7 Quick Takes
- 2012 is just around the corner! That means it's almost time for me to set a new book reading goal at Good Reads. Last year, my goal was 36 books. I read...22. Ouch. Well, what can I say, I have four children! I think I'll shoot for 30 this year.
- Speaking of books, give me some suggestions! Right now I'm reading Little Women, which I've never read before, though I've seen the movie (rare thing for me, I normally read the book first...but Little Women is REALLY LONG...) I'm also up to book #6 in the Wheel of Time series (fantasy) and book #3 in the Dresden Files series (fantasy/mystery). I'm pretty much up for anything, book-wise!
- We had a wonderful Christmas! The children loved their gifts, and my mother and brother spent the day with us. As a bonus, all four of my children behaved themselves at Mass (together...at the same time...) and for good measure, as we were leaving, our 6 year old turned around and yelled "Happy birthday, Jesus!"
- I could use prayers for my health. I've been dealing with menorrhagia (extremely heavy periods) for many years, but every cycle is worse and worse, and many of the conventional treatments are not compatible with our views on life, so treating it isn't easy (and it has far surpassed the point where "just living with it" is even remotely a possibility. I won't go TMI, but I will just unequivocally say that it is absolutely debilitating for me to the point I'm severely depressed before and during my period). I go back to the OB in February, I hope to finish ruling out underlying causes.
- My number one "resolution" for the new year is LOSE WEIGHT! I lost a large amount of weight after I had our second child (over 80 pounds), and unfortunately, over the last few years I've gained it all back, and then same. It's frustrating to have to start all over, but I've done it before and I know I can do it again.
- I sadly found out that the rescue we adopted our pug from a couple years ago had all of their dogs seized! To be fair, I did feel that they had too many dogs in a small space, but I also think they were kind-hearted people who got in over their heads. We adore our little pug, and I hope everything works out for them and the dogs that were taken.
- This will be the first NYE in 7 years that I haven't been pregnant and/or nursing (Finn weaned at 13 months, which I wasn't expecting, since his sisters nursed for over 2 years!) I don't plan on getting drunk (yuck!) but grandma is going to take the little kids so we can have a few friends over for the evening. Have a fun and safe NYE, and don't forget that New Year's day is a Holy Day of Obligation (plus a Sunday, so you should be at Mass, anyway!)
6 comments:
You said "ouch" for reading 22 books this past year and I say, "Wow, I'm impressed!"
All kids behaving at Mass together at same time IS a great thing. We are still working on that one.
Have you tried drinking red raspberry leaf tea(not the commercial brands, but like Yogi brand)? They do wonders for your cycles. It may not completely take it away, but it may lessen the flow somewhat. Many women attest to it. I drink 4 cups a day and my periods went down to about 3 days long only from 6 days.
I take it that birth control prescribed off-label is the conventional method to which you are referring? I was at the point where I was stuck in bed once my periods returned after being pregnant. I was even dealing with hot flashes. I'm the last person who would recommend it (as I've had problems with it in the past) but now it's the difference between being functional and non-functional during that week for me.
Invest in a hot water bottle -- they are awesome. I also find that my worst cramps are better if I'm physical during my period (going for a brisk walk, kick-boxing, etc.) It's kind of a catch-22 because it's those times when I usually want to be curled up in bed in a fetal position.
Mirena is the one that's most commonly recommended, but it clearly functions as an abortifacient if conception is clear, so I'm not okay with that. That's true for basically all hormonal birth control, with the exception of the pill, which many pro-life doctors believe does NOT have an abortifacient property (http://www.prolifeforum.org/med/hormonalcontrac.asp). I know it's a point of contention in the pro-life community, but personally I feel like when you remove the hyperbole there's no clear evidence that the pill prevents implantation (and, I conceived my oldest on the pill when I was an 18 year old atheist, so I know for sure it can happen). The Church says we can use hormonal bc therapeutically for non-contraceptive purposes, so I have tried the pill for my periods in the past, but it works for a couple of months, and then I bleed for weeks on end and I'm right back where I started :/
The other common procedure is ablation, which permanently removes the endometrial lining and has a high success rate for stopping or lightening periods. BUT, you're still ovulating, so you can be repeatedly conceiving babies that have no hope of implanting (and if baby manages to somehow, it's an extremely high risk pregnancy for you both). It's usually recommended that you have your tubes tied at the same time to prevent that, which is not a possibility. And of course, there's hysterectomy, which is probably inevitable, but I'm not ready for yet.
Actually, I don't have very bad cramps. I just bleed extremely heavy, but of course, I can't leave the house the first few days of my period, because even doubling up the 15 inch Always overnight pads, I bleed through if I'm not a few feet from a bathroom so I can change pads quickly when I gush (even at home it still happens, but at least I'm at home and not bleeding all over the floor at the store or something). So much for not TMI'ing!
It's just very frustrating. I need to have my thyroid and progesterone rechecked, and rule out endometriosis and fibroids/polyps. If the underlying cause was one of those or a combination, I can address it without having to worrying about treatments that morally questionable for me. Every time I've started to get it looked in to I've gotten pregnant shortly after, so I haven't really been able to rule stuff out yet.
CCC, I've drank upwards of a gallon of RRL a day, and it had zero impact on my period :/ I'm glad it works for some women though, I sure it wish something that easy would work for me!
That's too bad. Well, there is always the "solution" of pregnancy--lol
Haha, yeah. Unfortunately that's not an easy solution either, with all the pregnancy-related health problems and c-sections!
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