Thursday, March 31, 2011

Enough with this woman crap already!!!

So last year when I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer, what I elected to do for treatment was have a double mastectomy and have my ovaries removed so that my body wouldn't make any estrogen to feed the cancer.

I have 2 small kids and I really didn't have the time to be sick with chemo or radiation so I decided on this very aggressive and effective way to fight the cancer it gave a 99% survival rate.  I could have chosen a lumpectomy or just removed one breast and gotten chemo and radiation.  I am a mom I just didn't have the time to be dealing with treatments that could make me sick with small children.  So swiftly and quickly we moved ahead with the massive surgeries.

Well with that decision I was thrown into menopause at the ripe old age of 41.  Well I now know why old women are so crabby.  Menopause and all that comes with it SUCK.  I am not a dried up old weed, I am still a young women with children in diapers!!!!  These hot flashes I have been enduring for a year are ridiculous, I hate them.  The itchy skin, the moodiness, the dandruff, the insomnia, night sweats, and ridiculously slow metabolism now all can just BITE ME.

I am at Macy's this afternoon and not only do I have a hot flash but I break into this crazy flop sweat that there is nothing glowing about it.   My hair turns into a rabid frizz ball and my make-up practically melts off my face.  I'm Italian and am used to running a little on the hot side all my life, but it nothing compared to these "flashes".  I feel like someone installed a "Broiler" setting to my body thermometer.     These "FLASHES" are  30 minute flop sweat gigs completely embarrassing.  The night sweats have my changing my pajamas and sheets during the middle of the night also, which sucks because I get up for work at 4am.

Is it really to much to ask for these symptoms to be gone?  I mean for crying out loud it's been a year.  I am not in the position to take estrogen because it can do harm to me and feed any stray cancer cell that may still be floating around in my body.

But this menopause has forced me to really take a look at my health and fitness because I have to be here for my kids.  So I am running, and watching my diet, and eliminating most junk food, no fast food, high fiber, low fat, and that is helping.  Because along with this stupid thing menopause I can suffer bone loss, and osteoporosis.  (I mean really, isn't just the menopause enough????)

So to keep all those other lovely consequences of menopause at bay I have ventured onto this fitness journey.  I feel better, I am wearing pants I haven't worn since before I had my kids.  My new "girls" are forcing me to update and refresh the rest of my body. (I could never have taken up running with my old "girls", so I sort of like the new ones)  So even though I have this label at the doctors office of Post Menopausal, it doesn't mean I'm some dried up old prune at Leisure World.  I am getting back to my "fighting" weight and am getting out of the ring with cancer and menopause, and am grateful to say that I won the fight against the cancer!  Now the battle of the bulge is being fought and will be won as well, I feel so differently about my health now than I ever have in my life.  I am running well enough that I registered for my first 5K at the end of April.

But really, I am over this menopause nightmare it has been a year, and all the little side effects that come with it are irritating and since none of my friends are going through the "CHANGE OF LIFE" yet, I have no one to compare and contrast the icky details with, at least when you are pregnant someone in your posse has been through it and tells you all the stuff that no one else will tell you.

But the upside of the whole thing I don't have a period anymore, and that is cool.

Rebecca

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