naturegirl5 (@naturegirl5)

I'm almost 5 weeks out from my radical hysterectomy for endometrial cancer. The cancer was staged Ia (endometrioid) so no adjuvant treatment (chemotherapy or radiation) is recommended. I see my surgeon at Mayo Clinic on September 16 for my post-operative consult. I'm hopeful that she will give me the go-ahead to get back into my exercise routines so that I can lift weights, bicycle during this gorgeous Fall weather, and well, just get active again. I'm still feeling some fatigue but it is far less then it was even a week ago. My cancer team will continue to be at Mayo Clinic and I'm hoping I will learn about what to watch for in the future as I worry about recurrent or secondary cancers. The worries do not occupy every waking moment but they are there in the back of my mind. Expressing gratitude for the means and opportunity to go to Mayo Clinic for my cancer treatment as I consider how my life has changed and will continue to change.

@sandytoes14 I'm sorry that your gynecologist could not provide more of an explanation for the pelvic pain. I've also heard the saying "use it or lose it" in regards to sex as a form of exercise for the vagina. Makes sense to me.

@sandytoes14 Six years out after the hysterectomy, I wonder why the pain after (not during?) sex is still present. I'm happy to know that you are no longer fatigued. What does your gynecologist say about this ongoing pain?

@gingerw . Thank you for the reminder. One of my favorite sayings is "progress not perfection". The lesson to me is that as you said, noting happens instantly, in a minute, a day, a week. I haven't been journaling in awhile but I think I'll go back to it after your suggestion. Thanks again.

Good morning, Lisa. I've noticed that the last two days, my energy level is much better. I did not get fatigued in the afternoon. Maybe I've turned a corner on the fatigue but I realize that my symptoms will wax and wane over time. Also, the abdominal discomfort has been less so I've decreased the dosages of ibuprofen and acetaminophen. And now that I think about it, that's about the same time my energy got better. Thank you for caring and asking about me.

Thank you, @tinakoprek. I'm 3 weeks post op and thinking I should change my diet to better support my recovery. I do try to eat healthy, but there might be more I can do. At least this is something I have control over.

Hi Stites. I wish you all the best in treating your hearing loss and tinnitus. There is no quick solution to any of this.

I consider hearing aids like glasses. Now that I'm retired, my insurance (Medicare and supplemental I chose) will not cover hearing or vision so I will be paying out of pocket. I'm planning ahead and setting aside money for these. I need more than readers for vision so I see an optometrist for periodic checks and changes in my prescription for lenses. While Amazon or Costco might be an inexpensive way to try out a hearing aid, it's not the best option. Sorry if I'm preaching here, but I do feel strongly that our vision and hearing are so important for our quality of life. Did you know that there is evidence published in peer-reviewed journals that hearing loss over time affects our working memory (short term memory)? Makes sense. If we can't hear very well, we miss information and cannot store the information in our minds and brains. If you can afford to see an audiologist, at least for a consult, I'd highly recommend that. My binaural hearing aids are made by Oticon and cost $3000. That's not as expensive as I thought they would be for good digital hearing aids. My audiologist includes 6 month checks at no additional charge, and gave me a year's supply of batteries. Like an optometrist, only an audiologist is trained to test and prescribe.

Yes, I did not focus on the medications in my reply but that is very true. Antibiotics were not the culprit for me. Tinnitus is also genetic and my father had tinnitus and the same pattern of hearing loss that I have. And then there is the noise factor because we live in a noisy world. Oy – don't get me started on noise (I'm the baby boomer generation and how many rock concerts did I go to and stand right in front of the speakers?). Many antibiotics, in particular, affect the cells in the inner ear (cochlea for hearing and semicircular canals for vestibular process). There are known side effects which are usually indicated in packaging information, and with some of these medications the tinnitus is permanent. (Full disclosure here: I trained as a speech-language pathologist and hearing is part of our training). But other medications besides antibiotics can cause tinnitus that is reversible when you stop the medication. It just depends on what a person is taking. Like you, nurseheadakes, a pharmacist is a good resource for this information if your physician doesn't have the answers you want.