As told to Nicole Audrey Spector I noticed something was off when, despite tons of cardio, I started gaining weight. I also felt pressure in my lower abdomen — like there was a golf ball pressing inside my right side. And I could feel something when I pressed down on the area. Concerned, I made… Read More »
What Doctors Said Was Perimenopause Turned Out to Be Uterine Fibroids
As told to Nicole Audrey Spector July is Fibroids Awareness month. I was on birth control pills for most of my adult life, and in my early 40s, I had my tubes tied to prevent pregnancy. After the surgery, which is called a tubal ligation, I began having extremely heavy and painful periods. They were… Read More »
Living with Ovarian Cancer Was Tough, But the Lessons I Learned Led to Lasting Joy and Clarity
As told to Nicole Audrey Spector I was 48 years old when I felt sudden, stabbing pain in my lower right abdomen. The pain came and went, and I didn’t worry too much about it at first. But one night, the pain got so bad I thought I was going to die. I had a… Read More »
Fibroids Make Intimacy & Honoring My Religion Challenging
As told to Nicole Audrey Spector From the very beginning, my periods were abnormally long and heavy and often debilitating. As a teenager, I would sometimes bleed through my clothing — even when wearing a pad and/or tampon. In ninth grade, I bonded over embarrassment with a new friend who loaned me her jacket to… Read More »
I’m Donating My Brain to Science After My Mom Got Dementia
June is Alzehimer’s and brain Awareness Month. As told to Nicole Audrey Spector “Why would you donate your brain to science?” It’s a question I’ve been asked a lot since I decided to, well, donate my brain to science. The answer? It begins with love. In my case, it’s my love for the 13 women… Read More »
I Use an Ostomy Bag Because of Crohn’s Disease
As told to Nicole Audrey Spector It all started back in 2003 when I was 13 years old. I was anemic, falling asleep while sitting up and dangerously skinny despite eating normally. My mom took me to a doctor to get checked out. The doctor’s immediate conclusion? Disordered eating. My mom and I are close… Read More »
Rape Is a Lifelong Condition — But It No Longer Defines Me
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. I was a 22-year-old record label manager with siren-red dyed hair the night I was attacked at knifepoint in front of my New York City apartment door. The stranger bound, blindfolded and brutally raped me for hours. I did not float above my body and watch the events from… Read More »
Painting Gave Me a Precious World All My Own While Caregiving for My Husband with Alzheimer’s Disease
As told to Nicole Audrey Spector I knew my husband, Bob, had Alzheimer’s disease before anyone else did, including Bob. He was only 65 years old, but he had some of the telltale symptoms, including forgetfulness and absentmindedness, which were highly unusual for him. Bob was whip smart and incredibly high-functioning, a former journalist. But… Read More »
My Colon Cancer Was Dismissed as Pregnancy Symptoms
As told to Nicole Audrey Spector When I got pregnant with my first child at the age of 29, I knew that I would likely have some uncomfortable moments ahead. But starting in my second trimester, I felt much worse than I expected. I had terrible cramping on my left side. I was also constipated… Read More »
You Can’t Choose Your Genes
As told to Erica Rimlinger I was 41 and had spent a lovely day visiting with my mother at her home in Victoria, Canada. As she said goodnight and closed the guest room door, she lobbed a bomb: “Your brother has cancer. Good night!” Did she think I could just go to sleep after hearing… Read More »
Caregiving During Covid – HealthyWomen
As told to Shannon Shelton Miller March 3, 2023, is Caregiver Appreciation Day. My mother is 71 and living with dementia. My older sister and I have been her primary caregivers for four years, and I’m also married with two young children, 7 and 5 years old. Yes, I’m a member of the sandwich generation… Read More »
Long Covid Symptoms Ended My Time as a C-Suite Executive
As told to Nicole Audrey Spector In December 2021, I was fully vaxxed and boosted against Covid and ready to fully enjoy the holidays for the first time since before the pandemic when I suddenly began feeling ill. Sore throat. Achiness. Headache. Incredible fatigue. This was when the omicron variant was sweeping the nation and… Read More »
Lindsey Vonn: After I Tore My ACL, My Sleep Went Downhill
As told to Erica Rimlinger March is Sleep Awareness Month. Have you ever counted sheep to fall asleep? My approach was a little different on nights before big races. I’d shut my eyes and instead of counting sheep, I’d start counting gates in a race course. I’d visualize the downhill course from the starting gate… Read More »
Living With Multiple Sclerosis Means Always Being My Own Advocate
As told to Nicole Audrey Spector When I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) almost seven years ago, the world nearly stopped for me. For a moment, I envisioned all the worst-case scenarios that MS could bring. I thought of not dancing at my daughters’ weddings. Of never traveling with my husband again. Of the… Read More »
Mis síntomas de Covid-19 persistente parecían ser tristeza cuando perdí a mi pareja
Tal como lo relataron aNicole Audrey Spector Cuando me enfermé por primera vez con Covid-19 en enero de 2021, hice lo más que pude para cuidarme, pero fue difícil. En ese momento exacto, Richard, mi pareja, con quien mantuve una relación de 17 años, acababa de perder a su padre debido a complicaciones de la… Read More »
I Had Quadruple Bypass Surgery at 48
As told to Jacquelyne Froeber I felt the first real symptoms on Christmas Day. I was walking our family dog uphill through the neighborhood when I felt a strange tightness in my chest. “That’s weird,” I thought. I noticed I was slightly out of breath, too. By the time I got home, the tightness was… Read More »
Sex Toys Helped Me Discover the Beauty & Pleasure of Self-Love
As told to Nicole Audrey Spector Growing up, sex wasn’t something that was openly discussed in our home. I learned everything about it from movies and television shows. Then there was sex ed class, of course, which taught that unless a man and woman were married and looking to reproduce, sex was bad, bad, bad.… Read More »
