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One resolution you should keep!

by 5 Comments
Jan
02
2012
Jan 1

Is one of your new years resolutions to lose those extra pounds, to be less scatter-brained, to get off that couch, or just plain be happy? Well if any of these five common resolutions are yours, your body might be telling you something, and taking care of your liver might just be the one thing you need to address to achieve these goals! 1. Energy - Gosh, get off your lazy butt! Your liver processes your nutrients, gets them where they need to be, while removing the harmful stuff. But if it's overloaded, it's not able to do its job properly and your poor body is sending all extra energy to help your liver (all hands on deck), but toxins are slipping through the cracks... Number two is a result of one of those toxins. 2. Brain fog - This can range from mild forgetfulness and confusion to HE (HEPATIC ENCEPHALOPATHY) ...and don't tell me you're just getting older, I wouldn't accept that until I was over 100. I saw George Burns - quick as a whip he was! Hepatic encephalopathy is … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Liver Disease Tagged With: , ,

Jill’s Fight Like a Girl Story (Breast Cancer)

by 15 Comments
Dec
12
2011
Jill's Story (Breast Cancer) LR

2010….what a GREAT year for me! I had a beautiful family, I started my own photography business, then I heard the words "you have breast cancer". Okay, so that last part wasn't GREAT…but it did change my life for the BETTER. In September 2010, I felt a lump that seemed to be on my rib, so it was hard for me to determine what it was. So, I ignored it for a month. When it didn't go away, I went to the doctors. The doctor felt it, and said, "I really don't think it's anything to worry about" giving me that look as if to say "you are only 37, you can't have breast cancer". Luckily, I went with my gut. What followed was a mammogram, ultrasound, and a biopsy all within a few days. That following Friday I was told that I had breast cancer, DCIS. PHEW…I thought. That is the best type to have…if you have to have any. I was told I would only need sugery to remove the disease, radiation for 6 weeks, and I would have to take Tamoxafin for 5 years. Okay, I can handle that, at least I can … [Read more...]

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The Season For Health

by 5 Comments
Nov
28
2011
GrinchFLAGC

I love this time of year. I love it for the festivities and the traditions, for the carols, lights, and gift giving. Some years I do more than other years – my decorating and baking frenzy ebbs and flows depending on my health (both physical and emotional.) This year I am more excited than I’ve been in quite a few years. I’m not sure exactly why but I think that it may be that sometimes we go through experiences and times where our lives reveal new appreciations and like The Grinch - the change causes our hearts to grow a few sizes bigger. Our understanding of what is important becomes that much clearer and we can then move out of the trudge of life and into loving it in a new way. I have learned - truly learned - this year to Choose Joy to Choose Positivity and to Choose Happiness. I’ve learned it from some amazing women, some amazing warriors and fighters who are also constant lovers. I thank you Holly and Teresa and Jennifer. I thank you Janelle and Betsy and Heather. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Ankylosing Spondylitis Tagged With: , , , , ,

Rachel’s Fight Like a Girl Story (Endometriosis)

by 12 Comments
Jul
25
2011
Rachel's Story (Endometriosis) LR

I suppose a good place to start is the beginning. I started my period on January tenth (yes I remember the date, don't you?) when I was 13 years old. It was painful and heavy but it didn't last long. I thought it would be easy but I was wrong. The periods got heavier and longer and more painful. I would be up all night lying on the bathroom floor just to feel the cold tile because I'd be burning up. The cramps were so severe I couldn't stand sometimes and the periods so heavy I couldn't use tampons, they would fill up in ten-fifteen minutes. I kept getting worse, I remember when it hit me at my friend's house, pain so bad I couldn't stand straight and I needed help to walk. I rolled on the bed and moaned and cried. I was like this for two days and I was taken to youth care. A cat scan was scheduled and I had to drink some nasty fruity crap that made me puke (yes, that gross). The scan showed nothing except that I was impacted with fecal matter (gross again). I recently learned that … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Endometriosis Stories Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Are You at Risk for Ovarian Cancer?

by 7 Comments
Jul
24
2011
Are You At Risk For Ovarian Cancer

Ovarian cancer is not the most common cancer in women, but it’s one of the most deadly. The reason ovarian cancer tops the list of most lethal cancers is because it’s usually not diagnosed until it has spread outside the ovaries where it can’t be easily treated. The key to conquering this form of cancer is for women to know their risk factors and see their gynecologist yearly for a check-up. What are the most common risk factors for ovarian cancer? Risk Factors for Ovarian Cancer Some women are genetically predisposed to breast cancer, because they inherited one of two genes called BRCA1 and BRCA2. Having one of these two genes increases the risk of both breast and ovarian cancer in women. A woman with BRCA1 or BRCA2 has a lifetime risk for getting ovarian cancer as high as 40%. This is why women who have a strong family history of breast or ovarian cancer, especially if the cancer occurred prior to menopause, should talk to their doctor about testing for these genes. If … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Ovarian Cancer Tagged With: , , , , , ,

What Might Have Been

by 22 Comments
Feb
03
2011
What Might Have Been

I had a dream the other night that has really stayed with me.  Does that ever happen to you?  You wake with it vividly inside you and it wanders about your brain until you have that “Ahhh” moment where a piece of it clicks into such focus that you instantly understand why it won’t let you go. I had a dream the other night. I could feel the warmth of the sun and the breeze ruffling and lifting my skirt.  I was walking up a long hillside through tall grasses and wild flowers and the only sounds I could hear were the hum of the bees and the songbirds chirping their joy at the beauty of the day.  It was one of those dreams where everything was perfect – the place you go when you are trying to escape everything.  Perhaps that hillside is how I envision heaven – it did appear to me from somewhere.  I reached the top of the hill with my two kitties: Tagger, an orange mackerel with big graffiti swirls on his sides, and Bittie, a stout little black and white girl, who I … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Ankylosing Spondylitis Tagged With: , , ,

Your Body, Your Pap Smear, Your Responsibility!

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Jan
23
2011
Your Body, Your Pap Smear, Your Responsibility

Do you dread that most personal of check-ups, the Cervical Pap Smear? It is no secret - for most women, it is one of the most dreaded routine checks they will go through. There is always the temptation to put it off, but please think twice before postponing that appointment! It may not be a pleasant experience, but it is a necessary one and it could just mean the difference between life-and-death. Detecting abnormal cells as soon as possible greatly improves the chances of early treatment. Not all cell changes mean they are of the cancerous type but only a pap smear will determine this. Abnormal cervical cells, also called cervical dysplasia, can often take 5 years, or more, to turn cancerous but if left undetected, thus untreated, dysplasia sometimes progresses to an early form of cancer known as cervical carcinoma in situ, and eventually to invasive cervical cancer.  Dysplasia can be detected from a Pap smear, the single most important step that a woman can take to prevent … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cervical Cancer Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

The Unspoken Side Effect of Endometriosis

by 56 Comments
Jan
21
2011
Unspoken Side Effects Endometriosis

Its a simple three letter world. The media loves it. It sells products. And TLC made a hit song about it in the 90s. If you haven't guessed it, I'm talking about sex. Yes, this shy, introverted youth pastor's wife is writing an article about sex. I never thought I would see the day but honestly it is a part of endometriosis that needs to be talked about.It is a very real and very painful part of having this disease however I think that many women, myself included, find it hard to talk about. I remember feeling so awkward talking to my doctor about it the first time (then infertility happened and after fertility treatments all modesty and privacy regarding sex went out the wind0w). I think many of us consider our sex lives private and dealing with unbearable pain is bad enough but the disease impacts our most private and sacred aspects of our lives, it can be very hard to deal with. My husband and I waited until we were married to have sex. While it made for a somewhat awkward … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Endometriosis Tagged With: , , , ,

Fallen Warrior: My Hysterectomy Experience Part 2

by 15 Comments
Oct
05
2010
fallen

Click Here to Read Part 1 A few minutes later, the nurse came into the room and announced that they were ready. Without any warning, the tears came swiftly and in abundance.  My husband hugged me and I couldn't let him go.  I can remember repeating "I can't do this. I don't know if I can do this." We both cried and friends and family gathered around for a time of prayer.  One of the ladies at my church had knitted me a prayer shawl and the nurses were kind enough to allow me to take it back with me. I finally let me husband go and he gave my hand one final squeeze and they wheeled me out the double doors.  Once in the OR, they moved me to the table.  A nurse with kind eyes and a sweet smile peered over me and said that my doctor was on the way down so they could go ahead and give me the sedation or I could wait to speak with her if I had any questions.  I had loads of questions going through my head so I wanted to stay awake. Before I knew it I woke up in recovery with … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Endometriosis Tagged With: , , , ,

Do Ovarian Cysts Increase Ovarian Cancer Risk?

by
Oct
05
2010
Ovarian Cysts Cause Ovarian Cancer?

Ovarian cysts aren’t uncommon in women. The most common type of cyst on the ovary is called a functional cyst. This type of cyst basically consists of a collection of fluid inside the ovary. These cysts are benign, but many women fear that having an ovarian cyst increases the risk of ovarian cancer. Is this true? What Causes an Ovarian Cyst? Functional ovarian cysts form during the menstrual cycle. Normally, when an egg is released during ovulation, it’s surrounded by a protective follicle. As it’s released the fluid ruptures. If it fails to rupture as a result of a hormonal imbalance, the follicle swells with fluid and forms a smooth sac called a cyst. These cysts can become several inches in diameter in some cases. This isn’t the only type of ovarian cyst, but it’s the one doctors see most often in pre-menopausal women. Post-menopausal women get ovarian cysts too - with almost 15% of women having one at some point after the age of fifty. Ovarian cysts can also be … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Ovarian Cancer Tagged With: , , , , ,