Miss Emma (Sherry) - Alumni Hostess 2002

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Miss Emma (Sherry) - Alumni Hostess 2002

Miss Emma (Sherry) - Alumni Hostess 2002

Date : 04-30-2003 - 09:52 AM - Readers : 706

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Hi, my name is Sherry and I live just outside of St. Louis, Missouri. I have been married to my wonderful DH for 31 years and we have 2 grown sons, a daughter-in-law-, a precious 4 year old grandson and our 6 mo. old kitten, Emma.

I am a Medical Transcriptionist/Receptionist in a very fast-paced ophthalmology office in Kirkwood, Mo. I love my job. Working in the medical field is very exciting and rewarding for me. My hobbies are reading, music, hiking, interior decorating and wandering through flea markets, antique shops, and of course spending lots of time with family and friends.

From the very beginning my periods were very heavy with lots of cramping. After I gave birth to our sons, things got a little better for me for several years until I reached about age 35. At this time, my periods became very heavy again with very severe cramping. I was diagnosed as having fibroids around age 40, but like many I just lived with it and endured the pain and heavy bleeding. Most of the time I went through a pad every hour. At about age 45, my pap smears became abnormal and stayed that way off and on for the next 5 years. I finally found a gynecologist who listened to me, validated me and wanted to help me, about 2 years ago. Something he said to me that I will never forget, and am forever grateful to him for, was that he was there to give me information, but then to support me in the decision-making process...we were in this together...music to my ears!!! When I had 2 abnormal pap smears under his care, he did a Colposcopy ! and biopsy. The biopsy was questionable so I returned every 3 months for another pap. One would be normal, the next one would be abnormal and all this time I am having less and less time between periods. At this point, he did Cryosurgery and froze the bad cells on my cervix. It got to the point where I bled for 4 months straight with only a few days here and there when I didn't. Now we do an ultrasound that disclosed a very thick lining and what he thought was a mass. Then he did a Hysteroscopy and D&C where he found a large polyp that he removed during the procedure. After the D & C I had exceedingly heavy bleeding and clotting that did finally stop. My gyn called me and said that my path report came back endometrial hyperplasia. My risk for developing cancer was small, but he gave me 2 options. 1) Hormone therapy that could not be guaranteed to work, with lots of bleeding and a chance that results could ta! ke a long time or 2) A vaginal hysterectomy. It took me about 2 seconds to decide! I had had all the heavy bleeding I cared to have in one life time and I really did not want to mess around with even the slightest chance of getting cancer.

I began to research the net like a mad woman. I found a lot of sites that were scarey and very negative and then I happened upon Hystersisters. Ahhhh...it was like a breath of fresh air! Finding other women who were going thru or had already gone through many of the same things I had. I took very little time registering, posting and researching everything on the site. Right away I felt loved and supported and couldn't get enough.

A day or two before my surgery, when I found posts of women praying for me and wishing me the best, I was moved to tears. It really helped me to be strong and calmed so many of my fears.

I had a TVH on Aug. 20, 2001. My gyn found 2 large fibroids buried in the lining of my uterus and one that was growing toward an ovary. I have to thank Hystersisters because this helped me to prepare myself in every way for my surgery, but mostly mentally and emotionally. All the information I received seemed to empower me.

At seven weeks post-op, I was honored to receive an invitation from Kathy to be a hostess. What a thrill to be able to give back something of all that has been given! I count it a privilege and an honor to be able to play a small part in such a wonderful site that helps so many women!

With much love and respect for all the princesses,

Sherry (Miss Emma)

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