Uterine Fibroids
On Saturday, June 23, I went in for a pelvic ultrasound. This consists of an internal and external ultrasound. The external one, taken with a full bladder (the tech said that mine was actually *overly* full), was one of the ten most painful experiences of my life. It was up there with appendicitis, tonsillitis and putting my hand through a window.
On Thursday, June 28, I got the results. I have a large number of uterine fibroids, which the doctor regarded as good news. Three out of four women have them, by the way, but for most of us, it's not painful. Mine are painful enough to require *serious* painkillers, which I got on Friday. I go to the gynecologist on July 10 to find out if it'll be surgery or meds to get rid of them. Given that some of them are "large" (how large is probably a matter of perspective, given how small a uterus is), I'm betting on surgery.
All in all, it could be worse. Only one tenth of one percent of these things turns into cancer, so it looks like the only risk I'll have from this is the surgery itself.
I'm feeling pretty positive, but it's difficult to feel great when one has this much pain from something that's not serious. Plus, I've also got the added fear that I could get addicted to the painkillers they gave me. I'm trying to use them sparingly, but I'm to the point where I pretty much need them to function because the pain is so severe without them. Heck, even with them, it's no day in the park, most of the time. I've had two in the last six hours and while I'm feeling pretty fuzzy, I'm still in pain. Oh, well.
That was does not kill me, makes me stronger, right? Still, it's wearing to be in pain all the time.
On Thursday, June 28, I got the results. I have a large number of uterine fibroids, which the doctor regarded as good news. Three out of four women have them, by the way, but for most of us, it's not painful. Mine are painful enough to require *serious* painkillers, which I got on Friday. I go to the gynecologist on July 10 to find out if it'll be surgery or meds to get rid of them. Given that some of them are "large" (how large is probably a matter of perspective, given how small a uterus is), I'm betting on surgery.
All in all, it could be worse. Only one tenth of one percent of these things turns into cancer, so it looks like the only risk I'll have from this is the surgery itself.
I'm feeling pretty positive, but it's difficult to feel great when one has this much pain from something that's not serious. Plus, I've also got the added fear that I could get addicted to the painkillers they gave me. I'm trying to use them sparingly, but I'm to the point where I pretty much need them to function because the pain is so severe without them. Heck, even with them, it's no day in the park, most of the time. I've had two in the last six hours and while I'm feeling pretty fuzzy, I'm still in pain. Oh, well.
That was does not kill me, makes me stronger, right? Still, it's wearing to be in pain all the time.