merimask | Owie.

Hmm. I guess my warranty ran out 'cause I seem to be broken. I woke up today in terrible pain.

I have fibroids in my uterus. (And the men dive for cover whenever I invoke the power of "female problems". Just for kicks, throw out terms like "uterus" and "cramps" and "cervix" in a roomful of mixed company and watch how fast the guys clear out...S'fun.). Anyway it's a problem I've had for a while, but ANOTHER problem I have is with doctors...especially gynecologists. I avoid mine like the plague. I have to be dying to visit the office. This is very bad, I know. Some people go base jumping. Some people smoke unfiltered cigarettes. I avoid my gynecologist. It's all stupid, but there it is.

Well today I felt like I was dying. The pain was so bad I felt nauseous and close to passing out. It was the kind of pain that makes you wiggle your ankles because it triggers your "flight" instincts. It was so bad I woke up with the word "hospital" in my head, and I dragged myself to the bathroom for a shower because I did not want to offend anyone at the ER.

Speaking of the shower, it's awesome now. We had a ceiling insert and a new shower curtain bar installed. It's the kind that curves outward and pulls the curtain away from the tub somewhat. It seems like ten extra inches of elbow space ought to be no big deal, but it helps immensely.

Anyway I called my doctor and I was sent to get a sonogram. Those fibroids are growing and they'll have to come out. They never hurt before but I guess they've reached a point where I can't ignore them anymore. They look scary as hell. :-(

So Monday I'll be seeing the doc (boo). In the meantime I have to take it easy. Motrin's working pretty good but I still feel a dull constant ache. The idea of surgery scares the heck out of me, but I'm thinking that being without this constant pain will be a good thing. Now that I think about it, I've been sore for a long long time...I've just been stoic about it.

In other news: the wave dragon is coming along slowly but nicely. I've almost finished painting the waves...they look pretty cool. Will probably glue the whole thing together tomorrow. It'll take a while as I have to hold each piece in place for the glue to set (clamps scar the leather pieces). Tedious but also fun in a way. It's like assembling a puzzle.

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Sometimes they just do a D&C and the problem clears up. Here's a website that's very simple and will really just give you a few other names to look up if you want, after you know what kind of fibroids you're dealing with...where they're located and all. http://www.danmartinmd.com/fibroids.htm

Both my grandmother and mother were hospitalized for fibroids. My grandma had a procedure done...and I think my mom just had a DnC, which was in and out and no big deal at all. I'll have to ask...that was fourteen years ago. She still has a lot of fibroids but since she's right on the edge of menopause, it's not such a big deal now even if she has to do something about it. She probably won't though, since it'll all be done in a few years anyway.

I also have one...um, maybe two or three aunts who've had hysterectomies. Girlie bits problems are VERY rampant in my family. Almost all of us have them, it seems.

Have fun with Wave Dragon :)

That site was very helpful. I recognized what my doc reccommended the last time I saw him about this (too long ago)...endoscopic myomectomy. (I think I got that right). He uses a scope to do a closed removal of the fibroids and leaves the uterus intact. I think that's the way to go, assuming nothing but the size of the damn things has changed.

All freaky and scary to me. I've had major abdominal surgery before and it took months to heal properly.

Anyway even though I avoid him in an unhealthy manner my GYN is the regional specialist when it comes to removing these things. Not that the knowledge makes me feel any better... *is a big baby*

I hate major abdominal surgery too...cyst the size of a (so not joking) watermelon. The doctor wasn't even able to explain what it was, after he took it out...he said he'd never seen anything quite like it. But it turned out to be attached to my abdominal wall rather than my ovary, once they got in there.

I still have bleeding occasionally when I bike but I've been checked multiple times even since the surgery so it's nothing wrong with the ovaries or anythign they can see...so I guess it's just another weird 'me' thing.

I had my surgery on September 10, 2001...and on September 30, I moved to Ottawa...so I SHOULD have been out of commission longer but I wasn't waiting. Still, at that poitn it was still agonizing to cough, and my family wouldn't let me lift anything. I DID have an eight inch scar that had only just had the staples removed, lol.

I voluntarily had more surgery to revise the scar a couple years later. The scar is bigger (about a foot) but now it is horizontal rather than vertical and it's better looking, overall. Surgery just doesn't freak me out, I guess. Probably because I think that if anything goes wrong, hey...I'll never know :) But I get where people with brains would worry.

*hugs* While I don't speak from personal experience, a friend had to have surgery when they discovered she had endometriosis and a cist the size of a softball on her ovary. She was up and about pretty quickly after the surgery and back to normal, with significanly fewer problems with her cramps and such. So, as scary as the whole concept is, just know you'll be much happier (well, as happy as you can be with cramps...)

*clings* I had an ovarian cyst like that once too. It was HUGE and I never knew I had it, but there were complications removing it and I was in the hospital for a week. Recovery took a few months. It ~sucked~. I think that's why I avoid the GYN now.

Anyway I can't ignore this any longer. At this point I'm either losing the fibroids or it's a hysterectomy for me. :-/ Everything hurts. I couldn't even ride my bike today. *pout*

I thought I had a cyst once.... had horrible pain, even when walking, for about two weeks. Finally went to urgent care (since it would have been another 3 weeks to get into my own doctor) ... Turned out it was just an acute stomach flu..... Fun fun fun. :D

But that really does suck hon. *hugs* Hopefully it will go better this time around. Thinking about you. :D

I avoid the gyno too. :/

Is that why feet twitch when someone is in ghastly amount of pain? I've always wondered...

:( I hope things come out well for you. *huggles* I know things are extremely bad for you right now.

I got brought along by her, but ouch, I had a friend who suffered from interal issues. You have my sympathy and wishes for a speedy recovery oh masked one.

Well that does it. Now I'm going to have to friend you. Any guy brave enough to poke his head into the oogy "female problems" entry just has to go on my f-list. ;-)

(also...I remember you liked my Japanese swords and that's always a favorite topic of mine)

not only like but want to do something great enough to be gifted with a finely crafted one.

And yea, i have no fear. I had to deal with my sister's "left-behinds" when she started her period, as well as learn some medical knowledge for endometriosis

*clings* You're a sweetie. I'll be okay. I'm just as big baby when it comes to hospitals...they scare me.

Your icon is made of cute, btw. :-) Is that Lulu and Auron? Adorable!

I HATE hospitals. I'm so familiar with every one in Roanoke as I visited my aunt a lot for her various illnesses. They're such miserable places. The smell gets to me and sometimes there are people who scream...*shudder* There are few good memories held at hospitals.

I made that icon! :D It's this adorable (very ooc) pic of Lulu glomping Auron. You can nab it if you want to.

Oof. Lots of sympathy from CT! Hate to say it, that's probably what was going on at Pennsic. See the doctor. Check what they say, and do what they tell you if you think it's the right thing to do. Note I didn't say what you "want" to do. I didn't want to have my gall bladder out, despite six months of excruiating pain. But when a very informative, sympathetic surgeon looked at me and said "it isn't working correctly anyway, so you're not going to be losing anything functional" I had to admit that he had a point.

The autumn dragon is stunning, and the wave dragon is going to be more stunning. I think the idea of a work in progress series is perfect. I actually have a series of photos of my wedding dress being made - all the stages from the pile of fabric to the finished product. It's cool.

I've had one of those shower rods for years now - they rock!

Hey, you're right. I DID have a horrible time with "female problems" at Pennsic. You know, I totally blocked that...completely forgot. They asked me about that at the office yesterday and I just kind of shrugged. What a muffinhead I am.

Anway, yeah...*sigh* I'll do whatever my GYN says I should do. I'm overdue for a lot of generic unpleasantness anyway because I'm into avoidance. Guess it's time to bite the bullet. Hospitals terrify me.

I finished the Wave Dragon! It's bigger and more complicated than I originally planned, but I like it anyway. :-) I'm loading the pics tonight.

Owie.

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