The Lighter Side of: Hot Flashes

I have suffered hot flashes for years - on and off from age 14 to age 27, and then consistently since, especially after my hysterectomy.
Hot flashes can be terrible. They can contribute to night sweats, they can be almost unbearable at times, and they can prevent you from hiding any emotion, since they can be triggered by any minor embarrassment.

With that said, there are lighter sides to hot flashes!
The Lighter Side of Hot Flashes include being able to wear dresses in the winter - just add a sweater, really.
Hot flashes can definitely make your emotions known when you are feeling too shy to express them outrightly. Getting red hot in the face is a pretty good indication that you are not comfortable in a particular situation or with a topic of conversation.
Plus, hot flashes are a pretty good excuse to just sleep in the nude. Or hang out at home in shorts all year round.
And if you feel at all cold, start talking about an uncomfortable topic or something that makes you angry - BAM - hot flash. Not cold anymore.

Sure, they may be frustrating 90% of the time, but there is a bright side!

Morbid Bright Side

Sometimes, if the bright side of situations is difficult to find, you may have to dive into the depths of morbid humour.

While I can feel quite frustrated, once in a while, if I start to think about all of the illness, all of the pain and surgery, all of the modifications I have made to accommodate my body, it helps to think of really strange 'light sides' of my situation.
It can get a little dark though.

I had a thought the other day.
In order to have a plan for when to have a family, or if a couple decides not to have children, or when a family is complete, most couples have to take specific measures to prevent unplanned pregnancies.
Couples may rely on birth control pills, on latex goalies, or one may decide to make a permanent alteration. To have a more reliable type of birth control, some women have their tubes tied, and some men may have vasectomies.

Now that I have had a full hysterectomy and bilateral oophorectomy (done out of medical necessity), some of those other forms of birth control are not required.
I never have to subject my body to birth control pills or injections. I do not have any organs to place an IUD or have my tubes tied. There is no reason for my husband to ever get a vasectomy, and with those risks removed, no latex goalies either. Plus, my surgery did exactly what it was meant to do: help ease some of the pelvic pain that I have experienced for years.

While I do not advocate for women to jump in line for elective hysterectomies, I do find it comforting to make lists of all of the benefits that come with such a drastic and necessary surgery.

If you must go through something, you may as well try to make the best of it.

So I said to my hubby the other day:

"You know what's great about being with me? I will never ask you to get a vasectomy!"
He looked at me very strangely.
:)