Jan 16, 2018
Julia was very emotional this past week, and she did in fact forget to change her patch one day this week, and the two may be related. Sarah went to an event about women’s health, with a cardiologist and a brain scientist - and they were asked about hormone replacement therapy effects on brain and heart. Turns out affects are much lower/smaller with patch or topicals than with ingestibles.
We know from reading this book, but it’s still news to people that heart disease is the main killer of women, more than all cancers combined. They talked about how heart attacks show up differently in men and women - it manifests very differently. And that they’ve spent so much time studying men and their heart health issues, not as much time on women. And Omega-3 is really good for women. Eat fish! Plus reduce sugar - it’s really bad for the brain.
For Julia’s work she must sit in a recliner chair in a dark room, which she calls a high-class problem, but she doesn’t get a chance to work out routinely. But she realizes she needs to make better choices in terms of diet and bring in exercise when she can. Not everyone likes kale, but hey, more for Sarah. Julia has had trouble with taking the calcium/magnesium/vitamin D pills - they can affect the digestive tract. Bear that in mind.
Sarah asked her physician about hormone replacement therapy and whether it was appropriate for her. The Dr. said that HRT is prescribed when someone is not feeling WELL, and that Sarah seemed to her Doctor to be doing well. (And Sarah feels she is, too.) So for Sarah it’s more about a few symptoms - the heart palpitations and having her period again. Not about the out of balance feeling that led Julia to seek HRT in the first place. The Murderous Rage.
Bible Study - Chapter 3 - Coming Home to Yourself, from Dependence to Healthy Autonomy
Sarah felt like the chapter spoke to her - there’s a whole different dynamic in her household with her son away at college. Some sadness, but it’s not all bad. Sarah went through a lot of changes when she became a Mom. She was pregnant, got married and stopped working all at the same time. Her husband was the sole provider and she lost a sense of herself. It rocked her world and she didn’t like it. She got to a place where she didn’t take care of herself at all and felt it would have been selfish to even eat well or set boundaries. Finally she had an awakening and realized that made no sense. It took years to really learn how, but she started taking care of herself and not feeling bad about it. And setting good boundaries. She sees people doing this over and over and over again and she wishes she could tell them to stop! It’s not worth it!
Julia talks about being a boss and making sure her team members know what boundaries she has for them and the metrics by which their work can be judged. Clarity. And a great boss! The chapter talks again about the disparity between men and women when it comes to wage earning and housework - and all the things that would fit under that definition. So many things! Julia felt many of things in the chapter didn’t apply to her, as an older mom of a younger child. Plus she had the ability to keep working once she had her daughter, so she didn’t have those personal definition changes happen in her life the same way it happened to Sarah. Julia was financially independent before meeting her husband - bought her home by herself, etc. For Sarah it was different. While she earned a living and could pay rent, it took a while to really achieve financial maturity.
One of the necessary steps is being willing to take an unflinching look at your money and how you spend it - and it can be really hard to do. Plus - do you know where everything is - like the insurance papers, deeds, etc… It makes us both want to do inventory and clean out clutter in our offices and homes.
Sarah admits she has tons of photos of her kids sitting around, not getting themselves into albums and she has decided to get them done! Then the ladies chat about the differences between the digital photo reality we live in now and the analog, printed photographs world we used to live in. Julia even started a blog in 2006 to show off her photos of her working trip to Mexico because it was so much easier than emailing scanned photos to people she knew. And, as a bonus, it was what inspired Sarah to begin blogging! And now Sarah can teach Julia about SEO… Julia wonders what finances and independence is like for Millennial women - and in the future for her daughter - what generational differences will there be? And the ladies discuss the divide between moms who work outside the home and those who stay home (and may not work). Sarah met a woman this week whose first question to her was “Do you work?” It was such a strange thing!
How Hot Was Your Flash? Sarah had none this week, even after a big cheat day. No hot flashes for Julia, either. Yay!