29 posts tagged “doctor”

Scar tissue?!?  Not sure what is hurt, or how I managed to hurt it, but I hurt something in my tummy yesterday...  I am guessing that it is nothing scary for the pregnancy, since there is no cramping, spotting, or bleeding, and it only hurts when I end up stretching things a certain way...  I am guessing, also, that it has something to do with moving around tables for my program or running as I carried Boogie into Applebee's -- because it was a crazy hail storm, and I didn't feel like being pelted in the face any longer than absolutely necessary...  But, yeah...  No matter how it happened -- it happened...  I first noticed the twinge of shooting pain when I went to sit down on the floor last night, and it has happened a bunch of times since then...  It's always when I am doing something -- never when I am sitting still...  So, now I am just wondering whom I should call if this doesn't let up...  Should I call the infertility specialists from whom I have still not been released?  Should I call my regular midwife?  Or should I call the surgeon from my ovary removal in March?  I am thinking the latter of the three may be the best choice, since she should be able to best recall the exact location of the surgery and, therefore, best predict whether it has something to do with getting knocked up/stretching out the incision area...  Man...  I can't win!  As long as I stop straining myself, something like I predicted should go away...  But, how does one stop straining herself when she prefers to just do everything without asking anyone for help, and is used to being able to manage that on a normal basis, and so forgets until she is already straining herself again?!?!?!?!?!?!?  Teeheehee...  Later days...

Well, Clark and I have officially sat through our fertility class now, so we can no longer use the argument that we "don't know how" to get me knocked up...  Wonder if my ovary got the memo?  The best news for Clark, I am sure he will agree, is that the nurse told us to do "all injections" in the belly -- so I am capable of delivering my own injection...  Yay!  Doctor-sanctioned self-mutilation!!!  Umm...  What else?  Oh!  I got a letter from my regular OB/GYN's office as a follow-up to my post-operative ultrasound...  She said that my right ovary was "unremarkable"...  I don't know whether to cheer or to be offended!  (teeheehee)...  After I got such a rough start at "clinic" this morning -- where the nurse could not find my vein, almost made me pass out, and had to settle for stabbing me in the hand -- I was not sure that the day would end on a happy note...  Despite the fact that all of my fertiliity treatment scheduling is running circles around my mind like a hamster on crack, I think I am doing ok...  I kinda felt like crying a couple of times (due to being all overwhelmed and such), I have made it through all the "tough stuff" today...  Now, I just have to go and vote on the school budget/school board, go to the Dungeon Master's for dinner (and to pick up a few plants we're transplanting from his yard to ours!), and get the boy to bed at a reasonable hour...  I am pretty sure I can pass this test with flying colors!  Later days...

So, Clark and I had our introductory appointment at the reproductive endocrinologist today...  We both had to fill out more paperwork and give blood samples, and then Clark gave another sample of his own while I got a transvaginal ultrasound...  We spoke with the physician's assistant about the different tests that need to be done, the different possibilities of treatment, and a rough timeline of everything we would be doing in the coming weeks...  We also got to meet with the nurse who is in charge of our case, and she gave us a thick [read: 60+ pages] packet of information -- which includes the information the PA went over with us, the medication and testing procedures, general scheduling stuffs, and all of the paperwork that we signed off on today...  If my blood work looks as good as my ultrasound did, I will be starting a new drug tomorrow...  Kinda scary, but really encouraging as well...  The PA agreed that I was not a good candidate for Clomid, since it isn't even considered the "drug of choice" anymore, and since I did not really respond well to it either time I was on it before...  I will be on something called Letrazole (Femara is the brand name)...  Technically, this drug is still in the FDA approval phase for application toward infertility, but there have been amazing results so far, and there are many, many successful pregnancies with no long-term ill effects (on moms or babies)...  There are only a couple of things about these new treatments that scare me...  First, there is the fact that I need to have a sonohysterogram and a hysterosalpingogram done...  And, second, there is the fact that these tests could show further problems, like a blocked fallopian tube...  There is no guarantee that the right tube is ok, even though the ovary looked ok when I had my surgery, and that is the only one I have left, so I am a little anxious to find out how it is...  If the tube is blocked, that would present a whole scenario of what can/needs to be done in order to get pregnant...  I am going to try to take it one day at a time, but it is kinda difficult, since there is so much that needs to be planned out...  Fortunately, tomorrow is my late day at work, so I will have the morning to work on some stuff...  I already have the post-op check-up ultrasound scheduled for 8:30am, but I have a lot of bloodwork that needs to be done for the RE's office -- including a fasting glucose tolerance/insulin resistance test -- so I figured I would just go ahead and get that out of the way...  Ugh...  I will not be able to eat or drink anything (except water and that awful "glucola" stuff) until around lunchtime...  Then, of course, there is the "fertility class" that I have leave work early to take on Tuesday afternoon...  And, what overly-involved medical plan would be complete without a diet?!?  The PA suggested a modified Atkins or a South Beach approach...  Sure...  Whatever works!  I really do want another baby, and I would love to be healthier in general, so I know I should not complain...  But, I just feel like my whole world has been turned on its head (more than I even anticipated)...  Please pray for me and/or send me good vibes...  I think I will be needing all the help I can get...  Later days...

Now that the playset is complete, the yard has been cleaned up, and the party is over, I am going back to traditional exercise...  I quit doing Wii Fit a while before my surgery because, well, I was being a whiner...  I was upset that I was going to lose my results when I was forced into bed rest after surgery, so I decided to enjoy a little bit of my time off from exercise...  As a result, though, I have gained a little more weight than I should have and many of my clothes are uncomfortable and/or just plain don't look as good...  I am sick of feeling like I feel, and I am sick of wearing some of my clothes more often than I would like (due to the fact that there isn't anything else to add to the rotation until I lose a little around my middle)...  I am not that fat, but it is just enough to make a difference...  Joy!  On a truly happy note, though, Clark and I are done filling out the mounds of paperwork for the Reproductive Endocrinologist (RE)...  We each had to fill out a packet of information on our insurance, primary care doctors and specialists, medical history, reproductive history, sexual history, and favorite foods...  Ok...  I made that last part up -- but it would not have surprised me if they told me that my chocolate cravings somehow played enough of a role that we had to let them know ahead of time...  Teeheehee...  There were lots of common sense questions, but there were also some really awkward ones thrown in the mix...  My personal favorite was the fact that they literally asked for the "male partner" to answer whether or not he would likely have a difficult time obtaining a sample of semen via masturbation...  Teeheehee!  While I feel bad that my desire to see an RE means that Clark has to go through that embarrassing ordeal again, I also recognize that he is getting the easy part of this deal...  Thanks to my PCOS, I get to have transvaginal ultrasounds to check for the presence of ovarian follicles and/or cysts on a semi-regular basis...  And, once I start my testing [and possibly fertility treatments] with the RE, I will also have to get a lot of bloodwork done...  Ugh!  I am hoping to catch a break and to only have a pelvic ultrasound for my surgical follow-up, though I won't be too surprised if I don't get away so easily...  A girl can hope, right?!?  I can only imagine how many and what kinds of tests I am going to have to go through at the RE's office...  My first appointment is on the 13th, and I am so anxious to hear whether they will let me skip the Clomid tolerance test...  IMHO, the two separate times that I went through fertility treatments [for 4 rounds and 3 rounds, each, of Clomid] should be enough to prove that Clomid is not the ideal treatment for me...  And, if Clomid is not ideal, why would we waste our time and/or risk Clark's life that way?!?  Aside from the fact that it shifts me into bitchy over-drive, there is also the fact that my family history of breast cancer was cited [by Dr. Niceguy] as a reason to avoid mega doses of Clomid...  But, yeah...  I am just rambling now...  I have other people's blogs to catch up on, so I should stop this craziness and log in to my google reader...  Later days...

But, apparently, not tired...  I have been up since 1am, shooting Chloraseptic into my throat like my life depends on it...  Well...  It kinda does...  I had a sore throat yesterday, but this is beginning to border on torture...  The Urgent Care Center nearest me opens in less than 1 hour, and I will be waiting outside when they do...  I need something to ease this pain -- or at least something that promises to cure this infection eventually...  Sure, I haven't been diagnosed by a "professional," but I think it is fairly obvious that there must be an infection present...  My glands are so swollen (in the front and back of my neck) that it hurts to turn my head, and my tonsils are so swollen that swallowing is nearly impossible (let alone agonizing)...  Nice told me yesterday that I should have left work, but I really didn't feel too bad...  Man, I wish I had known what this would become...  I would have ditched my responsibilities in a heartbeat if I could have stopped this in its tracks...  Gah...  Later days...

I'm finding it a little harder than usual to maintain the optimism I have been striving for...  I found out, this morning, that what I had previously thought was a PCOS-related "cyst" on my left ovary is actually a tumor...  There is, apparently, a less than 5% chance that it is cancerous -- but there is still that chance, and my doctor wants it out...  I am scheduled for surgery on March 25th...  My doctor said that her plan is to only take the tumor, but that reality may come down to removing the entire ovary...  Although my overly-optimistic self actually asked the doctor if this was out-patient surgery, I was informed that there was no way I would go home the same day...  I will be staying overnight to get "the good drugs"...  After that, I should return home to recover sometime the next day -- and will be out of work for [at least] a week...  It's a little scary, and quite a bit surreal, but I am working through this tough time with the support of some very awesome people...  You know who you all...  Any and all prayers, positive thoughts, and healing spells are welcomed...  [I have an open mind when it comes to mystical powers that protect me and help me heal more quickly]...  I will keep you all up to date when I know more -- or even if I am just feeling especially sorry for myself at some point...  Later days...

I am home, resting on my chaise lounge, catching up on TV shows with hulu.com ...  I watched Monday's episode of The Sarah Connors Chronicle, and now I am watching (well, currently listening to) last night's Daily Show...  So, why am I home and relaxing?!?  Because I had 2 wisdom teeth taken out this morning...  It was not terrible, but there were 2 moments I didn't necessarily enjoy...  First was when the shot in the roof of my mouth almost made me pass out...  They had to lay me back and give me oxygen and everything...  Then, after all was said and done, I ended up puking...  Luckily, I thought ahead enough to consider the possibility of vomiting, and my hyperemesis gave me plenty of opportunity to hone my pre-puking-possibility diet...  I was smart enough to have oatmeal for breakfast this morning, so it neither scratched my throat nor tasted/smelled horrible coming back up...  I know that was probably TMI for some of you, but I'm freakin proud of myself for being so ingenious!  Teeheehee...  Anyhow...  I am now on hydrocodone, ibuprofen, and penicillin, so I am thankful that my husband has excellent health insurance...  Between his awesome insurance and Target's awesome pharmacy pricing, I only paid like $10 for all three prescriptions...  Yay!  The thing that sucks the most is that I am on a "soft and cold" food diet for about 24 hours...  Lots of yogurt and applesauce for me, I guess...  Bah...  Well, I think that about sums it up, and I have some other crap I wanna do, so I'm outie...  Later days...

When I had bronchitis, as a college student, I was put on Bactrim -- and, consequently, found out that I was allergic to sulfa drugs...  When I went to the college health center about the allergic reaction, the doctor said that I should not have been put on antibiotics in the first place, since it is an inflammatory issue rather than an infection...  She said that a good expectorant, rest, and time were all I would need...  If it got worse, though, steroids may become necessary...  Ever since then, I have treated my own bronchitis with vitamin C and tussin cough syrup...  It always goes away quickly, and I never have to bother with a doctor's visit...  With this reasoning in mind, I have been reluctant to bring Boogie to the doctor for his lingering cough...  When we last went, it was because we knew he had croup...  The doc agreed with my diagnosis and said croup didn't necessarily require a prescription...  He said that if the barking cough went away, we would not need to worry...  If he kept coughing like that, we should bring him in for a steroid prescription...  Boogie had been already been coughing before that, but the doc blamed it on allergies and post-nasal drip, and Clark and I agreed that was likely the problem -- since our allergies were in full swing...  Today, though, Boogie was coughing really hard and we decided that he should go to the doctor...  The doctor he saw this morning said that he has bronchitis and that she thinks he needs to be on Zithromax (an antibiotic) for a week...  She said that it could possibly be asthma that flared up into bronchitis, so we should keep an eye on his coughing and see if it lasts beyond the week of medication...  If it does, he may need to be put on asthma meds...  I had asthma as a kid, and I have since "outgrown" it, but I thought it was only because my parents smoked and I since moved out of that harmful environment...  I never thought I would have to worry about Boogie having breathing issues because we have always been so careful to keep him away from cigarette smoke and such...  Bah...  I know that I can't necessarily prevent every sickness or health problem, but I somehow feel like I should have seen this one coming and should have reacted differently...  Better, somehow...  Mama guilt is not the most fun, but at least I have the solace of knowing that previous medical advice contributed to my making an educated (albeit wrong) decision...  It's not just my fault, you know?!?  Later days... 

How people always mentioned the "7 year itch" when Clark and I told them this would be our 7 year wedding anniversary...  Never knew the itch could be so literal!  Teeheehee...  Damn, I hope my doctor actually calls me back today...  But, yeah, Happy Anniversary Clark!  Part of me can't believe it's already been this long, but part of me can't even remember what life was like before you...  Says in a cheesy voice: "You complete me"...  Teeheehee Later days...

And swollen...  I almost feel like I am preggers again!  Teeheehee...  I considered including a picture of my swollen ankle, but then I remembered that Boogie's real name would be on the internets, so I decided against that...  Suffice it to say that I will be calling my doctor today to see what (if anything) I can take to take away some of this swelling and itching...  I am not about to go and cut the skin off my ankle to remove the allergen, so I hope there is something else I can do until my body realizes that this isn't going away and chills out...  At least, I'm guessing/hoping my body will eventually chill...  Hmmm...  Something else to worry about...  Nice!  Later days...