Random Thoughts of a Frustrated Principessa

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

RANT: My Period From Hell!

TMI Warning for All Men: I am about to talk in detail about my menstrual cycle. If this makes you queasy or just disgusted, stop reading now!

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RANT: My Period From Hell!

My period started late in the afternoon of Wednesday, July 8, 2009. I had no cramps and minimal flow, to no flow. Late in the evening of Saturday, July 11, 2009 my flow became quite heavy and I experienced severe cramping. My menstrual flow has remained heavy since then; but the cramping has been sporadic and milder since Wednesday, July 15, 2009. Since Wednesday, the 15th I have felt very lethargic. I have also felt light headed off and on,since Thursday, July 16, 2009. Since Thursday night around 7:00 PM I have been wearing 2 overnight maxi pads and changing them every 2-3 hours.

I have not felt nauseous, nor have I noticed a fever; but I have been craving protein all week. I'm guessing that is a result of all the blood and iron lost.

This is my 2nd period since my hysteroscopic myomectomy, on May 26, 2009. My June period was the same as before the surgery. It lasted 6 days and I had severe cramping and heavy flow. I went back to my usual 3 Motrin every 4 hours.
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7/17/09 -On the advice of the doctor who did my surgerys nurse I am going to the ER. She thinks I may have lost too much blood and need a transfusion. YIKES!
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The ER didn't keep me, nor did they do a blood transfusion as I only appeared borderline anemic from the blood work they did and my white blood cell count was normal. They did give me a prescription for Vicodin for the cramps though. I didn't fill it cause that doesn't solve the problem. It will just knock me out so I don't feel the cramps. The cramps have become less severe. They don't make me double over anymore.

The ER kindly gave me a copy of the results of all the bloodwork they did and I have faxed it to my doctors office in Atlanta.
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7/18/09 - Right now, I'm weak. I do one or two things like make breakfast and fold clothes and then I need an hour nap.

You know how after giving birth some women complain that when they laugh, cough, or sneeze a little urine leaks out and they can't control it. Well thats how I have been all week, only it's the blood flow. I can feel it surging or gushing out of me when I laugh, cough, or sneeze. It's damned annoying.

Fortunately or unfortunately the results of my blood work were borderline. Last night the ER doctor explained that while I had definetely lost a lot of blood it wasn't enough to require a transfusion.

When I called Dr.Pauli, who was on call for my reproductive endocrinologist this morning and read him the results of the bloodwork he said the exact same thing. I have to admit that made me feel relieved.

I know it's wrong; but I have a slight prejudice against some of the local doctors because we are in such a rural area. I feel like maybe they don't know as much as the doctors in Atlanta. In some cases I'm right and in others I have been wrong. It's about 50/50. The ER doc ticked me off because he mentioned the 'H' word. Hysterectomy. I'm still hoping to meet Mr. Right and have kids! A hysterectomy is not an option. He reminded me of Dr. Charles Emerson Winchester from M*A*S*H and his pompous attitude annoyed me. He is the second rural doctor to tell me I needed a hysterectomy. Meanwhile I have had 3 doctors in Atlanta who know for a fact I am still able to conceive and bear children normally. As a matter of fact just teo months ago I was told by a reproductive endocrinologist in Atlanta that I had very nice ovaries and a many viable eggs.

Numerous studies and statistics show that black women are encouraged to have hysterectomys more than white, Asian, or Latina women. Black women are often forced into hysterectomies in their 20's where as other races are told to not even think about it until they are in their 50's.

The cramps are much less than before which is the other reason I didn't fill the Vicodin script.

On Monday I will call Dr. Roberts., Dr. Pauli said they may need to do a hysterosalpingogram which the ER doc had also mentioned. This is done for a few reasons. In my case it will be to: Find problems in the uterus, such as an abnormal shape or structure, an injury, polyps, fibroids, adhesions, or a foreign object in the uterus. These types of problems may cause painful menstrual periods or repeated miscarriages.

Based on the results of my bloodwork Dr. Pauli said I should take the following supplements: Iron, Calcium, Folic Acid, and a stool softener such as Colace to counteract the constipation from the Iron.

I'm curious, if I took the calcium in the morning and the iron at night or vice versa would I still get constipated? I'm already prone to constipation because of IBS. The last thing I need is to make it worse.

As of today, I am on day 16 of my period with no end in sight.

I enjoy being a girl!

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Mystery Malady - SOLVED!

I had an appointment today with my gastroenterologist, about that weird pain I had a few weeks ago. I was worried that it might be a hernia or appendicitis, or maybe even adhesions from my recent surgery. I later concluded that it was my IBS acting up. I was wrong. :(

FYI - I had my post-op appt. with my reproductive endocriniologist on 7/10/09 and I mentioned the pain to her and she assured me it was NOT adhesions as you only get those when they cut through the fascia. Since my surgery was done hysteroscopically she did not have to cut through the fascia.

Turns out my Mystery Malady was actually a transferrence of pain due to my diverticulosis. Y'all may recall I was eating popcorn when it happend. Popcorn is high on the list of fiberous foods that I should not eat as it lodges in the pockets (diverticula) causing the blinding pain which I felt that night.

Mystery solved. However, I have to have an EGR at the end of the month to determine the cause of my annoying gastric reflux.

Other than that life is grand.

Mom is plucking my last good nerve!

I had a bad day with mom. One of those days where I wish matricide was legal.
She thinks I always have to be right. I don’t. I’m actually the least competitive person you will ever meet.

We have a lawn swing similar to this one, actually we have 2; one at either end of the pool. Mom tightened the bolts so that the canopy was flat across the top and not tilted. I said that was a bad idea because people like to move the canopy so the sun won’t be in their eyes and because of the strong winds which we get all the time here. This was like 3 weeks ago.

Sunday night we had a major thunder and lightning storm with HIGH WINDS and monsoon like rain. You guessed it! One lawn swing was blown into the deep end of the pool. Basically the lawn swing canopy acted like Mary Poppins umbrella and went airborne.

I know what y’all are thinking, “So what, let her get it out of the pool.” She's 79 and has bad arthritis in her hands, knees, and hips! The last thing I needed was for her to try and do it herself and fall in the pool or worse. FWIW: I couldn’t do it by myself and right now I’m the strongest person in the house. I know because I tried before I went to the dentist on Monday afternoon. That's right in addition to having chipped a tooth and needing extra novocaine which left my mouth sore until 9 PM. I come home and have to deal with a willful and bratty senior citizen.

You have no idea how hard it was for mom and I to get that damned thing out of the pool! Dad was of course in drill sargeant mode, so he directed and mom ignored his directions and mine until I snapped and started yelling at her.

It was a 2 person job no matter how you slice it.

She won't just do what I tell her to do. It just pissed me off because I told her not to do it and she did; and it caused major aggravation and stress for all of us. She’s lucky it didn’t scratch or tear a hole in the liner.

I swear to God all summer we have been hemorraghing money.

This is like the 4th time in six months that I have asked and/or told her to do something and she has flat out ignored me. She was lucky this time. The last two times she ignored me, when she finally realized there was a problem it cost her thousands of dollars to correct.