And the latest saga continues....
I went to a GI recently to try and figure out why my digestion is so terrible. He sent me to get a CT scan of my GI tract. Guess what? They didn't find anything wrong. He can't explain why I bloat and am so gassy. Sometimes it is so bad, I can literally hear my intestines fill with air. The doctor would like me to swallow a camera, strap on the tape, and hang out all day while the camera goes through my intestines. Problem is, my insurance won't pay for it because it is a new procedure.
This leaves me to either 1) not to it or, 2) pay for it myself. I chose option 1. The doctor didn't find anything wrong in the CT scan so he isn't sure. This means he is kinda shooting in the dark. I am not ready to pay for a guess just yet. But, he did find a large nodule on my uterus and suggested I go to a OBGYN.
Lucky for me, I already had an appointment set up in two weeks. The doctor sent over the CT scan, and I then went to my surgical consultation to see what Dr. Gemmell had to say.
Let me start with the clinic: it is great, with all women doctors, a comfortable waiting room, and a nice staff, but I have NEVER had to wait that long for my appointment. All told, Eric and I were in the office for over three hours. Most of that was not with a doctor.
That said, Dr Gemmell thinks I have endometriosis. Hmmm, haven't I heard about this before? Here is the thing...at least this time she is doing a laparoscopy to determine if I have endometriosis. If I do, then she is doing a hysteroscopy. Yes, that is right, she is removing my uterus through the same holes she made for the laparoscopy.
I don't know how I feel about this. I feel like there is progress, that it seems I have a doctor who is helping me to feel better after feeling so crappy for so long. But I don't know. This seems like a very long progress. And really, I don't know how I feel about losing my uterus. I guess I don't really need it. I will be keeping my ovaries for the hormones. Maybe it will make my stomach flatter :)
Showing posts with label endometriosis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label endometriosis. Show all posts
Friday, September 19, 2008
Sunday, June 29, 2008
the results
My doctor finally calls me while I am at work. It has been 5 days since the ultrasound and I assume this is a good thing.
It isn't.
"Sorry, it has taken me awhile to get back to you. I've been trying to speak to the OBGYN about you."
"Oh." I seem to say this often.
"Well, you have ovarian cysts, fibroid tumors in your uterus, and a thick endometrian skin."
"A what?"
"A thick endometrian skin. It means you may have endometriosis. That was why I needed to speak to the OB Doctor. I wanted to see if she could do an endometrial biopsy to confirm this diagnosis."
"Oh." God I am brilliant.
"Well, this explains the weight gain, the pressure, the digestion issues, and the bloating. At least you know what it is and why."
"True." And it is true. I have been going back to my doctor again and again, saying I just don't feel right, something isn't right. And something wasn't. But, right now, I don't really understand what she is telling me. She has given my pain a label and a name, but I don't own it yet. I know so next to nothing about all three things and how they relate to a woman.
"Your next step, depending on your biopsy, could be either going back on birth control or at the worst case, a hysterectomy. Let's wait and see what the results are and go from there. I put you through to the OB's secretary."
And that was it. She was done and I was left with questions that hadn't formed yet. Out came the computer and up came google search. What I read didn't please me. Words like "no cure" "surgery best option" "hysterectomy only cure" seemed to jump off the page and buzz in my head.
As annoying as these words were flying around in my head, I still had room to wonder how that would change me. Without a uterus, ovaries, or tubes--would I still be a woman? What would Eric think? Would we have problems having sex? Where does his penis go? How is the uterus capped off?
Remember, the Doctor didn't say I needed a hysterectomy yet--just that I needed a biopsy. And she had mentioned birth control first. Still, I had all but had the operation in my head.
To top it off, I called to tell my mother and she informs me that she had fibroid tumors that had polyps so she had them removed, and that my grandmother had had them as well--hers had grown to the size of grapefruits. Grapefruits! There's an "s" meaning more than one grapefruit. Wow. I can't even imagine what that must have been like.
So now I wait. The biopsy is scheduled a week away. Who knows what the next move is until those results are in. Until them, I sit and wait, worry, and wonder what will define my womanhood-me or my ability to reproduce?
It isn't.
"Sorry, it has taken me awhile to get back to you. I've been trying to speak to the OBGYN about you."
"Oh." I seem to say this often.
"Well, you have ovarian cysts, fibroid tumors in your uterus, and a thick endometrian skin."
"A what?"
"A thick endometrian skin. It means you may have endometriosis. That was why I needed to speak to the OB Doctor. I wanted to see if she could do an endometrial biopsy to confirm this diagnosis."
"Oh." God I am brilliant.
"Well, this explains the weight gain, the pressure, the digestion issues, and the bloating. At least you know what it is and why."
"True." And it is true. I have been going back to my doctor again and again, saying I just don't feel right, something isn't right. And something wasn't. But, right now, I don't really understand what she is telling me. She has given my pain a label and a name, but I don't own it yet. I know so next to nothing about all three things and how they relate to a woman.
"Your next step, depending on your biopsy, could be either going back on birth control or at the worst case, a hysterectomy. Let's wait and see what the results are and go from there. I put you through to the OB's secretary."
And that was it. She was done and I was left with questions that hadn't formed yet. Out came the computer and up came google search. What I read didn't please me. Words like "no cure" "surgery best option" "hysterectomy only cure" seemed to jump off the page and buzz in my head.
As annoying as these words were flying around in my head, I still had room to wonder how that would change me. Without a uterus, ovaries, or tubes--would I still be a woman? What would Eric think? Would we have problems having sex? Where does his penis go? How is the uterus capped off?
Remember, the Doctor didn't say I needed a hysterectomy yet--just that I needed a biopsy. And she had mentioned birth control first. Still, I had all but had the operation in my head.
To top it off, I called to tell my mother and she informs me that she had fibroid tumors that had polyps so she had them removed, and that my grandmother had had them as well--hers had grown to the size of grapefruits. Grapefruits! There's an "s" meaning more than one grapefruit. Wow. I can't even imagine what that must have been like.
So now I wait. The biopsy is scheduled a week away. Who knows what the next move is until those results are in. Until them, I sit and wait, worry, and wonder what will define my womanhood-me or my ability to reproduce?
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