That's Hysterical! Now, Get Out! | My Adenomyosis, Hysterectomy and Recovery Journey

"I can't show you adenomyosis. That's the interesting thing. She's like, 'Even though it doesn't show up on the camera, that doesn't mean you didn't have it. It showed up on at least a few of these scans it looked like, so we're never going to rule that out.' I'm still an adenomyosis warrior." — Emily, 15 Days Since Uterus Eviction Day >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast In This Episode: I got the official OK to drive again! Yay! This is the episode all about my two-week follow up appointment, including what was found on my scans from the hysterectomy. It's nice to be getting back into the swing of podcast editing for my clients again! (Lookling for a podcast editor? Reach out - [email protected]) As I write these show notes now, I'm realizing this is the beginning of my letting go of worrying too much about what the scale says and focusing more on how I feel and how my clothes fit. I've been leaning into Intuitive Eating (with some Intermittent Fasting, as well) ever since. The little bit of blood I saw was perfectly normal and most likely just my stitches, as it turns out. I got to see actual pictures of my endometriosis and a cyst. Adenomyosis was camera-shy, apparently, but my doctor said that doesn't mean it wasn't there. But for now, I'm celebrating! I haven't needed the heating pad as much since my hysterectomy two weeks ago. As I write these show notes and get ready to publish this episode a few months later, I an still say this surgery gave me my life back! Additional Links and Resources: Links not working in your podcast player app? Visit ThatsHystericalPodcast.com Adenomyosis - Symptoms — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis - Diagnosis + Treatment — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis: A Significantly Neglected and Misunderstood Disorder - Book by Maria Yeager  Adenomyosis Advice Association Facebook Group — Facebook Helpful Reddit r/hysterectomy Post To Read If You Have Pre-Op Anxiety — MamaO2D4 Hysterectomy Information — Cleveland Clinic Hysterectomy Information — NHS.uk HysterSisters — Hysterectomy Support & Stories Adenomyosis at hysterectomy: prevalence, patient characteristics, clinical profile and histopatholgical finding — PubMed Adenomyosis: An update regarding its diagnosis and clinical features — PubMed Disclaimer: This podcast is based on personal experience and should not be taken as medical advice. Resources are provided for you to look into further and talk with your medical support team about. CLICK HERE FOR THE TRANSCRIPT ** Follow @ThatsHystericalPodcast on Instagram & Threads for Show Updates and News ** ** Share your Hysterectomy Story on That's Hysterical! Now, Get Out! ** >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Newsletter! **

"I cannot emphasize how good it feels to, first of all, have some great circulation, AND not need a heating pad on my uterus all the time, which apparently just sucked in heat. I cannot imagine putting a heating pad on myself right now and turning it on medium high just so I could feel something. How bad does that. How Johnny Cash is that?" — Emily, 14 Days Since Uterus Eviction Day >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast In This Episode: We start the episode off talking about vocal fry, bad podcast reviews, and how the podcast 99% Invisible deals with complaints of women's voices. It's officially the two-week Hysterectomy-aversary! I'm loving my walking pad. And I have to also remember to rest. On top of my walking pad, I'm also finding ways to move like getting my kids ready for school and the usual morning routine. AH! I can't believe I'm writing about my comfort show, Project Runway, and it's coming back (as of the time of this episode's release, summer 2025)! Speaking of fashion, sweatpants and comfy shirts were my favorite outfit for recovery, as well as the abdominal binder. It's also wild not to have my heating pad on all the time, and I'm surprised how high I had to turn it up. I certainly don't require that much warmth now. Johnny Cash never had a hysterectomy, but if he did, I know what he might sing! I'm going to have to talk to my doctor at tomorrow's appointment to see if I should still track my cycles. I still have my ovaries, so I'm assuming the hormones are still doing their thing. Want to activate your throat chakra? I can't remember what new age influencer I follow who told me about the little trick I talk about in this episode, but it sure is fun! I talk a little about the cost for the procedure. ($4,000 USD, with insurance) Take this as your gentle nudge to find out how your insurance and HSA (Health Savings Accounts) can help with medical costs. I didn't grow up with that knowledge and my husband did, and I'm glad one of us is able to make sense of it. (I can now, but in my 20s and early 30s, this was not something I was familiar with enough to use my own benefits.) I can tell my husband (although he's the best!) is starting to feel the strain of being the one to do everything around the house and for the kids, so I'm looking forward to next week's episode where I get to tell you about the 2-week follow-up appointment! Additional Links and Resources: Links not working in your podcast player app? Visit ThatsHystericalPodcast.com Adenomyosis - Symptoms — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis - Diagnosis + Treatment — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis: A Significantly Neglected and Misunderstood Disorder - Book by Maria Yeager  Adenomyosis Advice Association Facebook Group — Facebook Helpful Reddit r/hysterectomy Post To Read If You Have Pre-Op Anxiety — MamaO2D4 Hysterectomy Information — Cleveland Clinic Hysterectomy Information — NHS.uk HysterSisters — Hysterectomy Support & Stories Adenomyosis at hysterectomy: prevalence, patient characteristics, clinical profile and histopatholgical finding — PubMed Adenomyosis: An update regarding its diagnosis and clinical features — PubMed Disclaimer: This podcast is based on personal experience and should not be taken as medical advice. Resources are provided for you to look into further and talk with your medical support team about. CLICK HERE FOR THE TRANSCRIPT ** Follow @ThatsHystericalPodcast on Instagram & Threads for Show Updates and News ** ** Share your Hysterectomy Story on That's Hysterical! Now, Get Out! ** >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Newsletter! **  

"I love making my business as efficient as possible. It feels so good. I've had to because I've had to basically build my life around Adenomyosis." — Emily, 13 Days Since Uterus Eviction Day >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast In This Episode: It's CEO Date time, which is the term coined by Racheal Cook from theceocollective.com for the weekly meeting to go over what needs to get done for my business and my family for the week ahead. This is one of the first time I DON'T have to plan for my period or ovulation or PMS! This blows my mind! I do still have to take into account that I'm in Recovery Mode and I can't jump into whatever I want, though. But I am excited about all the things I can do soon enough! For now, I'm doing a lot of creative work from the couch, which keeps me from being on my feet for too long while I'm recovering. One of the struggles of ADHD is having a wonky memory, and calendar dates are notorious for going in one ear and going out the other, which is why having a weekly check-in with myself and my calendar is so necessary for me. Having the schedule my life around Adenomyosis has added to that chaos.  Additional Links and Resources: Links not working in your podcast player app? Visit ThatsHystericalPodcast.com Adenomyosis - Symptoms — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis - Diagnosis + Treatment — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis: A Significantly Neglected and Misunderstood Disorder - Book by Maria Yeager  Adenomyosis Advice Association Facebook Group — Facebook Helpful Reddit r/hysterectomy Post To Read If You Have Pre-Op Anxiety — MamaO2D4 Hysterectomy Information — Cleveland Clinic Hysterectomy Information — NHS.uk HysterSisters — Hysterectomy Support & Stories Adenomyosis at hysterectomy: prevalence, patient characteristics, clinical profile and histopatholgical finding — PubMed Adenomyosis: An update regarding its diagnosis and clinical features — PubMed Disclaimer: This podcast is based on personal experience and should not be taken as medical advice. Resources are provided for you to look into further and talk with your medical support team about. CLICK HERE FOR THE TRANSCRIPT ** Follow @ThatsHystericalPodcast on Instagram & Threads for Show Updates and News ** ** Share your Hysterectomy Story on That's Hysterical! Now, Get Out! ** >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Newsletter! **  

"Everybody puts down social media. I put down social media. But I'll tell you, I posted on social media something that brought a lot of my friends into my DMs today. It meant that I got to connect with some of my friends and have good conversations." — Emily, 13 Days Since Uterus Eviction Day >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast In This Episode: We're going to do a quick 5 Things list to count my blessings this evening as I feel a cold coming on. The 5 Things: Getting soup; taking my vitamins; using the walking treadmill (Urevo) and also my walking poles from my in-laws; connecting with friends on social media; and randomly looking at an old dress code I never, ever have to follow again with great gratitude! Looking for a podcast for your walks? Check out Wellness While Walking :) Anyone else go to school with a very strict dress code with so many rules that you actually wished for a basic uniform? I know, it's strange. But I get into a little bit about the dress code I had growing up and how happy I was when I got to go to public school and got to finally wear jeans and graphic T-shirts! Shout-out to Calvin Klein. Not a sponsor, but they have a lifelong fan in me because CKOne is still a favorite fragrance and I found a great pair of their jeans at Costco not too long ago! So now I invite you to think of 5 nice things you've done for yourself today! Additional Links and Resources: Links not working in your podcast player app? Visit ThatsHystericalPodcast.com Adenomyosis - Symptoms — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis - Diagnosis + Treatment — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis: A Significantly Neglected and Misunderstood Disorder - Book by Maria Yeager  Adenomyosis Advice Association Facebook Group — Facebook Helpful Reddit r/hysterectomy Post To Read If You Have Pre-Op Anxiety — MamaO2D4 Hysterectomy Information — Cleveland Clinic Hysterectomy Information — NHS.uk HysterSisters — Hysterectomy Support & Stories Adenomyosis at hysterectomy: prevalence, patient characteristics, clinical profile and histopatholgical finding — PubMed Adenomyosis: An update regarding its diagnosis and clinical features — PubMed Disclaimer: This podcast is based on personal experience and should not be taken as medical advice. Resources are provided for you to look into further and talk with your medical support team about. CLICK HERE FOR THE TRANSCRIPT ** Follow @ThatsHystericalPodcast on Instagram for Show Updates and News ** ** Share your Hysterectomy Story on That's Hysterical! Now, Get Out! ** >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Newsletter! **

"I don't know, my schedule was always flexible to deal with when I had to be in bed for, I don't know, and flares and PMS, and ovulation, whatever was ailing me that day. But now there's this opportunity of stuff, of travel, of things that I wasn't doing before, not just because of a pandemic. I mean, now there's actually the availability for me to travel again." — Emily, 12 Days Since Uterus Eviction Day >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast In This Episode: My incision pain's gone down and I'm just taking ibuprofen for that, yay! I got my walking treadmill, and I'm so excited for it! I'm starting to get restless being in recovery with everyone also in the house with me. I'm looking forward to some alone time driving as soon as I'm cleared for a nice long drive. Today would have been Day 6 of my period, but thank goodness that's no longer something to worry about. The Slay the Spire Twitch Streamer my husband watches, Jorbs: https://www.twitch.tv/jorbs I'm already feeling the relief from the hysterectomy as I comfortably sat on a barstool for dinner! I didn't realize how my tolerance for bar stools had gone down so much just from my painful uterus! I'm already considering going to conferences again, now that I'm not held hostage by my body's pain schedule! Additional Links and Resources: Links not working in your podcast player app? Visit ThatsHystericalPodcast.com Adenomyosis - Symptoms — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis - Diagnosis + Treatment — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis: A Significantly Neglected and Misunderstood Disorder - Book by Maria Yeager  Adenomyosis Advice Association Facebook Group — Facebook Helpful Reddit r/hysterectomy Post To Read If You Have Pre-Op Anxiety — MamaO2D4 Hysterectomy Information — Cleveland Clinic Hysterectomy Information — NHS.uk HysterSisters — Hysterectomy Support & Stories Adenomyosis at hysterectomy: prevalence, patient characteristics, clinical profile and histopatholgical finding — PubMed Adenomyosis: An update regarding its diagnosis and clinical features — PubMed Disclaimer: This podcast is based on personal experience and should not be taken as medical advice. Resources are provided for you to look into further and talk with your medical support team about. CLICK HERE FOR THE TRANSCRIPT ** Follow @ThatsHystericalPodcast on Instagram for Show Updates and News ** ** Share your Hysterectomy Story on That's Hysterical! Now, Get Out! ** >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Newsletter! **

"If this podcast isn't for you and this isn't the podcast that's helping you through your hysterectomy, your adenomyosis, your recovery period, it's okay. I get it. But for those who are still with me, hey, I thank you." — Emily, 10 Days Since Uterus Eviction Day >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Newsletter! ** In This Episode: I start off apologizing for abruptly cutting off the last episode, but I'm pretty sure I edited out the ending where I was interrupted, so if you're listening in order, you may not even know what I'm referring to. But that toxic friendship interaction makes me think of my own friendship breakups in the past, as well as making me wish I had one of my past best friends around to talk to about all this. But some friendships and relationships may be too toxic to continue, so, like my uterus, it's best to say goodbye and hope for a brighter future! I've missed driving! And I took a little drive around the neighborhood for a few minutes to get the joy again :) I can't wait for the 2-week mark to hopefully get the full OK to drive again for longer periods of time. As much as I love the attention from the family as I recover, it's nice to be alone for a few minutes! It's wild trying to juggle everything: running a small business, being a mom, a caretaker, a wife, plus dealing with Adenomyosis and my uterus running the show most weeks out of every month. Just because one friend (or organ) is causing us trouble, that's no reason why we can't take a moment to appreciate our other friends (and organs) that are doing a good job! If you're reading this, I invite you to take a moment to think about a body part you're grateful for :) even if that body part is hurting and sending you a message that you need to give it some extra care today. Being a good friend also includes being a good friend to yourself and watching the language you use to speak to yourself, whether consciously or subconsciously. It all matters, believe me. Additional Links and Resources: Links not working in your podcast player app? Visit ThatsHystericalPodcast.com Adenomyosis - Symptoms — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis - Diagnosis + Treatment — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis: A Significantly Neglected and Misunderstood Disorder - Book by Maria Yeager  Adenomyosis Advice Association Facebook Group — Facebook Helpful Reddit r/hysterectomy Post To Read If You Have Pre-Op Anxiety — MamaO2D4 Hysterectomy Information — Cleveland Clinic Hysterectomy Information — NHS.uk HysterSisters — Hysterectomy Support & Stories Adenomyosis at hysterectomy: prevalence, patient characteristics, clinical profile and histopatholgical finding — PubMed Adenomyosis: An update regarding its diagnosis and clinical features — PubMed Disclaimer: This podcast is based on personal experience and should not be taken as medical advice. Resources are provided for you to look into further and talk with your medical support team about. CLICK HERE FOR THE TRANSCRIPT ** Follow @ThatsHystericalPodcast on Instagram for Show Updates and News ** ** Share your Hysterectomy Story on That's Hysterical! Now, Get Out! ** >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Newsletter! **  

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, It's okay if we didn't hit our goals every single month. We're probably not going to hit it next month when we're not having a regular amount of income come in. And that's okay because we planned for it. We gave ourselves a cushion. We were able to create that space that we needed to heal our bodies, to be able to come back. I have every hope and intention of stronger, better, faster. I'm going into a song. I know it." — Emily, 9 Days Since Uterus Eviction Day >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Newsletter! ** In This Episode: I'm counting the "glimmers" – the little sparkles of hope and appreciation I experience throughout the day as I recover.  I'm excited to be getting ready for a family dinner. I'm getting into light chores around the house, and it's really helpful to have a wonderful husband who has made my recovery a top priority. There are some classic rock recommendations and maybe even a party theme idea! And maybe some excentric walking … or perhaps dancing! I'm also so excited to find songs that I enjoy singing and adding to my karaoke playlist! And getting back into singing would do wonders for my mental health, for sure. It's also nice to take this time to step back from my career and see how I want it to progress going forward. I'm lucky I work from home and was able to get back to work quickly from the couch most days. I've since been able to take on another job to supplement my income I make in podcast editing and production, which is one of the reasons there are longer gaps between seasons. Not having to worry about taking so much time off for Adenomyosis and Endometriosis pain and discomfort helps tremendously! I'm so excited for my walking treadmill to come! This will help me with my walking goals and recovery so much! Note from Future-Emily: I still love my walking treadmill and use it regularly :) Totally worth it, if you can find the space and enjoy treadmill walking. I mention the brand Walking Pad, but the one I got is actually Urevo brand walking treadmill, and I use walking sticks with it to help keep my balance. But they also have walking treadmills available with bars to hold onto. Additional Links and Resources: Links not working in your podcast player app? Visit ThatsHystericalPodcast.com Adenomyosis - Symptoms — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis - Diagnosis + Treatment — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis: A Significantly Neglected and Misunderstood Disorder - Book by Maria Yeager  Adenomyosis Advice Association Facebook Group — Facebook Helpful Reddit r/hysterectomy Post To Read If You Have Pre-Op Anxiety — MamaO2D4 Hysterectomy Information — Cleveland Clinic Hysterectomy Information — NHS.uk HysterSisters — Hysterectomy Support & Stories Adenomyosis at hysterectomy: prevalence, patient characteristics, clinical profile and histopatholgical finding — PubMed Adenomyosis: An update regarding its diagnosis and clinical features — PubMed Disclaimer: This podcast is based on personal experience and should not be taken as medical advice. Resources are provided for you to look into further and talk with your medical support team about. CLICK HERE FOR THE TRANSCRIPT ** Follow @ThatsHystericalPodcast on Instagram for Show Updates and News ** ** Share your Hysterectomy Story on That's Hysterical! Now, Get Out! ** >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Newsletter! **

"Now is not the time to freak out. You get shaken and shaken and shaken throughout the day. Unless you have some way of getting that energy out, your can is going to explode. Somebody is going to pull that tab thinking that they're just going to get a nice friendly soda version of you, but they get the explosion instead. A lot of times, it's the people we love. That's a big part of the neuro-spicy experience, especially if you're undiagnosed and you're not aware of it." — Emily, 9 Days Since Uterus Eviction Day >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Newsletter! ** In This Episode: I must say, I love the title of this podcast :) I've been in podcasting for 10 years, and I've seen a lot of podcasts with catchy titles come and go after a few episodes, usually because the hosts realize podcasts are a lot more work than they initially thought. And maybe this is a good time to say thank you, dear listener, for your patience as I release episodes on a wonky schedule this summer, as I catch up on writing show notes! BLOODY TALK WARNING: This episode talks about Day 9-Discharge that panics me a bit. If this is your first episode, maybe go back a bit? But if you're familiar with the uterus and its bodily "suburbs," this episode won't talk about anything new for you, friend. Musical theater kids, also welcome!  Neurospicy folks? Oh, you're extremely welcome here too! I talk about the soda can analogy when it comes to how anxiety and maybe having to mask our stress rattles us as if we're soda cans being shaken throughout the day. And if the wrong person pushes us to the limit, we open up and explode. But as I'm listening to this episode to write the show notes, I'm hearing Anxious Emily. And I know she'll be OK :) We also talk about adult-use pot in this episode. The ADHD is strong in this episode! I'm sorry I'm taking so many sidetracks today! Once I get to the end of my meandering, I give the Google synopsis of why there's a little mauve blood in my pad: it's to be expected when there are internal stitches or sutures and it's fine. If the blood fills up more than 2 pads an hour, that's time to worry. (See disclaimer below; I am not a medical professional. Just telling my own story.) Thank you, Rodney Yee yoga DVDs that I practically have memorized! I can still hear his voice in my head when I do my daily stretches. I didn't do them while recovering from the hysterectomy, but I did some gentle stretches that I worried may have caused me to overdo it, leading to the blood. Also, I'm glad I stopped watching, "Botched!" Maybe that was kicking my anxiety over the blood into high gear. Anyway, thanks for listening to this meandering episode! Enjoy the *EDITING MAGIC* Blooper at the end of this episode :)  Note from Future-Emily: I'm OK :) As I edit and write the show notes now, I don't even remember this day, lol. Additional Links and Resources: Links not working in your podcast player app? Visit ThatsHystericalPodcast.com Adenomyosis - Symptoms — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis - Diagnosis + Treatment — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis: A Significantly Neglected and Misunderstood Disorder - Book by Maria Yeager  Adenomyosis Advice Association Facebook Group — Facebook Helpful Reddit r/hysterectomy Post To Read If You Have Pre-Op Anxiety — MamaO2D4 Hysterectomy Information — Cleveland Clinic Hysterectomy Information — NHS.uk HysterSisters — Hysterectomy Support & Stories Adenomyosis at hysterectomy: prevalence, patient characteristics, clinical profile and histopatholgical finding — PubMed Adenomyosis: An update regarding its diagnosis and clinical features — PubMed Disclaimer: This podcast is based on personal experience and should not be taken as medical advice. Resources are provided for you to look into further and talk with your medical support team about. CLICK HERE FOR THE TRANSCRIPT ** Follow @ThatsHystericalPodcast on Instagram for Show Updates and News ** ** Share your Hysterectomy Story on That's Hysterical! Now, Get Out! ** >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Newsletter! **

"The person hosting the event asked me, Why should somebody start a podcast? My answer was to help. To help. If your voice, if your brain, if your story, especially, can help somebody else, If you can make people laugh, if you can give somebody knowledge that they didn't have before, if you can keep someone company in the loneliest moments of their lives, which was how I found podcasts, if you're an introvert and you want to try playing an extrovert's game for a while in order to help yourself, if you're helping an organization you care very much about, if you're helping spread awareness, if you're helping on some level, that is when you should start a podcast." — Emily, 8 Days Since Uterus Eviction Day >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Newsletter! ** In This Episode: We're talking about the "chaotic neutral" to "lawful evil" aspects of hysterectomy recovery, including hormonal changes (is that moi I smell??). The incision pain is there, but it barely registers compared to before. I can tell exactly when the Tylenol or ibuprofen wears off and it's time for another dose. One nice thing is I can finally feel the adult-use fun effects of weed, which I used before this really more for pain and anxiety from endometriosis and adenomyosis. Laundry is actually, dare I say it, fun? It's been fun trying out a new podcast and trying out podcasting techniques I might be a little rusty at (I say this as I was recording the episodes, but now that it's more than a year later, hoo, did I talk and talk! I can already tell how much this podcast and sharing my story has helped others. Thank you to everyone who's written in! If you've submitted the form to come on the podcast, I hope to get to reach out soon (but life is lifing, at the moment! Sorry!) Imagine if I had started doing needlepoint and embroidery instead of podcasting during this experience? I wonder if I'd still be at it. Maybe another time. I miss picking up my cat! I'm surprised I haven't, to be honest. But somehow I forgot about my lifting restriction when it came to a laundry basket. Ooops! (I'm fine.) My incisions so far look like little slits with a smidge of bruising around them. They're itchy as the glue comes off, and I'm hoping the scars (if any) will blend in with my existing stretch marks, lol. The last anomaly I'll mention is needed to cut slits in my oversized underwear for more comfort, specifically in the hip/upper thigh area. Note from Future-Emily: The scars blend in and are barely noticeable now! I've never been a big bikini fan for myself, but if I were, I wouldn't have any hold ups about hysterectomy scars ;) Additional Links and Resources: Links not working in your podcast player app? Visit ThatsHystericalPodcast.com Adenomyosis - Symptoms — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis - Diagnosis + Treatment — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis: A Significantly Neglected and Misunderstood Disorder - Book by Maria Yeager  Adenomyosis Advice Association Facebook Group — Facebook Helpful Reddit r/hysterectomy Post To Read If You Have Pre-Op Anxiety — MamaO2D4 Hysterectomy Information — Cleveland Clinic Hysterectomy Information — NHS.uk HysterSisters — Hysterectomy Support & Stories Adenomyosis at hysterectomy: prevalence, patient characteristics, clinical profile and histopatholgical finding — PubMed Adenomyosis: An update regarding its diagnosis and clinical features — PubMed Disclaimer: This podcast is based on personal experience and should not be taken as medical advice. Resources are provided for you to look into further and talk with your medical support team about. CLICK HERE FOR THE TRANSCRIPT ** Follow @ThatsHystericalPodcast on Instagram for Show Updates and News ** ** Share your Hysterectomy Story on That's Hysterical! Now, Get Out! ** >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Newsletter! **

"It's like a breakup. I'm breaking up with adenomyosis and it's like, oh, wait, that's not a thing in my life anymore. And my therapist even said that. She's like, It's like you're leaving a toxic relationship." — Emily, 8 Days Since Uterus Eviction Day >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Newsletter! ** In This Episode: I can feel some internal shifting and I'm feeling the emptiness from where my bothersome uterus used to be. But waking up without pain is awesome. We're making sure to get plenty of sunlight and Vitamin D to help with the Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) creeping in. Other than a little back pain, I'm in a pretty good mood! The pain medicine helps, which was rarely the case with Adenomyosis, so yay! It's nice to keep up my podcasting skills while I take a break from work by working on this show! I just realized this would have been my first day of my period, and while it's great not to have to worry about that, I'm pretty sure the energy levels are still fluctuating as if I had one. Having my hysterectomy feels like finally leaving that toxic relationship once and for all! I also wonder if maybe my ADHD will lighten up now that I'm not constantly distracted with my uterus and Adenomyosis? What a good time to pick "Space" as my word of the year, right? I'm embracing the mental and physical space right about now. If you've ever pulled your shoelace out of your shoe when it wasn't supposed to be there, you know the relief that you may not have known otherwise. That's what this is like. Additional Links and Resources: Links not working in your podcast player app? Visit ThatsHystericalPodcast.com Adenomyosis - Symptoms — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis - Diagnosis + Treatment — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis: A Significantly Neglected and Misunderstood Disorder - Book by Maria Yeager  Adenomyosis Advice Association Facebook Group — Facebook Helpful Reddit r/hysterectomy Post To Read If You Have Pre-Op Anxiety — MamaO2D4 Hysterectomy Information — Cleveland Clinic Hysterectomy Information — NHS.uk HysterSisters — Hysterectomy Support & Stories Adenomyosis at hysterectomy: prevalence, patient characteristics, clinical profile and histopatholgical finding — PubMed Adenomyosis: An update regarding its diagnosis and clinical features — PubMed Disclaimer: This podcast is based on personal experience and should not be taken as medical advice. Resources are provided for you to look into further and talk with your medical support team about. CLICK HERE FOR THE TRANSCRIPT ** Follow @ThatsHystericalPodcast on Instagram for Show Updates and News ** ** Share your Hysterectomy Story on That's Hysterical! Now, Get Out! ** >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Newsletter! **  

"Four things I've noticed since my hysterectomy. One, I wake up with no more pain or the feeling of a 2-3 pound bowling ball between my hips anymore. Two, I go about my day with only minimal pain from my incisions, and that pain significantly decreases with every day. Three, I go to bed with no pain and without the feeling of a 15 pound bowling ball between my hips, the bowling ball got bigger and heavier as the day wore on. Four, this face more often. When I say this face, it's the emoji with the smile, with some tears on the bottom of its eyes. It's super cute." — Emily, 7 Days Since Uterus Eviction Day >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Newsletter! ** In This Episode: I woke up this morning in pain from having a full bladder. On top of that, there was a family bathroom emergency with the one bathroom in the house, which meant I needed to clean the toilet/bathroom before being able to urinate so I could relieve the pain. The Angry-Emily came out because of all of it, which unfortunately was not how I wanted to start my day. Luckily once I was able to use the bathroom, get some tea and enjoy the morning sunshine, I was feeling a bit better. I've been using this podcast as a replacement for my morning journaling practice lately. There's such a fear of going back to waking up with pain every morning and this reminds me of those horror movies where the monster comes back from the dead, you know? But luckily, I think today was more because I needed to use the bathroom, not the pain returning. Phew! :)  I talk a bit about the One Touch ADHD Hack and why it helps me save time and mental energy. Shout-out to my wonderful husband! He's so good at taking care of me and helping me recover (Future-Emily also thanks him for being so caring and understanding), plus he celebrates with me! For my recovering friends, get your morning sunshine and hydration! If you're drinking your tea in the sun while listening to this, it's almost like we're hanging out virtually! I posted to Threads about 4 differences I've already noticed since the hysterectomy. Threads Post here (link: https://www.threads.com/@emilypeckprokop/post/Cz2A7MNucYP?xmt=AQF0yj0k0TJdU_2NEzT9n5bfecjGHX8hLqOdqQsue0NZEw) Notes from Future-Emily: Hysterectomy-related update: I'm so glad those painful mornings are behind me! YAY!!!!! Non-hysterectomy-related update: I went from typing my morning pages, to podcasting my morning pages, back to what I was doing for the first few years of morning pages: handwriting in journals again! I can't recommend this enough for anyone with the noisy brain murmurings every morning like I have. Additional Links and Resources: Links not working in your podcast player app? Visit ThatsHystericalPodcast.com Adenomyosis - Symptoms — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis - Diagnosis + Treatment — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis: A Significantly Neglected and Misunderstood Disorder - Book by Maria Yeager  Adenomyosis Advice Association Facebook Group — Facebook Helpful Reddit r/hysterectomy Post To Read If You Have Pre-Op Anxiety — MamaO2D4 Hysterectomy Information — Cleveland Clinic Hysterectomy Information — NHS.uk HysterSisters — Hysterectomy Support & Stories Adenomyosis at hysterectomy: prevalence, patient characteristics, clinical profile and histopatholgical finding — PubMed Adenomyosis: An update regarding its diagnosis and clinical features — PubMed Disclaimer: This podcast is based on personal experience and should not be taken as medical advice. Resources are provided for you to look into further and talk with your medical support team about. CLICK HERE FOR THE TRANSCRIPT ** Follow @ThatsHystericalPodcast on Instagram for Show Updates and News ** ** Share your Hysterectomy Story on That's Hysterical! Now, Get Out! ** >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Newsletter! **

"There's still some shifting around that I can feel, and the binder really makes a difference. So shout-out to my church friend for giving me that heads-up! I actually feel like this is much more useful post-hysterectomy than I felt it was post-pregnancy." — Emily, 6 Days Since Uterus Eviction Day >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Newsletter! ** In This Episode: It's a quickie, but it's one of those episodes I thought was important to record because I just got my mid-section binder and I wish I had this on Day 1 after surgery! Sorry I can't link to the one I got. It's no longer available! I make note in the episode to pay attention to sizes. Measure your mid-section, if you need to. My husband has a long mid-section and would probably need the longer one (12") if he had ab surgery of some kind. For me, I have a rather shorter midsection so the 9-inch binder worked fine for me. I didn't expect to feel this much shifting of organs internally, but the binder helps with that feeling. I find I'm walking faster because of it. Additional Links and Resources: Links not working in your podcast player app? Visit ThatsHystericalPodcast.com Adenomyosis - Symptoms — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis - Diagnosis + Treatment — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis: A Significantly Neglected and Misunderstood Disorder - Book by Maria Yeager  Adenomyosis Advice Association Facebook Group — Facebook Helpful Reddit r/hysterectomy Post To Read If You Have Pre-Op Anxiety — MamaO2D4 Hysterectomy Information — Cleveland Clinic Hysterectomy Information — NHS.uk HysterSisters — Hysterectomy Support & Stories Adenomyosis at hysterectomy: prevalence, patient characteristics, clinical profile and histopatholgical finding — PubMed Adenomyosis: An update regarding its diagnosis and clinical features — PubMed Disclaimer: This podcast is based on personal experience and should not be taken as medical advice. Resources are provided for you to look into further and talk with your medical support team about. CLICK HERE FOR THE TRANSCRIPT ** Follow @ThatsHystericalPodcast on Instagram for Show Updates and News ** ** Share your Hysterectomy Story on That's Hysterical! Now, Get Out! ** >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Newsletter! **

"In terms of how much money I've had to leave on the table because of my health, the times I've had to say 'No.' I can think of at least three speaking gigs right now that I have turned down because it would mean traveling during my period, and I didn't want anybody to see that side of me — that monster side of me." — Emily, 6 Days Since Uterus Eviction Day >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Newsletter! ** In This Episode: I'm waking up without pain! This is a brand new feeling for me, especially since my baseline for "waking up without pain" was actually much higher pre-hysterectomy. It's amazing the difference waking up without that instant realization of "oh, there's the pressure and pain, time to deal with it all day as it gets heavier and heavier!" I've also noticed how much warmer I am! Was all my warmth and heat going to my uterus? Wow! If you find your underwear is too tight after surgery or a little constricting, I found cutting slits in the sides where the side seams are helped. I bought some underwear a size larger to prepare for post-surgery, but I still wanted more breathability. Don't forget to treat yourself like a houseplant: you need plenty of water and sunlight daily. I'm glad there's online church that I went to the week before my surgery and can now attend comfortably while recovering. As part of our UU service, we share our joys and concerns and I'm looking forward to sharing my joy of feeling great post-surgery! Considering how much money I've left on the table because my period or my uterus made it hard for me to travel or do speaking gigs, the math is astonishing! Note from Future-Emily: I'm so glad I'm editing this months later because it's been long enough that I've forgotten how it feels already to wake up every day with as much pain as I used to! Oh! And I make mention of having a countertop dishwasher that helps when it comes to not wanting to bend over – we've since redone our kitchen and I now have a floor dishwasher, which I can bend over to load and unload with no problem! It's the small things, but as you can tell from this podcast, they're big deals to those who it matters to.  Additional Links and Resources: Links not working in your podcast player app? Visit ThatsHystericalPodcast.com Adenomyosis - Symptoms — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis - Diagnosis + Treatment — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis: A Significantly Neglected and Misunderstood Disorder - Book by Maria Yeager  Adenomyosis Advice Association Facebook Group — Facebook Helpful Reddit r/hysterectomy Post To Read If You Have Pre-Op Anxiety — MamaO2D4 Hysterectomy Information — Cleveland Clinic Hysterectomy Information — NHS.uk HysterSisters — Hysterectomy Support & Stories Adenomyosis at hysterectomy: prevalence, patient characteristics, clinical profile and histopatholgical finding — PubMed Adenomyosis: An update regarding its diagnosis and clinical features — PubMed Disclaimer: This podcast is based on personal experience and should not be taken as medical advice. Resources are provided for you to look into further and talk with your medical support team about. CLICK HERE FOR THE TRANSCRIPT ** Follow @ThatsHystericalPodcast on Instagram for Show Updates and News ** ** Share your Hysterectomy Story on That's Hysterical! Now, Get Out! ** >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Newsletter! **

"They brought in a second doctor who apparently specializes in endo and 'loves removing endo.' That was a big part of all that pain. I'm just ... I don't know. I think I'm just ... I'm so grateful. When I told my husband about how I was feeling better last night and dancing around a little bit. He just had this look on his face like he was about to cry. He was like, 'You have no idea how happy this makes me!'" — Emily, 5 Days Since Uterus Eviction Day >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Newsletter! ** In This Episode: More poop talk in this episode, this time it's about young kids. If you're a parent and you haven't made the connection between constipation and moods, let this be your intro! I'm learning different ways to get around not being able to bend down as easily, like using my feet and legs for drawers. Sometimes if I'm up for too long, I get a little pain in my upper stomach/chest. But it goes away soon after resting. I wish I could without underwear, since they annoyingly rub on the incision marks. When I recorded this episode, I had just started editing the first episodes of Season 1 THNGO and had no idea what this podcast would become. We're still finding out. I know it's already helped a lot of people, which I'm very grateful of. Hearing from listeners is my No. 1 motivation to keep going to get more episodes out. So thank you :)  Anyone else get "Pain Amnesia"? Like, as soon as whatever pain and discomfort is over with, the memory of it quickly goes away? It's weird. But I'm so glad to be out of all that pain that I had before! I can now just sit wherever I want without always having to find a heating pad! Amazing! I go over a little bit of my report – they found a cyst and endometriosis while they were operating on me! But even if I got the hysterectomy and they found nothing, the pain relief I'm already feeling on Day 4 is so so worth it! If you were playing a drinking game for whenever I mentioned "Mrs. Doubtfire" on this podcast, take a sip! It happened again. Remember when I was worried I wouldn't be able to sing at my choir concert? I don't think I'll have any problem, and it's only a month away! Sorry for the abrupt ending to this episode – I had to pause and take care of a fallen kid. He's fine, no worries! :) Note from Future-Emily: I was hesitant to say, "I'm glad I did it" when I was recording this, but it's now more than a year later and I'm so so SO glad I did it!!! Additional Links and Resources: Links not working in your podcast player app? Visit ThatsHystericalPodcast.com Adenomyosis - Symptoms — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis - Diagnosis + Treatment — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis: A Significantly Neglected and Misunderstood Disorder - Book by Maria Yeager  Adenomyosis Advice Association Facebook Group — Facebook Helpful Reddit r/hysterectomy Post To Read If You Have Pre-Op Anxiety — MamaO2D4 Hysterectomy Information — Cleveland Clinic Hysterectomy Information — NHS.uk HysterSisters — Hysterectomy Support & Stories Adenomyosis at hysterectomy: prevalence, patient characteristics, clinical profile and histopatholgical finding — PubMed Adenomyosis: An update regarding its diagnosis and clinical features — PubMed Disclaimer: This podcast is based on personal experience and should not be taken as medical advice. Resources are provided for you to look into further and talk with your medical support team about. CLICK HERE FOR THE TRANSCRIPT ** Follow @ThatsHystericalPodcast on Instagram for Show Updates and News ** ** Share your Hysterectomy Story on That's Hysterical! Now, Get Out! ** >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Newsletter! **

"Take care!" — Emily, 4 Days Since Uterus Eviction Day >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Newsletter! ** In This Episode: Super quick episode, but it's a big milestone for me! The title says it all :)  Note from Future-Emily: This is now a regular thing! Yay! Additional Links and Resources: Links not working in your podcast player app? Visit ThatsHystericalPodcast.com Adenomyosis - Symptoms — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis - Diagnosis + Treatment — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis: A Significantly Neglected and Misunderstood Disorder - Book by Maria Yeager  Adenomyosis Advice Association Facebook Group — Facebook Helpful Reddit r/hysterectomy Post To Read If You Have Pre-Op Anxiety — MamaO2D4 Hysterectomy Information — Cleveland Clinic Hysterectomy Information — NHS.uk HysterSisters — Hysterectomy Support & Stories Tara Brach's Podcast and Radical Acceptance Book Adenomyosis at hysterectomy: prevalence, patient characteristics, clinical profile and histopatholgical finding — PubMed Adenomyosis: An update regarding its diagnosis and clinical features — PubMed Disclaimer: This podcast is based on personal experience and should not be taken as medical advice. Resources are provided for you to look into further and talk with your medical support team about. CLICK HERE FOR THE TRANSCRIPT ** Follow @ThatsHystericalPodcast on Instagram for Show Updates and News ** ** Share your Hysterectomy Story on That's Hysterical! Now, Get Out! ** >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Newsletter! **

"It really feels like four days after an intense workout and the pain's finally dissipated and going away. I thought it would last a lot longer." — Emily, 4 Days Since Uterus Eviction Day >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Newsletter! ** In This Episode: Another day waking up feeling much better! Yay! I was able to bend and shave today in the shower. Taking it slow and gentle! Today I'm talking about what I expected after surgery versus what's actually been happening, starting with shoulder pain from anesthesia, which I had heard stories about but couldn't understand until I went through it. I'm trying to stay on top of my pain meds cycle to avoid having to try to "catch up" if I skip a dose. As much as I hate how Tylenol makes me feel when taken on an empty stomach, I'd rather deal with that than the pain. I was not expecting "Botched" to be my comfort show post-surgery, but here we are!  Be careful when exercising post-surgery. There was a moment the night before I realized my heart was beating rapidly and I had to stop my walk. I'm fine now, but it's something to watch. But I'm impressed at how much I can move on Day 4! It's been interesting to have a warmer internal temperature post-surgery. I'm warmer than I usually was. This also means less using the heating pad for warmth, in addition to pain relief! I thought the pain post-surgery would last longer, I really did! It surprises me how quickly I'm bouncing back :)  The recovery from surgery is starting to remind me a lot of some of my worst period days with Adeno and Endo doing their worst to me! I'm so happy the incision marks are barely noticeable, plus they look like they'll heal quite nicely! It's so funny hearing past-Emily tell present-Emily to keep going as I edit episodes. It's been a while since I've worked on the show and getting back into the groove has been a nice creative outlet. It's so nice to have my green tea again! I still find it interesting I had to give it up before surgery. Always grateful for the stool softeners I took prior to surgery and continue to take! The discomfort I've had post-surgery is usually one of three things: gas, having to pee, and having to poop. And then the relief comes quickly once that's taken care of! Note from Future-Emily: It's been more than a year as I write this and I can now be one of those people who can say I can barely see the scars! Additional Links and Resources: Links not working in your podcast player app? Visit ThatsHystericalPodcast.com Adenomyosis - Symptoms — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis - Diagnosis + Treatment — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis: A Significantly Neglected and Misunderstood Disorder - Book by Maria Yeager  Adenomyosis Advice Association Facebook Group — Facebook Helpful Reddit r/hysterectomy Post To Read If You Have Pre-Op Anxiety — MamaO2D4 Hysterectomy Information — Cleveland Clinic Hysterectomy Information — NHS.uk HysterSisters — Hysterectomy Support & Stories Tara Brach's Podcast and Radical Acceptance Book Adenomyosis at hysterectomy: prevalence, patient characteristics, clinical profile and histopatholgical finding — PubMed Adenomyosis: An update regarding its diagnosis and clinical features — PubMed Disclaimer: This podcast is based on personal experience and should not be taken as medical advice. Resources are provided for you to look into further and talk with your medical support team about. CLICK HERE FOR THE TRANSCRIPT ** Follow @ThatsHystericalPodcast on Instagram for Show Updates and News ** ** Share your Hysterectomy Story on That's Hysterical! Now, Get Out! ** >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Newsletter! **

"I would rather have a conversation with a really good long-time friend and just belly laughing at stories that we went through or inside jokes that we had. Those are the things that I will literally bust a gut laughing over. So of course, I'm not inviting all my friends over." — Emily, 3 Days Since Uterus Eviction Day >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Newsletter! ** In This Episode:  It's Day 3 and I'm feeling significantly better again this morning! Once again, it's feeling like a giant ab workout. It feels like there's some organ shifting going on and I'm considering getting a compression binder. (I did end up getting it and I'm glad I did!) "So much room for activities!" - My organs since the hysterectomy, probably. I'm finding out what I thought would be comfortable to wear post-surgery vs. what I actually wanted to wear are very different. No to leggings, yes to empire waist dresses. Hell yes to Project Runway Season 16 Contestant Kentaro's Fake Leggings that I want for my oversized blanket hoodies! Today's tangent is talking about the thigh burns from tights, ooof! It's weird listening to me try to justify my Amazon purchases, to be honest. I haven't shopped there in months, as of this recording. Bezos has enough of my money. Maybe that's another upside of not having chronic pain is I don't mind going out and shopping for the things I need now. I'm also looking at getting a walking treadmill. I ended up getting a Urevo and still use it more than a year later :)  Hannah Gadsby's "Douglas" is fantastic, especially her bits about autism. Standup comedy normally doesn't make me belly laugh, so I didn't worry too much about hurting my mid-section. But if you're looking for post-surgery entertainment, stay away from the stuff that'll have you grabbing your stomach even more! We talk a little about the importance of talking about our struggles and stories in order to normalize and take away the stigma of conditions that make it difficult to live a full and happy life. I'm glad I can get back to my vitamins and supplements, especially when I noticed the difference in my ADHD. Get your sunlight, friends! Vitamin D, especially in the colder, darker seasons, is hard to come by! Note from Future-Emily: Oh my goodness, I find this so funny how I was convinced I would feel like this for the rest of my life. The shifting organs thing lasted a while, but now that I'm a year out as I write this, everything seems to be set in place fine now :)  Additional Links and Resources: Links not working in your podcast player app? Visit ThatsHystericalPodcast.com Adenomyosis - Symptoms — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis - Diagnosis + Treatment — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis: A Significantly Neglected and Misunderstood Disorder - Book by Maria Yeager  Adenomyosis Advice Association Facebook Group — Facebook Helpful Reddit r/hysterectomy Post To Read If You Have Pre-Op Anxiety — MamaO2D4 Hysterectomy Information — Cleveland Clinic Hysterectomy Information — NHS.uk HysterSisters — Hysterectomy Support & Stories Tara Brach's Podcast and Radical Acceptance Book Adenomyosis at hysterectomy: prevalence, patient characteristics, clinical profile and histopatholgical finding — PubMed Adenomyosis: An update regarding its diagnosis and clinical features — PubMed Disclaimer: This podcast is based on personal experience and should not be taken as medical advice. Resources are provided for you to look into further and talk with your medical support team about. CLICK HERE FOR THE TRANSCRIPT ** Follow @ThatsHystericalPodcast on Instagram for Show Updates and News ** ** Share your Hysterectomy Story on That's Hysterical! Now, Get Out! ** >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Newsletter! **

"Number seven is realizing that my heating pad is on warm. I don't remember the last time it's been on warm, the lowest setting. It's normally on high and medium." — Emily, 2 Days Since Uterus Eviction Day >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast In This Episode: I'm changing my mindset by listing 8 things that make today lovely for me, including no alarm clock, a supportive and caring husband, great cat companions, and couch naps! Additional Links and Resources: Links not working in your podcast player app? Visit ThatsHystericalPodcast.com Adenomyosis - Symptoms — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis - Diagnosis + Treatment — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis: A Significantly Neglected and Misunderstood Disorder - Book by Maria Yeager  Adenomyosis Advice Association Facebook Group — Facebook Helpful Reddit r/hysterectomy Post To Read If You Have Pre-Op Anxiety — MamaO2D4 Hysterectomy Information — Cleveland Clinic Hysterectomy Information — NHS.uk HysterSisters — Hysterectomy Support & Stories Tara Brach's Podcast and Radical Acceptance Book Adenomyosis at hysterectomy: prevalence, patient characteristics, clinical profile and histopatholgical finding — PubMed Adenomyosis: An update regarding its diagnosis and clinical features — PubMed Disclaimer: This podcast is based on personal experience and should not be taken as medical advice. Resources are provided for you to look into further and talk with your medical support team about. Sorry, no transcript for this episode ** Follow @ThatsHystericalPodcast on Instagram for Show Updates and News ** ** Share your Hysterectomy Story on That's Hysterical! Now, Get Out! ** >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast

"So far, I'm still like I'm 100% on board with having my procedure. I'm going to stick with that until I have a reason not to, a real reason, not just a fear." — Emily, 2 Days Since Uterus Eviction Day >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast In This Episode: I've been reading articles about prolapse that I'm overthinking, ugh! Going to take one of my little walks while talking about it for a bit. I've decided not to worry or overthink about it too much. The only thing I need to focus on at the moment is healing and resting. Additional Links and Resources: Links not working in your podcast player app? Visit ThatsHystericalPodcast.com Vaginal Prolapse Information, Symptoms — Johns Hopkins Medicine Adenomyosis - Symptoms — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis - Diagnosis + Treatment — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis: A Significantly Neglected and Misunderstood Disorder - Book by Maria Yeager  Adenomyosis Advice Association Facebook Group — Facebook Helpful Reddit r/hysterectomy Post To Read If You Have Pre-Op Anxiety — MamaO2D4 Hysterectomy Information — Cleveland Clinic Hysterectomy Information — NHS.uk HysterSisters — Hysterectomy Support & Stories Tara Brach's Podcast and Radical Acceptance Book Adenomyosis at hysterectomy: prevalence, patient characteristics, clinical profile and histopatholgical finding — PubMed Adenomyosis: An update regarding its diagnosis and clinical features — PubMed Disclaimer: This podcast is based on personal experience and should not be taken as medical advice. Resources are provided for you to look into further and talk with your medical support team about. ** Follow @ThatsHystericalPodcast on Instagram for Show Updates and News ** ** Share your Hysterectomy Story on That's Hysterical! Now, Get Out! ** >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast  

"I hear too many stories about people going too hard, feeling better than they have in a long time, and pushing too hard and having to go back for more surgery, or they might rip something or pull something. I'm trying to take it easy, but it's hard because I have this really good feeling," — Emily, 2 Days Since Uterus Eviction Day >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast In This Episode: It's Day 2 after the surgery and I feel like I did the most intense ab workout ever. I'm also feeling the gas bubbles and what I think might be my organs shifting? Every time I feel the gas pains, especially in my shoulder post-surgery (so weird!), I take a little 10 minute walk around and it seems to help. I pooped! This is a big deal for after surgery. I'm so glad I was able to without much trouble :) I'm glad I started taking the stool softeners before the surgery, too.  I'm so glad I read all the success stories going into this! Those helped with my nerves the most and gave me hope for less pain from now on, fingers crossed! (See Note from Future-Emily below) It wasn't until a few months earlier that I started to piece together that my uterus may have been the cause of my ongoing hip soreness and pain. And that has immediately decreased since the surgery, too! The first shower after surgery went well! I looked down and saw the difference in my body and a noticeable almost-dip in my abs where my uterus used to be. My lower abdomen isn't swollen and protruding all the time anymore. Weird! Especially for this fluffy lady who has never seen any kind of "flat" look to her stomach, lol. The incision marks are so tiny! I could barely see the one in my belly button when I checked! There's some bruising, but it's not so bad. I'm glad I prepared for clothing options because some days baggy sweats felt good and some days, they pulled at the surgery areas, it felt like, so I wore my dresses and nightgowns. I didn't expect my childhood ballet training to come in handy for post-surgery movement, but since I can't bend at the waist like I normally would, I'm doing Demi-pliés whenever I need to get low or band down. Also, toe dexterity comes in pretty handy when bending over is hard! Who knew? Coughing and Laughing HURTS! OOF! Some advice: Get yourself a pillow to hold to your stomach to do either of these, if you can. It's Day 2 and my scale of pain already has to be recalibrated because I can't put a number on the pain level post-surgery. There's soreness, sure, but more relief! Weirdest post-op TV choice: Botched. LOL I called my mom and let her know everything went well. I hope doing that puts her mind at ease. My weird stomach could also be anxiety-related, perhaps. So many emotions that went into this surgery and beyond! Note from Future-Emily: Oh yes! I'm writing and editing this more than a year later and the pain and discomfort is NOTHING now, compared to before! An odd twinge here and there, and I can still tell when I'm ovulating sometimes, but a HUGE improvement since the hysterectomy! And, like all those success stories, I really do feel like I've gotten my life back. Additional Links and Resources: Links not working in your podcast player app? Visit ThatsHystericalPodcast.com Adenomyosis - Symptoms — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis - Diagnosis + Treatment — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis: A Significantly Neglected and Misunderstood Disorder - Book by Maria Yeager  Adenomyosis Advice Association Facebook Group — Facebook Helpful Reddit r/hysterectomy Post To Read If You Have Pre-Op Anxiety — MamaO2D4 HysterSisters — Hysterectomy Support & Stories Tara Brach's Podcast and Radical Acceptance Book Adenomyosis at hysterectomy: prevalence, patient characteristics, clinical profile and histopatholgical finding — PubMed Adenomyosis: An update regarding its diagnosis and clinical features — PubMed Disclaimer: This podcast is based on personal experience and should not be taken as medical advice. Resources are provided for you to look into further and talk with your medical support team about. CLICK HERE FOR THE TRANSCRIPT ** Follow @ThatsHystericalPodcast on Instagram for Show Updates and News ** ** Share your Hysterectomy Story on That's Hysterical! Now, Get Out! ** >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast

"I've been open about adenomyosis in the past, and I say in the past because I noticed when I talked too much about it, it just felt like it was clouding my mind. It was the only thing my brain could focus on." — Emily, 1 Day Since Uterus Eviction Day >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast In This Episode: The results are in! LOL I just got an email to let me know I wasn't pregnant … AFTER the hysterectomy! We weren't concerned in the first place (yay, vasectomies!), but it's nice to have that extra confirmation. This may be the most non-stressed a pregnancy test has ever been for me. I even forgot I took it. Thank you so much for following me on this journey, dear listener! :)  To the psychic who told me that she saw me with "a lot of bubbly children" – they won't be biological, I can tell you that much! But, luckily, I've since gotten much better information about where babies come from since that weird video shown to me in Christian school growing up! Eek!  Additional Links and Resources: Links not working in your podcast player app? Visit ThatsHystericalPodcast.com Adenomyosis - Symptoms — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis - Diagnosis + Treatment — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis: A Significantly Neglected and Misunderstood Disorder - Book by Maria Yeager  Adenomyosis Advice Association Facebook Group — Facebook Helpful Reddit r/hysterectomy Post To Read If You Have Pre-Op Anxiety — MamaO2D4 HysterSisters — Hysterectomy Support & Stories Adenomyosis at hysterectomy: prevalence, patient characteristics, clinical profile and histopatholgical finding — PubMed Adenomyosis: An update regarding its diagnosis and clinical features — PubMed Disclaimer: This podcast is based on personal experience and should not be taken as medical advice. Resources are provided for you to look into further and talk with your medical support team about. ** Follow @ThatsHystericalPodcast on Instagram for Show Updates and News ** ** Share your Hysterectomy Story on That's Hysterical! Now, Get Out! ** >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast

"It's sad I don't remember what Planet Disco was like, but they say if you remember Planet Disco, you weren't really there." — Emily, 1 Day Since Uterus Eviction Day >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast In This Episode: I got out! Let's talk about the procedure! I start off the episode talking about the day of the hysterectomy and how I prepared to go to the hospital the morning of. I'm so glad I bought big roomy sweats for recovery. They've been great! There was a lot of waiting, a lot of annoying prep stuff, a lot of medical professionals, including a med student from Yale, who I hope still remembers the sparkly-haired lady with Adenomyosis. The Adenomyosis book I refer to is Maria Yeager's Adenomyosis: A Significantly Neglected and Misunderstood Disorder Growing up, going to a Christian school, the information about menstruation and reproduction was mixed, at best. That experience created a lot of needless shame, guilt, and embarrassment for years, which contributed to ongoing discomfort around doctors and medical staff. Luckily, pregnancy helped me overcome a lot of that and actually fosters my interest in the biological aspects. It's so nice seeing medical professionals typing notes during exams when I'm talking about my condition and symptoms, rather than nodding along, brushing it off, or ignoring everything I saw. It wasn't until I saw a medical professional who really listened that I felt seen, heard, and taken care of.  Chronic People-Pleasers, I'm talking to you – I know how hard it can be to advocate for yourself, especially to dismissive professionals who act like they know everything. I truly hope you can find the strength to keep going, keep pushing, let you voice be heard After the procedure, I'm in pain, but it's a different kind of pain! I may even feel lighter, but I'm definitely taking it slow and easy. When I went under, I blasted off to Planet Disco! Warning: Coughing after a hysterectomy will feel like coughing after one of the most intense ab workouts! Holding a pillow against my abs helped. Guess what they found while I was under! "A little endo!" Actually, there was endometriosis in 3 spots that my doctor and another doctor were able to get out as much as they could. After the surgery, I was quickly escorted to the bathroom and was told to urinate, but not to strain or force it, which made me question if others usually do this and have to be told not to? Hmm. I don't know why I expected my post-hysterectomy bleeding to be more like post-childbirth.  I can't emphasize enough !! how important it is to keep on top of your pain meds schedule. I know it really helped my pain to stick to my every 4 hours/ibuprofen/tylenol cycle. That said, I had to get off the oxycodone ASAP because it made me extra ornery, especially around touchy subjects. I know I'll miss driving, but I can already tell this healing period will be worth it. One thing the pains meds don't help with is the gas pain after. They fill you with air during the surgery, but it's painful when it's still inside your body afterwards. Especially around the shoulders, for some weird reason! I'm so glad I didn't throw away my breastfeeding pillow because I ended up using it for support and for sleeping. Do your breathing :)  I'm glad I did it! I'm glad my doctor listened to me and I got to go Planet Disco! Note from Future-Emily: I have a GP now! Don't @ me :) Additional Links and Resources: Links not working in your podcast player app? Visit ThatsHystericalPodcast.com Adenomyosis - Symptoms — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis - Diagnosis + Treatment — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis: A Significantly Neglected and Misunderstood Disorder - Book by Maria Yeager  Adenomyosis Advice Association Facebook Group — Facebook Helpful Reddit r/hysterectomy Post To Read If You Have Pre-Op Anxiety — MamaO2D4 HysterSisters — Hysterectomy Support & Stories Tara Brach's Podcast and Radical Acceptance Book Adenomyosis at hysterectomy: prevalence, patient characteristics, clinical profile and histopatholgical finding — PubMed Adenomyosis: An update regarding its diagnosis and clinical features — PubMed Disclaimer: This podcast is based on personal experience and should not be taken as medical advice. Resources are provided for you to look into further and talk with your medical support team about. ** Follow @ThatsHystericalPodcast on Instagram for Show Updates and News ** ** Share your Hysterectomy Story on That's Hysterical! Now, Get Out! ** >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast

"I'm glad I read that advice of having a pillow to hug to my body, and especially if you have to cough or laugh or anything that involves your stomach muscles, it's really good to have that pressure there when you're doing it. " — Emily, 1 Day Since Uterus Eviction Day >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast In This Episode: I'm back! The surgery is over and I'm back to recording. And I'm ready to talk about it! So far I've had some trouble sleeping and spent the night processing the surgery and recovery pain and discomfort. I'm managing pain with a combination of ibuprofen and Tylenol every three hours. I also have Oxycodone, but both Mark and I discovered it causes mood changes like making me angry and snappy. I'm experiencing some trouble sleeping, but then again is that related to whatever "sleep" occurs during surgery? My focus is also all over the place. "All I have to do now is focus on recovery." YES! I have a sore throat from the breathing tube used during surgery. But what surprised me (and what I'm glad I was warned about beforehand) was the discomfort due to the gas used during the procedure. It gets trapped in the weirdest locations, like in the shoulders! Movement and gas relief medicine (simethicone) seem to help. I'm also using deep breathing to help move the gas through my body. The abdominal pain is very similar to an intense ab workout like after using the ab roller wheel of the  '90s. I'm glad my doctor warned me of this so I knew what to expect. I've found holding a pillow to my stomach while coughing or laughing helps relieve some of the pain and pressure. Mark this as the day I, a world-class podcast editor, intentionally left a burp in a show I worked on. Simply because in this particular episode, that burp is pure relief. If my breathing gets a little heavy, it's because I'm currently taking one of my four daily 10-minute walks as advised by my doctor. Currently there's some gas pain and hip discomfort, especially when sleeping. But I've found found using pillows to support me helps, as well as some heat. But I definitely don't need to put the healing pad as high as I used to! Surprisingly, the incisions don't really hurt! I'm actually surprised at what hurts and what doesn't hurt so much. I'm trying hard not to overdo it on the physical activity, even though I feel like I could increase my walking pretty quickly. It's also difficult to stay in bed all day so I'm glad I have the excuse for the frequent walks. It's also nice that I already had my heating pads set up in locations around the house I frequently tend to hang out. My cats are adjusting to the changes in our routine. They know something's up, especially the larger one who likes to jump up onto the sink with my help most days. But since he's beyond the weight limit I'm supposed to lift, I haven't been able to help him or even explain to him why I can't. Poor Little Man! Comparing the post-surgery pain to "regular" Adenomyosis/Period pain, I would say it's a few notches up but in a different way. Don't worry. I'll discuss plenty of my post-surgery reactions in the coming episodes! Take care :)  Note from Future-Emily: No notes :) Just kidding! I'm so happy to be back editing Season 3, especially since this is the start of a fantastic recovery and when I started to feel like I was getting my life back after years of dealing with the pain and discomfort caused by Adenomyosis. Additional Links and Resources: Links not working in your podcast player app? Visit ThatsHystericalPodcast.com Adenomyosis - Symptoms — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis - Diagnosis + Treatment — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis: A Significantly Neglected and Misunderstood Disorder - Book by Maria Yeager  Adenomyosis Advice Association Facebook Group — Facebook Helpful Reddit r/hysterectomy Post To Read If You Have Pre-Op Anxiety — MamaO2D4 HysterSisters — Hysterectomy Support & Stories Adenomyosis at hysterectomy: prevalence, patient characteristics, clinical profile and histopatholgical finding — PubMed Adenomyosis: An update regarding its diagnosis and clinical features — PubMed Disclaimer: This podcast is based on personal experience and should not be taken as medical advice. Resources are provided for you to look into further and talk with your medical support team about. CLICK HERE FOR THE TRANSCRIPT ** Follow @ThatsHystericalPodcast on Instagram for Show Updates and News ** ** Share your Hysterectomy Story on That's Hysterical! Now, Get Out! ** >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Monthly Newsletter! **

>>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Newsletter! ** In This Episode: I'm back! And Season 3 is coming your way :)  Sorry for the LONG break between Season 2 and Season 3! Between travel and a death in the family, THNGO had to go on the back burner for a while. But not to worry, because I'm back and ready to roll out a new season where I take you with me during the first 2 weeks following my hysterectomy. Can't wait to find out how it went? Check other bonus episodes from Seasons 1 and 2, since those were also recorded post-hysterectomy! Thank you to everyone who reached out during the break and who went to ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast to get the Season 3 previews! YOU'RE the ones who make the podcast happen, I can't emphasize that enough. I give some ways to contact the show because I know some of you have been leaving comments on my YouTube videos, but I don't check YouTube very often. So I'd love if you'd email the show! And speaking of reaching out, if you're living in America and paying attention to the attack on reproductive healthcare, now is the time to get involved and make your voice heard to your representatives :) What I went through would not have been possible without all the advancements made in the field as we know it. Advancements that weren't even dreamed about decades ago. It would be a shame to go back now. Be sure to subscribe and follow to get Season 3 episodes every week! Additional Links and Resources: Links not working in your podcast player app? Visit ThatsHystericalPodcast.com Adenomyosis - Symptoms — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis - Diagnosis + Treatment — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis: A Significantly Neglected and Misunderstood Disorder - Book by Maria Yeager  Adenomyosis Advice Association Facebook Group — Facebook Helpful Reddit r/hysterectomy Post To Read If You Have Pre-Op Anxiety — MamaO2D4 Hysterectomy Information — Cleveland Clinic Hysterectomy Information — NHS.uk HysterSisters — Hysterectomy Support & Stories Adenomyosis at hysterectomy: prevalence, patient characteristics, clinical profile and histopatholgical finding — PubMed Adenomyosis: An update regarding its diagnosis and clinical features — PubMed Disclaimer: This podcast is based on personal experience and should not be taken as medical advice. Resources are provided for you to look into further and talk with your medical support team about. ** Follow @ThatsHystericalPodcast on Instagram for Show Updates and News ** ** Share your Hysterectomy Story on That's Hysterical! Now, Get Out! ** >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Newsletter! **

*NEW: Season 3, Episode 1 Preview Available HERE (Pay What You Can!)* "I think I'm more worried about this not being the end of my pain and discomfort. That is something that I have to acknowledge, and that is there. But you know what? Most people, most professionals, me personally, the person in charge of this body, we all think this is a good idea, and we're going to go with that." — Emily, UTERUS EVICTION DAY!!! >>> PREVIEW SEASON 3 & SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Monthly Newsletter! ** In This Episode: Eeeeeeeeek! Today's the day!!! I'm finding so many fun ways to distract myself from thinking about it, while simultaneously talking about how Adenomyosis has made my cats and I closer via our shared love of the heating pad. All the anxiety and overwhelm of everything has actually come together in a cacophony of white noise in my brain, which is eerily peaceful in this moment. One of the best things to wake up the day of surgery is the outpouring of support from friends. I woke up to a wonderful bunch of messages from friends. There's always that fear that someone will need something while I'm in surgery or within the next few weeks, and I won't be available. But, as far as I can tell, I've covered all my bases! Some people have an "Eviction Party" for the uterus, but I think my introverted and fed-up self just wanted to get it over and done with, sans pomp and circumstance. Still more fear of "what if this doesn't work?" (Future-Emily here to let you know that fear didn't leave me until the very last second, but I also just had to let go and hope for the best. I did everything I could.) LOL – Prepare to hear the voice of Mr. THNGO (new name pending, lol)! This is the first time he finds out I'm making a podcast about this whole experience! What a way to end the season! Note from Future-Emily: Seasons 3 & 4 (not-so) spoiler alert! Everything went great! Of course, I'm going to spoil that because I want you to get excited for Season 3 – and because this is real life, not some medical drama that needs to leave you with a cliffhanger at the end of the season. But I will be taking a break for a bit – I'll be honest, editing this season was rough! I'm taking a few weeks off, but will be back soon! Make sure you're following and subscribed to "That's Hysterical! Now, Get Out!" wherever you're listening to this so you'll get updated when to expect new episodes! Take care! See you in Season 3! Additional Links and Resources: Links not working in your podcast player app? Visit ThatsHystericalPodcast.com Adenomyosis - Symptoms — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis - Diagnosis + Treatment — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis: A Significantly Neglected and Misunderstood Disorder - Book by Maria Yeager  Adenomyosis Advice Association Facebook Group — Facebook Helpful Reddit r/hysterectomy Post To Read If You Have Pre-Op Anxiety — MamaO2D4 Link to Activity/Weeks After Surgery Chart from International Association for Premenstrual Disorders  HysterSisters — Hysterectomy Support & Stories Tara Brach's Podcast and Radical Acceptance Book Adenomyosis at hysterectomy: prevalence, patient characteristics, clinical profile and histopatholgical finding — PubMed Adenomyosis: An update regarding its diagnosis and clinical features — PubMed Disclaimer: This podcast is based on personal experience and should not be taken as medical advice. Resources are provided for you to look into further and talk with your medical support team about. CLICK HERE FOR THE TRANSCRIPT ** Follow @ThatsHystericalPodcast on Instagram for Show Updates and News ** ** Share your Hysterectomy Story on That's Hysterical! Now, Get Out! ** >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Monthly Newsletter! **

"They're going to think I'm faking it. I have this feeling that I'm going to wake up and my uterus is going to be perfectly fine. It'll be like, This is a huge mistake. Huge mistake. What are you doing? I'm perfectly fine. It was maybe just a really bad gas bubble for five, six, seven years." — Emily, 1(!) Day Until Uterus Eviction Day >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Monthly Newsletter! ** In This Episode: It's the night before the hysterectomy and I'm extra energetic, probably because of the stool softener. There's so much I just don't know with surgery. There's no official book made specific to me called, "What to Expect When You're Getting a Hysterectomy for Adenomyosis." It's funny to hear me talk about this as "time off" because it was major surgery that required plenty of rest for recovery. But it was also one of the first times in a long time I took off a significant amount of time from work for anything, really. Oh my goodness, the amount of gaslighting we do to ourselves with this condition! Yes, Emily, your uterus hurts a lot and often. It DOES require surgery! (Speaking as Future-Emily who's so glad she/we did this, it's not in your head!) No Tea Update: I had to hide the tea so I wouldn't mindlessly start making it! I didn't realize how much of a routine I got into of making tea every morning in the colder months. So for the last week, I've just been drinking hot water in a mug (I only like a few teas, and most of them are green tea-based). It's funny to think that in 24 hours, I may be in pain, but it'll be different pain and it definitely won't be from my uterus. Eighty percent of me is paying attention to the present and the other 20 percent is worrying about worst-case scenarios — but in a Radical Acceptance kind of way, at least! Future-Emily here: I love listening to all the things I'm sad I couldn't do for a few weeks, when just a few hours ago, I was bending over and twisting myself into a pretzel to paint my toe nails without thinking anything about surgery or recovery or pain and discomfort from my uterus. And all of a sudden, that little moment feels like a huge win for Future-Emily that I wish I could tell Past-Emily (the one recording this episode) that she'll be doing sooner than she thinks! Note from Future-Emily: It's SO funny I mentioned this being like the night before a vacation because, as I'm writing this, we're currently in the last stages of vacation planning, and all these rushed, last-minute feelings are eerily familiar! I was JUST telling my husband last night that I haven't been this chaotically productive since prepping for my Hysterectomy, and then I go to edit this episode and I practically say the exact same thing! Additional Links and Resources: Links not working in your podcast player app? Visit ThatsHystericalPodcast.com Adenomyosis - Symptoms — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis - Diagnosis + Treatment — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis: A Significantly Neglected and Misunderstood Disorder - Book by Maria Yeager  Adenomyosis Advice Association Facebook Group — Facebook Link to Activity/Weeks After Surgery Chart from International Association for Premenstrual Disorders  Helpful Reddit r/hysterectomy Post To Read If You Have Pre-Op Anxiety — MamaO2D4 HysterSisters — Hysterectomy Support & Stories Tara Brach's Podcast and Radical Acceptance Book Adenomyosis at hysterectomy: prevalence, patient characteristics, clinical profile and histopatholgical finding — PubMed Adenomyosis: An update regarding its diagnosis and clinical features — PubMed Disclaimer: This podcast is based on personal experience and should not be taken as medical advice. Resources are provided for you to look into further and talk with your medical support team about. CLICK HERE FOR THE TRANSCRIPT ** Follow @ThatsHystericalPodcast on Instagram for Show Updates and News ** ** Share your Hysterectomy Story on That's Hysterical! Now, Get Out! ** >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Monthly Newsletter! **

"My big goal with this podcast, with my hysterectomy, with dealing with adenomyosis was getting to the point where I could enjoy my body and it wasn't just painful to live day to day in it." — Emily, 7 Months After Uterus Eviction Day >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Newsletter! ** In This Bonus Episode: I'm recording this 7-months post-hysterectomy to let you know we'll be wrapping up season 2 in the next few weeks and taking a little break before coming back with seasons 3 :)  Be sure you're following @ThatsHystericalPodcast on Instagram and Threads Thread with my go-to Adenomyosis "script" Additional Links and Resources: Links not working in your podcast player app? Visit ThatsHystericalPodcast.com Adenomyosis - Symptoms — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis - Diagnosis + Treatment — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis: A Significantly Neglected and Misunderstood Disorder - Book by Maria Yeager  Adenomyosis Advice Association Facebook Group — Facebook Helpful Reddit r/hysterectomy Post To Read If You Have Pre-Op Anxiety — MamaO2D4 HysterSisters — Hysterectomy Support & Stories Tara Brach's Podcast and Radical Acceptance Book Adenomyosis at hysterectomy: prevalence, patient characteristics, clinical profile and histopatholgical finding — PubMed Adenomyosis: An update regarding its diagnosis and clinical features — PubMed Disclaimer: This podcast is based on personal experience and should not be taken as medical advice. Resources are provided for you to look into further and talk with your medical support team about. CLICK HERE FOR THE TRANSCRIPT ** Follow @ThatsHystericalPodcast on Instagram for Show Updates and News ** ** Share your Hysterectomy Story on That's Hysterical! Now, Get Out! ** >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Monthly Newsletter! **

"I am the Emily. I speak for the uteruses. I have to cut out my uterus, but it's only to get rid of the adenomyosis that is attacking it. Sometimes these things hit all at once. I realize I'm really happy to be recording a podcast and talking to others who understand this, who probably have these same frustrations and perhaps for the first time is hearing somebody say them out loud." — Emily, 1(!) Day Until Uterus Eviction Day >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Newsletter! ** In This Episode: I'm recording this after watching virtual church. I identify as "Agnostic AF" and found the Unitarian Universalist church after Googling "church for agnostics." It's become almost like a weekly philosophy and music club for me, and it's nice to have a supportive community like that. I definitely needed this morning of self-care and watching a positive service reminding me to look for happiness. If you're prepping for your hysterectomy, I hope you're able to take some time for yourself, as well. Mentally collecting things that make "a lovely day" is one of my ways of creating that happiness on a regular basis. I'm not able to take my daily allergy pill and, considering the ebbs and flows of viruses, I'm constantly worrying I'm getting sick right before surgery. Book mentioned: "Delay, Don't Deny" by Gin Stephens about Intermittent Fasting Despite the business, I'm also trying to appreciate the gifts I've enjoyed, like my husband looking forward to cooking more while I'm recovering. I'd like to give an extra shout-out to "The Bear" for inspiring his latest joy of cooking phase. No spoilers, but I talk a bit about the Season 2 episode "Forks" and it's probably one of my favorite episodes of television now. Note from Future-Emily: It's 7 months since the hysterectomy and I'm still trying to find ways to practice gratitude on a daily basis, lately, it's been journaling by hand again and making gratitude notes one of the first things I write about every day. Also, check out this week's Bonus Episode to hear more about my experience with my hysterectomy and weight gain. Additional Links and Resources: Links not working in your podcast player app? Visit ThatsHystericalPodcast.com Adenomyosis - Symptoms — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis - Diagnosis + Treatment — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis: A Significantly Neglected and Misunderstood Disorder - Book by Maria Yeager  Adenomyosis Advice Association Facebook Group — Facebook Helpful Reddit r/hysterectomy Post To Read If You Have Pre-Op Anxiety — MamaO2D4 HysterSisters — Hysterectomy Support & Stories Tara Brach's Podcast and Radical Acceptance Book Adenomyosis at hysterectomy: prevalence, patient characteristics, clinical profile and histopatholgical finding — PubMed Adenomyosis: An update regarding its diagnosis and clinical features — PubMed Disclaimer: This podcast is based on personal experience and should not be taken as medical advice. Resources are provided for you to look into further and talk with your medical support team about. CLICK HERE FOR THE TRANSCRIPT ** Follow @ThatsHystericalPodcast on Instagram for Show Updates and News ** ** Share your Hysterectomy Story on That's Hysterical! Now, Get Out! ** >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast

"I was in bed, just writing my list, and I was just listing all the things that I loved about that moment. And it was all simple things that didn't cost anything. And it made my morning really nice, and it really did set me up for a good day." — Emily, 2 Days Until Uterus Eviction Day >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast In This Episode: I recorded this episode on my way to bed, which you can tell by the sleepy voice. The room was dark and it was just me, my phone, and my fears. I thought it was important to make an episode when my anxiety was at its worst: late at night. This is when the world's quiet and dark and it's easier to go inward and focus on those fears and anxieties. This may have been the last day wearing "hard pants" for a while! In the next few weeks, my wardrobe will most likely consist of sweatpants, nightgowns, and maybe leggings. I'm hoping going into surgery will be the mental reset I've been craving. To be able to shut off my brain for a while. It's been weird being off my usual vitamins and supplements, including my allergy pill, which I'm only now finding out I rely on frequently. This may be the ONLY sniffle this podcast editor has intentionally left in! As a general rule for podcast editing, I remove mouth noises, coughs, sneezes, etc. BUT because I mentioned I wasn't allowed to take my usual allergy meds before surgery, I felt leaving in the sniffle and the explanation that follows. I am allowed (and prescribed) stool softeners, which I got the tip to start taking a few days before the surgery so it can start to work its magic well before it's needed.  There are a lot of doubts and fears about surgery and the outcome swirling in my head at the moment, so thanks for coming along for the ride aboard the Hot Mess Express. (Choo Choo!) I'm also worried about the long-term effects of Adenomyosis and letting it get as bad as it did for as long as I did. But there are a lot of things I'm grateful for and ways to look at this condition and how it's affected me. It's a heartbreaking condition and there are worse stories than the one you're currently hearing, for sure. There are also great success stories I'm still clinging to :) As much as I'm doubtful and scared, there's another part of me that's excited and hopeful that I'd also like to acknowledge. Podcast Mentioned: Women & ADHD: Korra O'Neill: ADHD & biohacking our menstrual cycles I'm looking forward to the next few days when I'll be taking a break from work-work-work and doing a chocolate-making class with some friends. Note from Future-Emily: There's a spot where I mention "I haven't seen a general practitioner in a while," and I wanted to let you all know I made that appointment this week, actually :) Yeah, yeah, it's months (years!) overdue, and yes, you'd think I would have learned from ::gestures broadly:: this entire podcast how important it is to make doctor's appointments when I need to make them, but hey, those phone calls are tough! But I did it :) If you're reading this and like me, please take this as your sign to make that call (or at least take one tiny step toward making that call, like visiting the website for info or even planning when to call and putting it on your calendar. Additional Links and Resources: Links not working in your podcast player app? Visit ThatsHystericalPodcast.com Adenomyosis - Symptoms — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis - Diagnosis + Treatment — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis: A Significantly Neglected and Misunderstood Disorder - Book by Maria Yeager  Adenomyosis Advice Association Facebook Group — Facebook Helpful Reddit r/hysterectomy Post To Read If You Have Pre-Op Anxiety — MamaO2D4 HysterSisters — Hysterectomy Support & Stories Tara Brach's Podcast and Radical Acceptance Book Adenomyosis at hysterectomy: prevalence, patient characteristics, clinical profile and histopatholgical finding — PubMed Adenomyosis: An update regarding its diagnosis and clinical features — PubMed Disclaimer: This podcast is based on personal experience and should not be taken as medical advice. Resources are provided for you to look into further and talk with your medical support team about. CLICK HERE FOR THE TRANSCRIPT ** Follow @ThatsHystericalPodcast on Instagram for Show Updates and News ** ** Share your Hysterectomy Story on That's Hysterical! Now, Get Out! ** >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast

"If I can finish everything up, tie up all the loose ends, and in a few days, I can check off the final thing on my to-do list and go into that operation content with how I spent my time feeling good and refreshed because I didn't burn myself out and fulfilled in a way where no matter what happens in the operation, I will feel like I did the best I could." — Emily, 3 Days Until Uterus Eviction Day >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast In This Episode: I've noticed the last few episodes have been pretty dreary, depressing, and full of venting. Though it's nice to have this creative space to do that, I realized it would be a good idea to try to balance that out. After all, for as much as I have to complain about, I have a lot to be grateful for. I recorded this episode on a whim and it ended up being one of my favorites of the season :)  If you're reading this, I invite you to pick a random number you see and come up with that many things you're grateful for or that made today even a smidge bit more lovely for you. Getting your hysterectomy soon? I recommend having little moments of "what am I grateful for? What am I looking forward to?" I mentioned finding out about the cost of the operation and you can check out that episode here: Walkie-Walk Around the Blockie-Block to Get Over the Shocky-Shock of the Cost of the Oppy-Op Anyone else grow up watching the movie "Jungle 2 Jungle" and have a complicated relationship with the word "obligation"? Just me? Okie dokie! Another episode, another realization, another chance to say, "And Also This" in an attempt at Radical Acceptance. Note from Future-Emily: There's a part toward the end of this podcast where I think about what my Future Self would say while listening to Past Emily freaking out as much as I seem to do while recording these episodes, but as I write this (seven months post-op), I've grown to have so much compassion and sympathy for Pre-Op Emily. The anxiety is nothing to downplay or call "over-reacting" because this surgery is/was a pretty big deal. Additional Links and Resources: Links not working in your podcast player app? Visit ThatsHystericalPodcast.com Adenomyosis - Symptoms — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis - Diagnosis + Treatment — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis: A Significantly Neglected and Misunderstood Disorder - Book by Maria Yeager  Adenomyosis Advice Association Facebook Group — Facebook Helpful Reddit r/hysterectomy Post To Read If You Have Pre-Op Anxiety — MamaO2D4 HysterSisters — Hysterectomy Support & Stories Tara Brach's Podcast and Radical Acceptance Book Adenomyosis at hysterectomy: prevalence, patient characteristics, clinical profile and histopatholgical finding — PubMed Adenomyosis: An update regarding its diagnosis and clinical features — PubMed Disclaimer: This podcast is based on personal experience and should not be taken as medical advice. Resources are provided for you to look into further and talk with your medical support team about. CLICK HERE FOR THE TRANSCRIPT ** Follow @ThatsHystericalPodcast on Instagram for Show Updates and News ** ** Share your Hysterectomy Story on That's Hysterical! Now, Get Out! ** >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast

"I wish I could just put a big sign on me that says, 'I'm three days away from a hysterectomy. I don't give a shi-t. I really f-king don't.' Or 'I'm three days away from surgery. My default answer is no parentheses, how f-king dare you?'" — Emily, 3 Days Until Uterus Eviction Day >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast In This Episode: Hooooo-boy. This episode is seriously showcasing me at my wit's end, as far as anxiety goes. As the episode title implies, my capacity for people trying to push my boundaries a few days before my surgery is at its limit. The struggle of wanting to be in Mom Mode as much as possible before surgery, but also wanting to make sure I get all my work done so I can maybe pay off some of the medical bills that I now know are coming my way. The stress level must is astronomical because despite all the anxiety over surgery, there's a part of me that's looking forward to a nice 5+ hour nap where no one will be asking me things, lol. By the way, this pre-surgery anxiety was expected and this is the Reddit post by MamaO2D4 I referred to in this episode. This really helped me and described exactly what I was going through in this episode.  If this podcast were a Starbuck's order, it would be a VENT-Y because this episode is kind of an anxiety rant and venting session. Believe it or not, a lot was edited out. Shout-out to Tom from MySpace and the songs of Plain White T's that aren't "Hey There, Delilah." My relationship advice is to find someone who looks at you and knows when you need to go for a drive or the store, just to dilly dally. Isn't it funny how one of my favorite places to go to unwind is the casino, even though I don't care about gambling or drinking or partying? I just love people watching and the lights and buzzes and super mall feel to it. I'm also getting in one of the last drives before I won't be able to drive for a few weeks following surgery in this episode. Note from Future-Emily: Only a few more episodes of the season to go and this might be the worst of it. As I'm writing this, I'm about 7 months out of surgery and can rightly classify this episode as Peak Anxiety. The more I have to re-listen to these episodes as I edit them and write the show notes, the more I want to go back and tell that Anxious Emily to breathe and take it easy (which is easier said than done, and, honestly, I doubt I would have listened). Additional Links and Resources: Links not working in your podcast player app? Visit ThatsHystericalPodcast.com Adenomyosis - Symptoms — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis - Diagnosis + Treatment — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis: A Significantly Neglected and Misunderstood Disorder - Book by Maria Yeager  Adenomyosis Advice Association Facebook Group — Facebook Helpful Reddit r/hysterectomy Post To Read If You Have Pre-Op Anxiety — MamaO2D4 HysterSisters — Hysterectomy Support & Stories Tara Brach's Podcast and Radical Acceptance Book Adenomyosis at hysterectomy: prevalence, patient characteristics, clinical profile and histopatholgical finding — PubMed Adenomyosis: An update regarding its diagnosis and clinical features — PubMed Disclaimer: This podcast is based on personal experience and should not be taken as medical advice. Resources are provided for you to look into further and talk with your medical support team about. CLICK HERE FOR THE TRANSCRIPT ** Follow @ThatsHystericalPodcast on Instagram for Show Updates and News ** ** Share your Hysterectomy Story on That's Hysterical! Now, Get Out! ** >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast

"It's not like I wasn't expecting the bill. … We were expecting some extra debt. The number didn't throw us off completely, but it is quite a big number." — Emily, 4 Days Until Uterus Eviction Day >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW (and the some of the cost of the Oppy-Op, lol) https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast In This Episode: I got the estimated bill for the hysterectomy today and, hoooooo! That's quite a number! Learn what an HSA (Health Savings Account) is and how it works: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/h/hsa.asp Check out Journey to Launch, a personal finance podcast I've learned so much from over the years! Apologies for some of the heavy breathing during this episode. As I said, this was recorded while walking. Somehow the shock of the bill kind of sends me into a bit of a spiral over the past few years. Just a short one. Luckily, I pull myself out of it. Even though I don't give the exact number in this episode, it was estimated to be a little more than $4,000 not covered by insurance. And that was JUST for the surgery. That didn't include scans or any aftercare. Note from Future-Emily: To be honest, the bills didn't stop after that one. But that was one of the biggest. There were some extra bills for scans and tests. Much (but certainly not all) of it ended up being covered by insurance. We ended up going on a payment plan for the surgery. As much as the debt sucks, I don't regret the hysterectomy one bit. My husband and I both agreed not having the pain and frustration from Adenomyosis and my painful uterus is priceless (even if it's still an expensive version of priceless). Additional Links and Resources: Links not working in your podcast player app? Visit ThatsHystericalPodcast.com Adenomyosis - Symptoms — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis - Diagnosis + Treatment — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis: A Significantly Neglected and Misunderstood Disorder - Book by Maria Yeager  Adenomyosis Advice Association Facebook Group — Facebook Helpful Reddit r/hysterectomy Post To Read If You Have Pre-Op Anxiety — MamaO2D4 HysterSisters — Hysterectomy Support & Stories Tara Brach's Podcast and Radical Acceptance Book Adenomyosis at hysterectomy: prevalence, patient characteristics, clinical profile and histopatholgical finding — PubMed Adenomyosis: An update regarding its diagnosis and clinical features — PubMed Disclaimer: This podcast is based on personal experience and should not be taken as medical advice. Resources are provided for you to look into further and talk with your medical support team about. CLICK HERE FOR THE TRANSCRIPT ** Follow @ThatsHystericalPodcast on Instagram for Show Updates and News ** ** Share your Hysterectomy Story on That's Hysterical! Now, Get Out! ** >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW (and the some of the cost of the Oppy-Op, lol) https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast

"Having my 6-year-old bouncing off the walls on a day I need to do a lot more work might not be the best idea. But you know what? It just adds to 'Finals Week.' Like your friend in college who says, 'Hey, I know you're studying for finals, but also it's $2 drink night down at Senior Ponchos. Let's f–ing go! Margaritas, wooo!'" — Emily, 4 Days Until Uterus Eviction Day >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast In This Episode: We're reminiscing about college and Finals Week. I've been working so hard to get ahead for my clients that I'm wearing an ice glove (Amazon Link) to rest my mouse-clicking hand and wrist. As much as I'm excited about all the work, I know this isn't sustainable and I wouldn't be able to work like this full-time. If you were a theater kid like me, you probably also have a love-hate relationship with the week before a performance, otherwise known as Hell Week. In my 20s: "$2 Margaritas! Wooo!" In my 40s: "Let's play 'Animal Crossing!' Wooo!" Thanks for spending this moment with me in this midst of the hustle to get to the finish line of Eviction Day! Additional Links and Resources: Links not working in your podcast player app? Visit ThatsHystericalPodcast.com Adenomyosis - Symptoms — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis - Diagnosis + Treatment — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis: A Significantly Neglected and Misunderstood Disorder - Book by Maria Yeager  Adenomyosis Advice Association Facebook Group — Facebook Helpful Reddit r/hysterectomy Post To Read If You Have Pre-Op Anxiety — MamaO2D4 HysterSisters — Hysterectomy Support & Stories Tara Brach's Podcast and Radical Acceptance Book Adenomyosis at hysterectomy: prevalence, patient characteristics, clinical profile and histopatholgical finding — PubMed Adenomyosis: An update regarding its diagnosis and clinical features — PubMed Disclaimer: This podcast is based on personal experience and should not be taken as medical advice. Resources are provided for you to look into further and talk with your medical support team about. CLICK HERE FOR THE TRANSCRIPT ** Follow @ThatsHystericalPodcast on Instagram for Show Updates and News ** ** Share your Hysterectomy Story on That's Hysterical! Now, Get Out! ** >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast

"When I'm singing, that is when I feel the most free. Not even when I'm on stage, just when I'm singing. I could be singing in the car and I could be belting at the top of my lungs something that I know. Or if I'm in choir and I'm singing something that we've practiced over and over again and I know the parts where we get loud and the parts where the choir director is going to quiet us down. I get to hit all my notes and I nail it. I love it. It's one of those things that takes me out of my body so that the adenomyosis doesn't still affect me." — Emily, 5 Days Until Uterus Eviction Day >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast In This Episode: I just finished my last choir rehearsal before surgery and I'm slightly optimistic I'll recover enough to sing in the holiday concert in about a month and a half. Adding more to the Lovely Day List: Hearing my kids' voices and any day I get to sing. One of the main reasons I got into podcasting almost 9(!) years ago was to fill the time when my oldest kid was with their other parent. It's funny how that little hobby became a hyperfocus and now my job. Add having a hyperfocus to my Lovely Day List! I've also been playing with the word "gifts" in my head lately and thinking about gifts that are natural to us, like talents we've been lucky enough to have. For me it's music, singing, writing, creating, ideation, problem-solving, and so many more that sometimes I forget about when I'm only focusing on what's missing or wrong with my life. Making the connection between singing and using my diaphragm vs. the TENS machine and how that stimulation to that area seems to help with the pain of Adenomyosis. By the way, for those looking to ease the pain of Adenomyosis, I liked the TENS machine until the wires and sticky pads just became so much of a hassle, I only used it when I knew I'd be stationary for a while. Sometimes it was a bit shocking to use it and that turned me off. Even though I don't need an official "T-Break" (see previous episodes), I've been cutting back on my THC/CBD use before surgery and trying to practice more "Radical Acceptance." Currently feeling ovulation pain for hopefully one of the last times! It's instances like this when thepain is so apparent that makes it difficult to picture a time when that won't be the case anymore. Is it ovulation pain or is it gas? Or both? (Most likely both, uuuuuuugh!) Going to take this moment to shout out my favorite queer-owned, plus-size-friendly thrift shop where I got my purple sparkly star shirt called Witch Bitch Thrift in New Haven, Connecticut, USA! Want a podcast that reminds you to put yourself on your own list? Check out Wellness While Walking with Coach Carolyn. (Apple | Spotify) OH! And she has an episode all about the health benefits of singing, if you want to take a listen. What gifts do you naturally possess? If this episode leaves you with one thing to think about until next time, I hope it's asking yourself that question and looking for those answers as you go about your days. Is it weird we have no idea how much this hysterectomy will cost and how much our insurance with cover? Or is it just a USA thing? By the way, reframing things and gamifying things to make them more interesting is one of my favorite ADHD traits. It's one of our survival skills (and another gift!). Sorry for the quick ending! Pretty sure a kid or adult in my house walked in on me "talking to myself" on my podcast, haha! Note from Future-Emily: LOL, as I'm editing and writing the show notes for this episode and listening to myself talk about how I always have a song in my head, I'm actually listening to a song on repeat that's been in my head the last few days. If you need an '80s banger to get you going, might I suggest "Something About You" by Level 42? If you listen to adult contemporary radio, you know it. It's probably playing in your local grocery store right now, because we all know they play the best forgotten hits. (Translation: I love '80s music.) Additional Links and Resources: Links not working in your podcast player app? Visit ThatsHystericalPodcast.com Adenomyosis - Symptoms — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis - Diagnosis + Treatment — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis: A Significantly Neglected and Misunderstood Disorder - Book by Maria Yeager  Adenomyosis Advice Association Facebook Group — Facebook Helpful Reddit r/hysterectomy Post To Read If You Have Pre-Op Anxiety — MamaO2D4 HysterSisters — Hysterectomy Support & Stories Tara Brach's Podcast and Radical Acceptance Book Adenomyosis at hysterectomy: prevalence, patient characteristics, clinical profile and histopatholgical finding — PubMed Adenomyosis: An update regarding its diagnosis and clinical features — PubMed Disclaimer: This podcast is based on personal experience and should not be taken as medical advice. Resources are provided for you to look into further and talk with your medical support team about. CLICK HERE FOR THE TRANSCRIPT ** Follow @ThatsHystericalPodcast on Instagram for Show Updates and News ** ** Share your Hysterectomy Story on That's Hysterical! Now, Get Out! ** >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast

"I've had to explain [Adenomyosis] so often and in an "elevator pitch" way so that people don't just discount it as, "Oh, mystery illness." It's like, No, this is a uterine condition. It causes these things. This we know. And if you've never heard of it before, now you did. So we can stop saying, "Well, we're not going to research it because no one's ever heard of it." Well, guess what? That's what I'm doing. I'm talking about it." " — Emily, 5 Days Until Uterus Eviction Day >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast In This Episode: It's the last ovulation before Uterus Eviction Day! There will still be ovulation afterwards, if my ovaries are kept, but hopefully not as much pain as I'm currently feeling! Official (not at all) term for my procedure: Hysterectomy, hold the eggs? There's a possibility of Endometriosis being found (spoiler below!) Once again I am asking, How did I get used to ALL THIS PAIN, ALL THE TIME?! Is it weird I get sympathy fatigue? Like, I just want to exist and be in pain without others feeling uncomfortable for me. Yes, I know I'm wincing. It's fine. Just keep talking, I'm listening. There's some real and honest sex talk in this episode: How orgasms (or Vitamin O) sometimes help my cramps, and how I'm not looking forward to going without (penetrative) sex for 8 weeks during recovery (but I get it) (how many parentheses can I fit into these show notes and episode?). I had a friend tell me that once you turn 40, you stop giving a F*ck. I turned 40 this year and I can say for certainty "The Change" has begun, in that sense. I may look stressed when brainstorming, but I love it. Give me a yellow notepad and I am stoked! To prioritize my tasks, I like using the Eisenhower Method — categorizing what's Urgent/Important; Urgent/Not Important; Not Urgent/Important; and Not Urgent/Not Important. I've had to push the deadline of my book back multiple times because of my Adenomyosis, and the guilt and frustration are apparent. I used to use writing and researching as a distraction from the pain and something I could do in bed with the heating pad, but I've found it harder and harder to concentrate as the pain's gotten worse. (There are other factors at play, but the Adeno definitely doesn't help.) Thinking of Adenomyosis and my daily "budget" of time, energy, motivation, and spoons, and making a connection between the "Snowball" debt-paydown method and what the hysterectomy means for me in terms of that budget! Two podcasts I reference in this podcast: Journey to Launch and Wellness While Walking. Check 'em out! I'm holding on to the idea that our bodies are designed to heal. That's helping me when it comes to thinking about recovery soon. My future in the podcasting space comes up a bit in this episode, and it's something I'm actually struggling with during the series. At one point, I considered this to be the last podcast I wanted to ever work on. We shall see. Note from Future-Emily: Yup, Endo was found. And even though most of my pain is gone, there's still some remaining, either leftover from surgery (I'm about 9 weeks out as I write this) or it's the Endometriosis they were unable to see or extract. But! The vast majority of the pain and discomfort is GONE! :-)  Additional Links and Resources: Links not working in your podcast player app? Visit ThatsHystericalPodcast.com Adenomyosis - Symptoms — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis - Diagnosis + Treatment — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis: A Significantly Neglected and Misunderstood Disorder - Book by Maria Yeager  Adenomyosis Advice Association Facebook Group — Facebook Helpful Reddit r/hysterectomy Post To Read If You Have Pre-Op Anxiety — MamaO2D4 HysterSisters — Hysterectomy Support & Stories Tara Brach's Podcast and Radical Acceptance Book Adenomyosis at hysterectomy: prevalence, patient characteristics, clinical profile and histopathological finding — PubMed Adenomyosis: An update regarding its diagnosis and clinical features — PubMed Disclaimer: This podcast is based on personal experience and should not be taken as medical advice. Resources are provided for you to look into further and talk with your medical support team about. CLICK HERE FOR THE TRANSCRIPT ** Follow @ThatsHystericalPodcast on Instagram for Show Updates and News ** ** Share your Hysterectomy Story on That's Hysterical! Now, Get Out! ** >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast

"If I stay up late, there's a good chance my adenomyosis is going to flare up. It does not like staying up late. And it will let me know it's time to go to bed. It will cramp up to the point of nausea. Either that or I sleep through it every night and it's just something that happens. But I don't know. I don't know. I can't explain my body or Adenomyosis." — Emily, 5 Days Until Uterus Eviction Day >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Monthly Newsletter! ** In This Episode: I'm currently dealing with some pain flares from Adenomyosis, which is exacerbated if I stay up late I'm discovering. I've replaced all my "shoulds" with the word "behooves" and it's just the reframe I needed to actually enact some of those healthier habits that make me feel better, like going to bed at a reasonable hour. Shout-out to Women & ADHD podcast with Katy Weber. This podcast (plus my therapist) has helped me really keep a handle on my ADHD brain through this whole process of preparing for my hysterectomy. Adenomyosis really has to cause havoc and make it every other organ's problem, doesn't it? It's not enough it's affecting my uterus, fallopean tubes, and cervix, but now it's causing an upset stomach? I can't win with this BS. Adding to the list of things that make today a lovely day: Singing! Choir days! Learning new music and practicing to get better :-) I'm enjoying looking at the next few days before surgery kind of like Finals week in college where I can get my head into gear to get everything done I need to do before the semester is over. And it makes me think I should try to push myself like this more often (but I know it's not sustainable). It's also nice finally putting the focus on my health and what I need at the moment. I even got myself in a peppier mood by the end of the episode and revved myself up for another day getting stuff done! Additional Links and Resources: Links not working in your podcast player app? Visit ThatsHystericalPodcast.com Adenomyosis - Symptoms — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis - Diagnosis + Treatment — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis: A Significantly Neglected and Misunderstood Disorder - Book by Maria Yeager  Adenomyosis Advice Association Facebook Group — Facebook Helpful Reddit r/hysterectomy Post To Read If You Have Pre-Op Anxiety — MamaO2D4 HysterSisters — Hysterectomy Support & Stories Tara Brach's Podcast and Radical Acceptance Book Adenomyosis at hysterectomy: prevalence, patient characteristics, clinical profile and histopatholgical finding — PubMed Adenomyosis: An update regarding its diagnosis and clinical features — PubMed Disclaimer: This podcast is based on personal experience and should not be taken as medical advice. Resources are provided for you to look into further and talk with your medical support team about. CLICK HERE FOR THE TRANSCRIPT ** Follow @ThatsHystericalPodcast on Instagram for Show Updates and News ** ** Share your Hysterectomy Story on That's Hysterical! Now, Get Out! ** >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Monthly Newsletter! **

"You'll hear me in later episodes get bitter and jaded a bit about podcasting and the podcasting space. But these messages, this feedback, hearing from listeners, hearing from people who are finding the podcast and who are finding the podcast helpful, that, that is what keeps me coming back to the microphone over and over again, creating podcasts, wanting to help people create podcasts. This is why I did this. This is why I wanted to tell my story." — Emily, 6 Months AFTER Eviction Day ** Want to reach out and send feedback? Email ThatsHystericalPodcast(@)gmail.com or @thatshystericalpodcast on Instagram** In This Episode: Welcome to this bonus episode! Recorded 6 months since my hysterectomy and (spoiler alert, if it wasn't already obvious) I consider it a major success! Sharing some listener feedback and answering listener questions. Questions answered: What did I have removed? Did I have to quit using pot a week before the surgery? Ah! So you're checking the show notes to see what happens to an egg after ovulation? Here you go: "If your ovaries are left in place after your hysterectomy, they'll continue to function as usual. This means they'll continue to release hormones and eggs, although you might have a slight decrease in hormone production. In most cases, when your ovary releases an egg every month, the egg will go into your abdomen and eventually disappear." (source: https://www.healthline.com/health/womens-health/after-a-hysterectomy-what-fills-the-space#the-eggs) No matter how many times I think I'm on top of my ADHD, a little detail pops up that I've missed to remind me "Nope! I'm always going to be your brain's operating system, babe!" Please know, as a podcaster and creator, your feedback letting me know how much this podcast means to you and how it's helpful is so motivating. It lets me and other listeners know we're not alone. This pain isn't "normal" or "just a bad period," as many of us have been told countless times by medical professionals. One of the reasons I haven't been as active on social media or promoting this podcast is because I have to work on it in chunks at a time and then take long breaks in between where I don't want to dwell on that space I was in during Seasons 1 and 2. This is another reason why I'm so grateful when others talk about the podcast and share it with friends and others going through painful periods and hysterectomies. Did you know that many episodes include Thoughts from Future-Emily from after I've had the hysterectomy? Make sure you're checking the show notes (which is weird to write in these show notes because, well, here you are!) The number of tangents I go off on, lol. But I promise I keep them relevant! If you were to have a drinking game (water perhaps?) for this episode, it would be the number of times I awkwardly laugh and say, "anyway …" One of those tangents happens to be listing a few mistakes I made right after the hysterectomy I regret, so of course I kept it in! Find out when Season 3 is expected! Past Episodes Mentioned: Taking a T-Break And I Already Miss It My T-Break Becomes a Tea Break - A Surprising Turn of Events Disclaimer: This podcast is based on personal experience and should not be taken as medical advice. Resources are provided for you to look into further and talk with your medical support team about. CLICK HERE FOR THE TRANSCRIPT ** Follow @ThatsHystericalPodcast on Instagram for Show Updates and News ** ** Share your Hysterectomy Story on That's Hysterical! Now, Get Out! ** >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast

"That's one of those fears I'm fighting with is, Well, is the pain going to be worse? Will it get better? Will it get better? The other thing is, Is my gas just painful? Am I just not going to the right doctor? Oh, all the questions and the doubts and everything." — Emily, 5 Days Until Uterus Eviction Day >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Monthly Newsletter! ** In This Episode: It's the end of a day during ovulation and I (Emily) feel like a truck hit me, and I'm dragging around this now-18-pound bowling ball between my hips. The pain gets worse as the day goes on. It might almost be worse pain during ovulation than during my period. I'm trying to get my work done and it's already hard enough fighting with my ADHD, let alone dealing with awful cramps and bloating. And I feel like the pain and discomfort adds fuel to the ADHD fire sometimes, too. Another thing that happens at the end of the day when I'm like this is I contort myself to sit comfortably and find a position that helps me get the blood flowing or put pressure on my uterus. This has been a regular occurrence for the last three years, but I don't think I should have normalized it as much as I did. I have some fears about the pain following surgery — if you look below at the "Note from Future-Emily," you'll see how that turned out ;-) Despite my introversion and the fact that parties with lots of people tend to drain me, I still want to attend and not have something like wanting to sit like a newborn giraffe all the time to get some relief from Adenomyosis (and Endometriosis). My enjoyment of going to the casino just to walk around and people-watch is the same excitement I get about the mall when I don't have any other particular reason for going. It's been a wonderful practice over the last few weeks and months of hysterectomy prep and recovery to mindfully pinpoint those instances of "Lovely Day" makers — those things that don't cost a lot or anything, but that fill me with joy. Before I knew it wasn't "normal" to be in pain as often as I was, I used to love being a passenger in my best friend's car while we'd drive around. She had heated seats and the car rides would relieve some of the cramps, pain, and discomfort. The car heating pad I have: https://amzn.to/4aQ5jLe (affiliate link) Thanks for this parasocial relationship! Hope you're taking "me" along on your road trips! Note from Future-Emily: The song currently in my head: Supermassive Black Hole by Muse. Also, no I am NOT listening back and thinking my recovery pain is "so much worse," like I worried I would! LOL Oh no, the pain I had when recording this episode is, thankfully, a fleeting memory! :-)  Additional Links and Resources: Links not working in your podcast player app? Visit ThatsHystericalPodcast.com Adenomyosis - Symptoms — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis - Diagnosis + Treatment — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis: A Significantly Neglected and Misunderstood Disorder - Book by Maria Yeager  Adenomyosis Advice Association Facebook Group — Facebook Helpful Reddit r/hysterectomy Post To Read If You Have Pre-Op Anxiety — MamaO2D4 HysterSisters — Hysterectomy Support & Stories Tara Brach's Podcast and Radical Acceptance Book Adenomyosis at hysterectomy: prevalence, patient characteristics, clinical profile and histopatholgical finding — PubMed Adenomyosis: An update regarding its diagnosis and clinical features — PubMed Disclaimer: This podcast is based on personal experience and should not be taken as medical advice. Resources are provided for you to look into further and talk with your medical support team about. CLICK HERE FOR THE TRANSCRIPT ** Follow @ThatsHystericalPodcast on Instagram for Show Updates and News ** ** Share your Hysterectomy Story on That's Hysterical! Now, Get Out! ** >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Monthly Newsletter! **

"I think I'm going to make the list of those things that I would do every single day if I could. Those things that I wouldn't get sick of that would always bring me joy. The things that if I were told I wasn't able to do them anymore, I would be heartbroken." — Emily, 6 Days Until Uterus Eviction Day >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Monthly Newsletter! ** In This Episode: Less than a week before surgery and I'm trying to focus on the things that make it a Lovely Day. Podcast mentioned: Journey to Launch — Episode 349: The Practical Guide To Reaching Your Financial Goals With Tiffany Aliche, The Budgetnista If you're reading this, what are some of the things that make a Lovely Day" for you? Something you do that doesn't necessarily take a lot or any money, that brings you joy? For me it's spending time with my family, driving, snuggling with my cats, sleeping late and not having an alarm clock, couch naps, and delicious food (that I don't have to cook!), my yoga (which I'll miss when I'm in recovery).  I'm worried that all the things I *think* are made worse because of Adenomyosis aren't actually going to get better after surgery, like my sensitivity to hot and cold. All those doubts and anxieties pre-surgery are coming up this week, as expected. Once again, I'm wondering why I got to the end of recording my podcast and my uterus is still hurting, even though I feel like I've given it plenty of attention for the day! (But that's not how things work.) Note from Future-Emily: I'm writing this about 6 weeks post-hysterectomy and I'm just now realizing that I haven't had to do the thing where I need one alarm clock so I can turn on my heating pad to take away enough pain so I can get out of bed when my second alarm goes off. Wow! Such a difference a hysterectomy makes! Additional Links and Resources: Links not working in your podcast player app? Visit ThatsHystericalPodcast.com Adenomyosis - Symptoms — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis - Diagnosis + Treatment — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis: A Significantly Neglected and Misunderstood Disorder - Book by Maria Yeager  Adenomyosis Advice Association Facebook Group — Facebook Helpful Reddit r/hysterectomy Post To Read If You Have Pre-Op Anxiety — MamaO2D4 HysterSisters — Hysterectomy Support & Stories Tara Brach's Podcast and Radical Acceptance Book Adenomyosis at hysterectomy: prevalence, patient characteristics, clinical profile and histopatholgical finding — PubMed Adenomyosis: An update regarding its diagnosis and clinical features — PubMed Disclaimer: This podcast is based on personal experience and should not be taken as medical advice. Resources are provided for you to look into further and talk with your medical support team about. CLICK HERE FOR THE TRANSCRIPT ** Follow @ThatsHystericalPodcast on Instagram for Show Updates and News ** ** Share your Hysterectomy Story on That's Hysterical! Now, Get Out! ** >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Monthly Newsletter! **

"As soon as you say surgery, out come the concerned faces. I don't want people to be concerned for me. I'm relatively excited about this! It's fun to give them that alleviation of, 'No, no, no, this is a good thing!'" — Emily, 7 Days Until Uterus Eviction Day >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Monthly Newsletter! ** In This Episode: Got a call from the anesthesia department and found out some great information, when it comes to managing my pain before surgery and what I can have! And also found out some surprising information about something I can't have (green tea! WHAT?!) The trouble of trying to fall asleep with the pain from Adeno/Endo is just awful. Once again, do not take your health and medical advice directly from a podcast. (I feel like I can't say this enough.) I talk a bit about intermittent fasting, intuitive eating, and deconstructing from diet culture. Hate to Weight was the podcast I was a part of where I shared my weight-loss journey. In real life, I try to make people laugh along with me when talking about my upcoming hysterectomy because seeing their discomfort is nearly as uncomfortable as my own pain and discomfort.  Note from Future-Emily: RE: Intermittent Fasting. Since the surgery, I've leaned more into Intuitive Eating and getting better at listening to my body's hunger signals and it's been a wonderful journey so far. I decided on December 31 of last year that I didn't want to check my weight on the scale at home anymore, so the only time I'd know my exact weight this year would be during doctor's visits if I choose. I'm basing my eating habits more on how I feel and how my clothes fit (because I'm cheap and don't want to buy all new clothes if I go up or down sizes, yet again) and four months in, I can say it's the BEST "diet"/"lifestyle"/"weight maintaining routine"/whatever you want to call it for me! Additional Links and Resources: Links not working in your podcast player app? Visit ThatsHystericalPodcast.com Adenomyosis - Symptoms — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis - Diagnosis + Treatment — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis: A Significantly Neglected and Misunderstood Disorder - Book by Maria Yeager  Adenomyosis Advice Association Facebook Group — Facebook Helpful Reddit r/hysterectomy Post To Read If You Have Pre-Op Anxiety — MamaO2D4 HysterSisters — Hysterectomy Support & Stories Tara Brach's Podcast and Radical Acceptance Book Adenomyosis at hysterectomy: prevalence, patient characteristics, clinical profile and histopatholgical finding — PubMed Adenomyosis: An update regarding its diagnosis and clinical features — PubMed Disclaimer: This podcast is based on personal experience and should not be taken as medical advice. Resources are provided for you to look into further and talk with your medical support team about. CLICK HERE FOR THE TRANSCRIPT ** Follow @ThatsHystericalPodcast on Instagram for Show Updates and News ** ** Share your Hysterectomy Story on That's Hysterical! Now, Get Out! ** >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Monthly Newsletter! **

"I love you, normies. I try so hard to fit into the world that you have created, but alas, we need accommodations and hysterectomies. Accommodations and hysterectomies." — Emily, 7 Days Until Uterus Eviction Day >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Monthly Newsletter! ** In This Episode: I'm taking a THC break before surgery, and it is not going well already. Cannabis has made living with Adenomyosis much more manageable for the last few years, and without it, I have very little I can do for pain and discomfort :-( Note: Where I'm recording from, cannabis is legal for both medical and adult use. Getting ready for my therapy appointment and being grateful to have found a marriage and family therapist (LMFT) who specializes in ADHD in adult women. Speaking of ADHD, my train of thought for this episode is quite difficult to keep track of! I mentioned why I use the term "cannabis" rather than "marijuana" because of racial undertones. Learn more: Codeswitch: The Mysterious History Of 'Marijuana' from NPR Sorry for turning this into the "Emily Can't Have Pot-cast" Find out the reason I didn't do anything with the Adenomyosis podcast idea I had about two years ago. Calling the week before my surgery "Hell Week," like I'm in a theater production again.  Note from Future-Emily: LOL, knowing what I know about the next episode,I had a smirk on my face the entire time while editing and re-listening. You'll find out why soon enough! Additional Links and Resources: Links not working in your podcast player app? Visit ThatsHystericalPodcast.com Adenomyosis - Symptoms — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis - Diagnosis + Treatment — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis: A Significantly Neglected and Misunderstood Disorder - Book by Maria Yeager  Adenomyosis Advice Association Facebook Group — Facebook Helpful Reddit r/hysterectomy Post To Read If You Have Pre-Op Anxiety — MamaO2D4 HysterSisters — Hysterectomy Support & Stories Tara Brach's Podcast and Radical Acceptance Book Adenomyosis at hysterectomy: prevalence, patient characteristics, clinical profile and histopatholgical finding — PubMed Adenomyosis: An update regarding its diagnosis and clinical features — PubMed Disclaimer: This podcast is based on personal experience and should not be taken as medical advice. Resources are provided for you to look into further and talk with your medical support team about. CLICK HERE FOR THE TRANSCRIPT ** Follow @ThatsHystericalPodcast on Instagram for Show Updates and News ** ** Share your Hysterectomy Story on That's Hysterical! Now, Get Out! ** >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Monthly Newsletter! **

"Oh, my gosh, these are so amazing. These make my legs and my thighs feel completely different. Wow. Is this what it's like when there's blood circulating? It was like I found another tool for adenomyosis. I even had that quick thought in my head of, did I just need compression socks this whole time?" — Emily, 8 Days Until Uterus Eviction Day >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Monthly Newsletter! ** In This Episode: Celebrating my usual Self-Care Sunday and happy to have one coming up before my surgery It's so odd to be getting used to the pre-surgery anxiety and almost expecting it now. Today in church, we talked about Stoicism and that's on my mind as I recorded this episode, Learn more about Stoicism here and here. Shout-out to Sarah Mikutel who opened me up to Stoicism I'm hoping to really be able to tap into these Stoicism and Radical Acceptance lessons for my upcoming "T"-Break (T" as in, "Tetrahydrocannabinol" or "THC") A little about how cannabis/CBD/THC helps the pain and discomfort from Adenomyosis and Endometriosis I got some compression socks after reading they would help immediately before and during recovery and I am loving them! Change is scary. But exciting. Having a supportive community to talk openly with has been incredibly helpful. I'm beginning to notice and plan for the things I won't be able to do once I'm in recovery mode, like yoga, choir, driving, even bending over! Additional Links and Resources: Links not working in your podcast player app? Visit ThatsHystericalPodcast.com Adenomyosis - Symptoms — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis - Diagnosis + Treatment — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis: A Significantly Neglected and Misunderstood Disorder - Book by Maria Yeager  Adenomyosis Advice Association Facebook Group — Facebook Helpful Reddit r/hysterectomy Post To Read If You Have Pre-Op Anxiety — MamaO2D4 Tara Brach's Podcast and Radical Acceptance Book HysterSisters — Hysterectomy Support & Stories Adenomyosis at hysterectomy: prevalence, patient characteristics, clinical profile and histopatholgical finding — PubMed Adenomyosis: An update regarding its diagnosis and clinical features — PubMed Disclaimer: This podcast is based on personal experience and should not be taken as medical advice. Resources are provided for you to look into further and talk with your medical support team about. CLICK HERE FOR THE TRANSCRIPT ** Follow @ThatsHystericalPodcast on Instagram for Show Updates and News ** ** Share your Hysterectomy Story on That's Hysterical! Now, Get Out! ** >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast

"My husband and I are at this point of, Hey, we know that the next few weeks are going to be shitty. Let's have a really good 'f--- it all' day. In 'Parks and Rec'-speak, it would be a 'Treat Yo' Self' day." — Emily, 9 Days Until Uterus Eviction Day >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Monthly Newsletter! ** In This Episode: The family went to Bluey's Big Play today (it was adorable, we all cried) and while not every day can be like this, there are still so many wonderful days to have as a family. Podcast mentioned: Journey to Launch — Episode 349: The Practical Guide To Reaching Your Financial Goals With Tiffany Aliche, The Budgetnista Don't mind the background noise — I'm grateful to have recorded a very sweet moment of my husband and youngest son's laughter, as part of my "Perfect Day" (though I try to steer clear of the word "perfect") Wouldn't we all benefit from Bluey's Mum explaining menstruation to us all? This mom, on the other hand, took an edible and her Loop earplugs to enjoy the day, despite her uterine pain (which hopefully will soon be long gone!) I love that my husband's been on his own ADHD/neurodivergent journey discovering all the memes explaining why our brains work the way they do. It helps explain why we can't just linearly tell a story and it seems to bounce from one thing to the next. I promise it's all connected in our brains. This was kind of a "Treat Yo' Self" Family Day for us, and it was nice to have one of the last few family outings before surgery and an unknown recovery time. Note from Future-Emily: There's a line from a Jason Mraz song that goes, "May the best of your todays be the worst of your tomorrows" that comes to mind when I'm editing and re-listening to these episodes after the hysterectomy and feeling so, so, so much better physically and mentally. The joy of seeing my family happy isn't distracting me from the pain — I get to enjoy it pain-free! YAY! Additional Links and Resources: Links not working in your podcast player app? Visit ThatsHystericalPodcast.com Adenomyosis - Symptoms — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis - Diagnosis + Treatment — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis: A Significantly Neglected and Misunderstood Disorder - Book by Maria Yeager  Adenomyosis Advice Association Facebook Group — Facebook Helpful Reddit r/hysterectomy Post To Read If You Have Pre-Op Anxiety — MamaO2D4 HysterSisters — Hysterectomy Support & Stories Adenomyosis at hysterectomy: prevalence, patient characteristics, clinical profile and histopatholgical finding — PubMed Adenomyosis: An update regarding its diagnosis and clinical features — PubMed Disclaimer: This podcast is based on personal experience and should not be taken as medical advice. Resources are provided for you to look into further and talk with your medical support team about. CLICK HERE FOR THE TRANSCRIPT ** Follow @ThatsHystericalPodcast on Instagram for Show Updates and News ** ** Share your Hysterectomy Story on That's Hysterical! Now, Get Out! ** >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Monthly Newsletter! **

"If I'm moving, I'll stay warm. But also if I'm moving, I might not notice as much pain as I'm in until I sit down and then I realize, Oh, my gosh, I can't move for the rest of the day. I've used up all my spoons." — Emily, 11 Days Until Uterus Eviction Day >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Monthly Newsletter! ** In This Episode: We're at the podcasting at the playground today and thinking about how even a trip to the playground takes planning and energy rationing when it comes to dealing with unpredictable pain. It's funny how I didn't realize how much Adenomyosis snuck up on me over the years until I'm exhausted and can barely get out of the car in the middle of the day and realize "this isn't normal…" Have you heard of the Spoon Theory? Coined by blogger Christine Miserandino, it's a metaphor to describe the amount of finite energy someone with chronic pain and illness has for the day and how we have to ration our "spoons." Some activities use more "spoons" than others. Adenomyosis has me in this Goldilocks prison of being in pain when it's "too hot" and "too cold," and maybe *just maybe!* it won't be so bad when it's "just right." (Maybe) I swear, I'm not in a bad mood — that's just my face: An RBF Memoir. One day, maybe I won't drive 35 minutes to a playground just so I can comfortably sit in the car. Note from Future-Emily: At the end of the episode, I had to cut it short because my son had fallen and was upset. He's totally fine and nothing was seriously hurt that day, don't worry ;-) Also, not to spoil Seasons 3 and 4 too much, BUT the difference between my energy on the day I recorded this and after surgery is unbelievable! Additional Links and Resources: Links not working in your podcast player app? Visit ThatsHystericalPodcast.com Adenomyosis - Symptoms — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis - Diagnosis + Treatment — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis: A Significantly Neglected and Misunderstood Disorder - Book by Maria Yeager  Adenomyosis Advice Association Facebook Group — Facebook Helpful Reddit r/hysterectomy Post To Read If You Have Pre-Op Anxiety — MamaO2D4 Adenomyosis at hysterectomy: prevalence, patient characteristics, clinical profile and histopatholgical finding — PubMed Adenomyosis: An update regarding its diagnosis and clinical features — PubMed Disclaimer: This podcast is based on personal experience and should not be taken as medical advice. Resources are provided for you to look into further and talk with your medical support team about. CLICK HERE FOR THE TRANSCRIPT ** Follow @ThatsHystericalPodcast on Instagram for Show Updates and News ** ** Share your Hysterectomy Story on That's Hysterical! Now, Get Out! ** >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Monthly Newsletter! **

"I think I'm feeling good. I'm still a little nervous. I can't shake the nerves. And you know what? I think I need to radically accept that those nerves and that anxiety is going to be with me. It's probably not going to get easier as we get closer to surgery. I keep thinking I'll get used to the idea. Give me some time to get used to the idea. And then I'm like, Okay, I'm used to the idea. Wait, it's eleven days. Oh, I have so much more to do. And then I'm not used to the idea anymore." — Emily, 11 Days Until Uterus Eviction Day >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Monthly Newsletter! ** In This Episode: Have you heard of Procrasti-Cleaning? Oh, it's great. I use cleaning as a way to procrastinate doing the more urgent, important things. I love the instant gratification, even though it might not be exactly what I need to be doing in the moment. Oops! Tip for cleaning showers: Use a Swiffer mop thing to reach the high areas ;-) NOTE: I use the term "Walking Pad" to refer to a walking treadmill. WalkingPad is the official brand name, just FYI. I ended up getting a Urevo walking treadmill, which I love. Does anyone else remember the show "How Clean Is Your House?" I loved that show, and I always picture Kim and Aggie as my Sassy Godmothers of Cleaning. It's hard to find the show now, but their book contains many great tips and DIY household cleaners. There's this weird duality of "I have to wait 11 days?" and also "Ugh, 11 days isn't enough time for everything I need to do!" Someone help me with this portmanteau: Procrasti-casting? Pod-crastinating? LOL Additional Links and Resources: Links not working in your podcast player app? Visit ThatsHystericalPodcast.com Adenomyosis - Symptoms — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis - Diagnosis + Treatment — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis: A Significantly Neglected and Misunderstood Disorder - Book by Maria Yeager  Adenomyosis Advice Association Facebook Group — Facebook Helpful Reddit r/hysterectomy Post To Read If You Have Pre-Op Anxiety — MamaO2D4 Adenomyosis at hysterectomy: prevalence, patient characteristics, clinical profile and histopatholgical finding — PubMed Adenomyosis: An update regarding its diagnosis and clinical features — PubMed Disclaimer: This podcast is based on personal experience and should not be taken as medical advice. Resources are provided for you to look into further and talk with your medical support team about. CLICK HERE FOR THE TRANSCRIPT ** Follow @ThatsHystericalPodcast on Instagram for Show Updates and News ** ** Share your Hysterectomy Story on That's Hysterical! Now, Get Out! ** >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Monthly Newsletter! **

"Currently, the countdown is twelve days. Twelve days. So it's getting more real and time is going both very slowly and faster than I would like it to go as far as my to-do list." — Emily, 12 Days Until Uterus Eviction Day >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Monthly Newsletter! ** In This Episode: The art of procrastinating one thing with another — I have it mastered. Speaking as someone who edits dialogue and removes the word "just" a lot, it's not "just" Adenomyosis, it's not "just" a painful period, it's not "just" Endometriosis … etc. You are not "just" anything - you are a skilled individual with great things to offer the world. Balancing trying to get all my work done with unexpected illness in the house, on top of hysterectomy prep — it's a lot! A reminder (to both you and me) to give yourself grace and lovingkindness, as Tara Brach would suggest. Trying to juggle with tons of balls in the air and avoiding my email so that I don't have to take on any more balls. Making a plan to produce and release this podcast while in recovery (see below!) I started buying some post-hysterectomy clothes — oversized underwear, dresses so I can avoid waistbands on my incisions, oversized sweatpants, and nightgowns. Making plans for my choir's concert I have 4 weeks following the surgery — will I be able to sing? Maybe I'll sit for the performance? We'll see. Worrying about some of the stuff I won't be able to do post-surgery that I do for my mental health currently — yoga, driving, choir rehearsals. My cat, Little Man, makes an appearance a few times in this episode. I edited most of it out, but some of my commentary ended up staying — enjoy the blooper at the end! Note from Future-Emily: LOL! I love hearing myself getting excited about the beginning stages of building out a new podcast idea. Now that I'm in the thick of releasing episodes and getting ready for the next season, it's so much fun to revisit when all of this is brand new. And I also love that I was slowly building little bits and pieces for me to come back to following recovery to be able to tell this story :-) It's nice to fall in love with podcasting again as a creative space to play around in. Oh! And I ended up finally writing that email and, as I suspected, it took about 1/3rd of the time to write as it did to record this episode ::facepalm:: Additional Links and Resources: Links not working in your podcast player app? Visit ThatsHystericalPodcast.com Adenomyosis - Symptoms — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis - Diagnosis + Treatment — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis: A Significantly Neglected and Misunderstood Disorder - Book by Maria Yeager  Adenomyosis Advice Association Facebook Group — Facebook Helpful Reddit r/hysterectomy Post To Read If You Have Pre-Op Anxiety — MamaO2D4 Adenomyosis at hysterectomy: prevalence, patient characteristics, clinical profile and histopatholgical finding — PubMed Adenomyosis: An update regarding its diagnosis and clinical features — PubMed Disclaimer: This podcast is based on personal experience and should not be taken as medical advice. Resources are provided for you to look into further and talk with your medical support team about. CLICK HERE FOR THE TRANSCRIPT ** Follow @ThatsHystericalPodcast on Instagram for Show Updates and News ** ** Share your Hysterectomy Story on That's Hysterical! Now, Get Out! ** >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Monthly Newsletter! **

"I keep thinking if I didn't have to deal with this stupid pain in my uterus right now, I could deal with everything else. And maybe that's not true. Maybe that's just the excuse I'm telling myself. But everything is a lot more irritating when I feel like I have a 15-pound rock in between my hips, pushing out, making me feel pregnant." — Emily, 13 Days Until Uterus Eviction Day >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Monthly Newsletter! ** In This Episode: A love letter to Cannabis (legal for adult use in the state I'm in), which has been one of the best pain management tools for period and ovulation pain I've found NOTE: As of the recording of this, I was under the impression that I had to give up THC/CBD up to a week before my surgery so a lot of my stress was wondering how I was going to deal with pain and anxiety without it. My personal experience comparing CBD to Xanax The importance of reminding myself I am not my pain and I am not my uterus. Are my supplements a placebo? Maybe, but that doesn't stop me from noticing a difference when I stop taking them. Planning for a T-Break is somewhat hard to think about, even for someone who successfully quit cigarettes after being a 10-year smoker During these last few weeks, I was already cutting back on my cannabis consumption and it was taking a toll on my mood (if you couldn't already tell) There's a point where I imitate exactly how my anxiety sounds with its intrusive thoughts that even I scared myself a little when I heard it back This is dedicated to all those who also watched the show "I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant" and now think every pain or period abnormality is a surprise pregnancy at least once a month Let's hope a good night's sleep is just the ticket for a better mood the next day (and next episode). Note from Future-Emily: Oh, Past-Emily :-) this might be one of the funniest weeks leading up to surgery because you're going to get a very nice surprise in a few days, I promise. That said, I'm already listening back to this episode and glad I'm able to cut back now that the surgery is over! Additional Links and Resources: Links not working in your podcast player app? Visit ThatsHystericalPodcast.com Adenomyosis - Symptoms — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis - Diagnosis + Treatment — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis: A Significantly Neglected and Misunderstood Disorder - Book by Maria Yeager  Adenomyosis Advice Association Facebook Group — Facebook Helpful Reddit r/hysterectomy Post To Read If You Have Pre-Op Anxiety — MamaO2D4 Adenomyosis at hysterectomy: prevalence, patient characteristics, clinical profile and histopatholgical finding — PubMed Adenomyosis: An update regarding its diagnosis and clinical features — PubMed Disclaimer: This podcast is based on personal experience and should not be taken as medical advice. Resources are provided for you to look into further and talk with your medical support team about. CLICK HERE FOR THE TRANSCRIPT ** Follow @ThatsHystericalPodcast on Instagram for Show Updates and News ** ** Share your Hysterectomy Story on That's Hysterical! Now, Get Out! ** >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Monthly Newsleter! **

"I will not be capable of 100% Mom Mode that I've been in. And I can't even say 100% because I'll tell you, Adenomyosis, my period, PMS, they knock me out. So there are days where I am parenting from a couch or parenting from bed, and it sucks. And I don't even feel like 100% a parent. I feel like I'm doing the 100% I can do for that day." — Emily,  13 Days Until Uterus Eviction Day >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Monthly Newsletter! ** In This Episode: We're starting off the episode with descriptions of the last days of period pains and what it's like suffering from Adenomyosis/Endometriosis pain month after month If you think having a kid in school makes parenting any easier, think again because sick days happen more frequently than you'd think. The lack of babysitting I've had lately is also getting to me in this episode. It's been non-stop Mom Mode for weeks, on top of surgery prep and work, work, work mode! Sorry for the bitter episode. I wanted a raw podcast and here it is, I guess! Note from Future-Emily: So far, the lack of pain has led to less stress overall! That said, when I recorded this episode was a particularly stressful period of time, period or not! Additional Links and Resources: Links not working in your podcast player app? Visit ThatsHystericalPodcast.com Adenomyosis - Symptoms — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis - Diagnosis + Treatment — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis: A Significantly Neglected and Misunderstood Disorder - Book by Maria Yeager  Adenomyosis Advice Association Facebook Group — Facebook Helpful Reddit r/hysterectomy Post To Read If You Have Pre-Op Anxiety — MamaO2D4 Adenomyosis at hysterectomy: prevalence, patient characteristics, clinical profile and histopatholgical finding — PubMed Adenomyosis: An update regarding its diagnosis and clinical features — PubMed Disclaimer: This podcast is based on personal experience and should not be taken as medical advice. Resources are provided for you to look into further and talk with your medical support team about. CLICK HERE FOR THE TRANSCRIPT ** Follow @ThatsHystericalPodcast on Instagram for Show Updates and News ** ** Share your Hysterectomy Story on That's Hysterical! Now, Get Out! ** >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Monthly Newsletter! **

** Want to reach out and send feedback? Email ThatsHystericalPodcast(@)gmail.com or @thatshystericalpodcast on Instagram** In This Episode: Welcome to this bonus episode! Sharing some listener feedback and answering questions Spoilers! If you were looking for a hysterectomy horror story, you're not going to find it here. Everything went well and I'm looking forward to sharing more with you about everything in the coming episodes :-) Disclaimer: This podcast is based on personal experience and should not be taken as medical advice. Resources are provided for you to look into further and talk with your medical support team about. CLICK HERE FOR THE TRANSCRIPT ** Follow @ThatsHystericalPodcast on Instagram for Show Updates and News ** ** Share your Hysterectomy Story on That's Hysterical! Now, Get Out! ** >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Monthly Newsletter! **

"It's less than two weeks away. I have said to my family, I have zero shits for anything other than getting ready for this, for getting my business in order, for getting my work done, for getting the house ready for recovery. For getting me ready for recovery. I have zero shits." — Emily, 13 Days Until Uterus Eviction Day >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Monthly Newsletter! ** In This Episode: Whew! It's a frustrating start to the episode. The stress of the upcoming hysterectomy is coming out. After a rough morning of video game system troubleshooting gone wrong, the idea of adding more to the pile of stuff already going on is not the last thing I want I keep toying with the idea of making a non-explicit version of the podcast where I bleep out the swears, but this one would just be one long bleeeeeep I think! There's so much vying for my attention in the weeks leading up to surgery that I'm having trouble juggling it all. Learn my favorite method of organizing and prioritizing what I need to do, which President Eisenhower supposedly used — categorizing tasks as Urgent-Important; Urgent-Not Important, Not Urgent-Important, and Not Urgent-Not Important If you need a reminder to count the good things you did for yourself today, consider this your nudge! And if you can't think of anything, is there something right now you can do quickly for yourself? Take your vitamins? Get a glass of water? Go for a walk? And don't forget to show yourself grace (talking to me too, here) Tara Brach's Podcast and Radical Acceptance Book are favorites in my mental health toolbox. Also, yay! I made an appointment with my therapist! Additional Links and Resources: Links not working in your podcast player app? Visit ThatsHystericalPodcast.com Adenomyosis - Symptoms — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis - Diagnosis + Treatment — Mayo Clinic Adenomyosis: A Significantly Neglected and Misunderstood Disorder - Book by Maria Yeager  Adenomyosis Advice Association Facebook Group — Facebook Helpful Reddit r/hysterectomy Post To Read If You Have Pre-Op Anxiety — MamaO2D4 Adenomyosis at hysterectomy: prevalence, patient characteristics, clinical profile and histopatholgical finding — PubMed Adenomyosis: An update regarding its diagnosis and clinical features — PubMed Disclaimer: This podcast is based on personal experience and should not be taken as medical advice. Resources are provided for you to look into further and talk with your medical support team about. CLICK HERE FOR THE TRANSCRIPT ** Follow @ThatsHystericalPodcast on Instagram for Show Updates and News ** ** Share your Hysterectomy Story on That's Hysterical! Now, Get Out! ** >>> SUPPORT THE SHOW https://ko-fi.com/thatshystericalpodcast ** Stay in the loop with our latest episodes, upcoming topics, and exciting announcements — Sign Up for the Monthly Newsletter! **