Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Operation Evict Teddy

has commenced.

Apparently Teddy is not only a huge pain in the gut, he's also REALLY greedy. I'm on tons of iron to boost my blood levels and Teddy is hogging much of it. My uterus is growing insanely. I know it's used to the whole expansion thing, but come on!

I went back to the doc last week and I was already 18 weeks. I've been measuring myself around, right over my belly button and I'm averaging an inch a day. That.is.a.lot.of.growing. I now look full-on pregnant and many people look at me with that "They're having ANOTHER one!?!" look. It's also sort of weird to explain to people, especially those I haven't seen in awhile or just know but don't really know. "You see I've got this fibroid I've named Teddy and apparently it's really growing..."

I'M A FREAK! But in a not so good way as I've always been. In a Look at my appendix in this jar way. Sigh.

Teddy will be evicted on July 7th. Thank goodness.

Friday, June 16, 2006

My uterus has superpowers.

Or thank God I'm learning what the hell is wrong with me!

The absent blogger returns to follow up one depressing health posting with another, but at least it's a bit more positive.

So I've got this fibroid, affectionately known as Teddy the Tumah. (of course you say it like Ahnald silly!) We first saw Teddy back in 1999 during my first ultrasound with the girls. As I practically lived at the ob's office for the next few years we had frequent views of Teddy and he was a good little fibroid as he only grew during pregnancy. Except for that darkside he had that made my periods awful and horrible and just downright not okay, but hey, I'm tough.

Apparently since the birth of Big C back in 2002 Teddy has been a little busier than I thought. My uterus is the size of a 15 week pregnancy. A 15 week pregnancy of a woman who has had children. (Yes this makes a difference as once your uterus and body stretch out to gargantuan proportions they more easily and quickly do so in subsequant pregnancies, or fibroid housings.)

I used to refer to the ole uterus as the condo. Apparently the neighborhood has gone a bit downhill. They could not get a picture of Teddy in his entirety with the ultrasound I had this week, he's a big 'un. The bad part of this is that my blood count is VERY low, like scary low-the kind that even freaks out the nurses and doctors.

This uterus must come out. They were able to buy me a bit of time to increase my blood levels and prepare to have surgery by giving me a shot of Depo-Provera in my BUTT and putting me on major iron pills and I am having lots of iron in my diet. I go back next week where we will schedule the surgery. The surgery that will put me out of commission for about 6 weeks and make me go through major pain but will ultimately free me from this whole pain/crazy health shit rollercoaster. At least I hope so. PLEASE let Teddy be the cause of all that's been happening.

I did have an MRI yesterday, no news, the doctor will read the results and get back to me, but Teddy gives me hope that it's not something scary like strokes or MS or any of that other stuff and purely the offshoots of an overgrown fibroid.

It's funny that now I can look back and think HOW did I not figure this out sooner?!?!? My mom tells me she felt the same way when they found Harry. My siblings and I have named Harry, who was apparently some sort of growth sort of like one of those stone babies who had hair and teeth and all that jazz but also caused my mom a whole bunch of problems. I like to say that Teddy takes after his Uncle Harry and is just as close to his mother.

Hysterectomy here I come and please, after the hell of recovery let me be amazingly free of all of the rest of this crap.

Wednesday, June 07, 2006

Life has a funny way

of letting you know you can't hide from the big stuff.

I've been hiding from the whole health side of things, tired of not getting any answers, of not being better, frustrated with all of it. Yesterday at work I had another "episode." The left side, which has been slightly numb since the first incident in 2004, went REALLY numb yesterday, and much more tingly-like when your foot falls asleep but worse-and I couldn't really move my hand or make it work. Scary stuff, but it's happened before. My doc sent me to the ER where I was checked out and pronounced coherent and okay aside from the whole left side of me being numb thing and I go back to the rheumatologist where I will go through a whole new round of brain scans and tests and all sorts of other fun things.

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Monday, June 05, 2006

So I'm watching

Law and Order Criminal Intent, one of my favorite shows, and the commercials come on. One is a One a Day vitamin commercial, all about staying strong, taking vitamins, and then they mention losing bone mass...as early as thirty.

I've always sort of tuned these things out. Didn't pertain to me, I didn't need to really pay attention. And suddenly I realized...I'M THIRTY. I'm in that age category now. Holy crap. That's me, I could be losing bone mass as I type. Right now.

Except I'm already taking my One a Day's.

Saturday, June 03, 2006

The heat is here.

Whew has it been hot here, in the 90's. As both of cars need the air conditioned fixed-a fact we can ignore all those cold winter months-I should be losing tons of weight just sweating while I drive places. But I'm not.

Today I had a girls day with Abbie & Arenne, we went to lunch and then with my mom for manicures and pedicures. I had a great time with the girls and then really enjoyed the massage chair while I had my pedicure. Very relaxing. I chose a bright orangey color, it's too bad I don't have any sort of tan to go with it. Tomorrow we are heading to a pool party and I need a swimsuit and I am hoping people aren't blinding by my either my orange nails or my whiteness. The kids are all excited to show off all their swimming lesson skills, woohooo!

My sisters were home with their significant others AND my little nephew man who is quite the chunka munka and actually has a darker tan than all the rest of us lol. Must be the California sun. He is such a sweet, funny, happy, gorgeous little guy, I am completely smitten. My sister and the nephew stayed on an extra week, everyone else had to get back for their jobs, it was so good to have the extra time with them. Although now that I have the whole job thing I wasn't able to just pick up and go as I have in the past.

On the yarn front I FINALLY got the purses to my aunt, and she loved them, I am so happy. WOOHOOO! As I take after her on the procrastination front it was all good. ;) I am finishing up sewing on the pocket of the purse for my grandma, this thing is HUGE and GINORMOUS unfelted, I so have to take pics before and after of it. Can't wait to see how it turns out after felting. I'm also working on another star blanket and need to re-felt my sister's purse, pray that I can get to go back to being a little bigger. I could kick myself for not checking it during that last felt. ARRGH!

Man I wish I had one of those pedicure chairs in my house. The back massager, the comfiness of it, the whole foot spa/bath aaaaaah, heaven. My mom and I are now plotting weekly trips after work on Fridays and scheming on getting a nice bottle of wine from my friend's liquor store next door to enjoy as well. The girls at the nail place were up for it, yeehaw. That's the way to start off the weekend. Maybe I'll even have to start having knitting/crochet groups there or something. Can you imagine? A pedicure in a massage chair with a good bottle of whine while yarning away the hours? Wowza.