curve. You have to become an advocate for endometriosis and not just the husband. How did you do that?
- [19:42]
C
Well, it really starts with understanding the role of an advocate. And for me it's just being someone who can amplify CG's voice. And to do that I had to really engage and everything related to her doctor's visits, asking questions, being part of the endometriosis community, going to events, I go to all the conferences. I listen to patients and doctors and scientists because this is a ever evolving disease and sort of the treatments around it. So being an advocate, a big part is just listening, absorbing and learning and not only listening to what's, you know, happening sort of in, in sort of the research, but your partner, what CG needs, like how can I better just be a conduit for her and her well being and it's just been a process where over time, you know, sometimes CG and I, we're just a really great team. We've always, you know, have great communication and, and I just look to her and I look to the outcomes of these decisions to help me sort of fine tune how I could just be a better advocate for her as well as, you know, endometriosis as a cause beyond CG and you know, know just looking towards the bigger picture of all those impacted by endometriosis.
- [21:25]
A
Cg, we've spoken before about this and you, you've, you've shared with me that when you speak to certain doctors or people in the medical arena, you're dismissed. You're unheard more often than not.
- [21:43]
B
Yes.
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A
They don't take it seriously. That's scary. There's a lot to unpack just with that like as a person going through something like this and to not even be recognized as it's a real thing. What has Miguel's support Meant to you in those moments.
- [22:05]
B
So three years ago, I had a gynecological procedure where they were looking for cysts, fibroids, endo. The next day I started to hemorrhage. I called the doctor and I said, hey, I'm hemorrhaging. Which we knew was a risk. She said to go to the er. Went to the er. My hemoglobin was low, but not low enough. So they sent me home the next day. I went in via ambulance and I tell them I'm a stage four endo patient. I'm hemorrhaging. I just had a gynecological procedure. My doctor does rounds here. Let's call her, Carl. They admitted me as a GI patient for a suspicion of ibs. I just had a gynecological procedure. I felt like I was in a movie and nobody would listen. Now this was. Miguel had just flown out for work. So I went in at like 8 o' clock at night. By the time I woke up in the morning, Miguel was in my bed in the hospital. And they had no treatment plan except for colonoscopies and endoscopies, which I've done a handful of both. And they would just sedate me under morphine and that, you know, my. When Miguel was talking about celebrating our daughter's birthday, it was her seventh birthday and we. I was admitted in the hospital, but I just, I called that gynecologist every single day. I said, there's been a grave mistake. They've admitted me as gi, you know, nobody returned my call. She never came, she never called me back. And Miguel, I think we both thought that was the end. I felt like something serious was going on in my body. I felt like something was going to explode in my stomach. I was in the most excruciating pain I've ever felt. And their only course of action was to sedate me. And Miguel called every single endometriosis center in the entire country and trying to get me help. And he's like, I don't care where we have to go, I don't care what I have to do, but I need to get you help. And he saved my life.
- [24:28]
A
One of the scariest things that you conveyed to me because, listen, I'm on the outside looking and people are hearing this. The average person is going to go, what the hell is that? What is that? Even. Hardly anybody is familiar with this. And then you have a concern that maybe your daughter is showing signs of this same disease to me, because I have a 10 year old and a 7 year old. I don't know what I would even do with myself. For me personally, that would throw me over a bridge.
- [25:00]
B
I'm back in therapy for is a very, very heavy weight to Gary. I know what this is like.
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A
So then how does that change the urgency behind what you and Miguel are doing in terms of your advocacy? Because you're even out there as an ambassador to endometriosis at large. You're going through it, yet you're still there for people who are going through it. You're out there amplifying, getting it out there. Just in general, how are you doing this?
- [25:30]
B
Because until three years ago, I didn't know anyone. Miguel and I, we were completely on our own with Dr. Google. You know, like, we were trying to figure. We had no idea. And once we found ourselves within the endometriosis community, it was the first time that I met someone else who knew what this was like. And Miguel met other husbands who knew what it was like to be in the caregiver position. And I became an ambassador because I didn't want anyone here, you know, in my community. I'm talking about, you know, Tampa Bay. I didn't want anyone to go through this alone. When I feel like now I'm equipped with some tools to help guide or just be, you know, someone that they can vent to that understands it. But now that I'm facing my worst fear of one of my daughters having this, and one of our daughters is showing signs, I am more. I've gotten into politics, which I never, ever, you know, I never thought that I would, you know, be interested in lobbying. But now, more than ever, I am feeling like the cause is much bigger than me. It's for my kids and for them I will do anything. So right now that looks for fighting for more funding for research and hoping that there's a cure so that they don't have to go the average of seven to 10 years for a diagnosis, which is the average as many people that have diabetes. That's the same amount of people that have endometriosis. And we don't have, you know, we're so far behind.
- [27:04]
A
You mentioned the stats on that. For funding wise, yes. What's the dollars versus well, last year,
- [27:11]
B
we had the most money in research funding. That was 26 million. Male pattern baldness got $150 million. Now Congress has set aside 200 million for fiscal year 2027 for all of women's health, which means women with endo or agnomyosis, pcos, breast cancer, Lyme disease, menopause anything that has to do with a, with a woman's health, we have 200 million to share. That's for next year. Two years after male pattern baldness got $150 million. So when you put the numbers side by side into perspective, you see how low on the totem pole, you know, endometriosis research is in regards to priority from, you know, the people who say yes or no, whether we get the money or not.
- [28:00]
A
Miguel, what do you make of that?
- [28:03]
C
I think that it's just systemic that we have a disparity in how we address women's health issues. There's a lot of information such as periods should be painful, there's lack of empathy. And I think endometriosis is sort of a, you know, microcosm of that where we're seeing women really being turned away, funding being denied. And I think it's really stems from overall taboos that we have a lot around women's reproductive systems.
- [28:46]
A
Well, let me ask you it this way. So before CG and endometriosis to now, you must have had this epiphany or change of mind on women's health at large. Was there such a thing with you, Miguel?
- [29:03]
C
Absolutely. I mean, I come from a generation which I think this mentality still persists where it's sort of like men shouldn't talk about women's, you know, reproductive issues or women's health issues. It's sort of like that meme of, of a guy buying tampons at the store for his girlfriend or wife. It's, it's like, it's always sort of put as like a cringe moment. Right. So of course when, when CG was experiencing issues for me, one, I just want to turn away, I don't want to have anything to do with it because I'm sort of taught to cringe at that topic. And also I've had these very inaccurate ideas of like, what should she be going through, what should she not. Right. And I think those are kind of like the disparities that exist today where as Ben, you know, when it comes to, you know, dare I say, nudity, well, you know, we're like, yeah, show me in 4K. But when it comes to women's health issues, it's like, no, sorry, I can't hear this.
- [30:16]
A
Walk and talk Media is proudly supported by Rack Porcelain usa, creating durable, beautifully designed tableware for chefs and hospitality professionals. Learn more@rack porcelain.com Picture this. 1991, you know, 17, 16 or 17 year old Carl goes to the store with Girlfriend. And girlfriend says, hey, I have to get tampons. And I'm like, do I really have to be here for this? Right? And she looked at me, she's like, well, yeah, what? Does it bother you? And I said, no, no, that's fine.
- [30:52]
C
Sure.
- [30:52]
A
Okay, whatever. So we walk over to the aisle, and she proceeded to grab a handful. Like, I don't know, there must have been like five or six boxes. Tossed them to me and hauled ass and ran. So all of the boxes, all of the whole things, I caught a couple. There were people, and I'm just standing there with, like, you know, tampon boxes in my hand. And she had totally let her. And anyway, I just unlocked a memory out of this conversation, and I was mortified. I was absolutely mortified. I threw them down, and then I proceeded to haul ass. And I just, you know, I just left. I was. I'm out of here. So just. I am putting the exclamation point, Miguel, on what you just said, and it is the absolute truth, because you and I are. I don't know how different in age, but I share your. I share your opinion. And this is even learning for me now. You know, just in the conversations with cg in hospitality, people are conditioned to push through pain. Cg, what do you wish this industry understood about invisible illness?
- [32:10]
B
Well, I am. I'm an all star. Pushing through pain. That is one thing I can say. And I will say that the more I do it, the worse I get. And so it's a problem. I think that awareness is key. That's how we make change. If you don't know something's happening, how are you going to know how to fix it? But we do need to make accommodations for the hospitality industry. And I mean, there's. That's. That's a lot to unpack and. And I don't know how to solve that problem. Miguel, do you have something to weigh in on here?
- [32:51]
C
I do. And I think this goes back to a lot of the misinformation that I was speaking to earlier on when it comes to, for example, that periods are painful or should be painful. So, you know, there's, again, lack of empathy and understanding. So there's one thing in hospitality, when you're working through being exhausted or you're banged up, got some injuries, right? I think that that's one thing. But when you have debilitating pain that knocks you off your feet. I mean, have you ever seen a boxer get a liver shot? Right? I mean, they just curl into fetal position. Endometriosis is just like being hit in the liver, you know, every other minute for days on end. Right. It's. It's a debilitating pain. And, and I think overall, it doesn't matter if there's someone in hospitality or someone working in an office who's going through it right now. There's no sort of empathy or even understanding or what that person's going through. Right. So it goes well beyond working through pain. I think there's the type of pain that just cripples you. And we need to spread more awareness that this exists. It's not normal. And we need to have a support system around it to make sure that people are seen and heard.
- [34:23]
B
In other countries, it's classified as debilitating.
- [34:26]
A
So if I'm listening to this program right now, never heard of this before, the awareness factor is going to be twofold. One is going to be, hey, the pain levels are unreal. Have some sympathy, have some understanding for it. And two, there isn't any funding really to speak of for this disease in the capacity that which people actually have it.
- [34:51]
B
So not only is there not funding, let me put it to you this way. Endometriosis is listed as one of the top 20 most painful diseases. Some have said that it is as painful as a heart attack and it is more painful than kidney stones. Now imagine a disease that mimics cancer, spreads all over your body. But not only is there not research funding, there's no insurance coverage either. So now we have a bigger problem. More than 1 in 10 women or people born with a uterus experience endometriosis. Only the people that can afford to pay for surgery, excision surgery, out of pocket, can access healthcare. The longer you go without it, the worse it gets. I'm preparing for surgery number five, and this one's gonna be relatively easy because I'm hoping, I mean, knock on wood, but, you know, I just had a hysterectomy three years ago, but this is something that can only be diagnosed currently through exploratory surgery. So you have to be desperate enough to not have any answers and just be like, cut me open and find out what's going on. Right. The insurance will cover laparoscopic exploratory surgery, but they don't cover excision surgery. Endometriosis is like a weed. You need to cut out the roots, otherwise it'll just continue to grow and spread.
- [36:16]
C
Can I add something to that response?
- [36:18]
A
Certainly.
- [36:20]
C
So, you know, given the fact that there's a 7 to 10 year gap in diagnosing endo and that to truly diagnose it, you need to use imaging or actually like laparoscopic imaging. Currently, what we know, you essentially need surgery. We currently know that 10% of women worldwide, right. Suffer for endometriosis. Given the lack of. Of, of diagnosis of this, it. We're just scratching the surface, right? It could be several magnitudes bigger, right. And as far as costs are concerned, you know, just for CG this year, I could anticipate somewhere in the $20,000 range to treat endo.
- [37:07]
B
And that's because this is my second excision surgery. My first excision surgery was everything said and done was probably close to 40, $50,000.
- [37:18]
A
So if you were going to tell somebody who either thinks they may have this or just found out about it or whatever the circumstances, what's the advice for somebody to navigate the situation? This session of Walk and Talk Media is made possible by Citrus America, delivering fresh Florida citrus and juice solutions to food service professionals nationwide. Learn more@citrusamerica.com
- [37:47]
B
get involved. Get informed. Make noise. It's the only way we can make change. Find your community. There are some programs like, I heard that NYU now has a program where the surgeons banded together and hit up the insurance agencies that dealt with the hospital there. And so they are covering. They figured out a way to have the excision surgery covered, but you have to go to NYU for that. So more people are getting involved. And honestly, I feel like if the insurance starts to cover it, more doctors will be interested in studying it and learning about it. I've seen a drastic shift. I mean, I think the first ENDO conference we went to, there might have been like 40 people. This last one we went to, there was over a hundred and it was sold out. And then we had people streaming in from all over the world. So I've seen the growth in the research in the doctor's interest, too. I've seen more doctors show up to these things, but that's what it's going to take. It's going to take talking about it, getting people interested in wanting to help people who have it, even if they don't have it. And that's my hope. My hope is that by the time my daughter really needs the help, help will be available to her. Insurance coverage will be available for her surgeries. I mean, imagine a man like Miguel. He's got enough on his shoulders. He's got work, he's got three kids, he's got a chronically ill wife. We've got a house and two cats and a dog. And on top of that. We've got surgeries that we have to pay for out of pocket. And right now, it's just mine. We've got three girls, and they are 70% more likely to have endo because I have endo, which is a fact I didn't learn until two years ago. So what are the odds that all three of them come out of this unscathed? They're low. So it's a big burden. It's a big burden, and it's not fair. Excision surgery should be available to everyone.
- [39:51]
A
Today's conversation is serious. Today's cooking was comforting, family driven. In your heart, where do you hope this message lands? From the food and from this conversation.
- [40:05]
B
My hope is that leadership, you know, leadership in this country, in our states. Right. Individually, take more of an interest in. In helping us. But also, I think what I would love for people to take away from this is I feel like a lot of ears have closed at endometriosis because initially people believed that what would cure endo would be birth control. And when you start talking about birth control in young girls, that turns a lot of people off. And now we know more. We know that in know hormone therapy is just a band aid. It's helped me for a year. I mean, I've been on birth control for a year. I had a hysterectomy, but it helped me. I didn't need it, but it helped me. Right? So I did need it. But I think that we need to turn away from the old rhetoric and realize this is an entire body disease. This affects the whole body. And yes, it affects reproduction, but it affects quality of life for everyone. For the husbands, for the families, for the kids, for the wives, everyone.
- [41:18]
C
Hey, siet. Let me just add here that, you know, not only is food comforting and nourishing, but we know it has a positive impact on endo through combating inflammation. So not only is this food bringing us together and giving us an opportunity to talk about things like endo, but there's also hope, as we continue to learn through foods, we can actually improve the symptoms of endo. Right? And I think that is one of those synergies, bringing food, endo and hope together.
- [41:57]
A
Well, listen, if I'm hearing all of this, and I can attest, because the dish, the chicken dish that you did today is such a home meal and comforting. Miguel, what you just said, that is the exclamation point on this, on this whole thing. Well done, man.
- [42:15]
B
I tell you, he's amazing.
- [42:20]
A
I really believe today was eye opening, and I Believe a lot of people who have never heard of this now. Well, now they have. I'm hoping that whatever it is that can be had from, you know, being on the program, discussing this happens and in spite of everything. And you said you're going to be off a couple of months, few months, whatever. We're going to be praying for you and the family, number one. And number two, this has to get better before June 8th for our 200th episode celebration. That's gonna be great. By the way, CG, Miguel, you guys really are great people. Number one. Number two, whatever you need from us and all of this, you let us know because we got your back. What do you want to say and how do we find you? Siege.
- [43:17]
B
Oh, you find me through Domestic Gourmet. But. But if you are someone or you know someone battling endometriosis, the Endometriosis foundation of America, AKA endofound, is available with all the resources and community that you need.
- [43:32]
A
What's your socials?
- [43:34]
B
Domestic Gourmet everywhere. I'm trademarked.
- [43:36]
A
Okay. I love that. All right. I thank you both for being on the show today. John, I. I want to see the pictures. I want to see what's going on. Like, can we get those out? Mas rapido or what? I mean, you're. I'm snapping the fingers. I'm looking for that. All right, listen, we're going to put this out. This is. This is out tomorrow. Friday. Okay? This is not. Not something that's going to wait. All right. We are. Why spend thousands on a basic will when you can get access to legal help for around a dollar a day? With Legalshield, you can put a full estate plan in place, including a will, health directives, and powers of attorney to. To help protect your family and hardearned assets. Sign up today@legalshield.com and get 10% off our annual plans. It's finally simple and affordable. Legalshield. Real lawyers. Really affordable. Sign up at legalshield. Com. That's legalshield. Com. Legalshield does not provide legal representation or advice. See a plan for complete terms.