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It’s been two years since I had a hysterectomy and I still occasionally find a tampon or pad stuffed away in an old purse or the pocket of a rarely worn coat. I have donated most of my unused items, but the occasional surfacing of one that I overlooked always makes me pause. I spent […]
In a twist of irony that is just basically unfair, I find myself facing yet another round of the dreaded abdominal and transvaginal ultrasounds. Last January, I had a complete hysterectomy – complete means they removed my uterus and my cervix, leaving the ovaries. I was just 47 at the time of surgery so not […]
I wrote a thing, summarizing the institutional failures around gynecology and sexual trauma. Among other failings. Also, in the pensive cover photo you can’t see that I am standing next to a litter box while my cat is licking my ankles. I’m a pro. Gynecologists should have nursing or social work staff doing follow-up with […]
I haven’t posted an update on this recently, so let me remedy that today. I had my surgery on January 10 so I recently passed the four month mark. In terms of the actual hysterectomy, I’m doing pretty good. No significant physical problems with the exception of having to pee a lot more often and […]
This is a story of how Paid Sick Days saved my life. I’m sharing this because of an upcoming important event in Pittsburgh. Women from across the Pittsburgh region will gather on March 7 and 8 to underscore the need for paid sick days and call on people to pledge support for the local Paid Sick Days […]
One thing I did not anticipate well was my post-surgical clothing. I assumed I would wear pajamas and sweats for weeks. I almost bought a few extra pairs of sweatpants, but I’m glad that didn’t work out. There’s this post-surgical condition that the HysterSisters call swelly belly. First of all, the term “swelly belly” (Latin term: […]
It is hard to ask for what you need when your requests are denied. I keep asking people to drop off Turners Iced Tea and coffee creamer, but no one has because they think I’m joking. So asking your surgeon to please call you on a Friday afternoon because you think something is wrong? Asking your boss for just a few more minutes on your break because your body feels like hell? Asking your insurance provider to reconsider your appeal about coverage? Asking your preschooler not to cuddle because your entire abdomen is inflamed? Asking your partner to please do this one more thing on top of everything else extra they are doing?
I haven’t blogged much of late. Still in recovery mode, what I amusing refer to as #hysterecovery – well, amusing to me. My health is okay. I have one of two little possible sources of problems that I have to manage. I drove today for the first time, 1.6 miles to be exact. I couldn’t […]
This morning, Ledcat dragged me out of bed at some ungodly hour for my post-operative check up with my surgeon, Dr. Lee Hammons. The good news is that the news is good. My unexpected trip to the ER this Saturday produced a CT scan, bloodwork and more data for this visit. I’m healing. I don’t […]
It has been 11 days since my surgery. Most of those days have been filled with resting, walking around the house, resting, making sure that I eat, and reminding myself not to pick up a cat or dog. Our weather has been horrible so taking an outside walk was not an option, especially since my […]
