Ice House

I've been home a week now and things are beginning to settle in. I'm completely off all high speed high flaootin' tootin' pain meds and solely rely on Motrin. For the most part it does the trick. I've also discovered something else in this transition; all of the wonderful side effects of surgically induced menopause. I had been experiencing hot flashes since my right ovary was removed in April, but suddenly they've hit a new plateau. Allow me to explain...

I have always been a cold person. I was always cold, I carried jackets, keep blankets close to me and was constantly cold. I love a good fire. I didn't sit by the fire, I sat in the fire to keep warm. It was how I rolled.

Not now, my life has forever changed. You see, when I was in the hospital I seriously kept my room at like 65 degrees or less. I lived in the hospital gown and a sheet and loved it. The nurses complained every time they came into my room and my mom pretty much wore winter clothes to spend time with me. When I got to the hotel room, not much changed except I couldn't keep the room quite that cold. I'm home now and we have 3 settings on our A/C: low, medium and high. Guess where I keep them all set? Yep, HIGH! The kids live in sweat pants and blankets, quickly change to shorts or a swim suit before they fly out the door.

In essence we live in an igloo. Does that help my hot flashes? Yes! But only when I stay inside and never leave my house. Remember we live in Okinawa, where the temp is in the 90+ the highest humidity ever imaginable. A huge trigger of the "flash" is extreme temperature changes... that is what my life is here; 24/7 FLASH! We swing from one extreme to another constantly.

Don't worry, I'll fill you in on all the other amazing life altering side effects of me in days to come. I know you're sitting on the edge of your seat waiting for the next update. (I know I am!)