ITCHY, ITCHY, ITCHY!!!

I am about eight weeks past my hysterectomy and I have definitely settled in to a rhythm with my body's new levels....well, sort of.  I'm adjusting to some things and praising God for some of the others.  With my ovaries left intact, I was told that I wouldn't go through menopause and that has proven true.  However, I have experienced several symptoms of perimenopause/menopause due to my hormones fluctuating.  So here's the update (shield your eyes if you're squeamish or easily embarrassed):

PROS/BLESSINGS

*No more periods.  Squee!  I was told that the IUD would probably stop my periods but, alas, it didn't even come close (of course that could have been because it was impacted in my uterus).  I still haven't fully accepted the fact and have kept a box of panty liners in the bathroom like the surgery was some sort of crazy lie.  Eventually I will have to accept the reality and move them to the other bathroom as an emergency guest back up in case someone needs them (or until my girls do).

*No more break outs.  That's not to say that I don't occasionally suffer from a precarious pimple here or there but no more chin-line breakouts, back-ne, or excessive foundation to cover up the awful carnage on my neck from a trip to Zit City.

*Increased energy.  Even pre-surgery, I was having to nap for 20-30 minutes every day.  Now I'm lucky if I can make myself nap.  I'm exhausted by the end of the day but what mom isn't!?!

*No more severe pain.  I used to suffer awful abdominal cramping (again, probably due to the IUD and side effects from that).  After the surgery, no more awful abdominal cramping.  This is reason alone to be thankful.

*Improved general health.  The IUD was causing issues with my blood sugar and more so my health has improved considerably after having the hysterectomy.  I don't have to monitor my blood sugar quite as closely and don't go through hard candies like a grandmother coaxing her grandchildren to be quiet at church.  Hypoglycemia is now my bitch!

CONS/GRRRR SIDE EFFECTS

*Hot flashes.  Nuff said.  They're not something that occurs every day all day but they happen...and usually at inopportune times.

*Night sweats.  I used to be a night time cuddler and enjoy my big cushy blankets.  Now, I'd rather sleep without the blankets most of the night....even if I'm sleeping in front of the AC.....or on an iceberg.

*General increase in body temperature.  This probably isn't a bad thing since I used to always be cold.  It kind of goes with the theme, thus far.

*Extremely dry, itchy skin.  Having always been an oily skinned individual, this is new ground for me.  Gone are the days of taking a nice hot shower and slathering on lotion right after to have nice, comfortable, smooth legs.  Now, it's cooler showers (so as not to dry it out further) and moisturizing 3-4+ times per day.  It also means scratching my legs to a bloody pulp (or rubbing, to avoid scratching, them to a nice comfortable rugburn-style texture) when moisturizer isn't available.  I'm still trying out solutions to this to stay tuned!

NOTE the fact that most of the cons are related to body temperature and if you combine them all into one big con titled "Hot, hot, hot", there are clearly a lot more perks to how I'm feeling.  Now that I'm released back to work outs, I need to get my butt in gear and start running again and doing yoga on a daily basis and seeing how much that helps.  I shall continue with updates as the time passes.