I had my follow-up appointment with the gynecologist this morning for that biopsy. She warned me it would be uncomfortable, but Holy Mother of God, she didn't tell me (until the moment it was happening) that it would feel like 5 months worth cramping at once! Oh, and the bonus? The cramping will stay with me, at a 1 month level for about 3 -4 days, by which time I'll be ready for the main event, the real cramping.
So yea me, approximately 7 days of solid, hard cramping in my future. The upside (there's always an upside), at least for Scoob, is that I won't be all PMS-y for the first few days. It's times like this I wish we had a hot tub.
On the more medical side of things, she said that visually, everything seems fine, but she's still sending in the tissue for biopsy. I should have more news in a week or so.
Showing posts with label health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label health. Show all posts
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Thursday, May 14, 2009
The Lady Doctor
**warning** Any dudes not comfortable talking or reading about a woman's tender bits in a nonsexual way should just leave now.
So hey, yeah, now that we're all in the right frame of mind, I finally had my annual last week with an OB/GYN. Actually, I guess she was just a GYN because her receptionist informed me when I made the appointment that the doctor was no longer handling pregnancies and if I had the nerve to get pregnant, I'd have to find another doctor. Okay, she didn't quite say that, but you get the general drift.
Anyhow, there was a moment when I considered hanging up and finding a different doctor, because I do hope to get pregnant at some point, but I was already 3 months late in getting my annual and I'd already done my research (it would be helpful if the doctor kept her info up to date, I'm just sayin') , and with the whole health care coverage switch at the start of the year I figured I'd better just make the appointment and deal with switching doctors later.
So last week was the big day! On the up side, I worked from home that day because I knew I wasn't going to want to drive to work and sit at my desk in an office after having my tender bits prodded. The downside, I had to have my bits prodded. I don't care how often doctors say there are no nerve endings in there and I'm not really experiencing any pain, I'm freaking experiencing pain. Thankfully, this doctor never said anything like that.
Anyhow, at my last annual I had screened positive for human papillomavirus (HPV) and the Kaiser folks called (even though I'm no longer on Kaiser) to make sure I didn't forget to re screen. There are roughly 100 different types of HPV and normally our immune systems will deal with the low-risk HPVs and when you re screen, it will be gone. It's the 15 or so high-risk HPVs that we have to worry about. These types can lead to cervical cancer.
The doctor called me at work yesterday and informed me that my pap came back abnormal and that I'm still screening positive for HPV. So I sat there at my desk thinking, "Okay, I need to change that call sheet I filled out for the doctor because I've changed my mind and I really don't want to receive news like this while I'm at work."And then I sort of put it out of my mind.
Scoob was a dear when I got home, though I could tell he didn't really quite know what to do or say. He's one of those folks that warning was directed at. He's all about the hooha until it gets clinical. Even though I could tell he was uncomfortable, he tried, and that's what counts. There was much hugging and cuddling, and that's never a bad thing.
Oh, and apparently I hadn't put it out of my mind as much as I thought. I started and finished an entire bottle of wine.
By. My. Self. Ouch. Yeah, today was not fun.
I've scheduled an appointment for a biopsy at the end of the month. The doctor said to take a couple of Advil before I come in because it will be uncomfortable. Okay, hey, I take Advil before my paps and I still think those are uncomfortable, so what the hell does that mean the biopsy is going to be like?
Screw ibuprofen. Daizepam would work. That's what the dentist used when removing my wisdom teeth. There was no anxiety (nope, none whatsoever) going in for surgery and I have to say I was pain-free for a good 6 - 8 hours afterwards too. Aside from the fact I kept waking up during the surgery asking to see my teeth, that seemed to work well.
So hey, yeah, now that we're all in the right frame of mind, I finally had my annual last week with an OB/GYN. Actually, I guess she was just a GYN because her receptionist informed me when I made the appointment that the doctor was no longer handling pregnancies and if I had the nerve to get pregnant, I'd have to find another doctor. Okay, she didn't quite say that, but you get the general drift.
Anyhow, there was a moment when I considered hanging up and finding a different doctor, because I do hope to get pregnant at some point, but I was already 3 months late in getting my annual and I'd already done my research (it would be helpful if the doctor kept her info up to date, I'm just sayin') , and with the whole health care coverage switch at the start of the year I figured I'd better just make the appointment and deal with switching doctors later.
So last week was the big day! On the up side, I worked from home that day because I knew I wasn't going to want to drive to work and sit at my desk in an office after having my tender bits prodded. The downside, I had to have my bits prodded. I don't care how often doctors say there are no nerve endings in there and I'm not really experiencing any pain, I'm freaking experiencing pain. Thankfully, this doctor never said anything like that.
Anyhow, at my last annual I had screened positive for human papillomavirus (HPV) and the Kaiser folks called (even though I'm no longer on Kaiser) to make sure I didn't forget to re screen. There are roughly 100 different types of HPV and normally our immune systems will deal with the low-risk HPVs and when you re screen, it will be gone. It's the 15 or so high-risk HPVs that we have to worry about. These types can lead to cervical cancer.
The doctor called me at work yesterday and informed me that my pap came back abnormal and that I'm still screening positive for HPV. So I sat there at my desk thinking, "Okay, I need to change that call sheet I filled out for the doctor because I've changed my mind and I really don't want to receive news like this while I'm at work."And then I sort of put it out of my mind.
Scoob was a dear when I got home, though I could tell he didn't really quite know what to do or say. He's one of those folks that warning was directed at. He's all about the hooha until it gets clinical. Even though I could tell he was uncomfortable, he tried, and that's what counts. There was much hugging and cuddling, and that's never a bad thing.
Oh, and apparently I hadn't put it out of my mind as much as I thought. I started and finished an entire bottle of wine.
By. My. Self. Ouch. Yeah, today was not fun.
I've scheduled an appointment for a biopsy at the end of the month. The doctor said to take a couple of Advil before I come in because it will be uncomfortable. Okay, hey, I take Advil before my paps and I still think those are uncomfortable, so what the hell does that mean the biopsy is going to be like?
Screw ibuprofen. Daizepam would work. That's what the dentist used when removing my wisdom teeth. There was no anxiety (nope, none whatsoever) going in for surgery and I have to say I was pain-free for a good 6 - 8 hours afterwards too. Aside from the fact I kept waking up during the surgery asking to see my teeth, that seemed to work well.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Spastic
Memo to April:
"April showers bring May flowers" means that you keep your showers to yourself once May starts.
May is off to a soggy start here, and so far I've been flat on my back for most of it. Last May-June I was having sharp chest pains that would last about 3 days. The pain usually went away after a large yawn or stretch would cause something in my sternum area to pop. Then I had an episode where the pain had been constant for about 2 weeks despite much popping in the sternum, and I finally went to the doctor.
The doctor said it was costochondritis, a swelling of the cartilage in the rib area, wasn't anything serious, told me to take an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory, and set me up with some physical therapy. The physical therapist was great and I gradually got better. Turns out that the costochondritis was being triggered by a muscle spasm in my back. Cutting to the chase, my back muscle has been spasming again and that's why I'm mostly out of commission.
Yesterday I started taking cyclobenzaprine I had left over from when I pulled a muscle in my neck a few years ago. It definitely brought some relief and I'm sure taking the day off from work and sitting at my desk helped too. Today I'll switch to over-the-counter stuff and see if I can maintain some level of relief.
Scoob has convinced me to see the doctor again. I'm not looking forward to it, mostly because I'm navigating Blue Shield now instead of Kaiser. Oh, and my company uses Blue Shield of Tennessee, so anything I do winds up in an out-of-state provider process. My company has offices in at least 6 states, but we all have to use the BS of Tennessee because that's where the Human Resources office is located. At least I think that's their rationale.
"April showers bring May flowers" means that you keep your showers to yourself once May starts.
May is off to a soggy start here, and so far I've been flat on my back for most of it. Last May-June I was having sharp chest pains that would last about 3 days. The pain usually went away after a large yawn or stretch would cause something in my sternum area to pop. Then I had an episode where the pain had been constant for about 2 weeks despite much popping in the sternum, and I finally went to the doctor.
The doctor said it was costochondritis, a swelling of the cartilage in the rib area, wasn't anything serious, told me to take an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory, and set me up with some physical therapy. The physical therapist was great and I gradually got better. Turns out that the costochondritis was being triggered by a muscle spasm in my back. Cutting to the chase, my back muscle has been spasming again and that's why I'm mostly out of commission.
Yesterday I started taking cyclobenzaprine I had left over from when I pulled a muscle in my neck a few years ago. It definitely brought some relief and I'm sure taking the day off from work and sitting at my desk helped too. Today I'll switch to over-the-counter stuff and see if I can maintain some level of relief.
Scoob has convinced me to see the doctor again. I'm not looking forward to it, mostly because I'm navigating Blue Shield now instead of Kaiser. Oh, and my company uses Blue Shield of Tennessee, so anything I do winds up in an out-of-state provider process. My company has offices in at least 6 states, but we all have to use the BS of Tennessee because that's where the Human Resources office is located. At least I think that's their rationale.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Headache, No Ice Cream Involved
The past week has been sunny and spring-like warm here, and while I enjoy the change, I've had this nagging headache all week. It's not a migraine class headache, but it's there. I'm in danger of becoming an Advil junkie at any moment; three in the morning (because two just isn't cutting it anymore) and three in the afternoon, which should get me through until bedtime. By afternoon I'm just so tired (and cranky).
Staring at html code on a computer screen all day at work doesn't help (and the book I started work on yesterday just makes my eyes or brain, or both, want to bleed, which only exacerbates things). I actually thought the sunny weather was the culprit. There's a skylight near my desk and all the sunny-ness has made my workstation just way too damned bright. I thought maybe the extra light was contributing to eye strain which was then triggering the headaches. I need a cave.
I read this article yesterday that links changes in the weather and temperature to headaches, especially for people with a history of migraines. Well isn't that just swell. If that's what's going on here I'd like summer to hurry the heck up so we can get through the headaches and on with life.
This morning I read this article on how people can think themselves sick. Not flu-like sick, more like that after-flu sickishness that seems to linger forever. I thought the doctor being interviewed had an interesting comment about irritable bowel syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, and fibromyalgia.
Sick or not, this three-headed, rainbow-vomiting panda is enough to make anyone's head spin.
So get this, a study in Sweden has linked high IQs to a reduced risk of death. Apparently folks with higher IQs tend to make better decisions (really?) for their long term health while people with lower IQs are more likely to have accidents, smoke or drink heavily, and have unhealthful diets. Well—DUH. I shouldn't make light, the article did have some good observations about education and the need to target public service announcements.
With that, I'm off to pop my pills and then check out Christopher Walken on Twitter, one of my favorite actors. I like his wry and often dark sense of humor. His most recent post:
I've been finding more and more interesting things to read on Twitter that I may actually need to open an account and figure out how it works.
Staring at html code on a computer screen all day at work doesn't help (and the book I started work on yesterday just makes my eyes or brain, or both, want to bleed, which only exacerbates things). I actually thought the sunny weather was the culprit. There's a skylight near my desk and all the sunny-ness has made my workstation just way too damned bright. I thought maybe the extra light was contributing to eye strain which was then triggering the headaches. I need a cave.
I read this article yesterday that links changes in the weather and temperature to headaches, especially for people with a history of migraines. Well isn't that just swell. If that's what's going on here I'd like summer to hurry the heck up so we can get through the headaches and on with life.
This morning I read this article on how people can think themselves sick. Not flu-like sick, more like that after-flu sickishness that seems to linger forever. I thought the doctor being interviewed had an interesting comment about irritable bowel syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, and fibromyalgia.
Sick or not, this three-headed, rainbow-vomiting panda is enough to make anyone's head spin.
So get this, a study in Sweden has linked high IQs to a reduced risk of death. Apparently folks with higher IQs tend to make better decisions (really?) for their long term health while people with lower IQs are more likely to have accidents, smoke or drink heavily, and have unhealthful diets. Well—DUH. I shouldn't make light, the article did have some good observations about education and the need to target public service announcements.
With that, I'm off to pop my pills and then check out Christopher Walken on Twitter, one of my favorite actors. I like his wry and often dark sense of humor. His most recent post:
I don't remember saying that the geese had eaten all of the kittens in Central Park. No matter. She's upset and the geese are very confused.
I've been finding more and more interesting things to read on Twitter that I may actually need to open an account and figure out how it works.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Death by Laundry
Well, we didn't make it to the library yesterday. Actually I talked myself out of it, I have enough books at home waiting to be read. It's just that most of my books are non-fiction or "heavy" reading. I just wanted to be entertained with a bit of fluff. Sorry Nora, love your stuff, but you fall in the fluff category and you'll have to wait.
At any rate, we did get a lot of running around done yesterday and generally had fun. We watched the Sex in the City movie last night. I used to watch the series, but I think I stopped after season 3. The movie was fun, I had a lot of laughs, and was not at all confusing even though I hadn't seen all of the shows that came before. It made me remember what I liked about the show in the first place. I may have to go back and revisit the series.
So, random question here, is it completely irrational for me to be stoked that my pen ran out of ink? I usually misplace, loan out, switch up pens before they run out of ink. The sense of accomplishment I experienced when the pen ran dry doesn't make sense to me. But there it was.
This article about doctors redefining what it means to die in order to facilitate organ harvesting for transplant put a downer on my day. I've been close to this situation 3 times (two cousins and a significant other) so far in my life and have twice been part of the family decision making group determining when enough is enough and whether organs will be made available for transplant. It's not a happy place to be. Please people, complete an advanced health care directive. I know it's unpleasant to think about your own death, but it's much more unpleasant for the people left behind--especially if they don't agree.
After that, I went looking for anything to make me laugh. The SNL skit of the VP debate was just the ticket. Disturbingly, I kinda see myself in the whole "I like McCain, but I don't" portrayal of Biden. Oh, and I loved Queen Latifah as Gwen Ifill.
Today is laundry day. With just the two of us, there really isn't that much laundry, but I'm doing a couple of extra loads for rugs around the house and for my fluffy warm robe. It's been getting colder as I've been getting up earlier and I pulled the robe out of a storage box. It needs to be freshened up a bit. I ran across this video on how to fold a t-shirt. Clearly there are no engineers in the Wayward house.
Another political cartoon on the financial crisis/bailout.
At any rate, we did get a lot of running around done yesterday and generally had fun. We watched the Sex in the City movie last night. I used to watch the series, but I think I stopped after season 3. The movie was fun, I had a lot of laughs, and was not at all confusing even though I hadn't seen all of the shows that came before. It made me remember what I liked about the show in the first place. I may have to go back and revisit the series.
So, random question here, is it completely irrational for me to be stoked that my pen ran out of ink? I usually misplace, loan out, switch up pens before they run out of ink. The sense of accomplishment I experienced when the pen ran dry doesn't make sense to me. But there it was.
This article about doctors redefining what it means to die in order to facilitate organ harvesting for transplant put a downer on my day. I've been close to this situation 3 times (two cousins and a significant other) so far in my life and have twice been part of the family decision making group determining when enough is enough and whether organs will be made available for transplant. It's not a happy place to be. Please people, complete an advanced health care directive. I know it's unpleasant to think about your own death, but it's much more unpleasant for the people left behind--especially if they don't agree.
After that, I went looking for anything to make me laugh. The SNL skit of the VP debate was just the ticket. Disturbingly, I kinda see myself in the whole "I like McCain, but I don't" portrayal of Biden. Oh, and I loved Queen Latifah as Gwen Ifill.
Today is laundry day. With just the two of us, there really isn't that much laundry, but I'm doing a couple of extra loads for rugs around the house and for my fluffy warm robe. It's been getting colder as I've been getting up earlier and I pulled the robe out of a storage box. It needs to be freshened up a bit. I ran across this video on how to fold a t-shirt. Clearly there are no engineers in the Wayward house.
Another political cartoon on the financial crisis/bailout.
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