Hi wifey, Are your periods normal? Of course you should have all the tests run that you need to have, but I just want to tell you about my experience. In l995 I had the flu really bad, and then pneumonia. I never really got my energy back again. A couple months later, I started having strange GI symptoms.......a little pain, with incredible fullness and tightness in my upper abdomen. I developed IBS, and GERD. Then I developed fibromyalgia, with sleeping problems, horrendous fatigue, thinking problems. I also began perimenopause, which added to the nightmare. I slept upright in a chair for 7 months because my adbomen was so full and tight, I felt I couldn't breath. At various points, I really thought I had a fatal disease. I saw at least a dozen doctors and had tons of tests. All my tests were normal. Here it is 11 years later, and I'm feeling better, but still have GI problems, fatigue, etc. I guess what I'm saying to you is that after you have some tests run (and agnespuffin is right......be sure to have your ovaries checked out), you may feel like poop, but there may be nothing life-threatening involved. I've come across alot of women who have incredible fatigue and GI problems as they go through perimenopause. I know you're only 35.....but sometimes it starts that early. Never under-estimate the power of those female hormones!! I think the Shingles really took it out of you, and it may take a few months to feel better. Those viruses can cause lots of problems. Have you travelled anywhere, where you could have picked up something?? What kind of ulcer test did you have? I'm having a flare-up of my IBS right now, and I can tell you that it feels horrible. It feels like my entire GI tract is swollen. I guess I'm telling you these things so that (after you have some tests that will probably be normal), you understand that there can be "functional" GI problems that won't show up on most tests. Perhaps the shingles caused a problem for your GI tract. Were you on antibiotics? I think you should start eating lots of yogurt, and taking a probiotic (acidophilus), and cut back on your sugars and carbs. It sounds like the flora in your GI tract might be overrun with the bad stuff. Please try not to get too frightened. I know how easy it is to think that we have cancer, when we feel so bad.......but that's not usually what's going on. Just go through some tests (and see your OB/GYN), and then I suggest you read up on conditions like IBS and fibromyalgia, and yeast over-growth. You may have to learn to customize your own treatment, in order to feel better. You might also keep a diary of the foods you eat and what sets you off. Good luck Wifey!

Wow Lenore, you've really been thru it!! That must have been just awful, knowing something was wrong but no one believed you. It infuriates me that we walk around in our bodies and know our bodies, and they tell us nothing is wrong! As it turns out, I have multiple problems: Kidney stones in both kidneys (which I'm passing--yes, painful, but at least no surgery for them), a large cervical growth which was causing lots of bleeding, breast lumps in both breasts (isn't it nice how my body does everything symmetrically??), and diverticulitis, which they say is causing the intense pain I'm in. Dr. Harris wanted to schedule surgery right away for the cervical polyp, but he told me I'd just have to learn to live with the pain from the diverticulitis. Live with the pain???? Well, Dr. Harris quit me because I wanted to get more info before jumping into surgery. I actually panicked at the thought of surgery. He told me I would bleed to death if I didn't have surgery and he wasn't wasting anymore time on me, I should promptly find myself another doctor, he quit. I was mortified! I saw an herbalist who prescribed something that stopped the bleeding for 21 days, and greatly decreased my flows. Now I have very minor spotting between periods, but sometimes no spotting at all. So it was over two months after Dr. Harris quit me before I decided to see another doctor. I was so afraid of surgery and so afraid of insensitive doctors, and I just almost didn't see one. I saw an ad for a free mammogram thru the YWCA Encore Plus program and I called them. They scheduled everything, and They are paying for my doc appts and mammogram and any biopsies I need. I saw a nurse practitioner last week. She verified that I several lumps in both breasts that are of concern. I have a mammogram on the 25th. She also said my cervical growth could be cancer. She actually said the "c" word, which freaked me out and I was crying there in her office. But she didn't get upset and quit me. Instead she tried to answer my questions. She wanted to schedule me an appt with a gyne and I told her I wouldn't see anymore male doctors! So she found a female gyne for me. I go see her on the 29th. I worry that it's cancer. Everyone I know who had cancer has died from it. And I know if I have it, it's pretty far advanced. So it scares me. But it's possible I can just have a hysterectomy and be done with it all. I have found no joy in being a woman all these years. Painful heavy periods since I was 11, migraines, etc. are just no picnic. But surgery terrifies me. The last time I was in the hospital was 19 yrs ago, giving birth to my only son. I guess I'll do what I need to do, once I find out what that is. People tell me the not knowing is the worst. But actually, I find that ignorance is bliss. I'm not sure I want to know. Casper

Hi Marion, I think it's going to be hard for you to make a decision, based on everyone else's experience. I have found that women really vary, as to their responses to having hysterectomies. I think everyone should take having their uterus removed very seriously. It isn't like having your appendix out. It is so much more complicated. I understand your doc's concern about your ovaries. BUT.......if you don't have a family history of ovarian cancer, and you have occasional trans-vaginal ultrasound, I think leaving your ovaries alone is probably best. You could possibly use them for at least another 10 years. I wish there was an easy, cut-and-dried answer for you, but there's not. It's almost a trial and error thing........you'll have to make a choice, and see how it goes. But don't always assume the doctor's suggestions about cutting things out is the best. Good luck to you!

Thank you, Henry for that link. Very good info. from Dr. Kuska's link: "Dr. Kremer further shared his thoughts on the big claim of the biotech industry that we need GMOs to feed the world. He also discussed their claim of decreased use of pesticides. There has been a 527 million pound increase in pesticide use since the introduction of transgenic crops." More info. from Dr. Kremer, a soil microbiology professor: " They noticed that every time that they checked this GMO crop that the roots were loaded up with the fungus, Fusarium. Fusarium is a fungus that can be potentially pathogenic. He said his concern was that here we have this new release of crops that are tolerant to Glyphosate yet their root system are piled up with this fungi. He has evaluated several GMO crops over the past 17 years and continues to see increased fungi on their roots." I wish people would quit messing up nature, or what God has created. I find out that I'm allergic to the oil-wax used to coat citrus fruits (esp. lemons). When I use ORGANIC lemons without the oily wax, I have no problems. I find out that they also use cottonseed oil and fungicides to wax lemons. I have a history of being allergic to preservatives such as fungicides Sodium Benzoate and Potassium Sorbate in foods. To be safe, I no longer dunk lemons into water like I used to. Here's an excerpt from below link: " There are 21 fruits and vegetables that may be waxed: apples, avocados, bell peppers, cantaloupes, cucumbers, eggplants, grapefruits, lemons, limes, melons, oranges, parsnips, passion fruits, peaches, rutabagas, tomatoes and turnips. The waxes sometimes contain fungicides. Both the waxes and the fungicides are used to prevent spoilage, the former to retard moisture loss and prevent shriveling, the latter to prevent mold. Any fungicide allowed on the produce as it is grown may also be applied after harvesting, whether under the wax, in combination with it or alone. Seven fungicides are approved for use on food crops after harvesting. Of those only one, benomyl, has undergone a complete review by the EPA. Others are: thiabendazole, ortho-phenylphenol, sodium ortho-phenyl phenate, imazalil, dicloran and sodium borate. The EPA has classified benomyl a possible human carcinogen. In test animals, the chemical has caused birth defects, low sperm counts and mutations. Benomyl is registered for post-harvest use on apples, apricots, bananas, cherries, citrus fruits, mushrooms, nectarines, peaches, pears, pineapples and plums, either with wax or alone." http://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/32358/does-wax-on-citrus-fruit-make-the-zest-unsafe-to-eat-or-compromise-its-flavor Another excerpt from above link to solve the problem with wax on citrus fruits, which impart a bitter taste to the citrus zest. "I've always just used warm (not hot) water, dish soap, and a soft brush to de-wax before zesting, and I've always been happy with the results. However, this question made me curious; in addition to beeswax, apparently carnauba (familiar from the carwash) and shellac are allowed."