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.

I took Promensil and it seemed to help a lot. Much cheaper via eBay than in drug stores. It didn't help my sister at all, but HRT didn't help her either. Every person is different. My GF had a hysterectomy at 40ish and didn't take anything and had no real issues. She walked into the office for a checkup 2 weeks after and the receptionist thought her surgery was postponed because she was so chipper and normal.

Erin, my mom had a hysterectomy when she was in her late forties and has had good luck with HRT, though I know she got worried about it when all the negative buzz started earlier this decade. I'm pretty sure she stuck with it, but I'll ask her. Her recovery was rough, but she was also a decade older, so I don't think it's likely comparable.

Barb, excellent smackdown!

Anne, a belated Happy Birthday to you! I'm sorry I was so distracted and didn't say so yesterday.

I'm sorry I was so distracted and didn't say so yesterday.

Completely understandable, given that stunt your dad pulled on you.

Anyhow, thanks for the birthday wishes!

I had an good (if not pleasant) conversation with my mom this morning. Basically, I got called on my hypocrisy wrt political discussions - in other words, my tendency to crack jokes and vent about Bush and Cheney, but to get very defensive and sniffy when other people do the same about this one. I don't agree with many of her political views, but yeah, I was not playing fair. While it led to a protracted full body cringe, it did get me to thinking.

Oh, Erin, that sucks a lot. Good luck finding a forum somewhere with some help--there's gotta be somewhere to look who knows and can advise?

Kristin, that's so awful--definitely try to explain to him how bad it'd be if it had gone the other way!! I mean, yay and thank god that it didn't, but what if you'd missed since September the chance to be making the most of your months?

Work ate me yesterday, so I missed a whole day and am late with:

Happy Birthday, Anne! You make 40 look DAMNED GOOD. Your day sounds excellent (and yummy)!

Erin -- good lord, woman! I'm glad this is the 21st century, and your crazy reproductive system can be dealt with safely and (more or less) easily. But still -- good lord! I wish I knew anything about HRT, but oddly (considering my job), I really don't. I can look shit up for you if you have specific questions, though.

Kristin -- when my dad has pulled the "I was in the hospital with a HEART ATTACK but didn't want to worry you" thing, I always just asked him how HE would feel if our roles were reversed and I didn't tell him. It finally got it through to him that even though I worry, I want to know. I'm glad your dad is okay, but I'd want to strangle him if I were you. I understand that feeling.

IOmememeN, here's the weirdest thing I've heard in a while: despite the fact that I (1) exercise 3-4 days a week and (2) have lost 16 pounds since November [all Wellbutrin; I haven't been trying, so no need to offer standard "congrats on lessening your bulk"], my blood pressure is SKY FUCKING HIGH. Apparently it's been creeping up since the fall; I thought it was a side effect of the Wellbutrin, but my Dr. insists that it started creeping up before the Wellbutrin.

Anyway, at a doctor's appt. yesterday, my BP was something like Is That Even A Number - over - Are You Fucking Kidding Me.

Well, no, it was 150/100 or 110. Which is undeniably, no question, SKY FUCKING HIGH. Not borderline, not iffy; *high,* as in Hi, Here's Your Prescription For BP Meds.

Jesus. My doctor is as stymied as I am that my BP would go up while I'm losing weight and working out regularly and haven't changed my diet. My job is no more stressful than normal, so while stress is a factor, it hasn't changed in the recent past. Possibly all the stress from the last year finally caught up with me. I don't know.

But my BP has never been that high in a non-emergency situation (when I went to the ER for the stomach bug, it was insane, like 170/110, but I had been puking for 6 hours), so I asked him if I needed to go back on BP meds, because I really don't want to have a stroke. So -- back on BP meds. This is freaky, y'all, just because losing weight and exercising are 2 things that *lower* BP. I'm almost afraid to check my cholesterol.

And finally, unrelatedly, we have a birthday party to go to tonight for which the birthday girl decided the theme should be "school girl." Yeah. I did 12 years of Catholic school; I can state uncategorically that NOTHING I own can be turned into a school-girl outfit. That's the point; after 12 years, I never wanted to wear anything again that reminded me of those awful uniforms.

My boyfriend, OTOH, has many school girl outfits. I have a very, very interesting life. One that I would NEVER have predicted 5 years ago.

You should go as a school girl and a priest. You guys can decide who is who :)

We had a really bad afternoon out with TCG's mother. She is completely irrational. I ended up having to give her my e-mail address so she would back off TCG and his supposed lack of communication with her.