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February 10, 2005
Cycling
Yup, got my period this morning.
It's barely a period, really.
In other news, I feel just fine. I'm starting to do all those things I'd limited before. Like carrying things. Grocery bags, dog food bags and of course laundry baskets.
I'm getting all dressed up this weekend to go to a formal cocktail/dinner thing for my husband's work. I went through my dresses to find something appropriate and found a black velvet and chiffon number I wore for the millenium. Good news ... it still fits! It's a size 6 too. Not my normal size, I think I really wear an 8 because I have huge shoulders, but it's sleeveless, so I can fit into the smaller size.
Posted by Elizabeth M. at 02:56 PM | Comments (0)
January 25, 2005
Ovulation
I'm ovulating again. I started noticing the cervical mucous last night.
However, my skin is not terribly clear right now. But that can be attributed to stress and lack of sleep. Work has not been stressful so much as just burdensome. There are only a few times a year when I feel really behind and this year a confluence of events has really conspired against me.
I've made it a policy in the past five years to not bring work home with me and not think about work when I'm at home. I have what I feel is an excellent job. I don't make a lot of money, but I think it's a fair amount. I'm middle management (no one works under me, but then again there's only one person between me and the president), and I've gone about as far as I think I can go in this position. There is nowhere to be promoted to without taking on broadened responsibilities.
I bring this all up because I go through this sort of dissatisfaction with all jobs. This is not a career position, just a job. I do not want a career. I have other things besides this job that are my life's passions.
In a couple of weeks this whole clot of work will be long forgotten and maybe I'll be able to concentrate on the things in life that are much more important to me.
Posted by Elizabeth M. at 03:55 PM | Comments (0)
January 13, 2005
Cycling
Yup, my period started last night.
I'm so not used to the idea (I'm not sure why) that I left the house this morning without putting on a panty liner. It's mostly a little blood when I wipe, but sometimes it spots my underwear. So when I got to work I tucked a little folded over toilet tissue in my panties in hopes of avoiding a stain.
In other news about recovery, my belly has been hurting quite a bit and the swelly belly returned as of Monday. It was because I took to furiously cleaning the kitchen, which for reasons I won't go into here also involved removing the screens from the window over the sink. I haven't slept well the past two nights so the swelly belly isn't getting any better. Of course it could also be a bit of period bloat too while we're at it.
Posted by Elizabeth M. at 11:06 AM | Comments (0)
January 09, 2005
Late Cycle
I was running a bit late in December.
I expected to ovulate somewhere around December 21st. Instead, I didn't ovulate until December 30th.
Not so bad. That was perfectly normal for me back when I had a uterus. I had usually two cycles a year that were either skipped or very late.
And of course these usually coincided with large shocks to my body like cross-country travel or illness. I figure the travel back east for the funeral and then the stomach flu probably threw my system a bit. Then the travel for the holidays didn't help.
So, I'm expecting my "period" later this week. I've got the breast tenderness right now, which is comforting to know that I pegged the ovulation correctly.
Posted by Elizabeth M. at 10:00 AM | Comments (0)
December 09, 2004
Remiss
I've been remiss on my blogging.
I have excuses, but I'm sure you don't care one way or the other.
I'm on the verge of my period again. So I figure this is really it, this is the way it'll be.
It's kind of nice to feel normal.
Of course I'm still having a bit of pain. It's not so much that I have pain, it's not bad pain, it's just that I'm still having it that's troublesome.
My belly is still rather big, though not as big as the week I went to the doctor.
It was very bad last week, but I didn't take it easy at all, but had no choice but to travel back east for a funeral.
I have to say I'm relieved, I'm done with my huge project in November. Of course the holidays are coming and I have some traveling to do. But one step at a time. Don't make things a problem until they are a problem.
Posted by Elizabeth M. at 09:16 PM | Comments (0)
November 08, 2004
The Proof
So, here it is, my third cycle. I ovulated early last week. And if I had a uterus, I would have started bleeding this weekend.
And I did.
So it seems that I have enough of a uterus left for the mini-period.
I'm a little dismayed by it. I know it's not a bad thing on the whole, so I'm just going to suck it up.
I am, however, going to the doctor next week to have it checked into. Each bleeding episode has followed a lot of vigorous exercise. On Saturday I went down to the coffee house on the corner and then walked back up the five flights of stairs. Not to mention the laundry this weekend - three loads of laundry schlepped up and down the two flights of stairs. And yesterday I did a lot of sitting in uncomfortable chairs that can sometimes make my incision site feel like it's burning.
So, I'll visit the doc and see what's up. That's what she's there for.
I've also been having a little sex trouble. I have not problems getting excited or climaxing. But when my hubby and I have intercourse, I feel inordinately tight and hot inside and after sex there's a bit of a burning sensation, like a chafing feeling (not burning/itching). I'm chalking that up to either a pH problem - because he and I have never had unprotected sex in the 13 years we've been together - so my vagina just doesn't know what to do with semen and maybe it's irritating. Or maybe I have a little bit on an infection. Or maybe I'm too dry. I think we'll try some lubricant in the meantime. The doctor will figure it all out next week.
Posted by Elizabeth M. at 01:14 PM | Comments (0)
October 28, 2004
Ovulating
Yes, here I am again, exactly on time. I'm ovulating. Started on Tuesday as far as I could tell, which was exactly four weeks from the last time I ovulated.
Yay for ovaries.
In other news, there is a new fibroid treatment announced using sound waves. I'm still reading up on it and will post this weekend about it.
Posted by Elizabeth M. at 08:34 PM | Comments (0)
October 11, 2004
Bleeding
I guess I'm getting back to my real life.
My recovery was overshadowed this weekend with a bit of a startling health problem with my husband. He came back from his most recent trip with what we thought was a stomach flu. Well, it wouldn't go away so he went to the doctor and they suspected appendicitis.
Some blood tests still didn't rule it out so he went back the next day and they decided it was diverticulitis. So he's on massive doses of antibiotics. He was running a fever for the whole week and horrible night sweats.
But he's a trooper and insisted on going on his latest business trip.
That's not something I would do.
Other than that, I'm feeling good. The belly is still big at the end of the day. I'm pre-menstrual (sorry, post-ovulatory), so my breasts are a little sore and my chin, neck and chest are breaking out.
I need to start working out more and of course eat a little better. It'll be easier when my husband gets back from his trip.
Posted by Elizabeth M. at 01:58 PM | Comments (1)
September 28, 2004
Right on Time!
You might recall that back on August 29th I mentioned that I was ovulating.
Well, here it is exactly 30 days later and I do believe I've ovulated again. I was a little worried, since I think that one of my ovaries is lazy (one of them skips about twice a year). But here I am, not skipping a beat from my pre-hysterectomy ovulation which was July 27th.
Frankly, I've been worried.
I guess part of it is trying to rationalize the surgery. But I've been on this kick to help inform women about keeping their ovaries. Half of all hysterectomies include removing the ovaries (oophorectomy). I can understand getting rid of them for recurring painful cysts, endometriosis and of course ovarian cancer or having the genetic marker for ovarian cancer/breast cancer. But I really don't understand removing healthy ovaries just because they're down there. I mean, you don't see doctors recommending removal of the testicles when they're doing a vasectomy! Why would doctors want to remove healthy glands?
I know that ovaries in women who have had hysterectomies fail on average five years sooner than women who keep their uterus. I don't want to be one of those. I want my menopause at 56. I want my ovaries to keep producing androgens well into my seventies and eighties. I love my ovaries and I hope they stick around for a long, long time. The fact that I'm ovulating normally is such a huge relief. It almost makes me look forward to PMS, since it means that my hormones are at the same levels as before surgery.
Any questions or feedback? Feel free to email me.
Posted by Elizabeth M. at 07:38 PM | Comments (0)
August 29, 2004
Ovulating
Well, I'm greatly encouraged to report that I believe I am ovulating right now.
Since Friday my temp has be one half of a degree higher and for the past two days I've had that slight clear and stringy discharge that I used to get when I would ovulate when I had a uterus. I think this is a great sign that my ovaries are quite happy to continue working.
In other not so great news, my back hurts. I have a muscle problem in my back on the left side of my spine around my shoulderblade. It's been a problem since I was seventeen and hasn't been troubling me for the past four years, since I started yoga. Well, I'm not doing yoga so much at the moment and I think I tweaked it and it hurts a whole lot right now. Enough to have made me take one of the prescription ibuprofens last night and I'm seriously considering a vicodin this evening. Either that or a glass of wine and some more ibuprofen.
Any questions or feedback? Feel free to email me.
Posted by Elizabeth M. at 06:29 PM | Comments (0)
July 28, 2004
Doing the Math
I'm ovulating.
I started yesterday.
My last gasp at fertility, I guess, since surgery is next week.
I'm all nervous today, too. Tomorrow I have my final exam at the doctors office and all the pre-surgical tests. Then, if that's not harrowing enough, I have a little break before I go to donate a unit of my own blood for the procedure. I used to donate blood all the time, at least a couple of times a year. I'm looking forward to being able to do that again next year.
Posted by Elizabeth M. at 05:15 PM | Comments (5)
Ovulation
I'm ovulating.
I started yesterday.
My last gasp at fertility, I guess, since surgery is next week.
I'm all nervous today, too. Tomorrow I have my final exam at the doctors office and all the pre-surgical tests. Then, if that's not harrowing enough, I have a little break before I go to donate a unit of my own blood for the procedure. I used to donate blood all the time, at least a couple of times a year. I'm looking forward to being able to do that again next year.
Posted by Elizabeth M. at 01:57 PM | Comments (0)
July 13, 2004
Careful Observation
I'm trying to take inventory of myself.
I want to know as much as possible about how I was before the operation, so I'll know when I'm back to normal, or possibly better than before.
I'm premenstrual right now, and I'm trying to observe as many of those symptoms as I can. About 10 days after I ovulate, my breasts get tender. My skin breaks out, I'm oilier. My lower back gets a dull ache. Sometimes I feel a little crabbier, a little bloated (but hell, who knows about what's causing the bloat these days). I seem to have more of a problem controlling my blood sugar, and I think it's because I crave more sugar when I'm premenstrual. More sugar and processes starches without balancing proteins and fats means that they run right through my blood and then I have a terrible crash. I'm having a slight bleeding discharge, just streaks of pink. I figure the bleeding will start in earnest on Saturday.
Of course because my hysterectomy will preserve my ovaries, I'm stuck with all these symptoms until I hit menopause. But they'll really be the only indication of my cycle in the future. They will be the cycle - there will be no "menstrual", only the "pre."
Posted by Elizabeth M. at 03:20 PM | Comments (0)
