More health news

Our home is a home filled with pills. Out of us three, two have to take medication on a daily basis. My mother is the only one who doesn't. That doesn't mean however that she is without her medical problems. 

As you probably remember, my mother was diagnosed with bowel cancer a couple of years ago. They caught it in the early stages and she was given the all clear eventually. But, as with all cancers, she has to have regular check-ups. Yesterday was one such and she came out with a positive result! Next year is the next check-up. This was happy news.

My father is not free of medication. His 'illness of choice' being diabetes. He has worked really hard in losing weight and getting this, that and the other down and yesterday he had his check-up. His doctor was really pleased with his progress. Keep up the good work. 

And lastly there's me. I take daily medication for migraines (the beta blockers) which really help. I have not had a migraine attack in several months now (the headaches are not migraine related, but bad body posture related). The other medication is for endometriosis.

First of all: endometriosis is a condition where the female body decides that the eggs released are foreign bodies and decides to treat them accordingly. They encapsulate the 'foreign body', but then don't seem to stop. In my case it had not only encapsulated the 'fb', but also part of the urinal tract and the bowels. Turning a quite harmless condition (most women have it to a certain degree) into a potentially lethal one. 

I had my operation in 2015 and since then I have been using the anti conception pill to combat a re-occurrence. It basically stops the endometrium in the uterus or belly cavity to react and cause more problems. But, despite using the pill, I had never had a check-up since. I wanted answers.

Yesterday I went to see a gynaecologist, after having asked my gp for a referral. He listened to my story and checked me out down there. 'The Norwegians had done a good job, both in the operation as in the advice regarding the pill departments'. He couldn't see anything wrong, nor could he really find my remaining ovary, which apparently shrivels up with age. 

He then told me that as most Dutch women go through menopause between 50 and 52, he felt that if I were to take the pill for two more years, that would be enough. When I turn 50 I can stop taking the pill and any problem arising from the endometriosis will be dealt with and removed when I go through the change.

So, that's us three! We may not be the healthiest family, but we all got good news yesterday!