HOT!

Many months ago, (February to be exact) my doctor took me off of my estrogen. I'd been using the estrogen patch since my bilateral salpingo-oopherectomy in May 2003. I had had a hysterectomy in December 1999 but my surgeon decided that keeping my ovaries would be in my best interests, in spite of my prior history with ovarian cysts and my family history of ovary problems resulting in a need for an oopherectomy. I even recall asking him to remove the ovaries at that time, but he refused. I almost felt like saying "I told you so" when my ovaries swelled to the size of softballs. I was too nice, and instead only remarked how painful they were.  After the surgery (and subsequent emergency surgery to repair a "bleeder") I was given the option of taking pills (premarin) or patches (estradiol)  I had studied and because I have a conscience and am against animal mistreatment, I chose the patch. No, I'm not a vegan. I'm not even a vegetarian, but the idea of how they (the pharmaceutical companies) go about obtaining the source, I decided to use natural rather than synthetic. For an eye-opener go to:  http://www.earlymenopause.com/makingsenseofhrt.htm and learn.

Anyway, I'm sorry about the rambling. I can't help it. It's just how I am...  The estrogen therapy helps with many things, hot flashes being the main thing. I missed a weekly patch several times, and I can tell you that hot flashes aren't a picnic. It's miserable. Well now that I'm estrogen-free I get hot flashes frequently. They are welcome on cold nights, but with it being mid-August and hot, the last thing I want or need is hot flashes, especially at night. It's not like I sleep alone and/or have privacy. Nooo... I have my partner (AKA:Stitch) and Tsunami (my cat) in bed with me, and Fiona (my dog) opens my bedroom door to sleep on my floor. I also have the added inconvenience of my CPAP machine, so I can't even see if my door is open before I throw off the covers and rip off any clothing I might be wearing. Trust me: My nakedness/nudity isn't something that's pretty, and I'd prefer to avoid it most of the time, but only because I want it to be private.  My adult children and their friends shouldn't have to accidentally see my patootie or other body parts because the dog doesn't know how to close the door that she so expertly opened. This means I have to poke Stitch awake and have him make sure the door is shut before I rip off my clothing and block it so Fiona can't open it. All I can say is I miss being free of hot flashes, but I also understand the health risks of using the estrogen is way worse than the hot flashes. Goodnight!