I HATE "The Change" (Warning: Graphic and possibly NSFW)

[DGoddessChardonnay]

Update of sorts

Got a phone call late Tuesday afternoon from the hospital clinic. Couldn't answer it as I was at the drugstore, dropping off the script, so I returned the call after I got home and ate a quick bite (running all day w/out stopping to eat is NOT good for me at all)

Unfortunately they close at 4, so I had to return the call on Wednesday morning while I was at work. They had the appointment already set up for me.

Bad part of that is it's not until June 26th (9 am) - 2 months away. At least Friday I dont' have many vendors coming and Daria is usually working a couple of hours doing her maintenance walk and backstock for the next HBC order, so I sent an email to Ass Man (who makes out my schedule ) and let him know I'd need that day off completely (and also reminding him about this coming Wednesday that I need to leave by 1 for a dental appointment at 2.) Also marked that day on the calendar in the back office, so both he and Grasshopper can remember when they check for any days off requested.

Got my meds on Thursday at the drugstore. Instead of running to GNC, I simply got the store brand of Feosol to try and popped one in the car on the way home (as well as the Megestrol.) I'm taking one a day on both (around 4 pm so I can keep on a schedule) and still had a couple of bleed outs that evening (had to change 2 overnight pads within 3 hours.)

Friday the bleeding seemed like it was more moderate. Also had a lengthy conversation with Ass Man about what's going on (luckily he doesn't gross out too easily.)


Last night I didn't feel much like doing anything. Took me 2 hours to fold a load of clothes I took out of the dryer (guess I was more tired than I thought after I got home after running errands after work and had taken a 2 hour nap after I ate.)

Today I'm feeling a bit better - working on getting the housework done so I can go get hot dogs later, run by Wallyworld and go to the nail salon. Bleeding has slacked up quite a bit now and I think I can wear the pantiliners now instead of a full pad.

So the meds are helping quite a bit but it still sucks having to wait 8 weeks for the procedure to be done.

[BeeMused]

Oh good, now that the bleeding has eased up a bit you'll feel a lot better soon. Still, take it as easy as you can, these homonal fluctuations take their toll on the body (and mind).

[DGoddessChardonnay]

Oh good, now that the bleeding has eased up a bit you'll feel a lot better soon. Still, take it as easy as you can, these homonal fluctuations take their toll on the body (and mind).

Been noticing that over the last few weeks.

It's either night sweats, or I'm getting hot flashes during the day. Last Sunday, I was so fatigued and feeling warm that I spent most of the afternoon relaxing on my bed w/the laptop, tv remote and phone and the fan blowing on me.

Some days it's all I can do to get up, go to work and come home and fix dinner and wash clothes (and get a shower and get ready for bed.) Other days, like Wednesday, I had energy so I used it catching up on the vacuuming that didn't get done the previous weekend, as well as the laundry and getting dinner fixed and whatnot.

Today has been so-so. Last night I fell asleep on the bed w/the laptop still on. I barely woke up long enough to turn it off and crawl into the covers. Woke at 7 and had coffee and a banana for breakfast, then started laundry and straightening up a little bit during the morning. Got half the dusting done in the dining room, dusted down my bedroom and office and wiped down both laptops and the mouse (that Pledge multisurface w/Febreeze is great stuff, BTW) and managed to go get our hot dogs this afternoon - then had a nap, relaxed for a bit on the front porch (still felt tired) and remembered I forgot cat food earlier.

Made another run to the store, rested a bit, fixed dinner and am now on the bed, waiting for enough energy to go finish cleaning up the dishes and maybe make a pound cake in a short bit. Hope I can get the rest of the dining room finished either later tonight or tomorrow and get all the plants watered and the bathroom tidied up.

I'll be glad when I can get my bedroom vacuumed . . . kinda hard to get it done when you have a litter of babies in the closet.

Four weeks and counting down before I can get into the doctor's office . . . hurry up June 26th. Maybe I can get some more news and find out why I'm still tired at times.

At least the bleeding hasn't started back. Still have some light spotting on occasion but not the full faucet flow I had before.

[Food Lady]

Glad you're feeling better. I'm headed that way. My first sign was--get this--very regular periods. I have never had those and now it's every 4 weeks. I can actually count on it, which is very weird to me. I heard they get closer together and then eventually start getting further apart until they stop. I never heard of the weeks at a time thing.

[LesserSouthernFroglet]

I'm going through this now too. The dichotomy of being bone-weary tired and wanting to sleep 12 hours a night, and not actually being able to sleep, or waking up every half-hour in a lather of sweat... Ergh.

Wait till your skin starts turning into a teenager's again.

I was luck with the bleeding - I have a Mirena, so nothing.

The worst thing I've found is the almost homicidal level of irritability. That is so, so sucky.

The doc thought he'd help and put me on a synthetic HRT. It made everything so much worse... I stopped it after a month.

Gentle ((hugs)) cos I know what you're going through.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

Three weeks to go now . . . still have very little bleeding at times, most of the time none.

Still taking the Megace . . . just had it refilled last week. Still having shortness of breath on occasion but that seems to be letting up. My energy level is better . . .

And I've been trying to put down the cigarettes . . . scary, ain't it? Been smoking for 30 years and last week, decided to try the vape pen to see if that would help me.

Daria (one of my coworkers) stopped by a nearby convenience store and picked one up for her hubby . . . had a special running that when you buy the e-liquid, you get the e-cig pen and USB charger free (pen and charger alone are around $35. The liquid is $5.99, so $6.30 for a bottle of liquid and a pen w/charger . . . )

Bought one Thursday afternoon . . . and blueberry flavored e-liquid to go w/it. I think I've had less than 6 cigarettes since then . . . and last night just trying to smoke one right before bed (I had just plugged up the pen for charging) and it was HORRIBLE! Thought I would be sick.

But I think I'm liking this pen . . . I hear there are different strengths on the e-liquid so you can taper yourself down at your own pace.

And I'm also hearing there is e-liquid that has no nicotine in it, so that may be something to think about down the road.

But so far so good . . . I haven't wanted a menthol cig today - just the thoughts of that is about to make me gag.

Other than that, I'm hanging in there.

[MoonCat]

I heard they get closer together and then eventually start getting further apart until they stop. I never heard of the weeks at a time thing.

Mine got farther apart, but lasted for anywhere from one to three weeks, though not very heavy. Right around my 50th birthday I skipped a month entirely, and since there was no chance of pregnancy, I figured it was a sign of menopause kicking in. Took another four years to stop completely, though.

I don't miss it

[DGoddessChardonnay]

Went Back Today:

Had the endometrial biopsy almost 3 weeks ago . . . turned out to be a simple procedure. Was in and out in less than 20 minutes.

Of course, there were side effects to watch for. Occasional cramping, light bleeding for a couple of days afterwards. Other than that, not bad during the weekend after the procedure.

Then the following Monday came and I still had light bleeding. Wasn't too bad . . . all that week light bleeding every day.

Last week not only did the bleeding increase, but by quite a bit and accompanies by severe cramping. So bad I had to lie down as soon as I got home from work and down Pamprin as well as my regular meds and feel almost like death.

By Wednesday evening, I was feeling somewhat better . . . had some bleeding still and by last weekend it was slowed down a lot. Today was very light bleeding during the day.

Had my follow up this afternoon (requested to leave early so I could go) and got the results.

Biopsy was normal.

Of course, I talked w/the doctor about the bleeding since the procedure, who was surprised that I was having that hard a time and still taking the Megace. She increased the dosage (2 a day ) for a couple of more months.

I also informed her of the switch to the e-liquid from the cigarettes. She's wanting to wait a couple of more months before switching me to a low dose birth control pill, which she says should help w/the symptoms I'm having (night sweats, hot flashes, mood swings) and get me through until I get through menopause, then we'll discuss HRT.

In the meantime, she did a Pap Smear today (after expressing concern that this had not been already ordered on my last visit and I had not had once since 2006), had blood work ordered for not only to see the red blood cell count (I asked about the progress of that since I have been taking iron supplements for the anemia,) thyroid issues and A1C level (have a family history of diabetes.) I should get those results back next week.

And in the meanwhile, I've got an appointment for a mammogram this coming Wednesday after work. I've not had one of these before, so I'm not sure what to expect.

And I'm supposed to go back for another follow up in 3 months.

As far as how I feel: not as much shortness of breath . . . actually that seems to have gone away for the most part, but I still have tired feeling in my lower legs from time to time. That I also mentioned to the doctor, who also noticed that my calves are swollen.

Yes, they have been that way for years. My mom has large calves like this, so did my late grandma. But still doesn't explain why I sometimes feel tired there. She's chalking that up to heredity . . . but I think on my next visit, if I still have these periods, I'm mentioning it again . . . . and again . . . and again until somebody finally listens and runs tests to see if anything's going on.

So we'll see how it goes . . . I doubt they'll find anything unusual.

[GOInsanity]

I hope they find out whats going on soon DGoddess!

I'm not looking forward to menopause. My mom started in her mid 40's with mood swings that seemed to trend towards paranoia and specifically directed at me. In her mind, I was trying to ruin her life and steal her husband (my dad) from her. Plus she had the 3 weeks of bleeding, 1 week off. But her doctor refused to believe it could be menopause because she was so young. There was no history of menopause starting that young in her family was there? Well no, but that could be because her mom, grandmother, and older sister all had full hysterectomies in their 30's, so it's a little hard to get history from that.

Doctor finally got her on some hormones and she finally leveled out. Even apologized to me for how she had treated me through it. I told her I figured I was just being a bratty teenager who deserved it.

Oh, but her worst symptom by far... Red wine gave her migraines for years! She was miserable and couldn't even have half a glass without having to spend the next day laying in a dark room.

[MoonCat]

And in the meanwhile, I've got an appointment for a mammogram this coming Wednesday after work. I've not had one of these before, so I'm not sure what to expect.

A technician will position your boobs, one at a time, between two flat surfaces that will compress them somewhat. Just when you think it's getting too tight, the tech will tell you to hold your breath and she'll take the pic. Usually two different positions for each.

It doesn't take long, and I personally didn't find it too uncomfortable, but it depends partly on how large your breasts are. They might need to take more pics if you have very dense breast tissue or if you moved during the shot.

A doctor will check them afterward (probably not the same day) and they'll let you know if you're okay or if they saw anything that might merit another look (don't get panicky about this if they do, it could be benign fibrous lumps, a very common condition).

[DGoddessChardonnay]

A technician will position your boobs, one at a time, between two flat surfaces that will compress them somewhat. Just when you think it's getting too tight, the tech will tell you to hold your breath and she'll take the pic. Usually two different positions for each.

It doesn't take long, and I personally didn't find it too uncomfortable, but it depends partly on how large your breasts are. They might need to take more pics if you have very dense breast tissue or if you moved during the shot.

A doctor will check them afterward (probably not the same day) and they'll let you know if you're okay or if they saw anything that might merit another look (don't get panicky about this if they do, it could be benign fibrous lumps, a very common condition).

Well, in that department, let's just say I've got a couple of mouthfuls and that's pretty much it.

As for possible lumps, I do have a couple of small bumps around the right nipple that have been there for years. They may be cysts (my Mom had those and that was also how she discovered she had early stage breast cancer back in 2002.) Hopefully they are just harmless bumps and nothing more.

Other than that and trying to keep my vape pen charged enough so I can enjoy it (that hazlenut caramel macchiato flavor is to DIE FOR, BTW ) I'm doing okay. Just nearly worked myself to death between last night and today on the house, so tomorrow I'll probably be resting almost all day.

[Shyla]

If your breasts are dense or have cysts, you might have to have a diagnostic mammogram. Extra pictures and then an ultrasound of the breast. Takes longer but no big deal. I have fibroids and have to get the diagnostic.

If your calves are swollen and you get tired, it can be worth it to get your kidneys tested. It's a simple urine test and maybe a blood test. Catching kidney disease early can be helpful.

Sorry you're having so much trouble.

[Minflick]

I FINALLY hit menopause really and truly (12 months with no bleeding) in February, at age 59. 2 years before, Dr was concerned that I hadn't yet finished with it, and did an endometrial biopsy. Not fun at all. Odd strange pain too, because it felt like an entire quadrant of my uterus was in pain, not a small pinpoint where the actual clipping was being done. Nicely, pain once clipping was over was completely gone, with no lingering!

Can't being to say how happy I am to have finished with it all!

[DGoddessChardonnay]

Went last Wednesday as scheduled for the mammogram . . . was in and out in under 45 minutes (and I was almost 45 minutes early - got there around 10 before 3 and I wasn't scheduled to arrive until around 3:30.)

And it was a slow time of day, apparently. Only one person in the waiting area and she was called right after I sat down. Then I was called to the window for check in (their kiosk wasn't working so they were doing check-in's manually.) Went through the process in just a couple of minutes, including handing over my insurance card so the receptionist could scan it.

Called to the back maybe 15 minutes later if that. Technician took me to a small cubby of a room and she re-verified my contact information, doctor's name and so on and so forth. Then went into a small changing room just off the room where the machine was, changed into the gown and went into the room a couple of minutes later.

Procedure wasn't as bad as I'd thought it would be. It's uncomfortable to have your breasts flattened but not terribly so. This was a standard mammogram, so the tech said only 4 pictures were needed for that. Got these done in just a few minutes and saw the pics on the screen afterwards. Although I'm not sure what to look for (I'm not a doctor, nor do I play one online) the tech said the pictures turned out very well.

Checked out w/the receptionist and grabbed a small bottle of water to go (they apparently hand these out after the procedure so you don't get dehydrated - very nice of them.) Went back outside to wait on the bench by the main entrance.

I was calling my Mom around 3:30 to come back to pick me up, so not bad at all. Just wish she had come straight away instead of falling back asleep - she didn't arrive until just before 5.

Thursday just before I left work, I got a call from a number on my cell phone. Looked local but I was momentarily busy and let the voicemail get it. Checked voicemail a couple of minutes later and it was a lady calling from the Breast Center (across from big hospital) asking me to call back to set up an appointment.

Called her back right away and found out they need more photos, but of the right side. Earliest appointment they had is this Wednesday @ 2:45.

So now I've got to go do that day after tomorrow . . . although I'd rather have went today and got it over with (I'm off all this week on vacation, BTW so I could have went anytime.)

So hopefully they just need extra pics b/c they can't see very well on that side and just want to rule something out and everything will turn out okay - Mom says it's not unusual to have extra pics done and not to worry just yet.

And, yes I'm still on my vape pen. Still haven't had the urge for a menthol cig . . . and I'm getting even more sensitive to the cigarette smoke. I used to think folks who had quit were exaggerating when they would tell me they couldn't be around the smoke but I'm now discovering they weren't - on the contrary - they were understating the case.

7 weeks so far w/out one and counting . . . so far so good.

[BeeMused]

Gaaaaah! I feel like a teen today! I've got a huge pimple right on my chin! Gaaaaaaah!