Goodbye 'Auntie Flo,' Hello World!

I could hardly believe my eyes! Blotchy red patches graced my plump cheeks, making one of the many side effects of my monthly hormone shot all too real.

"I'm supposed to have a Christmas picture taken today! Great, just great! Now, what am I supposed to do?" I blurt out.

"Oh, just smile and take your picture. It only looks like you have rosy cheeks and it's the holidays, so it will all be fine," family members encouraged.

After having a complete hysterectomy in my early twenties, I still hadn't grown accustomed to all the "lovely" occurrences it continued to bring. Night sweats visited me regularly, but they hung around during the day, too! How gross is that? Always feeling the need to shower is not pretty. Increased weight gain plagued me like I don't know what, and migraines filled my life with misery.

Oh, my sweet mother tried to encourage me, saying things like, "Look on the bright side! 'Auntie Flo' doesn't come around anymore." I mean, come on! Aunt Flo? Who comes up with these things anyway? Of course, I didn't feel any better, no matter who tried to console me or what they said.

Mood swings ruled me now, taking over my body like I had been abducted by aliens or something. I'm like, "Where did Michele go?" I can't believe this is my life!

Making a joke of it, I'd kid around saying, "My baby-making factory shut down and moved to Mexico." How funny is that? Ha ha…

Trying to figure out how to cope with this new life of mine, I attempted countless different diets, battled depression, went from laughing to crying and then giggling until my side hurt. (Yes, it sounds psychotic).

My little brother's favorite motto is: "It's always darkest just before dawn." It's true. Now, in my early thirties, I feel that the best is yet to come! I'm only just now entering my prime and with the mercy and grace of God, I can only imagine what He has planned for me.

It's been several years now since my surgery and I've made even more discoveries about myself. Thanks to Mom's advice, herbal teas and tonics have transformed my life. Hormonal harmony is the road I'm currently walking on and I'm thrilled about that!

I've pretty much adjusted to it all and even encourage others that it isn't so bad and I do have to admit, "I'm happy that Auntie Flo packed her bags and left this building!" Goodbye Auntie Flo, hello world!

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