For my SISTERS ~warning LONGGGGGGGGGG~

My brothers can come in too, but you may get upset stomach like Phil LOL

After Donna's post last night about Bunny, I talked with Phil about my previous situation. ~he still gets sick having to relive that event~ I told him, maybe just MAYBE some women don't know or maybe I am just a (in BAF terms) a Doctor ***** ~awwww, I hate that word~

So, we talked and once again, I will share this story with my BAF sisters.

First, I want to say.....TAKE CARE OF YOUR BODY....it's yours, no other human will treasure, cherish, nor love it the way you do; okay?!  If you have a GB Surgeon who doesn't talk to you about DRINKING, SMOKING, and MENSTRUAL CYCLE --ask the questions about all three or find yourself a new doctor. If a doctor can't answer the questions for those, he/she can't operate on Dedee! 

A good surgeon will tell you, please advise your OBGYN that you are having WLS. It may cause you to have irregular cycles and he/she will need to work with me to find a regimen for you (why? most OBGYN prescribed some type of NSAID for menstrual cramps---your WLS will need to approved this meds to avoid ulcers---he/she may simply prescribe you a med to take before the NSAID....too, some times, oral contraceptives are no longer effective....this needs to be discussed to avoid early pregnancies in WLS patients).

Now, I have always had BIOTCH problems....~female organ problems~ I had my first female surgery as a teen....where everyone else was getting pap raped (pap smears) every year, I was getting them 3 times a year as a precautionary method; okay?!

I suffered from endometriosis.

So, at the age of 24, my OBGYN told me, my my endometriosis was so far gone, I was infertile. To make things worse ~my pain~ my uterus was retroverted. I want tell you about the blood, but imagine having to wear a tampon, a pad, and a dayum depend. He had performed lap on me....removed scar tissue from previous surgery so he could get a good look at my uterus. He also took tissue for a biopsy. My biopsy was benign.  No cancer present; however, my uterus was so damaged he wanted to perform a hysterectomy.

I'm 24---no kids....did not want any, but it's different when YOU make the chose versus Mother Nature....I don't want versus I can't have is a mfer!  So, I went to work the next week and CRIED like a baby to Bren (some of you remember her from BAF). She advised me to get a second opinon. Don't take his word for it....she gave me the number to call and I get set up with another OBGYN. It took me 2 weeks to get into his office. So it has been almost now 6 weeks since my consult with my older OBGYN. He has all my medical files ~I had released to his office~ and he starts to test me.....he wants to pull blood, do an ultrasound, etc.

So the ultrasound tech goes out the room, he comes in with her....they tell me to get dressed!! I'm scared as hell....OMG, I should have had the surgery. However, he thinks he sees a heartbeat....an embryo....NAW, I CANNOT have kids ~roll eyes~

So, he wants to wait for the BLOOD pregnancy test to come back---make a long story short, my asse was pregnant.  So, I switched OBGYNs again LOL ~only b/c I wanted a woman...a black woman and she only accepted pregnant patients~ So, she gets my medical files and says, "it's not a miracle....when he removed the tissues, it caused me to become fertile. This was very temporary....so I got PG again and miscarried....uterus was too weak.....got PG again and here come Kerri, but it was a ROUGH one....had to go on early maternity leave....thought that PG was gon kill a sister.

So, I was told that if I lose some weight, I may be able to get by with therapy and oral contraceptives versus a hysterectomy....COOL....I'm young...in between 2000 and 2003, I had 3 biotch surgeries---with all tumors testing benign, but I was getting TIRED of this schitt!  I had WLS in 2003.....lost the weight....but nothing helped my biotch problems. Finally, I say finally b/c it was only a matter of time ~roll eyes~ in Oct 2004, I had malignant cancer cells present in my endometrium, the lining of my uterus.....this was caught VERY early b/c like I stated, I am a doctor ***** Now, don't ask me why, but my doctor only removed my endometrium lining ~you are so young, yada yada yada~ My moms was soooo scared, I'm like just do whateva, yall gon kill my momma with worrying.....So, they say it was a success.....(look at my pics on my profile and see how little and sick I looked)......so with this procedure I'm supposed to be healed....no more menstrual cycles....no more cancer ~roll eyes~ but a biotch still bleeding less than a YEAR later! ~roll eyes~ so, OMG, I can remember calling Frenchy BAWLING on the phone....crying....hollering....ANOTHER FREAKING SURGERY.....I told him what the doctors wanted to do, he talked with his sister who is a nurse in that speciality and she gave confirmation that the process was a precautionary method .... I would undergo mild chemo....LAWD I can still remember Phil ~mild chemo~ walking me to the bathrooms cause I had to throw up after every ******g treatment.....since it was a hormonal type cancer I was hot, cold, angry, mad, happy like a mfer!  Try to go to work, get weak driving....have to call Phil....leave my car, take me home, put me to bed.....feel better for 2 weeks then it's treatment time again....I said **** THIS! This schitt is killing me ~don't be like me---I still say I am one Fortunate biotch~ So, yes, I refused treatments.

Moved to Ohio in 2006, a biotch sicker than a mfer!  Had so many biotch pains, I was like **** IT....I medicated and medicated with NSAIDs.....almost died from a bleeding ulcer.....they called in my current OBGYN....she got all my records from Alabama when Phil and I told her my story...I promise, she had tears in her eyes....She stated, "any doctor who does not remove a woman uterus when cancer is present in the endometrium lining should not be allowed to practice medicine!!"  I was so ******g happy to hear that!  I knew I was not ******g crazy!  So, I had to get my blood count up....and then she would remove my uterus and test for new cancer cells.  That was January 2007....it too****il MARCH to get me healthier enough to undergo sugery ~yes, I was bleeding AGAIN~ But, the surgery was performed successfully....no cancer cells present. I was cancer and PAIN free.....

I saw my OBGYN on Nov 14th.....she has now moved me back to once a year annuals....~you have to go as often as every 3 months for a hot minute~ She left my ovaries due to my age....my ovaries were FINE....I will be tested every year like any other woman now for ovarian cancer. Since I had a hormonal cancer, I will start mammograms at the age of 35 ~however, I had one at the age of 33 because my PCP found a knot ~ She wants me to have my first official mammogram next year. I will have asse in the radiology office getting my breast screened!

LADIES....I typed this long asse email to tell you to TAKE CARE OF YOU!  Finding diseases in the early stages is key.

FYI- my sister found out some months after me ~she waited a while~ that her knowt in her armpit was actually non-Hodgkins lymphoma....she had surgery after me and lost half the muscle from her elbow to her shoulder in her right arms and the muscle and lymph nodes in the arm pit.  She, too, was VERY fortunate...she has limited use of her right arm, but she is alive.
Listen to your bodies.....

Hi DeeDee,

What is a NSAID?  I saw you mention it in a previous post as well.   Thanks, Nicci

NSAIDs are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen...

Non-Steroid Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (such as aspirin, ibuprofen)

In the docs office, pharmacy, etc. it's pronounced  en-saids

Dedee
I was diagnosed woth endometriosis (and I have a retroverted uterus too) back in 1990 AFTER I had my children...if I had not had them when I was so young...I would not have any at all. I have since developed adenomyosis and been through almost everything you described EXCEPT I still have my uterus and I have had an IUD for almost 2years that has slowed the bleeding down to a tolerable level...but the pain is still debilitating at times I also had a breast lump that turned out to be benign 2 years ago (my maternal Grandmother died from breast CA that was undiagnosed and spread throught her body) and my Mom has had a lumpectomy with atypical cells present and went back for a flap removal....so I'm glad I DEMANDED that they start doing Mammos on me at 30 or they would never have had a nomral baseline I have been VERY proactive in my healthcare and now have switched all my specialist to UMMC (2.5 hours from where I live) because these country ass doctors where I live almost killed me...TWICE.

THANK YOU for posting this...and YES as women we often get so busy taking care of everyone else thst we forget to take care of oursleves...and we can't take care of ANYONE ELSE if we're not healthy FIRST!

I hope you're living pain free now

Besides this dayum ulcer, I am good LOL

~smooches~

Hey sis...WOW...I am so glad you posted this as we women sometimes neglect our bodies.  I am so thankful that you have the victory over this and girl I'm at work with tears in my eyes because wow...you just never know what people are going or have gone through.

I love you lady......Cassie

I love you back, Cassie ~smooches~

Hey Dedee - once again, this is NEWS WE CAN USE!!! Everyone can use this information - the men included (after all, they have women they love, right?)

I remember all of what you went through last year - didn't know everything, but I knew you suffered for a long time - it's good to hear that you have done so very well with the recovery.

I also suffered for many years with female problems - from the time I was in grammar school until I had the hysterectomy over 10 years ago (I swear this was my actual first re-birth!)  Although I did not go through a cancer scare, the fibroid tumors I lived with kept me in pain and agony long enough every month that I felt like dying...having to schedule vacations AROUND my cycles was the worst (why? Because even though I attempted to do that, I would STILL have my cycles on vacation!).

So, this information is invaluable for everyone.  Men have wives, sisters, aunts, cousins, nieces, etc. who also need this information - they can just read it - understand it - and then pass it along to others.

Thank you!

DD

Yeah, I know, Phil has a weak stomach LOL so I figured most men would. He literally got sick when I was sick jus****ching me ~gagging and barfing~

I only told a couple of people; it was hard for me....Frenchy, Hope, Bree, Dex, Adrienne and Cyn knew....oh, I think Madame R.

Those were the times you were getting the "PLEASE PRAY FOR ME" emails ~smooches~

You had soooo much going on then with deaths, I did not want to burden you to the full extent.