East and West-Rest is Best

I am a fan of both Eastern and Western medicine and feel there is definitely a place for both in America.  With that said, about 2 1/2 weeks post surgery I visited my ayurvedic/energetic/chiropractic doctor. She reminded me of the stress that a body goes through when having a surgery and how anesthesia can stay in the body weeks after possibly giving me the symptoms I am feeling.  She adjusted me, cleared me and reminded me to rest and honor the healing. I had the worst migraines and felt exhausted for the next 2 days after her treatment but have not had a headache since.  
I saw my surgeon 3 weeks post surgery.  She said my incisions looked good and I am right on track with my healing.  She said that my "brain fuzz", which by the way comes now twice a week or less, is because of exhaustion.  Ask any new mom and they can relate to the loss of thoughts or like me forgetting where the button is on the TV to turn it on.  She said even though I might be sleeping well at night, my body has been through a lot and needs more rest.  Ok- so maybe the light jog I went on last week should have been a walk (or a nap). Oh well- lesson learned.  When a doctor says you can resume "normal" activities, you must remember "normal" is subjective to each any every person.  In the end what I learned from both doctors is that I need to slow down and be patient with the healing.  I won't resume my "normal" activities of kick boxing, running, and swim training. I am taking it easy these days and find walking and just being a mom to a 3 and 5 year old enough movement and energy for me and when I'm really being good I'm in bed by 9:45. 
 I feel that there IS an amount of "leveling out" that a body has to go through while adjusting to the fact it is not producing any estrogen and progesterone and possibly that is contributing to some of my symptoms.  My surgeon tells me that all of the estrogen and progesterone should be out of my body 8 weeks post surgery.  Who knows- maybe it will be a relatively smooth transition.  I feel at peace knowing I have my 2 doctors, that practice 2 very different styles of medicine, available for help if I need it.

Post Surgery 2 1/2 weeks

 There is a lot of spelling that goes on in our house with having a 3 and 5 year old around.  Last week I attempted to spell the word sister to my husband like this - c-i-c-t-e-r.  I repeated it 3 times and began to get frustrated at him for not understanding what I was spelling. Hooray! And so it begins my first symptom of menopause-"brain fog".  The lack of estrogen in my body ( and it being surgically induced rather than gradual probably doesn't help) can create symptoms like this one. I know we have probably all had days or moments like this but in my case it has not left me for a week and happens all through the day.  I find it difficult to connect thoughts, come up with words, and focus.  I sometimes can't remember why I got up to move and my short term memory has suffered too.  I did a little research on this and some claim it to be the result of night sweats and lack of sleep but (knock on wood) I have not had those symptoms-it is simply the lack of estrogen. Thank goodness I don't hold a job that requires me to make important decisions or speeches in front of large groups of people.  It has been comical though and I take it all in stride knowing this too will pass.  Hormone replacement therapy in small doses for a short amount of time is an option. There are also homeopathic remedies that I am actually going to explore first. 
Other physical side effects I have noticed on a smaller scale have been headaches,  feeling a little nauseous and light headed.  I have found that tylenol and something light to eat takes care it.  
Yesterday I started to feel anxious and a little irritable.  I could see it coming on and starting to fill my body and mind. Before I lost my "perspective" on things I knew I needed to do something.  I have been feeling good since my surgery and found if I limit heavy lifting, twisting and bending I feel great. So- I decided to go for a jog. I put on my music and jogged for just over 3 miles.  Besides my achey knees it felt great and seemed to do the trick.  I highly recommend exercise for (everyone) but specifically woman going through menopause.  Here's a link that goes in to the benefits of exercise for menopausal woman. http://www.acefitness.org/fitfacts/fitfacts_display.aspx?itemid=91
Overall recovering from this surgery has not been bad. I find if I listen to my body and respect where it is in the healing process than I am good. It's important to call or email your doctor post surgery for any questions or concerns you may have with healing or your emotions.  It's not always a good idea to go on line and see every symptom that may happen during menopause-it can be over whelming and why put symptoms in your head that you may never get. 
One last note- Not being able to pick up, hug, or play with my kids or climb into a bunk bed to read them a book during my recovery has made it even clearer to me that I made the right decision with this surgery. My recovery has only been 2 or so weeks-having cancer and going through treatments would have been a hell of a lot longer.
More on those thoughts later...:)