@michelef - I have read your post before - heart-wrenching just...

@michelef - I have read your post before - heart-wrenching just from knowing you - and I feel I know you personally, because I also had a childhood and youth exposed to nature, nature walks etc. in my native Austria and I also saved your lovely description of the adventures you and your family undertook in the Hills of Western N.S.W. - recently read it again - great life for your boys, too!) and

. . . . because I lost a daughter to breast cancer, now 3 years ago (she passed away just 5 3/4 hrs after my birthday - European time in both instances - so - I didn't celebrate my birthday for the last three years, especially not in 2021 but will celebrate again in 2025! Her life and mine!). As a result of my long mourning process, my health went a bit astray, despite the fact that I have always had robust health.

Now it seems, I need a hysterectomy, because of pre-cancerous tissue having been scraped from my uterus.
Seems many women get low in progesterone (and high in estrogen) in their mid-life (some even before) - weight gain etc. due to high estrogen levels - even though I am losing weight now, I was never huge, but 20kg more than my usual life-long weight, which I then only kept low because of under-eating and being extremely busy.
All that stops when you retire, of course, and my friends used to come to my place 'for the food' and we fed each other. So food is a huge focus when getting older - am just learning to put it back in its proper place, namely healthy and minimal.

The specialist offered me an alternative for the operation of having a 'Mirena' implant, which is a small 'foreign' body attached to the top of the uterus, containing progesterone, which is discharged in small doses - and can last up to 5 years (but will have to be monitored yearly) - which I might decide on doing - I am also going to change my diet, eat less of the starchy sweet foods, which seem to be estrogen-producing -favourites and lean more into my childhood diet of cabbages (all the cabbage vegetables) and other greens as well as various nuts.
I am wondering if there is a product which is made from the native bee propolis and you can recommend?

Length of life: none of us know, when we are finally called up to leave this world, I have also given myself a 'date' - which spurs me on not to waste my time on nonsense - and and try for maximum wholesomeness with and to people around me - which I don't always achieve, but it is important to have that focus - and you seem to have that in oodles - taking part in research etc.
You are a wonderful lady
all the best to you and I hope your Valentines Day will be beautiful.
X
Taurisk