My mother's death in 1982 changed my life in many ways. Besides the typical grief and managing life as a young wife and mom without my ever-present relationship with her, I was left at a crossroads of decision-making surrounding my own health.

Ovarian cancer is a disease that "whispers." Without overt symptoms, it is a cancer that is frightening--especially to a family whose earlier generations of women seemed to disappear off the family tree before the age of 40.

Doctors encouraged my sister and me to have an oophorectomy (removal of the ovaries) for preventative measures, as genetic testing was not available. This meant that under typical circumstances, the uterus would need to be removed as well.

I was 41 during the summer of 1998 when my hysterectomy and bi-lateral oophorectomy was scheduled. I had gradually gotten used to the idea of a preventative surgery because it seemed to be my best option to extend the possibility of seeing my children grow up, marry, and have children. I wanted to be a grandmother someday, and I did not want to be robbed of that desire because my body might betray me.

It was during my recovery from surgery that the geek in me searched for help online - through an original message board within AOL where I found a handful of women who became my friends.
But because I knew that the small message board on AOL was not enough and because I wanted other women to find help and strength from other women, I developed a list of frequently asked questions and posted them to a website I dubbed "The HysterSisters." And. of course, as technology allowed, I've added more and more resources and features to the website in an effort to offer a supportive environment to our members and visitors for their GYN needs.

What is funny about a crossroad is that sometimes we recognize that we are in the midst of one--and sometimes we don't. I knew I was at a crossroads with my health. What I didn't realize it at the time was that I was also at a crossroads with my career and the rest of my life.

My mother's death, which led to my hysterectomy, became my crossroads. It provided me with the potential of meeting my grandchildren. It changed my career from classroom educator to online patient educator. And when thousands of other women-- members of HysterSisters--stood at their own crossroads, they did not have to stand alone.

And now as HysterSisters celebrates another birthday--being online for 12 years--I look back in gratitude to the thousands of women who made an impact on the Sisters of Hyster within the pages of our online community.

Thank you for being a part of our community. We couldn't have done it without you!

• 1998 August - HysterSisters website launched on free website space
• 1999 July - Domain "Hystersisters.com" registered. (100 unique visitors per day)
• 1999 November - Added hostesses for overseeing discussions.
• 2000 May - Switched core website software to vBulletin with registration required.
• 2000 Summer - Outgrew three server accounts. (1200 unique visitors per day)
• 2001 January - Moved to dedicated server. (2500 unique visitors per day)
• 2003 August - Celebrated 5th year online. (4500 unique visitors per day)
• 2004 August - Server relocation to Dallas datacenter.
• 2004 December - Hysterectomy Checkpoints added. (6500 unique visitors per day)
• 2005 January - Added second server to balance load of website traffic
• 2005 July - Website upgraded software and interface. (8000 unique visitors per day)
• 2005 August - Celebrated 7th year online.
• 2006 August - 8 years online, 100,000 members
• 2008 March - Published for patient distribution: "What 100,000 Women Know About Hysterectomy"
• 2008 April - Upgraded Website Interface
• 2009 April - Upgraded vBulletin software
• 2009 July - Relaunched Hysterectomy Checkpoints, Added video section, created mobile interface
• 2009 August - Celebrated 11th year online, 170,000 members
• 2010 August - Celebrate 12th year online with 200,000 members

Happy Birthday, HysterSisters!
 

Menopause can be associated with all kinds of uncomfortable symptoms. And some may be equally as uncomfortable to discuss as they are to actually experience. If vaginal dryness is an embarrassing subject for you to bring up with your doctor, you are certainly not alone. Many women are simply too uncomfortable to bring up their vaginal health as it relates to menopause symptoms. In fact, some women think they just need to accept vaginal dryness as part of the process of getting older. What they don't realize is that this symptom is directly related to the decline in estrogen levels associated with menopause. The good news is that along with helping to control those pesky hot flashes and night sweats, estrogen therapy also effectively manages vaginal dryness and atrophy.

During menopause, there's a decline in your estrogen levels, which causes vaginal dryness—a common menopause symptom. This can include itching, burning, and irritation in and around the vagina. Another symptom associated with menopause is called vaginal atrophy. Vaginal atrophy includes narrowing and shortening of the vagina, symptoms you may not even be able to feel. Left untreated, vaginal dryness and atrophy may worsen over time. That's why it's so important to talk to your doctor about treatment options. Don't be shy—trust that your doctor is no stranger to this topic of discussion.

If you're only using estrogen therapy to treat dryness, itching, and burning in and around your vagina, talk with your healthcare professional about whether a different treatment or medicine without estrogens might be better for you.

HysterSisters is so large that a visitor could get lost in the gigantic maze of pages. Here are some notable bits of information and pages that you may not know. even members who have been around a long time may not know about these gems!

1. The website of HysterSisters started with frequently asked questions and some funny Bedtime Stories in a fairy-tale setting of the Land of Hyster.
2. The website of HysterSisters has over 200,000 members and over 3 million posts in our community forums. Good heavens! Yes! Did you read those numbers?!
3. The HysterSisters website offers live chat events for our pre-op hysterectomy members and post-op recovery events, along with special chat events for options and alternative discussions. Check out our calendar for upcoming chat events.
4. The HysterSisters website has a sexual health forum--and, of course, a page with articles listed and other resources for intimacy questions.
5. The website of HysterSisters has been called a cult. And we have other favorite threads in our Memorable Threads forum.
6. The website of HysterSisters has a menopause area which is divided for discussion based on whether you kept your ovaries (or not) and whether you can take hormone therapy.
7. The HysterSisters website has an extensive article list for our members' support needs.
8. The store of HysterSisters has awesome products selected especially for our members' needs during and after their surgeries.
9. The booklet What 100,000 Women Know about Hysterectomy is still sent free to women requesting a copy.
10. The HysterSisters website added a doctor directory for doctors to list themselves as a resource for our members to get additional medical input - second or third opinion - prior to their surgeries.
11. The website of HysterSisters is the sponsor of GiveMeASecond.com website and video? (Pass it along to other women!)
12. The website of HysterSisters is celebrating 12 years online with a contest!

Like many women, our member Jane found that her hysterectomy represented a crossroad, an opportunity to make a decision that altered the path she thought her life was taking.

HysterSisters: What led you to this crossroad in your life?

Jane: Before my hysterectomy, I had been a stay-at-home mom since 1979. Before that, I worked in doctors’ offices in reception, billing, and insurance. I did lots of volunteer work. I also signed on to be a coordinator for exchange students.

The road that led to my hysterectomy was a little different. Yeah, I had some of the cramps and long heavy periods, but these were treated with birth control pills, which helped for the most part. I even had a very boring annual checkup just 3 months before I came to this crossroad.

I was taking my daughter to a college visit when I had some lower abdominal pain. I thought, bad time for a UTI or bladder infections (have had 3 or 4 in my lifetime) so I did extra drinking. Things stabilized for a few days before things got worse. Along with that I was bloated. I decided I should get this checked out, so I went to my family practice doctor. He thought it was my appendix or maybe an ovarian cyst and ordered lab work and an abdominal x-ray. After seeing this, he ordered a CT scan. The radiologist had him come see it. My family practice doctor showed it to the surgeon and ob/gyn, neither of whom wanted to touch it. "IT" was a large ovarian mass and had the appearance on the CT of not being good—possibly cancer. This happened in one afternoon. That evening, I was sent to a nearby highly respected medical center, which also has a cancer center, where I was admitted. This was on Thursday night. On Tuesday, I was having a TAH/BSO amongst other things. It turned out to be Stage 1 Grade 1 ovarian cancer, and I would need three chemo treatments.

HysterSisters: This sounds like quite a shock. How did you respond to this?

Jane: Yes, it was a shock. Cancer? Not me! My family has all sorts of heart issues. Not cancer issues. That took a bit to absorb. Three treatments of Taxol and Carboplatinum, three weeks apart. Hair loss, feeling totally yucky, etc. I have to say that it took a good year to really feel better. I have some on-going issues. Low thyroid went out of whack and taken care of. Blood pressure went up as well as cholesterol levels. These are mainly hereditary, but could also have come on me earlier than most in my family, but it does not really matter. I also experience depression and anxiety issues.

I found HysterSisters after I returned home to recover from surgery when I was googling “hysterectomy.” I received lots of information and found the Cancer Concerns forum. I learned on HysterSisters that one should have a gyn/onc perform your surgery when cancer was suspected. I checked the business card my surgeon had given me – gyn/onc – whew! I think God was looking out for me. I have since been free of cancer. I stayed with Hystersisters for quite a while so I could give to others going through cancer the same support I had found. I was so grateful to have this place where scared women all over the world could come and get help and support.

With the help of many women here at HysterSisters, we could come here and ask questions, get a hug, and cry with those who have been right where we were that day. Everyone on here is a very big help to all of us on here.

HysterSisters: You were at a difficult place at that time. What happened next in your life?

Jane: My last two children all grew up, graduated, and left home. They are all successful in their chosen careers with one getting married this year. That was great to be around for her wedding and feeling good. It gave my hysterectomy and cancer challenges a new perspective.

I asked myself, “Where do we go from here?” I returned to school to get my Associate Degree in Nursing. It is my dream to work with cancer patients. One step at a time, though, like we would tell new members in the Cancer concerns forum as they were starting out on their cancer journeys. Only now, it’s one semester at a time.

I have now completed two semesters of school and have a B average. Let's see, I was discouraged from going to nursing school back in high school due to my math and science grades. At one point in my life, I thought if I were ever near a school that I would do it. Things like money and fear of failure were factors in putting it off. This last year, the only thing holding be back was fear of failure. The first two classes I took were the ones I feared the most and I passed both of them with solid B grades.

I was also struggling with my depression and the loneliness and isolation that goes along with being the wife of a pastor in a very rural community. Taking my focus off of the negatives and going to school has really helped with my depressive episodes. My husband has been very supportive of me returning to school.

Having cancer and my hysterectomy helped me develop some new perspectives and lose some of my fear. And now I’m taking a direction that will allow me to continue to help others who experience cancer as I did.

HysterSisters: What encouragement would you like to offer other women who find themselves at a crossroad?

Jane: Since having my cancer, I have done many things that I never would have imagined doing, but the cancer is a very real reminder that life is short. Do those things that you always wanted to do.
I want to let you know that cancer can turn out well. One of my new hobbies is geo-caching and I have had the pleasure of visiting two of the Bloch Cancer parks. I took a picture of myself, taken by a stone that says, "There are 10,000,000 living Americans who have been diagnosed with cancer; 5,000,000 are considered cured." That stone in the park was very meaningful for me.
 

During the month of August, HysterSisters will be celebrating 12 years online! This year's contest happens right here on this thread and its simple to enter! You are eligible to play (and win) if you are a member of HysterSisters.com! Reply to this thread and tell us what you LOVE about HysterSisters.com. By participating in the thread, you will be automatically entered in this years Birthday Contest!

Join the Discussion!

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