2008 Woodie Awards
Other than hot flashes, menopause isn't too bad
By: Lori Weber
Issue date: 10/8/08 Section: Forum
Editors' note: Lori continues from last week to tell the story of her personal battle with HPV in order to educate women about health issues. The first four installments of this series can be found online at www.bgnews.com.
I was still weighing my options: Hysterectomy or Zoladex? Did I really even want to have children?
And what about the shot? What were the long term effects of Zoladex?
So I did what any person would do. I did my homework.
Hysterectomies, of course, are permanent. There would be no going back to what I was before. I thought about the children that I would never have. I would never experience the sensation of feeling life kicking out, letting me know it is there inside me. I would never experience a woman's greatest gift. I would be like a car with no gas: empty.
Zoladex was technically only approved by the FDA for six months, and most health insurance would only cover one year's worth of injections.
The side effects that came with Zoladex were hot flashes, reduced bone density and irritability.
Menopause.
The result of the shots would mean that I would have to drink a lot of milk and take lots of calcium supplements to balance out the calcium that would be extracted from my bones. No calcium means brittle bones. I'd be a 27-year-old with osteoporosis if I didn't take care of myself.
I looked at Brady. He nodded. He knew that I had made my decision.
Zoladex.
As I mentioned last time, the way Zoladex is injected is by spraying the area just above the pubic hairline with a very cold spray. It numbs the area quickly, and replaces cold with a gentle heat. The "gun" mechanism is reminiscent of a "tagging" gun.
Once the area is as numb as possible, the needle is inserted and a loud click means the trigger is pulled and the Zoladex has been distributed near the ovaries. The best time to get your first shot is either one week before your period, or just after your menstrual cycle. I had my first one just a few days before my menstrual cycle, and it was perfect timing. My cramps were starting and within a few hours after the shot, the pain subsided.
I was still weighing my options: Hysterectomy or Zoladex? Did I really even want to have children?
And what about the shot? What were the long term effects of Zoladex?
So I did what any person would do. I did my homework.
Hysterectomies, of course, are permanent. There would be no going back to what I was before. I thought about the children that I would never have. I would never experience the sensation of feeling life kicking out, letting me know it is there inside me. I would never experience a woman's greatest gift. I would be like a car with no gas: empty.
Zoladex was technically only approved by the FDA for six months, and most health insurance would only cover one year's worth of injections.
The side effects that came with Zoladex were hot flashes, reduced bone density and irritability.
Menopause.
The result of the shots would mean that I would have to drink a lot of milk and take lots of calcium supplements to balance out the calcium that would be extracted from my bones. No calcium means brittle bones. I'd be a 27-year-old with osteoporosis if I didn't take care of myself.
I looked at Brady. He nodded. He knew that I had made my decision.
Zoladex.
As I mentioned last time, the way Zoladex is injected is by spraying the area just above the pubic hairline with a very cold spray. It numbs the area quickly, and replaces cold with a gentle heat. The "gun" mechanism is reminiscent of a "tagging" gun.
Once the area is as numb as possible, the needle is inserted and a loud click means the trigger is pulled and the Zoladex has been distributed near the ovaries. The best time to get your first shot is either one week before your period, or just after your menstrual cycle. I had my first one just a few days before my menstrual cycle, and it was perfect timing. My cramps were starting and within a few hours after the shot, the pain subsided.
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