An important link for those who want to know of the gay people who died in the events of September 11, 2001. It is very interesting to me that
most of the ones listed were in long-term relationships .
I wonder if the single people went unnamed (since it would not be as important to other family members to tell that particular piece of information, but the life-partners made their loss public, because they lost a spouse).
Soy/Estrogen Experiment
If you looked at any of the pictures in the "Why I'm Not A Surgeon" entry, you can see that it would hurt to have those things (uterine fibroids) growing inside of you and it would hurt to have them taken out.
I've been trying to research the topic lately, and I've come up with a few repeating themes and a few thoughts.
1) Women need to make informed decisions about any action taken to alter their bodies. This information is not readily available from most doctors. My guess is that they are just too busy to tell everything they know (best case). And, they are trained to view a hysterectomy as a safe surgical procedure which has very few negative side effects.
2) There is an increasing amount of literature which suggests that women who undergo a hysterectomy without being fully satisfied that it is their best course of action are more likely to be less happy afterwards, especially if there are physical, medical, mental, emotional, financial, social and sexual complications following surgery.
3) On the other hand, women I know who have had a hysterectomy have said they've felt better since the surgery. I guess the idea is that there is not one 'truth' for all women when it comes to our bodies and our reproductive organs.
4) On yet another hand (three hands!), I'm reading a book that is well written, quotes many physicians (among others) and makes a good case for doing everything possible to resolve problems without choosing to have a hysterectomy for any non-life-threatening reasons. The author makes an excellent case for trying every possible alternative before resorting to surgery.
5) On the alternative treatment front, I am currently interested in the possibility that fibroids are caused (and caused to grow) because of the effects of estrogen in the body. The things I've been reading say that soy is a plant-based estrogen that is taken in by the body (binds to estrogen receptors?) more quickly than the estrogen the body produces. This is thought to be a good thing, because plant-based estrogen is only a fraction as potent as what the body produces. This leaves the body with a lot of unused estrogen to get rid of. It does that through the normal functions. The liver acts as a filter and removes it, and it is expelled in the body's waste.
6) The liver is said to be overworked by milk products and sugars and meats (and fats, of course) ... those things most of us like to eat. Also, milk products and meats and other hormone-treated food products may (or may not) have synthetic hormones in them that cause problems for the body. Also, I read that caffeine increases estrogen production.
7) I don't know how much of all of this is proven, but, I eat a lot of dairy and have been taking in a lot of caffeine while going to school. And, I eat lots of candy. The pain became intense (again) about a week before I posted those links to surgery pics. I've been trying to decide what to do.
8) I really don't like the idea of removing body parts if they are not diseased, except as a last resort. Surgery always has a risk (death, infection, scarring, damage to other internal organs). Removal of reproductive organs also has a risk because of the changes it makes in the body due to the loss of the function they provide (a delicate hormonal balance). I decided that I need to try every possible alternative before electing to have surgery. It might take longer for the problems to go away, but I expect there will be a more satisfactory long-term result if I can resolve the problem without surgery.
9) So, I've been working on a plan that involves cutting out (as much as possible) dairy and massive sugar intake to give my liver a break (so it can filter out excess estrogen more easily). I already don't eat much meat, so that is not such a big sacrifice. Giving up peanut M'n'M's is harder! :) I'm cutting out caffeine since it is thought to cause an increase in estrogen production. I'm increasing fibre to help rush that excess estrogen out of the body. (I should be eating a high fiber diet anyway. Fresh fruits and vegetables are high on the list for protecting the body against cancer.) And, at the end of all that, I'm taking in a lot of soy. If the theories about how the plant estrogen works, then I need to take in a healthy amount of it and get rid of most of the body-produced overly-potent estrogen. (This is NOT a vote for removing ovaries, because they produce many more hormones than just estrogen.)
10) I realize this is still not widely accepted in the medical community, but that book I'm reading has hundreds of references. Many of the people she quotes are doctors. There are many doctors who are recommending her book (both for women who are thinking about having a hysterectomy and for those who have already had one). As far as I'm concerned, it is certainly worth my time and effort to try to find a way to be healthy and whole before I decide that surgery is the option I want to choose.
11) Someone near and dear to me sells nutritional products. I've kind of given her a hard time over the years, because she is SO gung-ho about it. She totally believes in it. But, the thing is, a lot of their products have soy in them. I think it's worth a try. She is incredibly healthy. So is her husband. So are their children. She used the products before, during and after her pregnancies. I've never seen someone do so well with pregnancy and childbirth. She's an energetic person, but maybe there is something to it. :) ... just don't tell her I said that, okay? ;) I've not even told her that I've been taking it again every day for the past week (along with my other dietary changes), and I'm not hurting as much. I just hate those testimonials! :) I don't want to turn into one.
12).
a) If you want to look at the book I'm reading, it is
Your Guide to Hysterectomy, Ovary Removal, & Hormone Replacement: What All Women Need to Know.
b) If you want to see what my nutritional-product-connection sells, check out
Reliv.com.If you want to order some of it and try it out (they guarantee moneyback if you are not satisfied) call 1-800-RELIVUS. The numbers are 1-800-735-4887. If you're in the US, otherwise I can ask her who to call. If you do call and order, tell them you're ordering from Distributor
# 219176701 (she might as well get the credit if you try it out). If you want to say 'tell her Rainbow sent me', you can do that. I don't know if they'll tell her (not sure if there is a place on the order-by-phone form for comments). And, she doesn't even know about this web site (but, I'll tell her if she finds out! I might even tell her anyway!). She's a total believer. If I can avoid surgery by using her products (adding soy, an assortment of nutrients, and more fiber to my diet), I'll be a total believer, too.
No, it's not too much to ask.
All she wants is to be wanted.
Is that asking to much?
I don't think there is anyone on earth who doesn't want that same thing. We all want to be loved, valued, respected, cared for, enjoyed, appreciated, heard, known to some degree, and wanted. (Yes, I expanded it just a bit!)
Why I'm Not A Surgeon
I just don't think I could do
this. Talk about having a woman
under your thumb!
This one looks like
something about to be chopped and sautéed. Have you visited your restaurant's kitchen lately?
Can you imagine having this much
removed? I bet this woman was in terrible pain.
And, this poor woman probably just
thought she was getting fat and wondered why it hurt so much!!
Thanks For Visiting Sunlight Through Rain
I'm a store with empty shelves. A window display that hasn't been changed for weeks. And, there are still those who stop by just to see if I'm still open for business and to see if anything new has arrived.
Thanks for thinking of me. I do appreciate your visits. I'll try to find that blogging part of myself again some day soon.
Y'all come back now. Y'hear?
{{{ }}} and :)* <<< a hug and a kiss on the cheek for those who stop by because they like me and want to say hi as they pass through their day
