Archive for August, 2006

Restored

Thursday, August 31st, 2006

Finally, a doctor that listened. Today, was doctor’s appointment 8million for the year. A followup for the costachondritis which ended up being so much more.

As, I said in my last entry, the doctor I see at MCV work in a clinic setting, you see a resident, mainly. Well, today, I had a med student, 2 residents, and an attending talking to me and working with me. The med student today? Wonderful. And, she should be looking toward becoming a primary care physician. She will make a wonderful, caring doctor.

Now, the first resident, was overbooked, so I didn’t see her for long. But, she seemed nice enough. The second one, was great. And the attending? Who did most things with me today? Kicked ass.

She listened to what I said. She didn’t cut me off, at any time. Now, that is just not normal. She talked me through everything she wanted to work with me on.

And, she believed me about my pain levels. If you aren’t a chronic pain sufferer, you have no clue how much that means. So many doctors just write you off and let you suffer.

She didn’t. She listened, she wrote out a care plan for me. By herself, not just pressing buttons and sending out prewritten sheets of information. She talked me through it.

For the first time in almost 8 years, I have hope. I know it’s going to be a long drawn out process. I’m looking at several major surgeries over the next few years but, there is hope. Hope that I will be under less pain. Hope that the pain I do have will be treated.

Hope, that I’ll get some of my life back.

She even went so far as not lecturing me on “being more careful” when we discussed my fall. Due to my left leg issues, when I do walk (as I do in the house, outside is wheelchair, inside I can walk some) there are times that I can’t feel my leg and I fall.

Now, normally, I don’t injure myself when I fall but, two days ago I took a bad tumble and pulled something horrendously in my lower right back. She examined it, discussed heat/ice/etc about it, and prescribed pain meds.

My one other thing with today’s appointment was getting onto Wellbutrin so I could quit smoking. She prescribed that with no problem, gave me some information, and really encouraged me to quit.

I’ll pick that prescription up next week, and my quit date is the 21st.

Once, I’m off the Wellbutrin, we’ll work on getting me back on meds for the nerve pain issues, instead of that being just brushed off, as the orthopedic doctors did.

She listened to me, she’s willing to help, and she was genuinely nice. After all I’ve been through with doctors in the past few years, I’m just in shock.

Doctors, residents and med students

Sunday, August 27th, 2006

I need to rename this the Vagina diary. So, I was back at my doctor’s office earlier this week. More issues from the PCOS and the hysteroscopy/biopsy/crap. First, though, I need to explain this office. My “doctor” is actually the Women’s Health Department the Medical College of Virginia. Which means, you see various residents for your care. I’ve now seen four different residents and a seperate one entirely did my hysteroscopy. Three of the doctors, and the one who did the procedure are female, the one I saw two days after the procedure, was a guy.

This week, when I went in, the first person I saw was a medical student. He came in to take my history and find out what was going on. Now, the first thing I noticed is he was young. I mean really young. And, obviously is not planning on going into gynecology.

He was scared to death while taking my history and had a very hard time even saying the word “vagina” outloud. When he left the room to go talk with the resident, I burst out laughing. I mean, I watched the color drain from his face when he had to ask about anything related to the reproductive system.

A little while later, he came back with the resident, who discussed a few things with me. Including birth control.

With that, I didn’t even wait for them to leave the room, the laughter just bubbled over. I have polycystic ovarian syndrome, we tried for almost 10 years to get pregnant, I do not ovulate. Why and the hell would I be worried about birth control? Especially, right now with things being screwed up anyway?

Sometimes, I think they don’t actually read the files completely, or they just stick to one script for everyone. Telling an infertile woman with multiple issues stopping a pregnancy from happening, that she needs to be on birth control? Come on, engage your brain.

Don’t get me wrong, overall, they have been wonderful in all this, even though, I am not happy with how they are dragging things out. I go back in two months (if nothing else happens.) At that point, hopefully, they’ll actually do something about all of this. I really am at the point that I can admit that it is likely I’ll lose my uterus to relieve the ongoing issues.

I’m not happy about it, as I really would like to have a bio child but, when it comes down to it, I need to be healthy and if losing my uterus is what it takes, well, I’ll have to accept it. (and yes, I know it’s odd, laughing about birth control but, then discussing wanting a child but, I had held out hopes for infertility treatment, someday, ha.)

I’m taking my medications exactly as prescribed, I’m doing everything I’m supposed to be doing but, it is not resolving. There is one other procedure that might help but, it would still destroy any chance of a pregnancy.

What it boils down to is 2 more months on the hormones, then another biopsy (which they informed me will probably also be under anesthesia.) After the second biopsy, if they hyperplasia has cleared up, then we’ll go forward on other options. So, at least 2 more months of this. Plus, however long it takes to get into the next step.

As of right now, I’ve been bleeding for 8 months. I’m on enough provera for 4 women, I have a uterus with hyperplasia and “fluffy lining” (yes, that’s what they called it.) I’ve had a D&C and biopsy. I’m on 2000 mgs of Metformin for the PCOS. I have costochondritis, again. My world is a giant ball of stress due to all this, which has caused my blood pressure to be up. Well, no shit. Chronic pain in my back and hip for 8 years (which is another entry entirely how that is being “treated”) plus everything else? And, they wonder why my blood pressure is slightly elevated? Duh.

Crash…

Sunday, August 6th, 2006


I hate this. Tre and Krysie were here for the weekend and they just left. They weren’t even out of the driveway and tears were streaming down my face. I love my babies and I hate being so far from them. Tre’s over an hour from here now and Kyrsie lives two hours from here. They went from being part of every minute of my day to just a few minutes here and there.

And, it is not like they are the best behaved children on the planet, in fact, Kyrsie has behavior issues and they drive me nuts but, I adore these kids. I took a bunch of pictures of them before they left but, I can’t upload them until I find the damn cord to this camera. The cord disappeared in my move back in January. I have built in card readers on this machine but, it doesn’t act right and formatted the last pictures I tried to upload so I am not taking the chance with these.

That picture up there is Charlie, Kyrsie, Tre, and Colson in front, taken in May. Aren’t they precious? Can you see why I hate it when they leave? I’m going to have a pity party for myself now.