That Just Happened!

For what led me to this point go here.

First, let me explain what endometriosis is, in case you aren’t familiar with it.  Endometriosis is when the uterine lining starts to develop outside the uterine wall.  It can start to form on your ovaries and in severe cases it can form on other organs in your body.  There is no direct cause for developing it, but it is estimated that 5-10% of menstrual aged women develop it.  It can cause a myriad of symptoms, most common being pain and infertility.  Being on the pill, lowering your estrogen and smoking appears to halt its progress (obviously no one should take up smoking for this).  There are medications to prevent it from returning, but the side effects are so awful, that most women choose not to take it.  For more information about this you can check it out on Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endometriosis

After a few more follow up appointments with the wonderful doctor through his clinic at St. Mike’s (I had been seeing him through the hospital up until this point)  we decided that diagnostic surgery was pretty necessary.  Although, it is considered ‘elective surgery’  I don’t feel like I have much of a choice.  I either see what’s going wrong, or I live in continual and increasing pain.  Hmm.  Decisions, decisions.

MPW came with me to the final appointment so he could meet the doctor and we could talk about the surgical options.  Right away, MPW felt better having met the doctor.  Again, the doctor has this amazing ability to put you at ease.  He doesn’t overstate, or understate the concern, or the issues.  He is matter-of-fact and he smiles a lot.  Definitely makes you feel like you are in capable hands.  Also, he performs his own surgery, so you know who you are getting.  All major pluses.  The downside was he was booking in the spring of 2011.  That would have meant that I would have waited over a year from the first time I went to my doctor to find out what was wrong with me.  He asked if I wanted to be on his waiting list because I might get in around February.  “Sure, why not,” I said.  I signed all of the forms and went home with all the literature and kind of put it out of my mind.  No use worrying about something that is 6 months away.

On December 11th I get a call from his surgical coordinator.  “Hi, may I speak to Jennifer please?”  “Speaking.”  “Hi, this is ______  from ______’s office.  Would you be available for surgery on December 17th?”  “Um…heck yeah!  I mean….wow!  Okay!”  *laughs* “I know it’s kind of short notice, but…”  “No, that’s great.  Great.”  “Okay I will call you back and let you know when your pre admission appointment is.  It is supposed to be 2 weeks in advance, but we’ll have to get you in sooner.”  “Great, I will talk to you soon.” 

She called me back and I was booked in for Monday at 8am.  At this point you would think I would tell MPW the news, but I couldn’t because that weekend he was in Vermont with the ski school, coaching.  Of course, his phone was off and I didn’t want him to worry all weekend.  I had to wait 4 days to tell him and even then it was the night before the pre admission appointment, so he had to send an email to his boss and hope for the best.  I must take a minute here to say how great his employer has been about him taking time off for this.  There was no question about it, and MPW has been free to go with me on the appointments and surgery day, so major thanks to them.

We went to the pre admission appointment and they took my blood, blood pressure (twice) and asked me all sorts of questions (twice).  I left with instructions to call on Thursday for my surgery time on Friday.  I also left with a lot of nerves.  For some reason, in my head, this was going to be no big deal, but when I sat down with the pre admission nurse and she explained the procedures it finally hit me that this was a lot more serious than I thought.  The recovery was going to be painful (mostly from the gas…and it is.  The gas is in your body cavity, so you can’t just expel it and it pushes on your stomach nerves which causes back and shoulder pain.  Go figure.)   I also do not remember the doctor explaining that I was going to also have a D&C.  That really freaked me out.  I know he did tell me because it was on the paper that I signed, but I don’t think it actually sunk in until that point. 

So, off I go back home to sit and wait.  I told my mother, sister and brother what was going to happen and what was going on.  They were of course, most supportive.  I think my Mom was the most nervous of all of us.  I had 3 days to get used to the idea of surgery and then it was time. 

To find out more about the actual day, come back tomorrow!

Yeah, That Just Happened!

For the start to this, you can go here. 

Around 10 months ago I went to my family doctor complaining of pelvic pain, cramps in the middle of my cycle and abnormal bleeding.  Grossed out yet?  I know I was!  She referred me to a gynecologist to help sort everything out.  So off I go to this wonderful woman who was going to answer all of my unasked questions and cure me of this ridiculous pain.

Except she didn’t.  What she did do was freak out  when I wouldn’t stop bleeding all over her table.  She just sat there frozen in panic mumbling, “I’ve never seen anything like this, I’ve never seen anything like this.”  Um thanks, B*tch.  So she goes flying out the the room to find nitrus sticks to stop the bleeding  and leaves the door wide open.  Yeah, I’m still lying on the table half-naked with my feet around my ears!  Geeeeeze, woman.  So she finally manages to get the situation under control and I am freaking out a bit inside.  “Okay, I think I fixed it,” she said.

Fixed what?!  You didn’t even know what was wrong!  She goes to end the appointment and as an after thought she says, “You will probably have cramps and some bleeding.”  “Great,” I replied, “the person sitting next to me on the plane is going to love  that.”  “What do you mean?” she asks.  “Well, since you kept me waiting 2 hours  before the appointment, I now have about 1.5 hours before I have to be on a plane to Calgary, soooo that’s going to suck.” 

She gave me 2 Tylenol on the way out, but they didn’t have any water, so I had to take it when I got home.  I went on the plane and was fine, but the bleeding didn’t exactly stop for a few days.  Grossed out?  I know I was!

I returned to my family doctor and told her the whole story  nightmare.  She was appropriately horrified and recommended me to a specialist at St. Michael’s Hospital in downtown Toronto (affectionately known around these parts as St. Mike’s).  So, off I go to see another specialist  flash my vajayjay to another person I don’t know.  I get an appointment relatively quickly and see him in July.

 This doctor was amazing!  First of all, he apologized for the other quack who saw me previously.  He said, “that is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.  Of course, it is obvious what is going on here, I see it frequently.”  I swear I sighed a bit in relief.  In fact, I could see it too because they have this wonderful thing at St Mike’s that projects your lady business onto a TV screen in extreme  close up so that you can watch the doctor work.  Um, yeah.  Grossed out?  I know I was!  All I could think about was, “sorry about the grooming down there.  My vajayjay and I haven’t exactly been taking care of each other as we should.”  Have you ever seen your lady bits up close?  For someone who has seen torture movies, pictures of war zones, read horrific accounts of third-world countries…nothing could have prepared me for that.  Sorry ladies, I ain’t ever going to play for your team now!

He tells me that part of the problem is the cells on my cervix are not changing fast enough because I havetoo much estrogen in my body.  If I wasn’t taking birth control pills, it would be even worse.  Basically, your cervical cells start off really soft, like the inside of your lip, but hormones toughen it up so it feels more like the outside of your lip.  Except, mine don’t.  Mine stay delicate and soft, so it is more easily aggravated.  The solution?  Manually toughening them up with more freezing.  Oh, and removing a polyp.  Grossed out?  I know I was!   At least I was reassured, and this doctor has the most wonderful bed-side manner.  He makes you feel as though it’ s really no big deal and that it is totally treatable.  Exactly what I needed to hear.

He sent me out with the promise to return and book a follow up.  Great, all better.  Except…not.  Upon my return I describe the pain I am still feeling (although the bleeding has   stopped).  He takes another look and says to me.  “I cannot say this conclusively, because to be absolute certain surgery is required, but based on the number of women I have seen, and your symptoms, I am saying I am pretty  sure you have endometriosis.” 

WHAT?!?!  THE?!?!?!  HELL?!?!?!  (Okay so, hell wasn’t exactly the word that came to mind.)  Endometriosis?  But, but…

Okay, so where do we go from here?  Surgery?! 

Yep, sure do. 

Part Two of this lovely, gross tale tomorrow.  In the mean time…Yeah, That Just Happened!

It hurts and is extremely uncomfortable.  It hurts to laugh, or cough (which I feel like I have to do a lot of) and I can feel a big ball moving inside of my belly.  “Baby?”  y0u may ask.  Nope, gas.  A big ball of gas caused from 4 laproscopic incisions in my belly.  Incisions caused by the surgery I had yesterday.  Thank goodness for MPW, I haven’t actually seen the incisions, he has done all the nursing and changing of the gauze.  Right now he is out running errands and I am bored and wide awake.  They said I would probably be tired, but I don’t really feel it.  Just bored. 

Things I have learned in the last few days. 

1. The sight of IV needles makes me want to cry.  And itch.
2. Not being able to eat breakfast sucks.  Big time. 
3. No matter how mentally prepared you are, when you lie on the surgical table for the first time, you’re going to cry.  People being nice to you and trying to reassure you will just make you cry harder.
4. If you go under anesthetic crying you will wake up crying.
5. Tell the anesthesiologist if you are easily nauseated because then they give you this wonderful medicine that prevents it.
6. I have good anatomy for sticking tubes down my throat (Heh.)
7. You use your tummy muscles for a lot of things.
8. The anesthetic makes my forehead break out into hundreds of red pin-needle sized blister/pimple thingies.
9. The staff at St. Mike’s are AWESOME  and they really went out of their way to be cheery and helpful and reassuring and funny.
10. The nurse was right.  I will really want a shower and by the time I get to have one I will be desperate for it.  Only 30 more hours to go.
11. MPW had to help me get dressed after surgery and watch as I put a Always maxi pad on my underwear.  I feel like that may have been the most intrusive part of my day.
12. No one cares that you are in the a wheelchair when exiting the elevator.  Especially if they are on their pink, sparkly BlackBerry.  Jerk.
13. My sister, Stephtastic is fantastic (which I kinda already knew).  She brought me magazines, and ice cream and told me funny Oprah stories. 
14. No matter how bad it gets…I can do it.  I can get myself out of bed, I can walk around, I can deal with it. 

So, what was I doing crying all over Doogie Houser aka “the-world’s-youngest-looking-medial-resident” who was helping with the anaesthetic, while squeezing the nurse’s hand as she dried my tears and I tried to have a conversation?  I was getting my lady-business sorted out.  Yep, me and my lady-bits have been at odds the last few years, and it was time to find out why.  So, Monday I will start to tell you the story of how I came to be in this mess. In the mean time I think I may go lie down for a bit.  And there is ice cream calling my name.

Yeah, That Just Happened!