Hey mofos!

Whew-- funny how time flies when you're having fun and hot flashes--or whatever Janet Jackson sang. 

Can you believe a year ago this week, I had a melt down in the pre-op room and was knocked out before I even got to the operating room and I broke up with my uterus, cervix, and fallopian tubes?! 

So, how have me and my ovaries been since we ejected the issues causing the fibroids? I'm glad you asked! 

It has been a joy to not have a period every month, bleeding through my clothes and anything in my wake. It has been a joy to be able to leave the house and not worry about ruining my clothes and being embarrassed. I had gotten to the point where I had to change my double pads + a tampon every 30 minutes. That's no way to be. 

My stomach doesn't look 6-7 months pregnant, BUT I'd give it a 3-4 month look, unless the swelly belly decides to take place and then it's back to the 5-6 month look. Swelly belly is basically swelling like it would if you sprained your ankle and was on it for a while when it hasn't quite healed. So, if I'm standing up for a long time or stressed--hello swelling. My iron levels are AMAZING and holding steady and I was finally released from getting it checked every 3 months and no more iron infusions.. amen! 

Having iron levels steady and normal have allowed my hair to start growing back and it's THICK, my nails are stronger, my skin doesn't look so dried out, and my eyebrows are coming back in. So for those that wondered why I was wearing wigs when I have hair.. the point was I HAD hair but then I didn't so I resorted to wearing wigs and clip ins to cover it--now I don't have to but I still do for Check the Rhymes TV cuz I don't wanna do my hair half the time LOL. 

I decided to try HRT (hormone replacement therapy) because I still felt off, wasn't sleeping well, and the hot flashes were intermittent but they were fast and furious when they would occur, my skin was having the most random break outs, and shall we discuss the amount of dandruff and dismay, along with vaginal dryness (TMI but if you listen to the Ladies Edition Podcast you'll hear even more). I also found it was increasingly hard to lose weight no matter how hard I tried-- past the 11 pounds I lost a few months ago. (I put 4 of em back on). So I FINALLY found a doctor that tested my ish and I was low on progesterone, testosterone, and my estrogen was good (shout out to them good ovaries). So we tried a testosterone gel-- for me, it didn't do much, my skin wasn't absorbing it, but it does cause hair loss so I was like NAWL my ish just started growing back after fibroids and low iron damaged it so bad. We started me on progestin which is a bio-identical drug (yes I did my research and even talked to the Menopause doc about it since she was a guest on the podcast and prescribes natural remedies). Immediately I was sleeping at night, and my skin was clearing up, the night sweats weren't AS bad and lawd the dryness went away! AMENNNNNNNN now I guess you're wondering how the secks is? I don't know yet--I was scared to do it until I was SURE all the stitches were gone and everything was healed because I know too many stories about things going wrong when you ain't healed all the way EVEN if the doctor says it's okay. But to each her own, I ain't judging. Pelvic floor exercises are your friend--trust me!

Anyhoo, I also started a super low low low dose of estrogen--in the form of a patch because I was having some intense hot flashes when triggered (one person and their drama was sending me to the freezer to stick my head in it every time they called and call). The day I left the dentist office chair soaking wet and my clothes drenched, I knew I needed some help. Perimenopause can be hell on a girl. Some people have random pains, joint aching, and unexplained weight gain. I started to ease off the estrogen because of the insane mood swings, but realized my body just had to get used to that extra lil dose. Now, it seems to be all good. If only this belly fat would slide off, I'd be even better. 

So, I say all that to say I don't regret having the surgery at all. I just wish I had done it sooner. Sometimes I do think about what could have been if I had birthed some chirren but the way these fibroids sat on my bladder and caused intense cravings and on and on, but ultimately I had to choose me and that meant choosing a better quality of life. I am still working on the mental aspect of not having those parts anymore, but 99% of the time, I'm okay unless it's around when it would have been my time of the month and PMS hits (yes that still happens cuz I have my ovaries) then I'm ugly crying about WHYYYYYYYYYYY knowing damn hell well I don't mean that. 

I do find that I no longer want to write about fertility ANYTHING and wish publicists would stop sending me press releases etc--but they don't know about me and my journey so I get it, they are just doing their job. 

Some of you may be asking if the Ladies Edition podcast is returning, and the answer is I'm not sure. We both had to choose healing and cutting drama and toxicity out of our lives before we can give you our best selves, but for now, those 10 amazing episodes are still available anywhere podcasts stream. 

Happy Anniversary to me choosing me and my health! 

~Meik

Hey Mofos!

Y'all know I hates me a cheater right? If you forgot, then comb thru the archives on here and you'll remember how this blog even got started! Anyhoo, THEEEEEE Tami Roman is hosting a new VH1 show called "Caught in the Act: Unfaithful" and it's a remix of the classic show "Cheaters" even tho she says it's not THAT show. It has some strong similarities, with a hint of education and hood thrown in for good measure. 

Anyhoo, Tami and I chopped it up on Check the Rhymes, peep it out here:

Have you ever caught someone in the act? Do tell! 

~Meik

Hey y'all hey mofos! 

This month the blog turned 13 years old. I have a whole ass teenager! Be sure to grab some limited edition Mofo merch! 

I started this blog after writing for Yahoo 360 (talk about a throwback) for a couple of years. I then took my writing and rants to Myspace for a spell, before going to Facebook. After that, it was kind of like-- wow, people are reading and I need a platform, but what to call it?

The Mofo Chronicles was born in 2009. Just months after one of the worst experiences of my life, I needed an outlet desperately. I needed to write and hope that someone could see thru the words and get what I was trying to say without saying it outright, but then it took on more of a life of its own by becoming a place to write about these trashy dating streets and lessons learned in life. 

You guys kept reading even when I stopped writing for months at a time. I created the blog as a trauma response to being sexually assaulted by someone that I thought was cool people-- I'll share that story another day. Honestly, I have shared part of the story, but you had to really be paying attention to know that it wasn't someone else, it was my story--watered down. I was also still not really dealing with a breakup that had happened years prior, I was miserable in my job, and I also decided in 2009 that grad school on top of starting a new blog is a great way to not deal with anything. 

I have to thank my soror SD for always helping me with the aesthetics of the blog and even the backend. It didn't even occur to me until 2 years ago that my ass should have monetized this thing. With over half a million views.. WTF TOOK ME SO LONG? 

So I partnered with the She Media Network and I'm learning so much about blogging and loving it. 

I launched a YouTube channel with Mofo Vlogs before I flipped it and reversed it and along with my team of Suite 929 TV-- Check the Rhymes was born. 

Here's a throwback of a Mofo Vlog: 

Fun times eh? Well I got bored rehashing the same stories, and pulling off a show talking to yourself ain't my forte.. but I love Check the Rhymes and it still has some elements of The Mofo Chronicles infused into it.. 

Hey Mofos! 

Happy New Year and all that jazz! I kicked off the new year with a new interview of course with some old friends--Siggy and Toyia Jackson! Siggy is the son of Jackie Jackson --yes..THAT Jackie from the Jackson 5, Jacksons, Jackson family, the eldest Jackson son.. you get the point. I met Toyia and Siggy when they were doing their radio show Jackson Truth Radio in 2012.  I visited L.A. and stopped by the station and they weren't dating at the time, so it's so amazing to see their evolution as a married couple. I also interviewed Siggy aka Dealz for my first paid article and then again here on the blog! We go waaaaaaayyyyyy back! 

They came on Check the Rhymes to talk about their production company, music artists, and new projects they are working on and of course, the Jackson family. Check out the interview:

Stay tuned for more exciting content in 2022! 

~Meik

Heyyyyyy Mofos!

I had the pleasure of chatting with the legendary Karen Clark Sheard on Check the Rhymes! 

She is starring in a new film on OWN called "Song & Story: Amazing Grace," that airs on 12/21, so make sure you tune in! 

Here's the audio interview here:

Hey Mofos!

I am sooooo hype because one of my favorite shows is back! "The Game" is back AGAIN but this time on Paramount Plus. New episodes drop every week. Anyhoo, I was beyond hype when I got the opportunity to chat with Wendy Raquel Robinson and Hosea Chanchez about the show being resurrected again. Peep the interview here on Check the Rhymes TV:

Don't y'all just love Tasha Mack and Malik El DeBarge Wright? 

Who are your fav characters from the show? 

Until Later, 

~Meik

Hey Mofos!

I had the best convo with one of my favs, B. Scott. They were one of the ones I used to watch on YouTube doing celeb interviews before I switched gears and started doing them. Anyhoo, B. Scott is making more history with a talk show on BET-- after suing the network years ago! 

B. Scott talked a lot about the power of forgiveness so you can remain open to new opportunities. A WORD! 

Check out our convo on Check the Rhymes here:

Have you checked out the show yet? 

~Meik 

Hey Mofos!

I absolutely love when The Prince of Sophisticated Soul drops new music, and I especially enjoy chatting with him about it. When Will Downing and I get together it's always a fun time. This time we chatted about his 25th album "Sophisticated Soul," and as usual I went off script asking him random things. Check out the interview here on Check the Rhymes TV. 

Do you have a favorite Will Downing song? 

~Meik

Hey Mofos!

F Fibroids and everything they stand for period. F everybody that has no idea what a woman dealing with fibroids goes thru and making pregnancy assumptions and on and on. If you are utterly confused about what fibroids are, then read more here. 

What's wrong with you Meik????

I'm glad you asked! I'm fed up. 

If you recall in 2013 I had a myomectomy for fibroids which led to the nerve damage in my leg. Fast forward to 2020--them mofos returned. I swear I didn't leave the welcome mat out, but they have camped out in my and on my uterus making themselves at home, draining my iron and well.. I'm not going into that story either.. read it here.  

But I'm not about to go into my medical history here--what I do want to address is the mental anguish that one goes thru with this ish. 

I've been working with a dietician, working out, all the things you're supposed to do and my stomach keeps expanding. I know it's the fibroids causing bloating and everything else because the uterus is larger than it should be. Hell the first time I had fibroids, my uterus was the size of someone that was 5 or 6 months pregnant. This time, it's not AS big, but it's still outchea.  I was at an event a few weeks ago, not realizing the more stressed I was getting, the more my stomach kept bloating--weird, but it does that. I hate wearing dresses because of my stomach, but I pushed that fear aside and thought I was cute..only for someone to walk up to me during intermission and ask if I was pregnant. Knocking down any ounce of self esteem I had built up for myself before I left the house in that outfit. 

I went thru about 50'levum emotions and wanting to run and hide was at the top of the list. First of all, you don't ask someone if they are pregnant. If they are and they want you to know, they will tell you. This even reminds me of another event a few years ago, I posted a photo on social media and the first thing a guy said (notice it's always the dumb ass men) was that I looked like I had been eating a ton. 

Now, if you have ever been out to eat with me, you already know I barely eat as it is so no, I was not eating a ton but even if I was, that's not for a mofo to point out! RUDE. 

I realized thru my EFT Tapping that these fibroids have literally had me hiding behind them for years. Every guy I dated put me down-- but in my head, that's okay, I'm fat cuz of fibroids, so I get it. Each one constantly commented on my weight--making me feel like I was never good enough, pretty enough, and then they would never commit. Spoiler alert-- they didn't and I wasted my time for years with this last one but that's another story.  I took that on as my burden to bear that I deserved to be treated like that because fibroids (ok well that ill-skilled doctor), my leg, and anything else I could come up with.  (WROOOOONG--thank gawd for healing and therapy). One even told me I was shaped funny before I even knew I had fibroids. That comment never left, it just got louder in my head. All of their comments became who I was. Scared and convinced that nobody would want me if I was fat. Let's not even get into the fact that I haven't worn heels really since 2013, but mofos be so loud on social media and in person about how their woman MUST wear heels and must have this length of hair and you get the point. My hair was coming out, and all the other issues that the anemia I had developed thanks to the fibroids were wreaking havoc on me.  I was failing in all those areas. 

Meeting new people would freak me out sometimes because I wondered if they are thinking why is her stomach so big and the rest of her isn't? IS she pregnant? WHAT IS GOING ON?! 

I started to self-sabotage because I couldn't handle the thought of someone asking me anything, even on-air job opportunities.  I just hid, behind these fibroids.  So why am I talking about this? My EFT practitioner told me I need to own the story and not to let the fibroids run it anymore. 

So.. no more hiding. F THOSE FIBROIDS. 

With or without fibroids, I'm me. I'm the one interviewing your favs, I'm the one writing some of the articles you are reading, running this blog and writing it, working a jobby job, and putting myself back out there in the dating world. I've gotten my confidence back, building it one brick at a time over the years, there are still those days where my stomach has me so uncomfortable that I'm ready to remove the fibroids my damn self. But here's what I know, these fibroids don't run my damn life--I run it. They just happen to be inside of me for the time being. These fibroids don't determine my worthiness, nor do they dictate if I would make a great wife or step mammy. I'm still me. These extra pounds and the number on the scale don't determine if I'm good enough or if I'm talented, or even if I'm worth being in a relationship with. I also am working on ignoring the chatter and the rudeness of those that don't know any better. I can't let people's opinions get in my head. Check the Rhymes needs me and I need it, so there's no room for so and so thinks this or that. F YO OPINION! If a guy can't accept this is how I look right now.. f him too. hell. 

When I get these broids removed.. It's over for you hoes! LOL Imma be out here in crop tops all year round LOL. Just kidding.. or am I?

Anyway, I just hope this encourages others that may be dealing with fibroids and the mental gymnastics it does. Keep your head up sis. We got this! And for everybody else, you never know what people are dealing with-- don't assume ish. 

~Meik

Hey Mofos!

Anthony. Hamilton. Period. 

Really that's all that needs to be said, but I'll add some extra words for fun. I had the opportunity to catch up with Anthony about his new album "Love is the New Black." When I tell you this is a no-skip album that is full of Teddy P/Isley Brothers feels--whewww jeeezus. There is no reason y'all should be outchea lying saying ain't no R&B when Hamilton puts out quality music. 

Anyhoo.. we had a grand time feeling like we were in the country gossiping on the porch sippin on sweet tea under the Carolina sun--ok in reality.. I was on my lil set and he was at his house but still.. you get the point! 

Check out the interview here-- who knew he was so silly and fun? I mean I did, but now you do! 

Let me know, what's your favorite Anthony Hamilton song? Hard to pick one ain't it? 

~Meik

Hey Mofos! 

It's time for "Insecure" to kick off it's 5th and final season and I don't know about you, I AM NOT READY! I had the opportunity to chat with actress Yvonne Orji for PARADE Magazine and Check the Rhymes about a new docuseries raising awareness around the disparities Black women face in healthcare. We also talked about raising awareness about triple-negative breast cancer, plus we had to get into Molly and Issa's friendship! Now, I know Orji has been getting a bad rap on social media these past couple of weeks, but she was pleasant to chat with during my interview. 

Check out the interview here: 

What are you most excited for this season? Are you Team Issa or Team Lawrence?

"Insecure" premieres on HBO tonight! 

I can't wait to check this out! 

~Meik

Hey Mofos!

It's that time of year when VH1's "Black Ink Crew: Chicago" returns! It's season 7 can you believe that? I was super hype to chat with Charmaine Bey and Ryan Henry again about what we can expect this season and more. You KNOWWWW I had to ask Ryan about being triflin and you don't wanna miss his answer! The show premieres 10/4 on VH1--check your local listings chile for the time. 

Catch the interview here on Check the Rhymes TV:

Charmaine and her strength continues to wow me. 

Will you be tuned in this season? Who is your fav on the show? 

~Meik