take care honey-bunches-of-oh's
definitely go get checked out.
this is another one of the massive suckages of usa healthcare.
In japan we have this thing called a human-doc. (like dry docking a boat)
for less than 500.00 you can get a full check out including all kinds of diagonistic stuff. Just to make sure everything is going ok, when you have concerns. You don't need to convince a doctor, or get a referral.
you can listen to our healthcare video about human-docs in our mythbusters video casts, produced by the fantastic tokyo terri-- here.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=z6...h?
v=z69xODsS7mw
this one is agnes. We have done 4 so far-- the idea is to share the real stories of folks who have national healthcare.
anyway- Jen, my dear. Keep your chin up and get some sleep.
AND we will see you at SXSW-- some of us crazies from japan are planning on going.
Be well, Jen.
Been there, done that - had a partial hysterectomy at 35 (kept my ovaries, which now at 50 are finally petering out) because I was sick and anemic and in agony all the time from the fibroids, and I had been operated on twice already for them. It was, bar none, one of my better life decisions. Plus, if the hot flashes get so bad I need to kill someone, the estrogen only HRT is much less dangerous than the estrogen/progestrone combo you need to take to protect from uterine cancer...
Don't automatically discount male ob/gyns. I would crawl through broken glass to go to mine (and every one of his patients would be crawling with me) and while they made me sign my life away on the decision, and get counciled about it (sigh, in a pink Laura Ashley decorated room filled with sobbing women), I didn't have to fight to get the treatment. He has been dramatically more empathetic and willing to work with me than any female doc I have ever had.
Good luck. This situation is utterly miserable, but keep after her, because it's like hitting yourself in the head with a hammer - it feels so GOOD when you get better.
my filthy rich republican uncle has been getting a horrid run around from doctors this last week.
i am heading to san diego today to be his driver and take him to see a back specialist (combination ortho/pain management/addiction medicine)
i have already bribed this fine surgeon with lots of chocolate. bribing doctors with food goodies works.
for the summer squash try this, it's a favorite of mine.
split the squash, use a spoon to dig a little furrow down the center. brush liberally with olive oil. toss some cottage cheese (or ricotta works well too) with sliced scallions, a touch of garlic, salt and pepper, mound that into the furrows and bake at 375° for 20 minutes or so.
muy delicioso.
Been there done that too, Jen and I'd echo trying a male ob-gyn. Mine was superb. It's not the gender that counts but the empathy for your situation. As mine said why should you put up with this? You've got a life to live! I had a partial too and was back in the workplace after 5 weeks.
Good luck with all of it. It's an exhausting business.
MB,
OOOH I am doing that. Sneak Peek: I DID take delivery of some very dry-curd sheepsmilk cottage cheese yesterday. We am doing that. I haz scallions also.
I can haz tasty!
you might google vinegar for some interesting experiences/cures for the heavy bleeding etc.
the big attraction of that dish is that it works very well with any of the summer squashes. it also fits perfectly into my small convection/toaster oven (when the germans at krupp's aren't making things to destroy or take over the world they make some great kitchen gear) so i can bake something without heating up my already too hot (due to summer weather of 115+) kitchen.
as with a lot of the finest dishes, the simplicity itself is an attraction, the flavors remain distinct, but oh my goodness, they meld and compliment each other perfectly.
bon appetite chou-chou!
i forgot to add, that the little furrow down the center is not only to provide a receptacle for the cheese/scallion goop, taking out some of the seeds will greatly reduce the bitter aftertaste.
most squashes, and all cucumbers should be seeded in the kitchens of the civilized.
MB,
Actually, these particular squashes are so tiny and delicate that they have almost no visible seeds--a lot of the East Coast native squashes are like that. :D Can't wait to try tonight even though I am burning ye olde midnight oil here at work today.
James--vinegar?
There are a lot of things that MDs don't tell you. One of them is that many women have worse cramps after a tubal. I stronglly suggest accupuncture and or Chinese herbs for the cramps and bleeding before you do somoething rash (like I did) and have the works removed because I did not know of any alternatives. If the alternative stuff does not help, you can always go the other route knowing that you have tried everything else.
Seventh,
Never heard of the links with cramps/tubals, and that won't stop me from getting a tubal.
RE alternative healing--always VERY leery of the herbal stuff. It may work for some people but as someone with other pre-existing conditions I really have to watch it....I'm not getting my works out just yet; just exploring treatment options...
Aside from my extreme fruit, vegetable, and musical envy, my 2c worth on the plumbing: get aggressive now, because if you watch and wait, the hyst becomes the only option at some point. If you've had the heavy bleeding for over six months and haven't had an MRI yet (ultrasound is lame), your gyno isn't doing her job. MRI will tell you whether a Novasure ablation will work (it won't if the growths have penetrated the muscle wall). After Novasure, there's MRI guided focused ultrasound or uterine artery embolization. After that, a partial hyst (keep ovaries and cervix) by a GOOD laparoscopic surgeon so you don't have to have the Big Cut across the belly. After all the previous song and dance, the hyst is a relief for many women to whom it initially was unthinkable.
I've tried for years to figure out why the uterus is such a common site for disease considering the human body is otherwise pretty well designed. I finally decided that "biologically natural" for women is to push out 20 babies and die at age 50--anything better than that is uncharted territory.
Be well, hang in there at work, and congrats on your new DDM (Don't Dick Me) status with your pension.
Hang in their, Jen. For what it's worth, Mrs. Fate has had nothing but good things to say about her male ob-gyn.
Incidentally, this is why I've long believed that women are inherently tougher than men: They have to be, because their bodies keep coming up with such lovely ways to mess with them.
Hell, just the bleeding and cramps would have most men curled up in a corner somewhere, whimpering like a sick puppy until its over.
Eartha,
Thanks for the info RE the MRI. That may be the next step.
Jen--I sent you a long e-mail re your update post. If it doesn't reach you, post a comment and I'll resend.
jen, I had the tubal -- male doc, one of the best I ever had.
worked well until I had to move; then got here to Yuppieville (near Bos) and got a female OBGYN, she,too has been great. Insisted on a second opinion two years ago when it became clear that my girly bits were turning against me. In the end, it became Hystectomy ville due to cancer (IMHO the only reason to have hystie, but that's me).
Ask your bitch obgyn for a second opinion (diff diagnosis maybe) from within her practice, or lay it on the line with her that HER personal stuff isn't YOUR personal to stuff and to back off.
and, I found it amusing to see "scoop it out" refs for the food in the same thread as "don't scoop it out' stuff for girly bits... a tad disconcerting until I read the whole posting again.
good luck Jen... you deserve it.
Eartha,
GOT IT, thanks, responding. 
Jen, an online acquaintance had UAE, as she had the "right" kind of fibroids. Downtime was a week and she was back at work. My fibroids would be best served by a partial hyst but other than a one off week of hideous bleeding, being on the pill has kept that in check.
Andrea,
Problem is I've been on the pill forever for this, and had to cycle different ones over the years.
I would LOVE to get off them for good--the last time I went off, I lost 20 lbs. just in water, bloat, and hormone-induced fat. In a week. It was bizarre.
Jen, I know zilch about fibroids and cysts, but I do know from the pill and breast tenderness. I'm just a little older than you, and I started getting tenderness (hell, aching!) in my mid-30s, even though I didn't change my pill brand. Changing it didn't help, but switching to Nuvaring and skipping the fake period (using it constantly) completely stopped the tenderness. Oh yeah, and no bleeding/nausea/cramps for 2 years now just can't be beat.
Oh, and if your doc keeps giving you crap about the tubal, ask her if she thinks you're old enough to decide to have a child. If she says yes, you can tell her that you're then old enough to not have a child. It's amazing how many docs never think about it that way.
Jen, I got lots of history with obgyn nightmares, endometriosis all over the place, the pill, miscariages, laparoscopies, hysteretomy, horsie pee hormornes (yikes!), human bio-identical hormone treatment and hrt, a great nurse practioner and a compounding pharmacy. (WomensInternationalPharmacy.com)
You got my support for getting off the pill entirely. I also agree with the MRI as the starting point. If you can get that it would be an ideal place to determine a path. (That wasn't avaiable for me) And getting a new doc. I strongly disagree with anyone suggesting an IUD. There was a biiiig problem with those in the 70's and I can't believe they're back. I agree with your big NO on that mess.
I have a nurse practitioner that introduced me to non-horsie pee hormone treatment and hrt and the human bio-identical compounded hrt is the way to go. (for me anyway) She helped me so much after I got off the pill and for the years before I finally had to go with the hysto and still she's just great.
For resources I like Dr. Christine Northrup's books. She gets IT. There a site called the Hormone Jungle and Hystersister. There's tons of crap on those but worth sifting through for other's experiences with procedures and different hormones. Its been six years of smoove as glass days for me, so I'm not sure those sites are still there. I found them useful back then.
The hardest part is being heard. Everyone has a completely unique experience and the docs don't really get that. Go with your gut here for sure. You have to go through doc after doc until you find one who will actually listen to your symptoms. If a doc wants to put a foreign object in you, find a new doc. That's the hardest part, but worth it.
Oh, and I heard the same shit: "only after you've had children" can we do thaaaaat. Its a crock. Its a total mindfuck.
So, I support you with your endeavor.... MRI, off the pill, NO IUD, new doc. Good luck!
Congrats on your vesting too!! And SXSW..... I've always wanted to go to that. Not going though. Look forward to your reports!
Nuther update:
Got my plane tix for SXSW--hop on they are going FAST. United's nonstops to Austin from the NYC area sold out last night, which meant I got jobbed buying a tick on Continental for $100 more. Also got travel insurance as you usually have to buy it within 14 days of booking to cover pre-existing conditions.
Also have my pelvic ultrasound next week. Meh.
Jen: Congrats on the vesting, bummer about the job. Been there, done that, got the axe almost 2 weeks ago after 3 years of paranoia since our last layoff. I am a 53-year-old unemployed web developer after August 29, and seriously considering how much of a pay cut I could take to move to another department as an administrative assistant JUST because if I can get another 2-1/2 years out of my current place, I can retire for health insurance purposes and stay on our group plan till I retire (no matter where I'm working) and pay only the employee premium.
I don't have much wisdom on the gyno part of your post, except to let you know that while there are few GOOD things about menopause, one of them is that people finally stop hocking a chynik about when you're going to have a baby and realize you meant business all along.
(((HUG)))
I offer my hopes that the medical and work dilemmas ease and that the food continues to be glorious. I await your next treatise on the CSA patiently.
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