It's been interesting ...

A few months ago when I thought it could not get any worse, I realized I couldn't continue with the vaginal pain I was having and the whole not even being capable of sexual intimacy, as if the other stuff wasn't bad enough. I went to the OB/GYN thinking "ok this has got to be simple and there's nothing wrong I'm sure".

I made an appointment to get into the dr a few days before seeing my honey in CA thinking this will be at least one quick fix. The dr looks and says there is so much inflamation that it's obvious to tell it's painful. She did some swabs and packed me off to get an ultra sound. The ultra sound was terribly unpleasant. I waited and waited for results of the swabs and the ultrasound. I finally asked my PCPs office for the results. The one of the Dr's at my PCPs office indicated that I had a growth the size of a nectarine inside my uterus. I was floored.

I made a follow up appointment w/ the GYN who indicated that the PCPs office was off, it was more like a very large grapefruit. I felt like ... with the things I've been through, isn't that enough? Why this?! Turns out the swabs were normal, no infections. Just a ton of inflamation and a HUGE thing in my uterus. She said they couldn't tell where it was coming from, inside or out. I asked if they wanted an MRI and she said no, they would proceed directly to surgery.

I consulted my parents who indicated if I needed to have surgery and were to be out for 6 weeks, I should come to TX for the procedure. So I flew to TX to see a GYN there (that is another story, complicated stuff). He talked to a friend of his, a radiologist (and a damn cute on too) who said he didn't feel comfortable Embolizing (yes, they indicated Embolization would be the best, safest route to keep my uterus) w/o an MRI. They did the MRI and found that the thing was inhabiting the whole inside of my uterus, completely distorting it. It would have been impossible to do surgery w/o having to do an whole hysterectomy b/c of the warping of my uterus. I was so angry knowing Drs in Phx were going to let me go into surgery w/o investigating and then just take my uterus after I cried that I wanted children. A**holes!

So I had the Embolization, it seems to have gone ok. Flirted w/ the dr and here I am, back in Phx. It's been rought not only dealing with the constant pain, the numbness and now *gasp* hallucinations but I'm hanging in. I'm hoping the procedure will reduce the size of the "grapefruit" will reduce by at least 60% so they can either remove or I can work around it. I will still likely need a hysterectomy in a few years if I don't get pregnant. My chances of getting pregnant are also rather slim.

Now I must contend with what's still been going on. I saw my PCP who indicated that she wanted to do a 24 urine test and also a new blood workup. I know that I had abnormal protein in my blood, spinal fluid and probably my urine. I'm curious about the results of the outcome, I've been reading on Mulitple Myeoloma but really, I have no clue what's going on. MM certainly addresses the strange bowing of my spine and the sudden scoliosis I recently developed. Also the bone fractures, compression and the bone pain I feel throughout my body. I'm hoping that we're closer to a diagnosis that makes sense and something that is treatable instead of "ok so you're getting worse and worse, too bad ... have some Tramadol and shut up".

I'll try to keep posting but I get so depressed and so beat down by all the visits, reading all the drs who say that it's "somataform" even though there is plenty of evidence that some medically related stuff is going on. It's just enough to drive any person mad. I'm getting there.

- k