Life After The Army » Health

I joined the club

Charlotte — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 17:12:24 +0000

I became a member of the Menopause community when I was 27. I already had the 3 children that I wanted to have, 2 boys and a girl. I had my tubes tied after my daughter was born. Then about 2 years later I started having a lot of problems with my period. I ended up having a D & C and that didn’t help the problems so I ended up having a hysterectomy at the age of 27 and went through surgical menopause.

For the next several years menopause symptoms played hell with my life. I had hot flashes, night sweats, heart palpitations, mood swings and I was always tired. I felt so old at such a young age. I did take hormones to try to help with the hot flashes and such and it did help. I no longer take them because it’s not a good idea to take replacement hormones for a long period of time.

Now I’m 57 and rarely have any symptoms at all. Once in a great while I have a hot flash. I still get mood swings, but I think that is just me and the situation I’m in right now. Let me tell you.. menopause is not a fun thing to live through… I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. I feel bad for all of the females in my family who haven’t had to deal with it yet.

I’m glad we women only have to go through this once in their lives because I certainly wouldn’t want to ever go through it again.

My mother went through having a hysterectomy when I was young but I don’t remember why or I was never told the reason. I remember her suffering through intense hot flashes and mood swings and didn’t know why she was suffering so much. I was only a young child and probably wouldn’t have understood the reason why anyway.

It’s a miracle

Charlotte — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 18:40:09 +0000

It’s a miracle that I’m alive and healthy, for the most part. Why? Because we lived in a house that had asbestos covered pipes, asbestos siding and lead paint. It’s a miracle that no one contracted Mesothelioma which is caused by asbestos.

I also remember that when I was little paint would fall off the wall in little chips and I would pick them up and eat them. I don’t eat paint anymore but I’m lucky to have never gotten lead poisoning. I probably slept in a crib that was covered in lead paint and probably played with toys painted with it too.

This reminds me of a thing that was posted on Facebook:

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED the 1930?s, 40?s, 50?s, 60?s and 70?s!!
First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant.
They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn’t get tested for diabetes.
Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-based paints.
We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking.
As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, booster seats, seat belts or air bags.
Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat.
We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.
We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this.

We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank Kool-aid made with sugar, but we weren’t overweight because,
WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.
No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O.K.
We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo’s, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD’s, no surround-sound or CD’s, no cell phones, no personal computer! s, no Internet or chat rooms…….
WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.
We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.
We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.
We rode bikes or walked to a friend’s house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them!
Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn’t had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!
The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!
These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever!

The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.
We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!

If YOU are one of them…CONGRATULATIONS!

You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives for our own good.
While you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave (and lucky) their parents were.

Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn’t it?!

So bright

Charlotte — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 20:52:23 +0000

With all the snow on the ground it’s very bright when the sun comes out. It’s blinding and I wish I didn’t wear glasses because it’s hard to find nice looking clip on sunglasses for my glasses. If I didn’t wear glasses I’d be able to just go to the store and buy some Guess sunglasses and protect my eyes from the snow-glare caused by the sun on the snow.

I’ve tried using contacts buy my eyes don’t like them. My eyes get all red and gritty feeling and the contacts tend to like to roll up and have even stuck to my eye. Let me tell you that is so very uncomfortable and when I take them out I have to use eye drops for a few days to get my eyes to feel normal again.

I feel like I look so much younger without glasses and glasses bother me too. I have to wear 2 different pairs of glasses during the day. One pair is for driving and reading (bi-focals) and a second pair when I’m on the computer. Would you say my eyes are messed up? I sure would.

I could go and get prescription sunglasses but they can be pretty pricey and my insurance only pays for my one pair of glasses. I do need to go and get my eyes checked again and probably have my prescription changed because things just aren’t as clear as they used to be and I really don’t like my frames anymore.

Skin stuff

Charlotte — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 19:46:38 +0000

I remember when I was little my mom had this thing that looked like a syringe without the needle part. It was used to remove blackheads on nose. I guess it just sucked out the blackhead. I never used it so I don’t know if it was painful or not but it just seemed, to me, like it was.

I’m sure they have better ways of taking care of blackheads today and I’m lucky because that is one problem that I don’t have. I get pimples and other things on my face along with my wrinkles and large pores.

I wish I had my younger looking skin that I had years ago. I loved my skin. I guess that’s the price you pay for getting older.

Hmmm… I don’t know

Charlotte — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 05:44:46 +0000

My doctor keeps wanting me to get a colonoscopy but I just can’t bring myself to get one done. I’m very uncomfortable with the whole process from using the colon cleanser to the procedure itself.

I don’t have any problems and there is no history of anyone in my family ever having colon cancer so I just want to put myself through the stress and worry of having that procedure done. I do think that people who have a family history of colon cancer should get the screening but it’s just not for me.

I have the same problem with Mammograms too. I have had that done a couple times but it really hurts. My breasts hurt for days afterwards. Both times everything has been fine and there is no history of breast cancer in my family either.

Facial problems

Charlotte — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 23:34:44 +0000

I have problems with my skin on my face. I have oily places and dry places. That makes it hard to find the right cleanser and moisturizer for my skin. I also have a problem getting rid of blackheads on my nose. I swear my nose looks like a strawberry. You know how strawberries look.. red with little specks all over them. That’s what my nose looks like. I really hate it and I’m self conscious about it too.

My mother used to have a thing that looked like a syringe that sucked the blackheads out of your skin. I tried it once, as a teenager, and that thing hurt! So since then I haven’t really done much about the blackheads. I just try to keep my face as clean as possible.

I don’t understand

Charlotte — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 21:33:11 +0000

I don’t understand why some men feel they have to look “ripped” (full of muscles). Do they do it to impress? Does it make them feel good about themselves? Do they think it makes them look healthier? Sometimes men overdo it. They take stuff to boost testosterone or steroids.

I’ve heard so many bad things about steroids that scare me and I would hate to see either of my sons take them. I know there are other ways to “bulk up” that are safer. My youngest son had been going to the gym and lifting weights and I know he has been using protein powders to help. He’s very tall and very thin and he wanted to gain some weight. He told me that had been helping him. I don’t know exactly what he was taking but I hope he checked it out before using it.

Am I falling apart?

Charlotte — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 02:31:30 +0000

All day today I keep finding these small, red bumps on various parts of my body. They itch then they pop then they go away. I’m beginning to wonder if I need to find some body acne treatment or something. It really drives me crazy.

I just found one right in between my breasts. It itches like crazy and it looks strange to see me sitting here with my hand up under my shirt scratching there. I had one on my arm, leg and neck earlier today. I also have 2 on my lower back. They are driving me up the wall!

Does anyone else get these red, itchy bumps or is it just me?

Thunderstorms on the way

Charlotte — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 02:14:11 +0000

We have a severe thunderstorm warning until just about 11 PM. We can hear them coming.. it’s rumbling off in the distance. They should be here soon.. they are about an hour away from us (by car) and are heading towards us at 40 mph.

I’m trying to get some work done here before our electric goes out. It seems to go out every time it storms. It’s no fun.

____________________________________________________________________

On other news… Hubby went to the doctor yesterday to have his annual check up. A couple years ago he was diagnosed with PAD and had surgery to correct it. Every year he has to have tests done to see if it’s returned or not and so far every time he has gotten a clean bill of health. Yesterday was no exception. The doctor told him that the pulses in his leg are perfect and there is no sign of the clogged arteries returning. Now if I could get him to start taking some vitamins for men it would make me feel so much better.

He’s a bull headed sort of person who doesn’t think he needs to take any extra vitamins and every time I suggest it he says no. Men… they’re all so stubborn!

Clear skin

Charlotte — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 01:14:33 +0000

Andi had problems with her skin ever since she was in Iraq. Here face was all red and bumpy and nothing she did helped. She ordered some stuff from an online acne treatment store and after using it diligently for a month or so her skin is clear as it was before going to Iraq.

Her face, from a distance, looked like she had a bad sunburn but this wasn’t from the sun. Now she doesn’t have to wear makeup to cover it up. She told me what the stuff is called but I can’t think of it right now. I know she said it was cheaper than that Proactive stuff that is advertised all over the place.

If I needed to get something for a problem like that I’d definitely use the same stuff that Andi got. The difference is amazing.