October 31, 2014

"No uterus, no opinion"

When I started writing this, I wasn't writing it for everyone to read
I was writing it for myself, a way to let things out and express myself.
My mind was racing and as soon as I sat down at the computer I couldn't stop typing.
I'm choosing to share it because somewhere their is probably another woman going through the same exhausting, never-ending journey with doctors and specialists.
She's sitting at home in pain, all the tests came back normal, and she's starting to feel like a hypochondriac. It's exhausting.
I've been there, and this is my story.

It started in May 2014, and if I was going to go into detail this post would be WAY too long, so for the sake of my own sanity and yours, I'll keep it simple.
The stomach aches started about five years ago, but I still haven't figured anything out there.
In June, Aunt Flo visited...but it wasn't a normal visit, no, she was the worst visit ever
I refuse to get all detailed with this, so let's just put it this way.
It was the WORST visit ever!! She broke everything in my house, burned all my belongings, and kidnapped my dog. She's such a hag.
Okay not really but if you're a girl, you understand.



Well, I never wanted her to visit me again like that so I went to the doc to make sure everything was "cool" he assumed it was my birth control so he put me on a different schedule.
She didn't visit for about 4 months, as a newlywed I should be grateful but I don't like when she just stops visiting. It would've been great if I was pregnant, but that wasn't the case.
I got off my birth control because I figured she'd come around again 
She didn't
Doctors tried to get her to visit me using all sorts of stuff, and nope, she never showed up.
I also wasn't just going back to the doctor to get them to get her to visit me, I was going because of the pain I was still in. No answers...
Blood tests, women's exams, gallbladder tests...etc
Well, my doctor decided maybe I should have an ultrasound
GENIUS
Why didn't he think about this before? Maybe because what I was about to find out on that ultrasound was at least an answer to my pain, but the start of a journey to where I am now.
No it's not as dramatic as it sounds, it could have been worse, and I know that, but for me...it was dramatic.
Especially when you hear the ultrasound tech say "what is that?" 
Oh...you mean you've never seen something like this? Great...
They diagnosed it as a cyst, the size of a grapefruit on my left ovary.
Normal right?
They wanted me to come back in a couple weeks to see if it had disappeared
I don't know a lot about cysts, but I kinda figured unless there was a small troll living inside of me who liked "grapefruit"..that sucker was still going to be there.
Two weeks later, and I was right! It was still there hanging out AND I had a friend on my right ovary- another cyst, but that one wasn't as big- like the size of a golf ball. Meh...

(Depending on this day, this meme has made me laugh, or made me cry)


So, I'm waiting for the Doc to call me and it's been a couple days so I call him back and oh, he's on Vacation. See ya later Doc, have fun basking in the sun... I'll just figure out what to do with this giant grapefruit that's causing me a lot of pain.




Well, for that reason, as well as a few others, I decided to go to the city for a second opinion
I went and saw a specialist and I'm glad I did
That cyst? It's creating a block in my left Fallopian tube, so bad that it might have to be taken out.
Oh and that cyst on my right ovary? It wasn't there anymore!
Seeing a specialist had many pros, but the one con was walking out of that office knowing that I was going to have to have surgery and possibly remove my Fallopian tube and that my fertility was going to be cut in half.
It was a weird day, I couldn't stop thinking about it, and the following week after that
I talked to my husband about it, one day we agreed to get it removed, the next- we thought we might regret taking it out. I mean, once it's gone IT'S GONE. 
 Well, now I'm having surgery on Tuesday.

Removing the tube is the last thing on their list, and they're going to try doing everything they can.
But for now all I can do is have faith that everything will work out, and thank god for an amazing husband like John. Not only has he held me through my worst, but he's taking the days off to spend with me out at the hospital for the surgery, and a few days after. 
I love that man more than words can describe, he's so good to me.
So if  you feel like you're on a never ending medical journey- let me just tell you
it's worth it to find a specialist and do your research. You know your body better than anybody else and trust me, you'll be glad you did. I'm so glad I finally have answers!
I'm a little bit terrified of hospitals, and I've been freaking out about this day
but I'll be back soon & I'll let you know how it went!

If you have had laparoscopic surgery- PLEASE share your tips!

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16 comments:

  1. I'm so sorry it has come down to this but I know you will come out of it stronger than ever! Love you girl!

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  2. A grapefruit!?

    A F---king Grapefruit?

    Are you serious? I'm so sorry. I'm sick all the time from my hormones. They trigger my anxiety and depression and IBS. My periods are awful and require me to stay home from work EVERY SINGLE TIME for at least 1 day. Also, I went on BC for 7 years because of it, but the last year I was on BC it messed up my body big time. I started having hotflashes. Actually I'm going to call them hot days. Where I'd hot flash for hours on end and be dizzy and want to vomit. My hair started thinning, my breath stunk, and so I finally quit taking it. It has taken a year to get my cycle back to normal, my hair thickened again, my breath stopped stinking, and the hot flashes went away, EXCEPT for when I'm PMS-ing or on my period, or ovulating. So for about a week a month I'm perfectly fine. The rest are hit and miss. Sometimes I wish I had a penis. Guys never get sick, never have problems, and can pee wherever they want.

    Hang in there, it sounds really rough. I hope that they are able to preserve your fertility and get things back to normal for you. That's such a crazy thing.

    A freaking grapefruit. I am kind of in shock. Is it bulging out? How does that even fit in your body?

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    Replies
    1. Yeah... a grapefruit, ha ha so crazy huh. It's really uncomfortable, it's not bulging out but certain positions are really hard to sit in or lay in. Being a girl sucks right!?

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  3. You are so strong, I can't even imagine! Sending lots of prayers your way :)

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    1. Oh I don't know how strong I am, guess we will find out. Thanks Rachel!!

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  4. So sorry, this kind of stuff is never easy to go through! I'll be praying for you, and thinking about you all week. Keep us updated :)

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  5. Thank you Adriana! Love you too!

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  6. Thank you Lisa! I'll be sure to keep everyone updated!

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  7. Yeah a grapefruit, crazy huh!? It's really uncomfortable but you can't see it bulging out or anything, I just can't sit/lay in certain positions and it's causing a lot of pressure and discomfort. Being a girl sucks for sure sometimes ha ha! I'll cross my fingers that it goes great!

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  8. Oh I don't know how strong I am Rachel but I guess we will find out, thank you so much!

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  9. Awww bless your heart. I've had the lapo/hysto surgery, you'll be knocked out and feel crampy the next day, but they give you the good meds to deal with it. You'll get lots of really bad shoulder pain, be prepared for that. I walked a lot to get the gas out that they pump into your stomach when they do the surgery. It floats up and settles in your shoulders. I wasn't prepared for that, so I'm warning you now. I'm just really sorry you're having to go through this. I had some endo on my left tube removed, after that I got pregnant, miscarried, then a year later got pregnant again and now we have our 8 month old. You can DO THIS, stay strong, get some good movies/shows and lay in bed all week long!! Oh and eat lots of chocolate :) Message me if you ever need somebody to vent/talk to about infertility, been there done that, bought the tshirt.

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  10. You are so sweet, thank you so much! Yes the shoulder pain sucks for sure and I'm pretty crampy, the meds help but I keep forgetting the last time I took them and don't want to take too many ha. As much as I want to walk around right now it's not happening ha ha, but maybe tomorrow. The results were a lot different than I was expecting, I'm assuming a miracle happened or something, I'll blog about it soon. Anyway, thank you so much for your kind words!

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  11. Almost the exact same thing happened to me too. A giant cyst on my left ovary killed the poor thing. So im with you...only one baby maker. My right ovary is filled with cancer cells that aren't currently active but I see an oncologist every six months just to be sure and I had a tumor removed from it. Boo. No fun! LOTS of pain and my point...I'm sorry. I know exactly what you are going through and its no fun! Next point is....I'll hace at least two babies from that cancer ridden 3/4 of an ovary thats left. So dont feel hopeless it can still happen for you too! Babies I mean :) Sorry sis you are going through this. It really is hard on you.
    On another note...I met your aunt. My husband works with her and we helped her clean her new house. Sweet lady! We chatted about yall :) ge

    Get better soon! Xoxo

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I love hearing from all of you! Thank you for your comments!

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