{{Erin}} fuckity. You need this not.

Pix - I'm so sorry. Your latest post sounds like you're giving it the best look possible - but still. AUGH.

Amych - can you make the 'new responsibilities, new payrate' talk with someone?

It is Saturday and I am of the gronk. Insomniac dog and toddler. Bad mix.

OTOH - Kung Fu Panda? Hours of family fun. Again.

ETA - Barb, that is a brilliant cluesticking. And civil. And classy.

Hey, all. Gosh, it's so nice to wake up and have it be SUNNY.

Also, when I stay the night at my folks, I don't have to make the coffee. BLISS.

Thanks for all the niceness, guys. I appreciate it.

Happy late birthday, Anne! It sounds like it was a really nice one.

JenP, my C-125 tests are negative so I am not diagnosed as having cancer. But my doc said that with losing my ovaries and starting the estrogen, then I would have to add progestin to lower my chances of developing uterine cancer, so I was all "Fuck that, rip out the whole shooting match."

Basically, I'm trying to find out what I can sorta expect. IS the whol hyst going to be so much worse recovery-wise than my cyst/faltube removal?

Can anyone suggest a good website?

can you make the 'new responsibilities, new payrate' talk with someone?

Sadly, no -- given the current round of budget freezes, there's been a lot of talk afoot about no raises at all this year. At some hazy future point, I'd say it depends on whether they reorg our group to make the current situation permanent, or try to replace the old boss's position (which would require unfreezing the budget enough to even get a position to fill).

::hugs Erin extra hard::

I'm so sorry you're going through this, babe. Like JZ said, your girlie bits should know better.

Pix, I'm so sorry about what happened, and I know *exactly* what you're feeling. My mom has had lupus since I was a kid, and has had lots of atypical presentations and consequences, and for a while my dad would never say anything until I got a phone call, "Well, I brought your mom home from the hospital yesterday..."

Essentially my brother and I opened an enormous can of whoop-ass on them both, and that put a stop to that. It's hard because I know the instinct it to wait it out, and in a way even deny what's going on, not to worry anyone, but it's not fair in the end. I'm just glad your dad's okay.

::hugs Pix, too::

::applauds wildly for Barb::

First, Happy belated Birthday to Anne! I love those decade celebrations. They say life begins at this one. Enjoy!

{{Kristin}} Parents! This stuff goes both ways. If you want to know about important things, like surgery, in your kids life you need to share these details from your life too! My mom does this all the time, but honestly we don't tell her stuff because she is too old and fragile. Both sides should be more open.

{{Erin}} My sisters and mom all had hysterectomies. My girly parts gently retired on their own about 8 years ago. Hormones they tried to push on me when I was losing mine made me insane, literally. Birth control pills did the same thing to me. I would venture to guess that if BCPs don't bother you then HRT won't either.

Red is just too hard for me to maintain although I think it suits me. With my hair so long now I don't want to try. I have considered lightening it a bit though.

Erin! I don't understand at all. I'd think that your girl parts should be constantly high-fiving each other and saying, "WOOT! Check us out, we're in ERIN, how lucky are we?"

I just loved this from JZ. Truer words never spoken!

Barb, at least we can call her an ignorant slut here. You showed most excellent restraint there.

Erin! I don't understand at all. I'd think that your girl parts should be constantly high-fiving each other and saying, "WOOT! Check us out, we're in ERIN, how lucky are we?"

JZ and Laura, I can safely say, my girly bits are NOT LOGICAL. They are stupid and vacuously malicious. They are Harmony as a villan -- without point, annoying but still potentially dangerous and painful, and turn on you for no good reason.

Reading stuff on hysterectomies and HRT on the internet is...um...there's a lot of bias out there, shall I say?

HRT is clearly not a one size fits all thing. I'd say go with your instinct from your personal medical experience. My experience with any hormones was a deep black hole, but they help plenty of women. I had good success through the transition with herbal supplements. I haven't taken anything for years now.

When I had my hysterectomy a couple of years ago, I considered HRT, but with my mom having had breast and uterine cancer, I thought it was best not to mess with hormones. Herbal cold packs helped with the hot flashes, fish oil and other supplements helped with any physical things they predicted, and Lexapro kept me from having a lot of mood swings. I am fine now and feel SO much better than when I was at the mercy of my evil reproductive organs. I went from 4 or 5 migraines a week to one every couple of months. Heaven!

I'm starting to see that.

Well, I am so glad that I know how to research stuff and detect bias and assess study feasibilities.

OH -- on an entirely different note, I am taking up embroidery! I dabbled in college and was decent and there's this site called "Sublime Stitchery" that has the cutest OMG patterns.

I got the "Sexy Librarians" one, among other, and after practice (I'm going to start with panties with my nickname embroidered on the butt in cursive, and then a book on the hip -- if I make mitsakes, hey, it's underwear!) I am so going to work on that! And the timing is good -- I figure after my twa days of Madam Morphine Pump, I can watch bad TV and stitch away!

Scrappy, I have no history of reproductive cancers, and I am not even in perimenopause.

I am willing to try HRT, but I also have a female gyno who had a hyst at 38 and who is very desiring that patients inform themselves and make choices about their own care. (LOVE HER.) I am already in Celexa and honestly, my depression is ok EXCEPT for PMS exacerbations which seriously make me take one day off a month because I am in such a black hole of depression mixed with pain.

I've been reading about supplements, because really, I just want to do everything I can to feel good. If you have suggestions about things that worked for you, I would be very interested.

Of course, I won't know what my symptoms, if any, will be until after my slice-n-dice, but forewarned is forearmed, I s'pose.