My biopsies came back clear, so I have no cancer to fear! I am SO relieved. I wasn't that worried about it, but little by little as the days passed I found the thoughts creeping into my head more and more. "What if it IS cancer?" Yikes. I am very happy not to have that to worry about! :)
Life is good and marriage is even better. I am so madly in love and we are so damn compatible that life is rosey as hell right now! Every once in awhile I find myself worrying and waiting for something to happen. Life has never been this happy for me and I find it kind of eerie, but I'm trying not to look this HUGE gift horse in the mouth. :)
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Biopsies
Two biopsies are done and now I wait for the results. I know damn well that they are going to come out normal. The doc also did a PAP smear and that has already come back normal. I'm far too mean and feisty to be dying at 45... LOL The endometrial (uterine lining) biopsies are NOT fun, but they were quick. Once we rule out cancer, I will have a full pelvic ultrasound to rule out any other weird cause of the nasty bleeding that I had. If those all come back clear, I have 3 choices to deal with the bleeding:
1. Hormone pills.
~This doesn't excite me because birth control pills give me AWFUL headaches and lots of bloating, weight gain and moodiness. I would rather bleed out monthly than take those, to be frank.
2. IUD.
~I don't like IUDs. I have never had one but the knowledge of how they work is bothersome to me. I learned years ago that they do not prevent pregnancy when used as a birth control method - they only prevent the embryo from implanting. ICK. I don't need an IUD for birth control, but I fear uterine perforation and the endless bleeding that some women experience when using one. Not to mention that this type of IUD secretes the same hormones as above. :(
3. Endometrial Ablation.
~This basically is a procedure to BURN OUT the lining of the uterus, leaving it scarred and unable to build monthly. This makes for very light or non-existent periods. Sounds great..? NO. My uterus is tipped and the risk of burning my colon is large. I have GREAT fear of my internal organs being burned as a method of treating another medical issue. Besides, can you say OUCH???? Weeks of bleeding and passing charred chunks of my uterus does NOT appeal to me.
So, I see NO OPTION. If this is all hormonally caused, I am screwed until I hit menopause. The doc doesn't want to remove my uterus. She says that is now a "last choice". Great... Any feedback here is greatly appreciated!
1. Hormone pills.
~This doesn't excite me because birth control pills give me AWFUL headaches and lots of bloating, weight gain and moodiness. I would rather bleed out monthly than take those, to be frank.
2. IUD.
~I don't like IUDs. I have never had one but the knowledge of how they work is bothersome to me. I learned years ago that they do not prevent pregnancy when used as a birth control method - they only prevent the embryo from implanting. ICK. I don't need an IUD for birth control, but I fear uterine perforation and the endless bleeding that some women experience when using one. Not to mention that this type of IUD secretes the same hormones as above. :(
3. Endometrial Ablation.
~This basically is a procedure to BURN OUT the lining of the uterus, leaving it scarred and unable to build monthly. This makes for very light or non-existent periods. Sounds great..? NO. My uterus is tipped and the risk of burning my colon is large. I have GREAT fear of my internal organs being burned as a method of treating another medical issue. Besides, can you say OUCH???? Weeks of bleeding and passing charred chunks of my uterus does NOT appeal to me.
So, I see NO OPTION. If this is all hormonally caused, I am screwed until I hit menopause. The doc doesn't want to remove my uterus. She says that is now a "last choice". Great... Any feedback here is greatly appreciated!
Sunday, July 5, 2009
TMI to the extreme
If you have a weak stomach, DO NOT READ THIS. This involved a womanly function to its extreme.
I've had a heck of a week. I started bleeding monday. It seemed like an early period, but it was something I had NEVER seen. It started with me passing a clot the size of a baseball. YES. A BASEBALL. I thought it odd but treated it as normal until 45 minutes later when I had already saturated a super plus tampon completely! Ok - time to add in an overnight maxi pad for extra protection. An hour later, both were 100% full and I mean FULL. It was obviously picking up steam and I started to get a little worried. This continued night and day without pause for 2 days, when it got WORSE. I was passing huge clots and saturating my arsenal of protection every 30 minutes! I was very pale and feeling very weak and dizzy. It occured to me that "toughing it out" wasn't working for me any longer, so I called the 24 hour nurse helpline. The nurse sounded almost panicky when I told her what I had been experiencing. She advised that I not be alone, keep my legs elevated and have someone call 911 immediately if I did indeed pass out. She also said "get to the hospital quickly". I was lying there on my bed, honestly thinking about whether or not to go. I HATE the amount of time it takes when you go to the hospital. It seems FAR too drawn out and I have never understood why they cannot just check the patients in, see them, do labs or films as required and either admit or discharge them! Why does it have to take 3-5 hours????
So anyway, my mom showed up out of the blue and took one look at me and ordered me to get up and go with her to the hospital. So off we went. By the time I got there I was even more dizzy and I was feeling like things were worsening even more. I was relieved to get some medical help at that point. The doctor was amazed at the amount of blood I was losing, and ordered an IV for fluids immediately. She did an exam and needed a new lab coat afterwards, but she said very little about her impression of what was going on. She advised that I make an appointment with my OB/GYN right away and gave me some progesterone pills to take to slow the bleeding. I spent a few days just regaining my energy but I am feeling better (except for this blasted sinus infection I now have! Grrr) Tomorrow morning I will go to the OB/GYN and see what they have to say. The nurse advised me that she believes that the doc will do a uterine biopsy and an ultrasound at a minimum. OUCH! I am NOT looking forward to the biopsy... :(
I feel like it's some kind of a hormonal issue and I will be fine, but we will see what the doc says tomorrow. Any positive energy and/or healing energy welcome!
I've had a heck of a week. I started bleeding monday. It seemed like an early period, but it was something I had NEVER seen. It started with me passing a clot the size of a baseball. YES. A BASEBALL. I thought it odd but treated it as normal until 45 minutes later when I had already saturated a super plus tampon completely! Ok - time to add in an overnight maxi pad for extra protection. An hour later, both were 100% full and I mean FULL. It was obviously picking up steam and I started to get a little worried. This continued night and day without pause for 2 days, when it got WORSE. I was passing huge clots and saturating my arsenal of protection every 30 minutes! I was very pale and feeling very weak and dizzy. It occured to me that "toughing it out" wasn't working for me any longer, so I called the 24 hour nurse helpline. The nurse sounded almost panicky when I told her what I had been experiencing. She advised that I not be alone, keep my legs elevated and have someone call 911 immediately if I did indeed pass out. She also said "get to the hospital quickly". I was lying there on my bed, honestly thinking about whether or not to go. I HATE the amount of time it takes when you go to the hospital. It seems FAR too drawn out and I have never understood why they cannot just check the patients in, see them, do labs or films as required and either admit or discharge them! Why does it have to take 3-5 hours????
So anyway, my mom showed up out of the blue and took one look at me and ordered me to get up and go with her to the hospital. So off we went. By the time I got there I was even more dizzy and I was feeling like things were worsening even more. I was relieved to get some medical help at that point. The doctor was amazed at the amount of blood I was losing, and ordered an IV for fluids immediately. She did an exam and needed a new lab coat afterwards, but she said very little about her impression of what was going on. She advised that I make an appointment with my OB/GYN right away and gave me some progesterone pills to take to slow the bleeding. I spent a few days just regaining my energy but I am feeling better (except for this blasted sinus infection I now have! Grrr) Tomorrow morning I will go to the OB/GYN and see what they have to say. The nurse advised me that she believes that the doc will do a uterine biopsy and an ultrasound at a minimum. OUCH! I am NOT looking forward to the biopsy... :(
I feel like it's some kind of a hormonal issue and I will be fine, but we will see what the doc says tomorrow. Any positive energy and/or healing energy welcome!
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