Mother Nature is a Misogynist
Aug. 29th, 2003 09:01 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ciroccojWarning: this entry falls entirely within the category of Big Old TMI
My much-anticipated appointment with GyneGuy was today. And what's been resolved?
Bugger all.
For one thing, he didn't get my ultrasound from the lab yet (they're still not done processing), so there wasn't much he could really tell me. He did do a quick exam and said that as far as he could tell, the fibroid hasn't grown much. It's still about 10cm (4") across. Making my uterus the size of one that holds a sixteen-week old fetus. How nice.
Then, after looking at my file, he said we've got the following options:
1) Wait and see
2) Pain meds of various varieties
3) Anti-bleeding meds
4) Hormones of various flavours, to stop bleeding or shrink the fibroid
5) A couple of different kinds of surgery to shrink the damn thing - basically by stopping the bloodflow to it and killing it off
6) Removing the fibroid, which because of its size would probably pretty much be the equivalent of
7) Hysterectomy
Do we still want more kids? he asks.
Well... yeah.
OK, then we'll just wait and see, he said.
Basically, back to where we were before I went back on the Pill and the other hormone therapy. I'm supposed to stop taking the hormones, give myself another month to get it out of my system, then resume trying to have another child. But this time, take iron supplements, keep better track of my cycle, and go back to see him after three months.
This time we also have his phone number for his clinic, so that we aren't put in the position we were in this last time: I'm basically bleeding to death, everybody says I've gotta go in and see him NOW, but the hospital gives me an appointment five weeks away.
He'll also probably end up doing some kind of test to see whether I've been unable to conceive for over a year because the fibroid is blocking my fallopian tubes.
So. ::deep sigh::
Back to square one.
My much-anticipated appointment with GyneGuy was today. And what's been resolved?
Bugger all.
For one thing, he didn't get my ultrasound from the lab yet (they're still not done processing), so there wasn't much he could really tell me. He did do a quick exam and said that as far as he could tell, the fibroid hasn't grown much. It's still about 10cm (4") across. Making my uterus the size of one that holds a sixteen-week old fetus. How nice.
Then, after looking at my file, he said we've got the following options:
1) Wait and see
2) Pain meds of various varieties
3) Anti-bleeding meds
4) Hormones of various flavours, to stop bleeding or shrink the fibroid
5) A couple of different kinds of surgery to shrink the damn thing - basically by stopping the bloodflow to it and killing it off
6) Removing the fibroid, which because of its size would probably pretty much be the equivalent of
7) Hysterectomy
Do we still want more kids? he asks.
Well... yeah.
OK, then we'll just wait and see, he said.
Basically, back to where we were before I went back on the Pill and the other hormone therapy. I'm supposed to stop taking the hormones, give myself another month to get it out of my system, then resume trying to have another child. But this time, take iron supplements, keep better track of my cycle, and go back to see him after three months.
This time we also have his phone number for his clinic, so that we aren't put in the position we were in this last time: I'm basically bleeding to death, everybody says I've gotta go in and see him NOW, but the hospital gives me an appointment five weeks away.
He'll also probably end up doing some kind of test to see whether I've been unable to conceive for over a year because the fibroid is blocking my fallopian tubes.
So. ::deep sigh::
Back to square one.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2003-08-29 08:18 pm (UTC)Keeping you in my thoughts; hope all of this works itself out and nothing drastic needs be done. And all winds up happily ever after.
::hopes::
no subject
Date: 2003-08-30 09:12 am (UTC)Yeah, I hope nothing drastic has to be done either... but at this point, I almost feel like doing anything would be better than doing nothing. Almost.
no subject
Date: 2003-08-30 07:12 am (UTC)What Tory said? Me, too. I'll pray for you, too. :)
no subject
Date: 2003-08-30 09:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-08-30 09:01 am (UTC)The lack of ultrasound report? That threw me. Why the damned radiologist wouldn't have been able to get the thing finished before your appointment. I guess this is one of the downsides to national health care.
::hugs::
no subject
Date: 2003-08-30 09:18 am (UTC)What happened was, it usually takes 7-10 days to get a non-emergency report from the lab to the doctor. Which is why my ultrasound was scheduled for August 14. But then I was given the wrong hospital to go to, and by the time they figured out where I was supposed to be, I'd completely missed my appointment. So they rescheduled to August 25. Told me as I was leaving that the results would be in to my doc in 7-10 days.
"That's not good," I said, "Because my appointment is this Friday."
"Oh. We'll try to get it to him before then, I guess."
So much for that.
I guess this is one of the downsides to national health care.
Yeah, it is. Then again, I've heard that many HMOs do the same kind of thing. And that's a service you're paying for directly, instead of out of your taxes. Of course, if your HMO is doing that kind of thing and you have enough money, you can always switch to a better HMO. Our only other option is to fly to the States, if we can afford it.