Skip to main content

Surprises at the Gyno!

Episode LXXXVII - give it away now...


Back to the Gynecologist for an ultrasound. After I saw some ovarian cysts noted in one of my reports I had an ultrasound back in June. Today I was going back to recheck my ovaries to see if any changes had occurred since the last visit. I expect to find very boring, non-cysted ovaries...



About to go to check out my ovaries...


I signed in at the front desk and took a seat in the waiting room, The office is full of people... mostly pregnant people. The large office was packed of couples awaiting appointments. I am always conflicted when I am in the office.

On one hand, I am so excited for all of the pregnant women. I talk to them and bask in their joy. I remember those days... not necessarily the joy of pregnancy (because I spent both pregnancies very ill), but the excitement of becoming a parent. Babies. Babies. Babies. They are so cute and sweet and wonderful. And they grow up!!!! I cannot believe that my children are 14 and 7... has it really been that long ago?!?!

Then on the other hand, I am thrilled that I will not have to do those late night hours or deal with all of the care that goes into parenting an infant. I have had such a long year and I can barely handle what I have now. I cannot believe that right before I found out I had cancer we had discussed having more children. We really wanted more kids, but knew that financially it would be a challenge and we were getting too old. So, we practically decided not to expand our family. I was grieving that idea and boom... cancer. I completely forgot about anything but surviving. Plus with the type of cancer I had any idea of birthing more children was gone. So now I sit here thinking how grateful I am to not be pregnant. I mean having kids is great... but they do become teenagers!!!




I knew it was going to be a long wait. However, it seemed much longer than normal. There was a sign that stated if you were waiting longer than 30 minutes to please tell the receptionist. So, I did.

Then after another period of time I heard my first name called. I was sitting in the back so I put down my magazine and turned around to see a woman walk to the nurse. She took her back. Well, I guess there's another person with my name. So, I sat back down. Then after a ridiculously long wait, I went up to the receptionist and talked with her again. She told me she was going to check. They always say that. I mean it had been at least an hour. Come on!!!

Finally, I heard my name ring out again and I made my way to the nurse. I was thrilled to be called because before I arrived I was told that I had to drink a massive amount of water and hold it. I was suppose to have a full bladder. I had been sitting in the lobby about to explode for the past hour. The first words out of my mouth were that I had to pee... really bad!!!

I asked why I could not go to the bathroom before the ultrasound. The nurse looked at me with an odd look and said, "But you've already had it." I looked at her and said, "No. You just called me back." She looked at my chart and was confused. We discussed that I was having a transvaginal ultrasound and that she had images already taken. Well, they were not mine. Seriously!!

I had been given the wrong pre-procedure instructions. (Seriously... only me!) So she sent me to the bathroom while she tried to figure out what happened. It seems the girl (who shares my first name) was given a transvaginal ultrasound. My transvaginal ultrasound to view ovaries. We shared the first same name and she seemed to believe she had one scheduled. I mean I cannot imagine wanting that type of ultrasound unless you needed it. Seriously!!!

After multiple apologizes and a bathroom break I was finally back in the ultrasound room, I got undressed from the waist down and climbed onto the chair. Then I scooted my bottom to the end of the chair and put my feet in the stirrups. Then me and the tech got intimate...

The transvaginal ultrasound (that both Amy's got today) consisted of inserting the ultrasound wand into the vaginal canal. They guide the wand inside until they get enough images of both ovaries. Basically, I am getting molested by the technician... and the pressure needed to get good images of my ovaries was not a pleasant experience.


The ultrasound wand... probing all Amy's... 


The ultrasound was not painful, but it was uncomfortable. There was some pushing and pressure to find the best angles. Normally, I would have to go wait in the lobby again, but because of the crazy mix-up I was given the next available room.

Soon the Gyno stopped by to discuss my ultrasound images. The cysts had changed. One had gone away and the other looked smaller. So nothing appeared abnormal. All good news. Then we discussed my symptoms (some cramping and my Tamoxifen side effects). She thought about everything and decided she wanted to run a blood test to check my estrogen levels. I mean we need to know that I am not producing estrogen... I do not want to be in all this misery for nothing!!!


A vile of blood later...


A few days later, it was official... my blood work results showed that I was in menopause. My estrogen was basically gone and the Tamoxifen was doing it's job. As much as I cannot stand the medicine it was doing what it was suppose to do.




In my head...


I am officially old... well at least my body is. I might be young on the outside, but I am old on the inside. Like every one says - menopause sucks. But I will be living with it for the remainder of my years so I better get used to it!!!

The main thing I learned was to confirm that it is or is not your turn when other people respond to your name. That you may or may not be giving your appointments (and odd procedures) to strangers. I cannot imagine what that other lady was thinking... probably why are they sticking that thing up my... Surprise!!!


“It ain't what they call you, it's what you answer to.” 
- W.C. Fields


Reference Episode: Give it Away, Red Hot Chili Peppers song

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

More biopsies... where? down there?

Cancer survivors are always wondering and waiting to see if something is going to happen, so it is only natural to worry when something is "off". Then when something turns out to be abnormal more testing and follow-ups are needed. It seems like a continual wave of worries. Sometimes our worries turn out to be issues. Sometimes our worries turn out to be nothing. Either way, we are going to worry... it's just an issue of determining how much and when we should really worry. Finding out my endometrium lining was so thick meant I needed to get a biopsy. What's an Endometrial Biopsy? An endometrial biopsy is a medical procedure in which a small piece of tissue from the lining of the uterus (the endometrium) is removed for examination under a microscope. The removed tissue is examined for cancer or any other cell abnormalities.  Lucky me. Right?  Now I get to go back the GYN only a few days after my initial exa

giving your 16 year old scissors

New Traditions Losing my hair - it's going to happen. When I did this in 2013, I waited to cut my hair once I was further in treatment. I didn't want to do that again. I didn't want to do it while I felt sore and bad. This time, I wanted to get rid of my hair before treatment.  Since I will have now done this more than once, it can be considered a tradition: cancer haircuts by my kids . Last time I did this, the kids were 6 and 13. So, this time around my son (23) opted not to cut, but watched some.   However, my 16 year old daughter leapt at the opportunity to cut my hair. Even though 10 years have gone by, she had to adhere to a few basic rules. Basic Rules: 1. Do not cut my ears. 2. Do not cut your own hair. 3. Do not cut anyone else's hair. These rules still hold up and are the general agreement we make before I put scissors in my kid's hands to chop on my hair!  And the tradition isn't the same without going outside (weather permitting) and listening to our

PINKTOBER

I love fall, it is my favorite time of the year. Instead of fall colors, I am surrounded by pink. Everywhere I look I see breast cancer paraphernalia being marketed and displayed. Companies look charitable. Social media is ablaze. The world is turning pink. I live pink. It is not just a Pinktober thing. Breast cancer has infiltrated my life, it is here year round. Pinktober is a double-sided sword for me. On one side I am grateful to whatever it takes to get people motivated, involved, concerned, donating, caring, or active in the cancer community. Then there is the other side, the part that makes almost all breast cancer survivors cringe… the blatant misrepresentation and misuse of all things Pinktober. Ironically, the whole breast cancer awareness month was created by a drug company. October was labeled National Breast Cancer Awareness Month where pink ribbons and merchandise began being sold without any regard to education or awareness. Breast cancer activists, like the fight