Just call me Lumpy

Possible TMI warning…

I had my gynie appointment on Wednesday. The doc was a very nice Chinese chap, very gentle and kind. Just the sort of person you want for this sort of exams. He took a brief history, seemed very impressed with the records I had been keeping. Doesn’t everyone have 2.5 years worth of records? *grin*. I’ve also managed to collect 4 cycles worth of temperature readings, which really didn’t look promising to me, but I had wondered if I was missing something. I know you’re supposed to look for a relatively big temp jump at some point and I just couldn’t find one. Well neither could the doc.

Putting all this together with the fact that I am very overweight he said he suspected PCOS and he wanted to do an exam and scan, and then and do a couple of blood tests, one that day and one on the 21st day of my cycle. So I assumed the position (is there anything more undignified?) and after a brief feel of my tum out came the scanner.

I have actually had one of these internal scans before and the two experiences were very different. Last time I went through the NHS and the nurse who performed it was very uncommunicative and a little brusque. This time the doc actually moved the screen so I could see it, pointed out to me what he was seeing and explained it all as he went along, yay for private healthcare. Anyway, what he was seeing was lost of little lumps all over my ovaries pretty much confirming that I do have PCOS. From what I understand, the blood tests will help determine whether or not I’m actually ovulating and what treatment will be most effective. He also decided he wanted an x-ray of my bits to see if my tubes are clear, and regardless of all this he also wants Wookie to be tested *heh*, as you can imagine he’s not too happy about that but quite frankly after what I’m going to have to go through, I can’t really work up much sympathy for him there.

This morning I had to go back for my x-ray, which wasn’t at all like, I’d expected. I’ve had x-rays before and it was basically get up here, twist yourself into the most impossible pretzel-like position and hold it for 2 hours while we retreat to a lead-lined bomb-proof bunker to take the picture of your insides.

This time I was told that, in order to highlight the bits they needed to x-ray, they would have to insert a dye into the appropriate area. Oh glee *claps hands*. So it was back into ‘the position’ to have masses of dye squirted into me (you can figure out how, I’m sure) and then be x-rayed. I’ll give him credit, it was all over and done with in 10 minutes but it doesn’t half hurt when they’re putting the dye in. It feels like really bad cramps and I’m still sore now. On top of that the wretched stuff is really really sticky and of course it has to come back out again, doesn’t it, yick, yick, yick. Oh yes, and all through this I’m dressed in this seasons latest fashions, a knee length little number with a delightful back vent for keeping cool in the summer weather.

Of course if all this has the desired results then it will have been worth it, but honestly, that doesn’t make it any less unpleasant or undignified in the meantime.

My next blood test is on the 20th and then once all the results are in I’ll have to go back to get the verdict on treatment. In the meantime I’ve got to gently persuade Wookie to get his finger out (sorry) and call his doc to arrange his test. It doesn’t help that he’s swamped at work at the moment and is being sent to Holland for a week in a couple of weeks time. I’ll have to see if I can enlist exBIL D’s assistance on this one, because if I keep mentioning it he’ll only get irritated with me ‘nagging’ him.

Now I know I don’t normally post over the weekend but I’m planning to, just this once, to give me chance to post parts 3 & 4 of the holiday tale.