Out of the stirrups...
Well, we got it narrowed down:
WHAT IT'S NOT:
- The Big C. Dr. Cowboy (more on him later) said that ovarian cancer doesn't hurt until it has spread, and then we'd have seen it on the CT scan. *whew*
- Endometriosis. It was a suspect, but when I got through the exam without 'jumping off the table', Dr. Cowboy eliminated it.
WHAT IT COULD BE:
- Adhesions. Yeah, look it up. Doc showed me pictures of them that he scoped out on somebody else just this morning. Yeesh. Since the diagnosis requires surgery, he recommended I first rule out:
- One gnarly cyst. Showing the classic signs, they're just lasting longer than I'm used to.
So, one exam (in which we talked about prom dresses - Dr. Cowboy's youngest daughter is a high school senior) later, I have a year long scrip for birth control pills, which will help immensely not only now, but until this time next year. I hope. Because if I'm still in pain next month (when my insurance kicks in), I'mma call him back and schedule a scope.
But hopefully, it's just a matter of $10 a month (thanks to a coupon, this month is free).
Funny - now that I've talked to an M.D. and reduced the culprits and am actively Doing Something About It (other than lay on the couch and cry), I'm already starting to feel better. The stress was the worst part about everything.
I learned today that Dr. Cowboy has twenty-something screws and two metal plates in his arm from... A motorcycle wreck. Too bad he already has a nickname here - I'd be calling him Dr. McBadAss after today. (And he has full strength in his hand. Kind of dangerous hobby when your hands are involved, me thinks.)
Right. Off to re-label the days of the week on my pills. (If you think I'm waiting until Sunday to start the regiment and perhaps find relief... Yeah, think again.)