Ladies, Lets Go There!

One of the most honoring aspects I've experienced in my friendships with women is their trust to disclose deep, personal, serious, hilarious, and/or embarrassing issues, struggles, and/or stories with me. Authenticity attracts authenticity! So, in the words of my girl Emily, 'lets go there'...and as we ring in this new year I'd like to dedicate this blog to all my ladies in hopes that this will start the conversation n' ya'all with add to it!

Topic #1 - Scary Hairy
The good Lawd giveth and taketh away…He gave me a great head of hair and then didn’t stop there. I have been in a constant battle/all out war with body hair since the third grade. I distinctly remember one day at YMCA day camp some lil’ jackass junior high boy attracting attention to the hair on my legs. Humiliated I was determined to rectify that issue by marching straight home, locking myself in the bathroom, and taking my mother’s old lady razor to my dry hairy legs. Needless to say, this was not my most brilliant moment. However, it was not the most brainless either. No, my most idiotic attempt at hair removal would be the day I bought an Epilady – I know, seriously who even remembers these horrible torture devices? After screaming my way through 5 seconds of Epilady’s vindictive agony I begged my mother to return the devil device that I’d spent my entire month’s allowance on!

Since these futile days of vain conceit, I have shaved, plucked, waxed, and just recently underwent laser hair removal. I’m really in no financial position to keep up with these treatments but I will share that laser hair removal has been my most successful attempt and when I factor in the $70+ I spend each time waxing…well, it may be worth it to once and for all be finished with hair!

Thoughts...stories...feedback...Feel free to weigh in…

Topic #2 - The Glories of Being a Woman
Warning: information in this post may be TMI for those of the male species!

Ask a woman about the first time she got her period and you will undoubtedly have some great material for a stand-up comedy set.

"I thought I was dying"

"My dad found my pad"

"My mom made a special family dinner"

Classic.

My period has always a mind of her own. I 'started' when I was 12 and then Aunt Flo went on vacation for about eight years. Concerned that her extremely non-sexually active 20 year old daughter may have complications 'down-the-road' getting pregnant my mother urged me to go to the gyno. Dr. Pap, convinced that I was lying about being a virgin, recommended I go on birth control to regulate my periods.

Bad, bad, bad advice!

Doctors often seem to leave out nuggets of information...

For instance, had I known about the excruciating pain I would have to endure getting my period for the first time after eight years I would have opted for the roller ball surgery (Hysteroscopic Endometrial Ablation). And why did no one warn me about the possibility of gaining 20lbs or having my boobs swell from a pleasant B to a painful and unruly C?!?!?!

Needless to say, I changed my doctor and learned about getting second and third opinions.

One fabulous invention I have grown to love is the Diva Cup (http://www.divacup.com/). After reading an article about how some tampons actually contain fibers that make women bleed more so that they need to use/BUY more tampons, I decided there had to be another solution. Completely eco-friendly, the Diva Cup may take a little getting used to and is probably not for the squeamish. Of course you should ask your doctor about it - but from my non-doctoral opinion, the Diva Cup is the greatest invention since peanut butter and chocolate!