Happy Birthday!

I'm sorry that your recovery is going slowly, Jess. I sure hope you feel better soon. :grouphug:

Thank you all so much for the help. I really appreciate every reply. I do intend to ask about organ prolapse, but overall I am feeling much more optimistic about things.

:grouphug: I'm so sorry.

I appreciate you pointing this out, Selkie. My doctor didn't mention this, so I will ask the surgeon about it at the consultation, and do some more reading online as well.

I had wondered about those things specifically, so that's good to hear!

Wow, that would be amazing! I am so glad that happened for her, but I think I probably shouldn't get my hopes up for that. I'll be happy if it at least doesn't make them worse. Thank you!

So glad that you are doing so well now! And about the reduced bladder capacity - yeah, I've got that going on too. I forgot to mention it to my doctor, but I assume that it's because of the fibroid. (Maybe I should mention it to her, because she said my insurance company is kind of a pain, and we'd need a long list of reasons to convince them to pay for the surgery.) I used to be able to easily make it through the night without having to go to the bathroom, but now not so much. I'm having to go a lot more frequently during the day, too, though that's generally not a problem since I'm home most of the time. Thank you so much for your feedback!

That's so good to hear! I'm actually not anemic, which I attribute to the fact that my father has hemochromatosis, so I probably have a higher than average ability to absorb iron. But if this keeps up, I'm guessing it's just a matter of time. Thank you for your post!

...I guess my biggest question is, would you make the same decision over again? My situation is that I'm 44 years old, in perimenopause, and I've always had heavy periods, but not like this. Wearing the biggest tampon (o.b. ultra - if anyone knows of a better one, please tell me!) AND pad (overnight maxi) that I can find, I will bleed through both of them in about two hours. On my worst days, I have so many accidents that I'm afraid to leave the house. So I went to my doctor to talk about an ablation. She said that sounded like a great idea and ordered an ultrasound to make sure all was well. The ultrasound showed a large fibroid tumor right where the uterus and cervix meet. It's large enough that it's protruding into the endometrium, and because of its size and location, she said an ablation wouldn't really help. And even though I'm in peri, judging from my hormone levels, she said I will probably have periods for years to come, and there's enough estrogen still in my system to keep the tumor growing. So she recommended a hysterectomy instead. She referred me to another doctor in her practice who is an experienced GYN surgeon (she doesn't do surgeries herself), and I have a consultation with him in two weeks. I want to go into that consultation as informed as possible, so that I know the right questions to ask. I'm reading what I can find online about risks and long-term consequences, but I'd love to hear what you all think as well. Assuming he agrees with her assessment, should I go for it? Oh, and in case it would matter in your decision, she said they would leave my ovaries so that I'm not sent into a sudden and unnatural menopause and could hopefully avoid HRT (HRT would be unpleasant for me because of my chronic migraines), and that they should be able to do it laporascopically so my recovery wouldn't be too bad. I'm strongly inclined toward doing it, because these periods are fairly life-disrupting. But I just want a reality check, I guess: is it crazy to have an organ removed because of heavy periods? I'm not having any other symptoms such as pelvic pain or bad cramping (yet?). I appreciate any advice!

:lol: I was just about to start a "should I have a hysterectomy?" thread!!! But I'm under 50. So can I go ahead and post it? :D

I'm so glad that it's working for you, and that you are feeling so well, and so strong, and so happy! That is awesome. My endurance markedly improved when I went off of keto, I mean for me it was really a huge difference. I enjoy exercise more now because I can accomplish so much more, and I recover more quickly, and I just feel so much better doing it. My skin looks better now too, so I have to admit my husband was right about that as well. But I'm glad you're not having those problems, and you are doing so well!

I'm not either. My numbers were creeping toward hypo while I was low-carb (had started out normal). I really don't have any idea what effect it would have on hyperthyroidism. I hope you are finding what works for you now!

I don't mind questions at all! I know that different people can have very different experiences with the diet. And I felt really good and loved it for the first several years - it was really only the last few years that my blood sugar and HA1c started going up, followed shortly by the cholesterol going up, and the onset of the other problems. Also, my thyroid numbers were still within normal, but not optimal, and getting worse as time went on. Anyway, to answer your question, I was eating low-carb, high-fat, and moderate-protein. I didn't typically count my fat and protein grams, but I know my fat intake was about 70% of my calories, protein was about 20%, and carbs were 10% or less. It was very good for appetite control. And it really seemed to make my immune system stronger. (Though WFPB has been great in that way as well, so I guess that's more about avoiding refined sugars than it is about total carb grams? Not sure.) My husband was never happy about my choice to go keto, because he said it made my skin look unhealthy, and it dramatically reduced my ability to do any kind of endurance exercise. I ignored those things because I thought it was so great in other ways, that it couldn't possibly be that which was causing those problems. (Like, if it's good for me in this way, it has to be good for me overall, right?) So I would just advise you to keep an eye out for things like that, for slowly rising fasting glucose levels, for cholesterol levels that start creeping up, for any signal that your body might be in distress. But I wish you continued success with it!

I want to second Selkie's recommendation for Dr. Gregor's book and eating plan. It has been absolutely life-changing for me. If you prefer videos rather than books, he has many at his website. (Though I want to be honest with you that my issues were different than yours. I was dealing with high cholesterol, chronic migraines, some anxiety, and about 15 pounds of excess weight. It helped with all of that, and also improved my sleep, my energy levels, my skin, my immunity, my allergies...) I will admit upfront that I am anti-keto. I ate keto for 12 years (that's how I ended up with the high cholesterol, the chronic migraines, etc.). Even when I was an avid defender/promoter of the diet, I wouldn't have recommended it for you. It's been demonstrated that dropping carbohydrate intake below 50g per day reduces the body's ability to convert T4 to T3. I don't know what your exact thyroid problem is, of course, but I just wouldn't risk it.

Cat, I’m sorry that my response to you was based on a misunderstanding. Mea culpa.

Yes, I completely agree, and do want to say that I don't think (most!) people are being deliberately cruel. And I've said thoughtless things that I wish I could take back!

I'm sorry I was unclear, I was thinking more about Poppy's experience than about what the OP posted. I should have specified that, because I completely agree with you that a survivor framing their own experience that way is completely appropriate and understandable. It's just not something that I think should be said to a survivor by someone who hasn't had to deal with that particular tragedy. (And believe me, I'm not claiming that I've always said the right thing in difficult circumstances! Far from it! Oh my, I wish that I had the wisdom to say the right, compassionate, wise things at the appropriate time, but I most certainly do not.) I don't think that's crazy. I think you have amazing wisdom and love, Arctic Mama. Yes, I like that as well.

But it IS cruel to say that to someone who is suffering, whether that cruelty is intentional or not. The part I put in bold, that is precisely the problem. They are making someone else's pain all about themselves. That's selfish and myopic and completely inappropriate. If you want to express your gratitude that you were spared from some tragedy, you can do that in prayer or in other ways at other times. You don't do it to the person who wasn't spared!

I just wanted to thank you for your post. It was very interesting to me.

I haven’t tried this myself, just throwing this out there as a possibility: https://nutritionfacts.org/video/saffron-for-the-treatment-of-pms/

I'm actually pretty strongly in favor of tougher homeschool regulations. And even I wouldn't support that. That's some serious over-reach, IMO.

This has to be the most creative suggestion I've ever heard for avoiding political discussions, and it could certainly be applied to other obnoxious conversations or just people who are being jerks in general. I love it!!! I'm not sure I'm brave enough to actually do it, but I love it! Edited for typo.

I am so sorry. :grouphug:

If you want to try some other types of salads, you might find some inspiration here: http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/640461-seeking-suggestionsrecipes-for-non-lettuce-salads/ I really love cooked vegetables too. Roasted is my favorite. A good veggie-packed soup is excellent, and that's something that's easy for lunches because you can make a big pot at the beginning of the week, and reheat a little for your lunch each time.