I am the only girl in a family of 5 children, I am in the middle. My mom was an only child, I had 1 paternal aunt, and one female cousin...so you can see there were not many women in my family until I gave birth to 3 daughters! Hystersisters has been just what I have needed all of my life. Other women to talk to and ask very personal questions...I’ve never had this until I found Hystersisters.
As a teenager I had horrible cramps, after a while I was diagnosed with an ovary infection. I always had cramps after that but not as bad. My periods were never normal, they would last anywhere from 1 day - 14 days and I never knew when they were coming. I thought panty shields were the best invention ever!
My oldest and youngest daughters were normal pregnancies with vaginal births. With my middle daughter I had placenta previa (placenta over the vaginal opening) and I required an emergency c-section...I was hemorrhaging. When I was pre op for her my DR asked if some students could come in and take a look since this was such a rare condition and I said sure. A couple of minutes later (with my legs in the stirrups and the sonogram attached) about 50 med students came to have a look! It was just lovely!
When I was about 38 I started having chronic yeast/bacterial infections. I now believe I was pre menopausal. I was also going through a very stressful time, I was divorcing my emotionally abusive husband after 18 yrs of marriage and my mother was dying of breast cancer. Not a good time in my life! My mom died 4 days before my 40th birthday.
I met the man who would become my wonderful 2nd husband a few months before my mother died. I never knew men like this existed...but they do...we’ve been together for 9 years and he’s still wonderful. We moved to Florida just after my middle daughter graduated from high school with my youngest starting high school in Florida. It was a rough move for me that I wanted, but I’m a 14th generation New Englander, so it was a big shock. We moved in August and the following June I felt instantly really bad and told my husband “There’s something wrong.” Oh, my periods had stopped the May before I moved here so when I had the pain they had been gone for a year. I made an appt. with a new DR (I didn’t know anyone here and had just moved from Massachusetts, the medical capital of the USA). DR said my uterus was “tipped” and ordered a sonogram...a few days later I found out I had a “mass” on my right ovary...off to see a new gyn. He didn’t think it was cancer but really couldn’t tell...I needed to have the ovary out and he recommended an LAVH/BSO for prolapse. I immediately went home and started researching ovarian tumors in menopausal women...I almost threw up when I started reading as the prognosis is horrible. I took to my bed and cried for about 3 days...my compassionate dh got me up and going again. That day I got back on the web and came across a wonderful site called “Hystersisters”. I have visited our HS site almost every day since. You ladies have gotten me through such a hard time in my life and rejoice with me now that I am better.
My hyst went OK (the tumor was benign) but really knocked me for a loop even though I was very well prepared for it. My dh waited on me hand and foot and took care of everything so I didn’t have to worry. Just when I started to feel better, Sept. 11th happened, so it’s hard to tell where my pain was coming from. I also had a severe pain in my right groin, it was there before surgery and worse after. I was started on Premarin at 4 weeks post op (Sept. 2001)and had a terrible reaction...I developed vertigo (dizzy) from taking only 3 pills...this lasted 2-3 months. It was incapacitating and I was back in bed for about a month, unable to hold my balance. My DR theorized that I had retained so much water that it was also in my middle ear, causing me to lose my balance (I also have severe multiple allergies which could have contributed to this). I tried 1 more Premarin in January just to make sure it was caused by the Premarin, and I got the dizzies, but it wasn’t as severe and only lasted a week.
Then I entered life with no hrt......terrible! I had every symptom that you can think of and I had them all bad! My gyn knows nothing about hrt and didn’t offer anything else. This is when I found the “Hormone Jungle”. I am forever indebted to Kimm, Becky and Brendalee. They guided me through to where I am today, feeling better than I have in years. Oh, I entered “The Road Less Traveled” too and found out my groin pain is bursitis in my hip. DR commented that I must have “weird wiring” because the treatment he gave should not have fixed it. But I know my body is whacky!
I don’t know what I would have done without Hystersisters, being in a new place 1500 miles from home and not knowing anyone. You have saved me and I’m honored to be in all of your company as a hostess. I can never repay what has been given to me...but I’m trying! I love you all. Love, Cynthia
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