ester 6" tall - Debbie - Alumni Hostess 2006

		HysterSisters > Alumni Staff Bios Articles
ester 6" tall - Debbie - Alumni Hostess 2006

ester 6" tall - Debbie - Alumni Hostess 2006

Date : 04-08-2006 - 11:25 PM - Readers : 1888

Printer Friendly Version

Hi all, Debbie here, better known on the Hystersisters pages as Ester 6" tall.

I am a proud Canadian, living in the praries, but dislike the cold and snow - go figure. I was born near the end of the "boomer" generation in April 1959, in a city that technically no longer exists. St. Boniface was part of the amalgamation of many cities back in the 70's to be the current City of Winnipeg. I have lived here all my life. I am one of those Canadians who really uses the term "eh".

Since my periods started, I have always had difficulties. Long, heavy, unpredictable periods were the norm. Cramps and PMS were something that I had to learn to live with.

I met my wonderful dh, Randy, in October 1986 while doing volunteer work for the Variety Club of Manitoba. About eight months later, we started pulling a float in parades around the province for the Variety Club. After a few parades, we spoke to the manager of a local company that sends mascots out to various events. We ended up borrowing one of the costumes for use at the parades. Randy would drive the van that pulled the float, and I would ride on the float as Ester the Bunny (see my avatar). He started calling me Ester, and even though we no longer do the parades, the name has stuck to this day. Randy and I married in July 1988.

In September 1989, I had a miscarraige. I was devastated. It was a while before I was ready to "try again". When we finally started trying, we realized that things were not quite going as planned. We tried and tried and tried (hmmmm, that wasn't so bad), but still no pregnancy. We spoke to the provincial adoption agency and signed up for the program. I finally spoke to my dr, who sent me to see a fertility specialist. One of the things this new dr asked me to do was to keep my temperature charts for a number of months. Once he was able to review them and other test results, he advised us that I was hardly ever ovulating. Time for some drastic measures. He gave me the drug Clomid. He told me that either they would work within six months or they wouldn't work at all.

I began the course of meds and did everything we could to help the medication along. One month, two months, three months, four.........pregnant. Early in my pregnancy, the dr expressed concern that I may be carrying twins. I was showing much earlier and larger than most women at that stage of pregnancy, plus my uncles are twins. Ultrasound ruled that out, however, just one baby. I went into the hospital on July 01, 2002 (Canada Day). Because of concern of gestational diabetes, they wanted me to have my baby a little early; I was due on July 11, 2002. Each day, they would hook me up to the drip for induction. I would have labour for several hours. They would remove the drip, then the labour would stop. This went on for 6 days. So after about 40 hours of off and on induced labour, they decided I needed a c-section. On July 07, 1992, our daughter, Carly, was born. Finally, I had a baby.

Our names were removed from the adoption program, but we could sign up again and go to the bottom of the list. We decided not to do that.

After about a year, we decided that we wanted to have another baby. We went straight back to the fertility specialist. Back on the Clomid. One month, two months, three, four, five, six.....no pregnancy, no matter how hard we tried. The doctor said that he wouldn't give me any more Clomid, but there were other methods to try. I just knew in my heart that that was something I couldn't do. We had Carly, and she was all we would ever have.

I didn't worry about birth control, as birth control was the opposite from the issues I had had. In '95 or '96, I realized that with the issues that I had all my life, I probably would end up getting pregnant when I least expected it, and would be past the age when that would be a good idea for me. I had a tubal ligation.

I was fortunate to be a stay at home mom until Carly was in grade 1. She taught me patience, something that my dh thought impossible. She brought me to a greater understanding of my own parents. I used to think that I knew everything and they knew nothing - wrong!

Since May 1999, I have worked at the head office of an international company.

In September 1999, I was called to Jury Duty on a case that was supposed to last two weeks, but lasted just over three months.

In February 2001, I started experiencing hot flashes, night sweats, sleeplessness......all perimenopause symptoms. I was elated. Could this mean the beginning of the end of the awful monthly issues I was having? I now believe it was the start of failing ovaries (which never worked properly anyway). Those failing ovaries just didn't cause me a few perimenopause symptoms. I beleive they were connected to my further probems. In December 2001, I was diagnosed with a major depression and anxiety. With the help of medications and therapy, I regained my mental health back after two years. It was a long process, but one that I know that I am much better for. I understand how stress and life's curves can affect your life. I have learned many ways to ward off and handle situations that can lead down some not so pleasant roads. That isn't to say that I don't still go down those roads; just that I am much better equiped to navigate them.

I have always had much pain and problems with my periods and in July 2002, we realized that I had an ovarian cyst. After getting ultrasound after ultrasound, my gyn decided to aspirate the cyst, but it filled right up again. Everything was normal. Just a simple cyst, that just wouldn't go away. More importantly, the cyst started a discussion about my whole situation. The problems that I experienced, the pains, the periods, we talked about it all. We decided to do an ablation. That seemed get rid of my periods, but after about 2 months, they returned, with vigor. Now they were worse than ever. My PMS was getting worse and worse, the cramps, pains all month long, periods that were getting heavier and heavier. I was tired of the problems I had all my life and we decided that I should have a hyst (TAH/BSO). It was scheculed for October 03, 2005.

I almost cancelled my surgery several times out of fear. It really was a stressful time. The weekend before my surgery, I was on an emotional rollercoaster. I just wasn't sure why - until I got yet another period the day before my surgery. Of course, my PMS wanted one more kick at the cat, so to speak. I had already packed away all my "supplies". It was at that point that I knew that I was really doing the right thing for me, even though I was still fairly nervous. I used all my skills just before my surgery to keep my nerves in check.

When I got to the castle the morning of my surgery, my gyn said that I was the most calm patient she had ever seen. I knew that I was ready and that this was the right thing for me.

My surgery went well and my recovery was right on track. My pathology report confirmed what she had suspected. Adenomyosis (and fibroids too); multilple simple cysts were found, including the large one - about the size of a baseball.

She had given me an Rx for Premarin to fill if and when I thought that any menopause symptoms were getting to be too much. I didn't actually fill it for six weeks. When I did, I didn't stay on it long, as I started to feel very confused on it. When I stopped, the confusion went away. My gyn said that I was likely best to stay away from HRT. My hot flashes and night sweats are manageable, not really much worse than when I first started experiencing them back in 2000. I am not really worried about osteo, as I am what you might call a "milkaholic" - which is a real problem as I keep making calcium based kidney stones.

I am extremely happy that I no longer have my periods or PMS or any of the pain I had before the surgery. In fact, it was only after my surgery that I realized how bad the pain was. Suddenly, all it was all gone.

In my non-Hystersisters life, I love to golf (though I am not very good), I sew and love to read. We have plans to get more active together as a family for improved health. Plus, who can't use a little more bonding time with their children. I cherish the time we spend together, the three of us. We have a dog named Max, who we adopted from the Humane Society. His days were numbered, so we are glad we were there for each other. He gives us so much more than we deserve. Max is a Border Collie/German Shepard mix, who loves to run. I am also an editor for Taste of Home magazine.

We have had some difficult times in our family lately. In December 2005, we lost my Mother in Law. In January 2006, we lost my father. We also lost three other extended family members, all in a 30 day period. Through all of this, I found support with my family, my friends and even Hystersisters - thank you.

I found Hystersisters about two weeks after my surgery and I have been here ever since. I have found the support and "sisterhood" to be exceptional. When I first joined, I had lots of questions. As time went on, I found myself answering some of the very questions I had. It was good to be able to give back. In February 2006, I was asked to become a hostess, and I truly felt honoured. I really enjoy helping the ladies in waiting in Pre-op, and occasionally, in other forums as well.

Whether you have had your surgery already, or are contemplating it now, I hope that you will find great support on this site. Please be sure to let others in the same situation know about Hystersisters. Don't forget to support Hystersisters by upgrading your membership, purchasing badges or by shopping in the Hystersisters store.

My best to you all.

Printer Friendly Version

HysterSisters is girlfriends with -- Moms Who Think - - Girls Get Going -