Women’s stories

“To get your relationship back — what’s that worth?”

By the time she was 46, Denny had been battling hormonal imbalance for years. She was waking up drenched in night sweats — even in the winter. Her husband liked the heat: “This is great — you’re like a little stove in the bed! All I have to do is snuggle up to you!” But Denny was exhausted and responded by pushing him away. Though she’d taken many healthy steps over the years, the onset of full-blown anxiety attacks finally led her to our Personal Program. The road to wellness has been a long one for Denny, but after five months on her Program, all her intractable symptoms are gone. Here is her story…

“I’ve had a history of hormonal imbalance ever since I was a teenager. I didn’t just have irregular periods, I would bleed and bleed — and never stop! They put me on birth control pills at 15, and I didn’t get off them until I was 36. I never could have children after that, either. I’ve known that I have fibroids since I was in my 20’s, and to this day I believe the Pill had a lot to do with that.

“I couldn’t even use tampons — no point — I’d be changing a super maxipad every half-hour. I used to get such severe cramps I’d drink straight whiskey to get rid of the pain. I took tons of Aleve, before it became available over-the-counter. I’d get a ‘script from my regular gyn for it, then take three times the recommended dose. Nowadays I hate to think of what that must have done to my body.

“I visited my gynecologist so many times, by the time I reached my 40’s he declared ‘definitive resolution’ with total abdominal hysterectomy as the only way to go for me. Well I realized I had to do something about missing so many days off work every month, so I dutifully kept my appointment with the surgeon. And I joined all their other patients that month to see the educational film on ‘What to expect from your hysterectomy.’ My reaction to that was ‘No way!’ — so I made up my mind to seek an alternative.

“That was when I made my first appointment at Women to Women’s clinic. What a contrast with my regular gyn! The first thing they said was, ‘Let’s talk about your options.’ She put me on Prometrium, which is prescription-strength bioidentical progesterone, and I stayed on that for a while, which definitely helped my hormonal imbalance. She referred me to specialists, to see if I might be a good candidate for a myomectomy and uterine artery embolization (UAE). But she also advised me that I would be going through menopause soon, and that would take care of my fibroid problem for good.

“After talking with the interventional radiologist about UAE, that is what I decided to have. I’d never even been in the hospital ‘til then, and it was just unbelievable how well it went! The UAE really shrunk the fibroids, and I’m quite pleased I had it. Now when I get my period, it’s just a normal period — I don’t need to take anything at all for pain. I’m almost 49 now, and as the baby of the family watched my sisters and mother go through the change of life in their mid-50’s. So I may be looking at another five years or so, but now I can live with that. So if someone says you need a hysterectomy — as long as there’s no cancer — you may want to consider your options before taking that leap.

“Another important piece to my story is that Women to Women put me on their nutrition plan, and I’ve been following that about 80% of the time ever since. At that point they also talked to me about the Personal Program, but I’d already purchased some supplements from my chiropractor and was using them, so I guess I just wasn’t ready then.

“Where we did decide to spend some money was by going organic. So in early summer 2005 I switched myself, my husband, my dog, and my cat to totally organic foods — except when we eat out. And our household is totally green now, too. We probably eat organic 96% of the time, and that has made such a big difference. I noticed it about a month or so later, how much better I felt. I stopped having so many stomach problems. I don’t get indigestion as long as I don’t overeat or eat the wrong things. Sure, it has increased my grocery bill, but I can’t go back to eating all that crap.

“So I did pretty well for a few more months after the UAE and the dietary changes. I’d been a chef for 25 years by then, which is so physically demanding, and had herniated a couple discs. I loved the work and my employer had made every accommodation, but I realized I needed to switch careers. That was when the anxiety attacks and night sweats kicked in. My mood swings got so severe in the couple of months before I started the Program. It was getting more and more difficult to just get through the day on an even keel — and not kill somebody! My sister had anxiety attacks, so I recognized right away what was happening. I’d never had depression or anything like it before, and I was just so far off-kilter, it got me thinking ‘I’ve got to do something!’ So I quit my work as a caterer, went back to school, got a less physically demanding part-time job and, best of all, started on the Personal Program.

“Within the first two days on the Program I felt my energy shift. It was unbelievable how much energy I had! I think the fact that I’d already made so many changes for the better — the organic foods, healthy fats, whole grains and protein — made it so much easier for my body to respond. By week #3 into the Personal Program, I was totally symptom–free. And I almost don’t like to tell people that, when I talk about the program, because it might give them unrealistic expectations. You know, everybody is different, and I had not let my symptoms go on forever like so many women, so everything fell right into place for me.

“I grew up in a family that ate dessert after every single meal, and after a while your body just comes to expect it. If I didn’t finish a meal with something sweet, then something was missing. But now the sugar cravings are barely there. I was right there on the edge of diabetes. My blood sugar was high: enough of a problem that my doctor had warned me, ‘If you don’t get it down we’ll have to put you on medication.’ And there was just no way I was going to do that. I thought it was a case of ‘overweight, over-40,’ but now my blood sugar is perfect. The Personal Program has really made a big difference with that.

“You may laugh, but even my husband takes Essential Nutrients now. It has made his energy just soar. He used to come home and slump onto the couch. Now we go out after work — we have the energy to do things, we go for walks. I know it may sound like it’s a lot of money, but what it boils down to is $2–3 day. So many people I know stop by the store every day on their way to and from work and drop a couple bucks on a bottle of water, a cappuccino, a slice of pizza — or a good stiff drink. And half of what they’re buying just makes them feel worse! But to get your relationship back — what’s that worth?”

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Last Modified Date: 05/24/2011