For the Ladies Only
I needs me a little girl sympathy. D’ya mind giving me some?
I need to get graphic.
So you guys might want to check out ESPN or watch Giada on Food Network or somethin’….
Ladies, here’s the deal.
I’m SO over my periods.
I can’t even deal.
As I’ve aged and had children, my usual 28-day cycle has become a 25-day cycle. Which sucks, because it basically means one more period a year. But I coped.
Then a few years ago, my OB-GYN discovered a fibroid. He said unless it was painful or caused extreme or breakthrough bleeding, they’d leave it and menopause would shrink that sucker down to nuthin’.
Last year’s OB appointment showed a couple more fibroids. But we waited. And nothing bad happened.
My last period was 24 days from the previous. Not too far off.
This morning My Little Red Friend showed up. 22 days since the last one.
Even earlier. WTF??
This pisses me off.
And frightens me a little bit. Because if it is the fibroids, the OB said the best/only thing he’d recommend is a hysterectomy. Which scares the pee right outta me.
On the other hand, it might just be my body’s way of a final FcukYou before I hit early menopause.
Either way, it bites.
I’m gonna try not to obsess about it (although I have won the title of “Ms. Obsessive” every year since kindergarten, and pretty proud o’ that…I think).
But still….
Can I get an amen, somebody?
posted by Mona Buonanotte @ 12:26 PM
14 comments
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14 Comments:
Because I can't get to a tv right now, and so I can't get to ESPN OR Rachel Ray right now, I went ahead and read that.
You get some guy sympathy too. I'm starting to get irritated with my freaking age now, what with stuff about having to get probed and dis-organized an' crap. Best to you, and hopefully you can keep your parts.
Jeremiah: Next thing you know I'll be emailing you for advice on how to prepare for 'the probe'. Hope you're okay as well!
Hey Mona, I'm a male chiming in too to show some love and sympathy. Can I ask what scares you about the hysterectomy -- the surgery or losing the body part? Or both? At any rate, I hope they straiten themselves out. I have girlfriends with all kinds of period problems (too many, too little, etc) and I know it sucks for them!
Oh and I've been "probed" waaay to many times. :-/
Interesting that there's men hanging out here and helping things along.
So...been there...amen.
Actually, it got to the point where I felt like I was having it all the time. I mean ALL the time. It was affecting my quality of life. At which point, I did the hysterectomy thing. And now I gloat at my friends because I don't have periods any more, which is actually pretty sweet. And it didn't toss me into menopause either.
See, that's what I would worry about with the hysterectomy thing, personally. I'm dealing with very minor girlie problems of my own (regular abnormal paps causing me to need colposcopies and possibly more, since this last one still didn't show us why the paps keep coming back wonky...), and I actually asked my gyno yesterday if I could just go ahead and remove the cervix...I don't want it any more! Unfortunately, he took it as a joke.
I worry about the possible hormone issues that a hysterectomy would cause, but otherwise, I'd just get more feedback from people like Lucia. (How awesome is it that someone that reads your blog has actually been through this exact thing? Very helpful...) In my case, I've gone to a blog friend of mine for help with my issue, as she experienced it about a year or so ago herself, and found it very helpful. Sometimes, just knowing that I'm not alone is all I need.
Hang in there! A period every 22 days would SUCK!
Eigh-min!
I hate the girlie probs and have actually wished the docs would let me have the damn hysterectomy - but they keep making me wait till the pain is "too much to handle" - who wants to wait for that? Its already life altering.
I vote for more hysterectomy information from the one who gloats! :-)
Hang in there, but don't be afraid to ask lots and lots of questions at the doctor - I learned this after much frustration. It is after all their job.
I forgot the most important info:
Hug something warm.
Eat lots of chocolate - don't worry I think there is a law of hormones that states chocolate during menses will not add fat to the body.
Drink wine or take drugs but be careful about doing both.
Treat yourself to something luxurious like a really early bed time or something like that.
You have my deepest sympathy.
I'm 49. Hello body, you can stop now, really.
A few years ago i was having my period every 12 to 20 days. i was all whacked out, crying over dog food commercials and stuff.
I got scraped out (polyps) and then went on the pill. It's better now, but i am DONE! So i hear you.
I'm 45 years old. My periods used to always be 35 days, very regular, and now they are about 28 days apart. I think it's pretty normal for the time period to get shorter as you get older, even if you don't have fibroids. So 22 instead of 24 days doesn't seem that drastic to me.
But yeah, the whole fibroid thing -- and the fact that doctors never seem to know much about what to do with them -- would drive me nuts. I've had friends have them diagnosed and it doesn't seem like the medical profession has a whole lot to offer in the way of help. Which really sucks.
Hugs from me. And sympathy about getting old. I think someone should have warned us about how our bodies would start acting weird at a certain point.
I read the entire post mainly because you suggested I look away. I'm not good at following orders. Thanks for the visit to my blog.
Amen! That bites.
I once heard, from a co-worker who had fibroids - that pregnancy hormones shrink them, and, therefore, the pill helpsm at least for a while AND, you can regulate your period with the pill - you can go months at a time without a period... ask your doctor? My co-worker was no medical expert...
I hear ya, its tough getting old. I hurt my back working out and ts still not 100%, oh well.
Good luck.
Well, at least you know it will get better as you get nearer to the end. I had quite a few fibroids and cysts which made for heavy periods but they did shrink and disappear after the Big M set in. I'm 53 and haven't had a period in 1 1/2 years...such freedom! Don't have to curtail my activities because of and plan around them! It'll happen. Meanwhile, get something for pain if it's bad.
My SIL had fibroids and crazy-ass periods. She took to bleeding for two weeks at a time—crazy, stain-your-pants heavy bleeding. Plus wicked cramps. She's 41 or 42, maybe perimenopausal. First her OB/GYN put her on the pill, but she gets nasty side effects from the pill and it wasn't a miracle cure. Then she had an ultrasound that showed the fibroids, so she had surgery to remove the fibroids. While under anesthesia for that, she also underwent an endometrial ablation procedure (scraping out the inside of the uterus). Periods much lighter and less painful after that. And even though she's not planning to have kids, she wasn't keen on a hysterectomy—and her doctor didn't suggest it.
Ask about getting the fibroids removed but keeping your uterus.
Also, my cousin needed to have her ovaries out (cancer prevention). The doctor said she'd need only estrogen, not also a progestin, if she had her uterus out, too. (Plus the spot where the Fallopian tubes enter the uterus has a little ovarian tissue.) Long story short: Turns out the estrogen patch gives her magnificent hormones, and her overall quality of life and cheerfulness is so much better than it was with her own dwindling/aging hormones. The never-having-a-period-again part is also a plus. Though she's single, and not contending much with any sexual changes related to the missing organs. Never heard of anyone loving their menopause this way, but she's honestly pleased as punch with how it played out.
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