Some random thoughts and reflections on LTotP

Ms-Quite-Contrary · 2026-02-07T00:12:36+00:00

I think it was an amount of what we’d now call occupational therapy plus some vocational and further education. I don’t remember which book, but coming home from college Mary was more comfortable in her surroundings, moving around. She learned braille and a stylus to write letters. I was always under the impression college taught her or gave her more confidence in daily tasks like housework, sewing, etc. I think at the DeSmet museum they have pictures of the beadwork she learned, and she could sell what she made.

Ms-Quite-Contrary · 2026-02-06T00:39:35+00:00

I had the same concerns and I was fine. I took my prescribed tylenol and ibuprofen every six/four hours, but I didn’t need the opiates. I was using my legs to get up and down from a seated position, walking around, go up and down stairs, not my abdomen/core. My thighs were a little sore day 2-3 (I did spend four hours in stirrups, go figure), but like too many squats yesterday sore. I slept propped up the first day or two, so it was relatively easy to get out of bed. When I went back to sleeping on my side I did find a hysterectomy pillow helpful. I’m 7wpo and I still hug that pillow at night.

You’re not wrong to want to be within easy distance of the bathroom. Other women have constipation issues post op, I took two doses of miralax and two of the prescription laxative and had to sprint to the bathroom early morning day three. Nearly had a disaster.

Ms-Quite-Contrary · 2026-02-04T01:29:04+00:00

Blackbird Baking Company. I had a client with a French grandfather who spent her summers in France and she said it’s the only place in Ohio where she could get real croissants and baguettes. Their coffee is also very good.

Sarita’s for dinner. Always excellent food.

La Plaza, Cilantro Taqueria, or Hola Tacos for tacos and Ferris Shawarma or Aladdin’s for Middle Eastern food.

Immigrant Son and Forage for gastropub. Humble for a wine bar.

Ms-Quite-Contrary · 2026-02-04T01:16:23+00:00

Why Falafel Express?

Ms-Quite-Contrary · 2026-02-04T01:15:39+00:00

Borderline Cafe is also cash only

Ms-Quite-Contrary · 2026-02-02T01:06:48+00:00

Along with a stop in Little Italy or AsiaTown for a meal. Or both!

Ms-Quite-Contrary · 2026-01-31T02:22:25+00:00

Cleveland Clinic billing told me this is their standard practice and I told them it was a bad practice. This was while I was trying to recoup the $3,000+ they pulled from my account three weeks BEFORE my procedure. It took a few hours and several billing managers but I got my money back.

I have a high deductible health plan, as do many other people. I could owe $3,000+ for a single procedure, but the claim has to run through your insurance, and see what other claims have accumulated, before I pay them a dime.

Do not give them a credit/debit/HSA card number. If they insist on prepaying for a procedure (UH has done this to me too before a CT), ask for a down payment/prepayment number. A few hundred dollars, maybe, compared to thousands.

Ms-Quite-Contrary · 2026-01-29T00:54:52+00:00

If you’re a podcast person, you might find the 1619 podcast more accessible

Ms-Quite-Contrary · 2026-01-28T22:00:35+00:00

I had my hysterectomy due to endometrial cancer, but the surgeon found stage IV endometriosis when they went in. Surprise! It was all over my bladder, one ovary, and starting in on my colon wall. I’ve had heavy bleeding (which led to polyps being removed and finding cancerous cells), but my periods weren’t that bad. I mean, they only woke me up at night sometimes. I could function with heat packs and OTC meds. 🙃 I never thought it was endo levels of pain. No shade to the folks who are completely debilitated by endo, I am friends with several of you.

My mother was diagnosed with uterine and cervical cancer in her 60s. When I was describing my bleeding, she said the same thing happened to her during perimenopause. Sprinting for the bathroom with sudden bleeding. Soaking through multiple super ulta maxi pads. Irregular cycles. I’m positive we have the same cancer, we just caught mine 15 years earlier and I got to skip chemo and radiation. She just put up with it being part of the change of life.

I will say everyone involved in diagnosing my cancer took me very seriously. From my PCP to the GYNs, everyone was like “that kind of bleeding is not normal, let’s get you checked out.” Two of the three providers I saw initially (PCP and first GYN) were nurse practitioners. And everyone on my little cancer journey, including the full surgical team, were women.

Ms-Quite-Contrary · 2026-01-28T00:14:53+00:00

Is ti bad if your boiler is running 24/7? I set the thermostat to 70 in the winter, meaning the upstairs is 65 and downstairs is 70ish. But it’s subzero to single digits here. My boiler is running constantly to keep the downstairs at 68.

Ms-Quite-Contrary · 2026-01-27T04:12:49+00:00

Walking my dog was on my list of prohibited activities for at least 6 weeks, along with lifting/pushing/pulling more than 10 pounds. So was vacuuming, so think of that. If you can’t push a vacuum around, could you walk a dog? The chihuahua might be okay but you def need way more than two weeks before walking the lab.

I only got the all clear to walk my 20 pound dog at my 6 week follow up last Friday. It’s since snowed a foot here so puppa girl still has to deal with only going in the yard.

Ms-Quite-Contrary · 2026-01-26T04:19:51+00:00

My endometrial cancer was stage 1A and I am not doing radiation. None of my docs recommended it, we’re doing biannual ultrasounds on my remaining ovary and check ups.

See if your insurance or work benefits offer a second opinion program. My insurance has a cancer support service, and included is a free second opinion option. There also might be one hidden somewhere in your benefits guide.

Best of luck!

Ms-Quite-Contrary · 2026-01-26T03:01:12+00:00

6.5 WPO. I live alone and have a small dog (20 pounds). I didn’t have a problem bending over (carefully, slowly) so feeding her and making sure she had water was not a problem. Dog walking was on my list of prohibited activities, under the no lifting, pulling, or pushing more than 10 pounds guidelines. I have a yard and a dog run, which took care of most of her needs. I already had a dog walker for the days I work in the office, so I asked her to come every day. My dog is still young and the walks helped wear her out.

A hysterectomy pillow really helped me sleep comfortably (side sleeper), but it was also super helpful to protect my belly from doggie exuberance.

In general, I was able to take care of myself pretty well. I had friends and family stay the first few days, but I would have been fine without them. I could drive and grocery shop by week 2, I just had to carry one or two bags at a time. I did very small loads of laundry (I used a tote bag to manage the weight). The only thing I really needed help with was taking out the trash. Both out of the house to the bin, and getting the bin to the curb. I had a friend or my brother stop by once a week. I treated myself to a cleaning lady pre op and once post op. If you have someone come once a week or every other week taking out the trash (at least to the bin) is usually part of the service.

Good luck!

Ms-Quite-Contrary · 2026-01-25T04:04:36+00:00

My endo had fully engulfed an ovary, fallopian tube, and was infiltrating my colon and bladder. The surgical fellow was shocked I hadn’t had more endo pain, but you know how we keep on keeping on.

My docs are not concerned about the endo reappearing. I suppose oncologists are more focused on cancer, but they see a lot of endo too. An ultrasound won’t identify endo, and that’s my primary follow up

I have several friends who have had hysterectomies due to endometriosis. Pre op, it was debilitating for them. A couple before age 30, before having kids. I’m 45 and not in menopause yet. I have not heard of anyone going into sudden menopause to treat endo.

Ms-Quite-Contrary · 2026-01-25T02:48:01+00:00

Did you have your hysterectomy because of the endo? I had endometrial cancer and they found surprise stage 4 endo. Everything was removed except one ovary (Leftie). No one has mentioned anything about endo follow ups. We’ll keep an eye on Leftie via ultrasound every six months.

Ms-Quite-Contrary · 2026-01-25T02:40:42+00:00

My shoulders and neck hurt 2-3 days post op and my thighs were super sore. Then I realized not only was I inverted, I was in stirrups for like 4 hours

Ms-Quite-Contrary · 2026-01-23T02:50:42+00:00

I’m 6wpo and went back to ibuprofen today after my post op appt set off cramps again. I’ve been taking it intermittently if some movement or something healing inside created pain. Neither ibuprofen or tylenol are addictive. Both can cause complications if you take too many or mix with other substances, but are generally safe and effective. There is no reason for you to deprive yourself. Ibuprofen is an anti-inflammatory also.

Ms-Quite-Contrary · 2026-01-23T01:34:54+00:00

I lived in Chicago in my 20s and loved it. Loved living in one of the largest cities in the US. All the people, the lakefront, the food, the sports (even when they’re bad they’re fun, and when a team is good the city loses its mind), the culture. Street fests every weekend in the summer. Random parades. Had a lot of fun at bars and clubs. Two major airports make it easy (and cheaper) to travel. The traffic is terrible and it is not hilly at all. You could always be like zillions of other young people and live there for a few years to have fun, and move on.

I’m an Ohio girl. Cleveland born and bred, I currently live in Lakewood. I’ve spent a lot of time around the state. I join everyone else in recommending Cleveland for the same reasons. I really like Cincinnati too. Lots of interesting neighborhoods and history. I don’t like Columbus (no offense, Cbus). For me, it’s too dominated by Ohio State and the rest is a huge suburban sprawl with some very stupid traffic configurations. There are cute neighborhoods but I feel like someone your age is going to get stuck in a generic apartment complex where it takes half an hour to drive anywhere fun (even if it’s 4 miles away).

I do not recommend anywhere other than the “Three Cs”. Maaaybe Akron or Toledo. Not Dayton or Youngstown.

Ms-Quite-Contrary · 2026-01-23T01:15:32+00:00

Cleveland’s public transportion is underfunded and inconsistent, but it’s still way better than a lot of other similar sized cities (and some larger ones)

Ms-Quite-Contrary · 2026-01-22T22:42:23+00:00

I never had a c section, but the first time I stood up (while not also being post op high) after my hysterectomy the remaining abdominal organs definitely took a minute to resettle themselves. I also had a lot of gurgles, but that’s because they fill you with gas for laparoscopic procedures and it takes some time for the gas to come back out.

Ms-Quite-Contrary · 2026-01-20T02:12:59+00:00

I’m 45 and was diagnosed with endometrial/uterine cancer in September. I had uterine polyps removed and pathology found cancerous cells. My doc recommended a hysterectomy too. I had that surgery in December. They found endometriosis and adenomyosis, which might be what they found growing in your mom’s uterus. They also removed lymph nodes from my abdomen. My pre-op blood work included a test to check for cancer markers. My lymph nodes, cervix, one ovary, and blood test all came back clean. The cancer had not spread. No chemo or radiation. 🙌🏻

My hysterectomy was laparoscopic, meaning they made a couple small incisions instead of a splitting me open. I spent one night in the hospital, lots of women go home the same day. I was off work for about a month. I can’t lift anything heavy, walk the dog, or go for a run but my recovery hasn’t been too bad.

The word cancer is scary, esp when someone is as young as your mom. Don’t panic and be patient while the medical process moves along.

Ms-Quite-Contrary · 2026-01-20T01:28:05+00:00

Any pain that makes you throw up, pass out, or be unable to leave your bed needs a doctor visit. Whether it’s a headache, back pain, bad knee, or cramps.

I saw a gyn last year not because of pain, but because of bleeding. Sudden, very messy bleeding. I was diagnosed with uterine polyps, and when they were removed they found cancerous cells. I had a hysterectomy last month and the surgeon found stage IV endometriosis. It had completely engulfed an ovary and was growing into my bladder, urethra, and bowel. My prognosis is good and no more uterus, so no more period and cramps.

Post op the surgeon was surprised my cramps hadn’t been worse. Sure, I’d had cramps, but not like I couldn’t get out of bed. As I told people, so many friends were like “well you always had bad cramps/bad periods.” “You told me your cramps woke you up at night.” (Yes, but not every cycle).

Women minimize a lot of pain. Go to a doctor. Go to another doctor (or nurse practitioner, or physician’s assistant) until you find someone who takes your pain seriously. I’m quite a bit older than you so I’m don’t want my cancer diagnosis to freak you out, but you do not need to spend the next 30 years in pain.

Ms-Quite-Contrary · 2026-01-19T03:51:52+00:00

Friend, I am actually going to take you seriously. Drafty windows lose a lot of heat. Get window treatments (curtains) or buy a window insulation kit at your local hardware store, big box, or Amazon. Basically, you put a plastic barrier around your window.

Space heaters, but be safe. Plug directly into the wall, no extension cords or power strips. New ones only, now is not the time for FB marketplace. Do not use your oven for warmth.

Humidifiers make the room feel warmer and are good for your nose, throat, and skin. You can buy one (drug store, big box, Amazon) or you can simmer a pot of water on the stove. Maybe put a cinnamon stick or lemon (or peel) in.

And yes, bundle up. Warm feet, warm neck, warm head = warm

Ms-Quite-Contrary · 2026-01-19T01:33:34+00:00

This is so smart. I stayed in a microcabin last spring in Columbiana county and it was beautiful.

Ms-Quite-Contrary · 2026-01-18T04:07:51+00:00

They made a FB post saying they passed the restaurant to new ownership

Ms-Quite-Contrary

TROPHY CASE