Archive through September 04, 2003
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TV ClubHouse: archives: The TVCH Menopause Rant Thread: Archive through September 04, 2003

Juju2bigdog

Sunday, August 31, 2003 - 11:07 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Good luck, Ginger.

Gidget

Sunday, August 31, 2003 - 11:37 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Wow, I've been waiting for someone to post in my original thread, mystified that no one seemed to have an opinion on the subject.

I am going to get Xanax, too. I took it once before. It used to be handed out like candy. I don't even remember why I was given it. Half a tablet had me pretty stoned. So I am hoping that will help.

When I first talked to the doctor he said he'd give me pre-med... Motrin. I said don't make me laugh. Then I said if I decide to go through with this I can always self medicate, though I am a little concerned about accidentally killing myself.

That's when he offered the Xanax.

My doctor does not anesthetise the cervix. In his opinion, the cervix is not too innervated and the injection is more pain than it's worth. His point was if you can have sex then your cervix should not be an issue.

But it is. I cannot stand for it to be touched. I'm married to a doctor, remember. Early in our relationship, he used that knowledge to explore our sexual potential. Had some pretty good ideas, too. LOL

Anyway, I have made up my mind to get through it so I am sure I will. I have always had very heavy bleeding for a few days of my period. But this Spring I bled for 50 days. Some of them so heavy that I was literally white as a sheet and so weak that when I got home from work, the only way I could go on was to go straight to bed.

I did not have a regular GYN at the time because my insurance had changed so many times and I couldn't get it together to keep up. I found a doctor who would take me on short notice and he gave me progesterone. After 2 weeks it finally stopped and I didn't have a period for 3 months.

I thought maybe that was it. The doctor recommended the biopsy at that time. But I really had no confidence in him or his practice and felt like he was just trying to make money.

The doctor I am seeing now is someone my husband knows. He was very attentive and thorough. He is fairly young and although he is an accomplished surgeon, it is not his first line of action.

Since surgery freaks me out anyway, his approach fits mine. It is not his fault that women are still 2nd class citizens and medical practices limited just to them are not likely to be given proper attention by insurance companies.

I decided I don't want to die though for a little fear and pain. So it is worth getting checked out. If this was just an issue of me having my usual heavy periods I would feel differently. But 50 days was a bit odd, I think.

Ginger1218

Sunday, August 31, 2003 - 12:54 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Texannie, according to that it sounds painful. Twinkie my doc is not medicating me, I leave that up to myself. But, I have a high tolerance for pain medication. I am really nervous about this. I hate pain.
Has anybody had a cystoscope? Is it the same as that? better, worse? I could not have a cystoscope done awake. I had to be put to sleep.

Ophiliasgrandma

Sunday, August 31, 2003 - 01:20 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
NOT MANY NERVES IN THE CERVIX! Sorry to shout, but isn't that one of the reasons giving birth to a baby isn't a picnic in the park...stretching and thinning of the cervix. Men doctors give me a pain somewhere, but its located in a spot way behind the cervix.

Gidget

Sunday, August 31, 2003 - 02:11 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
So true Ophiliasgrandma. My preference is to have a female GYN but they are few and far between in my insurance plan. Even then, many of them buy into the party line when it comes to their practice and procedures. Too many doctors are just about the money these days. Actually that is not all that new but the insurance companies are really running the show.

Ginger, is a cystoscope when they put a tube in your urinary tract? If so I had that done about a dozen times when I was a teenager. It is extremely painful. I had to have it done that way because they discovered the reason I had so many urinary infections was that my tube was about the size of a three year olds'. The stretching in the doctor's office was a prelude to the eventual surgery. He was afraid to go directly to getting it to an adult size for fear of tearing it.

That was many years ago. I had it done once since as a check up after a few infections to see if I was still draining okay. These days they spray with a topical and it is not too bad. If you tried it with the topical and couldn't endure it, well I don't know what to say about the biopsy, expect it is really a totally different body part.

The cramping doesn't concern me at all. As I have ranted about now for three threads, it's about touching the cervix.

I will pray for you Ginger, as you are going before me. Please come back and let me know how you made out. Good or bad I'm going for it. But as I told the nurse/practioner the other day, it is not likely to be a good day for anyone. :)

Texannie

Sunday, August 31, 2003 - 04:13 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Ginger, like I said it hurts but just for a bit.
Gidget, you can ask you doc to use the spray numbing stuff like they use before an IV.
Sorry you have had such lousy experiences, Gidget.
Hope all goes well for both of you.

Texannie

Sunday, August 31, 2003 - 05:14 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Ginger, hope my answer didn't sound snippy! I re-read it after I posted and it sounded kind of snotty to me, but I couldn't edit it...sure didn't mean it. Just meant, that while there are a million other things I would have rather done, it wasn't all that bad and was definitely survivable.

Juju2bigdog

Sunday, August 31, 2003 - 05:36 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Gidget, I just looked at your profile and your age. That is about the age ALL the really weird peri-menopause stuff starts happening, although I agree 50 days is a bit beyond HELL ON ##@@**##*@*@ WHEELS!!!

NOTHING at that age is predictable. It is just pure living hell. But it only lasts a few years ...

I try not to think how bizarre it is to be living in the 21st century and medicine knows hardly anything about this thing that happens to HALF THE POPULATION because it only happens to the unimportant half! Occasionally I try to console myself with the fact that women have only been living long enough to reach menopause for a relatively short time in terms of the human existence. But you can also bet your bippy that if it happened to men we would have something better than horse piss that might also kill you to alleviate the symptoms.

<stalks off in a red hot rage>

Gidget

Sunday, August 31, 2003 - 08:24 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Thanks Juju.

Thanks Texannie. Don't feel badly for me. I've had a lot of problems over the years but none insurmountable or quality of life diminishing, yet. There are many people out there with way worse things to deal with.

Generally speaking, I'm okay with what life has dealt me so far. Would I take an easier road? Sure. But I always keep myself in perspective by considering the much worse suffering I know many others endure.

Ginger1218

Monday, September 01, 2003 - 02:05 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Texannie, you were not snippy at all. Gidget, I had a problem with my urethra - there was a stricture very high up and I went from doctor to doctor and had 5 cystocopes and intense stretching each time done in the hospital under anesthesia. Until finally I found this wonderful doctor (I call him my angel) who finally found out what the problem was and he performed a complete reconstruction of the urethra. I had to wear a catheter at home for almost 2 months. Other doctors thought I was crazy, and did not even have the right tests to see what the problem was. Until I found the right specialist. Not just a urologist but one who specializes in women's urology. So, after trying to undergo a cystoscope awake and screaming like a madwoman in the doctor's office, I am a little nervous about this.
I have an appointment for tomorrow, but I think I am going to postpone it for a few weeks to get myself mentally ready and also to ask my gynecologist a few questions about local anesthetics. I will do this, but I need to prepare mentally. My doctor is a woman and she is wonderful. I really believe there is nothing wrong, but she is being cautious and I appreciate that.

Texannie

Monday, September 01, 2003 - 03:46 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Ouch! Good luck Ginger!

Nimtu

Monday, September 01, 2003 - 04:05 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Ginger and Gidget..I certainly believe that it is a necessary procedure, however, I wish I had thought to ask the kinds of questions that you are asking prior to mine. I was told it would be slightly uncomfortable. I have talked to numerous people who have had this procedure and those who were prepared for the reality actually did much better than those who, like me, were not informed. Please have someone drive you and do take any type of medication that you can to help you be more comfortable.

Ophiliasgrandma

Monday, September 01, 2003 - 04:12 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
This is so barbaric in this day and age. Why should a woman have to suffer even a little bit. Something is wrong with this picture.

Ginger1218

Monday, September 01, 2003 - 04:12 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
OK Nimtu, so what are you saying? You are trying to be kind - is it really that painful?

Nimtu

Monday, September 01, 2003 - 04:17 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Ginger, It was not a great experience for me...made somewhat worse by the fact that I was not prepared, drove myself, had not taken any type of meds. I have had several friends who have had the type of experience that Tex had - not great but not terrible either, however, all of them had been warned that they could take valium and tylenol prior to the procedure and have someone drive them.

Texannie

Monday, September 01, 2003 - 04:19 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I didn't take anything prior to mine, but I did have a numbing agent and was very well informed as to what to expect.

Juju2bigdog

Monday, September 01, 2003 - 05:11 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Gidget, be brave, and then come back and talk Ginger into it.

Gidget

Monday, September 01, 2003 - 05:46 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I sure will Juju. I don't go until the Friday after next.

Thanks Nimtu for the information.

I agree with Ophiliasgrandma. It is barbaric. In years past, a woman needing a biopsy would have had a D&C uder general anesthesia.

But since the in office procedure (marketed to doctors as an additional income vehicle for their practices) has become widespread, no insurance company is going to pay for the D&C.

I know anesthesia is risky but so is pain. I had my gallbladder out last December and I didn't want pre-op meds. Want to be conscious if I'm going to die in the near future and also want to be conscious when I go into the operating room. My thinking is if I can talk to the operating room staff, I become a person, not a piece of meat they wheel in.

Well turns out they will not do surgery without the pre-op. The argument, and it is a good one, is the calming state of the pre-op is beneficial to the post op outcome. Along with post op pain meds. Don't be a hero and endure post op pain. Take the meds, your body will be able to heal more readily. Makes good sense.

So how come it is okay to poke around in my uterus without any consideration to the pain and suffering it entails?

Let's face it ladies. We haven't come as far as we think we have.

Texannie

Monday, September 01, 2003 - 09:24 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
It has made me so sad to read this thread and the treatment that some of you ladies have received. I have, unfortunately, had many gynecological treatments/surgeries and have always been treated with the upmost respect and care..from doctors, nurses and insurance companies. I can also compare it with treatment my dh and son have had when they were ill, and I definitely do not feel I was given lesser treatment because I was a woman.
I do hope Ginger and Gidget, that you do get your tests done. Just the worry about cancer (or something else) is 10 times worse than the proceedure.

Ophiliasgrandma

Tuesday, September 02, 2003 - 08:34 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I don't care what anybody says (plug your ears, I'm going to yell again) PAIN IS NOT AN OPTION!!!

Ginger1218

Tuesday, September 02, 2003 - 01:28 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Ok, I rescheduled for September 30th. My sister has an appointment so we will go together. I also found out that she does not use anesthetic, she said it is sooo quick. So now I have to just prepare myself mentally and start collecting good drugs LOL

Texannie

Tuesday, September 02, 2003 - 02:19 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Ginger, take care, I really think the anticipation is worse. Go out to lunch with your sister afterwards and have a few margs!
Good luck!

Twiggyish

Tuesday, September 02, 2003 - 06:50 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Tex, I think you're right. With me, I'm always afraid they'll find something with these types of tests!

Texasdeb

Wednesday, September 03, 2003 - 04:29 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I'll be 46 this month. Needless to say, my cycle has started being messed up. It seems like I'm kind of on a 6 wk instead of 4 wk cycle now. I can live with this except now instead of 1 or 2 days of PMS I seem to now find myself dealing with 1 to 2 wks of this crap. Is this normal & is there any thing I can do to make this easier? I don't seem to have the mood problems or hot flashes very bad though.

Dahli

Thursday, September 04, 2003 - 09:33 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I saw my Naturopathic Dr (ND) last week for our first appointment and since this change of life is important to me, we spent some time discussing it. Her bottom line is that in most cultures (ours not included) this time of life if but a blip on the radar. The biggest reason for difficulty with PMS or Menopause is our bodies are not healthy and therefore have trouble with this (hormones) as well as other diseases.

So getting all hung up on HRT and other drugs is only a band aid approach
If we take more preventative measures... ie staying away from the crap and processed/fast food alcohol caffeine nicotine etc etc - and instead choose carefully what goes in ie:raw food fresh food pure water etc - our organs (her word) would function as designed.
I think we all know it - but without an immediate pay off find it hard to stick with. One interesting comment she made was we act as slaves to serve the 3 square inches in our mouths (tongue) causing a very large diservice to the rest of our bodies lives etc... FWIW