That Just Happened!

Some things from your youth really stick with you.  Whether it’s your Mom saying, “Don’t wear white after Labour Day,” or your Dad saying, “Never let the salt stay on your car,” they are words of wisdom you find yourself taking to heart to this day.  I remember sitting in morning assembly in high school (yes, we had morning assembly each morning) on the first day of school.  As usual the Headmaster was giving his “Welcome Back” talk, but my friends and I were more worried about who was dating who, catching up with our friends, and finding ways to inconspicuously roll up our kilts.

I found myself only half paying attention until a call went out to the gym.  “Who here makes New Year’s Resolutions?”  Almost everyone’s hand went up, even the elementary students who probably didn’t know what a resolution was.  “How many times have you broken it?”  Again, a lot of hands went up.  The Headmaster went on to say that New Year’s resolutions are made and then broken quite easily.  In fact, most people expect that they are going to break it before the end of January.  He pointed out that September is like a New Year for us.  It is a time for all students to embark on the school year.  A time to reflect on what you want your year to look like, the goals you want to accomplish, the activities you want to do.  So many New Year’s resolutions are broken, but here is a second time to start anew. 

Something about that always appealed to me and to this day I see September as a fresh start.  The back to school commercials and the accompanying dip in temperature call to mind a time when September was the beginning of the year.  A year of friends, fights, successes and failures, and new school supplies.  I remember sitting in the gym with increasing resolve; I would get straight A’s, I would not let my French teacher annoy me, I would be nice to everyone in my class…All of these resolutions made in my mind, resolutions I would only have to keep for ten months instead of twelve.

Thinking ahead to ten months from now, there are going to be a lot of changes.  My brother will be graduating from high school, my Mom will be (potentially) facing an empty nest, I will be ending my single life by getting married, and my sister and I will both (potentially) be moving closer to each other.  So the question is; what do I want the next ten months to look like?  Do I want to let the pressures of planning a wedding get to me?  Not really.  Do I want to lose some weight for those wedding pics?  Yep.  Do I want to be looking for a new home and saving up money?  Definitely.  Do I want to get a new job and start a career?  For sure! 

I have all of these wants and dreams, but it is also important to think about the road I want to take to get there.  Do I want to sit at home all the time to save money?  Not really, I have to find a balance.  Can I lose weight and get healthy by sitting and wishing?  *sigh* Unfortunately not, I have to dedicate myself to fitness.  I want to achieve my goals in a way that is graceful and will help me to enjoy life as it is now.

The main point of this is a little reminder.  New Year’s is not the only time to set resolutions; you can do it any time throughout the year.  September is a good time to start because there is a change in seasons, many of you with children are experiencing a change back into the “routine”, and the weather isn’t so depressing you can only imagine curling up by a fire (*ahem* January *ahem*).  With all the little reminders that school is starting it helps you to get in the mind space for change.  Plus, all of the TV shows are new, and if TV execs tell me it’s a new year than it must be goshdarnit!

Think about what you want the upcoming “school year” to look like and how you can achieve these goals.  A new beginning doesn’t have to start when the calendar year does, and ten sounds so much more doable than twelve.

That Just Happened!

www.thatjusthappened.ca.  Now there’s an address I haven’t typed into
my internet address bar in a while.  I have effectively had 8 months of the worst writer’s block   laziness ever.  So why now?  Where did the inspiration come from to start writing again?  Well, a few places.

One, I have ideas again. Ideas about what to write, that is. I think most of my friends will attest to the fact I usually get ideas.  Dastardly, evil, revengeful, brilliant ideas, especially after a cocktail or two.

Two, my days and nights are reversed just like how it was ages 0-12 months.  My natural clock took over and all-nighters are occurring once again. Only this time they are less fun because I am; a) doing it alone and b) I have not had one or two of the aforementioned cocktails.  I have met a few women who are in the same boat as me, but they are menopausal, so they weren’t too interested in my circadian rythyms.  How can I compete with hot flashes and night sweats, anyway?  I just have dark circles and an internet search history that reads: “Girls Next Door Bridget Dogatonic Video” and “circadian rhythms”.

Three, my dear friend over at The Pond, Blond Duck, has written an awesome book that I said I would review for her.  I thought it would be weird to just throw out a review after months of silence, so take this as an introductory post and a promise that I will be reviewing one fantastic, whimsical book.  Her Halloween series  was a scary story that was actually scary.  It is supposed to be for young adults, but I got chills and it wasn’t because the a/c  is positioned to blow down my neck when I am at the computer, because it was cold outside when I read it and the a/c wouldn’t have been on.  So there.

Four, I have a stack of books that I have read and am hoping will reach the ceiling by the end of the year.  I have to review a lot of them for the Governor General Awards challenge that I made for myself.

Five, who else can I tell about my lusty thoughts about Paul Gross and I why I think he is everything that is sexy and Canadian and male?

Six, my hormones are a swingin’ lately and with the return of the cycstic acne on my chin came enough angst that I feel I have something interesting to write about.

Seven, MPW (my partner Will) is saying stupid things again.  Like, “Who are The Judds?  You mean it’s not just Ashley?”

Eight, someone left me a comment on my “about me” page that just said, “You can go F**K yourself” and I just want to say, “Well…F**k you too, random person who is probably spam. F**k you too.”

Nine, I am getting tired of entering into blog giveaways and not attaching a blog address to my name because I haven’t done anything new since January.  In addition, I am sure Blond Duck would like a new post to leave a comment on.

Ten, Stephtastic is in Derby and I go see her games, KB (my brother-in-law) is doing improv which I go see, MPW is going to start skiing before I know it and I’ll be left all alone and I’m craving some attention, gosh darn it.  What about meeeee?  Notice meeeee!

Well, there ya have it. I’m back.  I’m committing.  I really just want to talk about Paul Gross.

That Just Happened!

For the events leading up to the day of the surgery go here.

Total procedures being done: diagnostic laparoscopy to identify and diagnose endometriosis, possible treatment of endometriosis, tubal dye test (to ensure fallopian tubes are clear), removal of possible scar tissue, D&C. 

Total problems found: 3.

I have level 1 endometriosis, which meant it was minimal (although he made it clear that the 1-4 scale does not in any way indicate pain caused from it) and he removed it.  I had scar tissue near my appendix (which he was surprised at because that much scaring without having had appendicitis is rare) and scar tissue on my big intestine (from a bad diet?!  But I’m a vegetarian!  Most likely from first year uni and living on my own for a year).  Unfortunately, this will probably not be last time I go in for surgery for this, as endometirosis comes back until you hit menopause.  It can cause infertility (if it goes untreated) and extreme abdominal pain.  Thankfully, I caught it pretty early and I havebeen on birth control pills for so long that it has helped delay the progression of the disease. 

I was glad that the doctor found something.  There was the possibility that he would find nothing.  It turns out your uterus, bowels and bladder share a nerve center, so it is difficult for a woman to identify exactly where the pain is coming from.  You may think it is your uterus, but it could be your bowel, or bladder.  So, the fact that the search can end there is reassuring.  Who knows how long it would have taken if I had to see another specialist.  I must admit that I lost heart a bit when I realized I would have to got hrough all this again.  The other factor is, I could need surgery again in  years, ten years, or even one year.  There is no way of knowing for sure.  It was a very emotional day and it takes a lot to stay braveand positive, so when I realized that it would come back I had to take a few minutes to just be by myself.  MPW was amazing and let me have my time, and he was ready to hold my hand when I was done sulking.  Hello, Pity Party, Table of One!

The pain meds make me nauseous, but I definitely have my appetite.  Moving around is painful and I vow that the next time I go in for this surgery I will have a smaller tummy to make it easier.  There are a lot of things to be grateful for, so here are some of them.

1. I get to havea stress-free Christmas.  No working out, no heavy lifting, no bending over.  MPW is my slave and has to do my bidding.  I must admit it has been fun getting him to run around for me.  Just being able to call him and he’ll get me stuff.  My recovery may take a looooong time.
2. MPW is around to help me and love me and take care of me.  Thank goodness, because the thought of looking at the incisions makes me more nauseous than the pain meds.
3. People bring me gifts (thanks again Stephtastic) and offer to do my bidding (Thanks Art Owl).
4. I finally found out what has been causing the pain and it has been taken care of so I can return to a normal life.
5. I live in Canada and the only thing I had to pay for was the surgical soap for my showers and $1 for the pain meds.  Thanks to universal health care and paying into it since I was 13 years old and the benefits through work.
6. The wonderful people at St. Mike’s who took such good care of me.  I really can’t thank them enough.  To donate to the hospital you can go here.
7. Chocolate.  Enough said.

So, for now I just need to catch up on my rest and be grateful that this is over for now.  I have a follow up appointment in a few weeks and then I should be okay for a while at least.

I wanted to share this with all of you because it is such a major event in my life.  It’s also been really helpful to write it all out (and I get to put words like vajayjay and lady business all over the Internet).  I think it’s also important to share stories like this so that other women know what’s happening and what can happen.  I have never known anyone to talk about having this problem and if I knew more about it, maybe I would have been able to get help a little sooner.  The most important thing I can think to pass on is something I have heard time and time again, “You know your body better than anyone else and if you think there is something wrong than there is!”  Don’t let one stupid doctor tell you they’ve never seen it before because someone out there has  and it doesn’t mean it’s all in your head.  You can keep going and find someone who believes you and who can help you. 

Yeah, That Just Happened!