Thursday, November 20, 2008

males beware

this week, i have had a few medical problems.

i will explain in detail below...with important points underlined. feel free to scan the underlined font, as there is a lot of information. also, i will NOT censor my explanation, so if the words period, ovary, uterus, or blood get your panties in a twist, do not read on :)

i presented on sunday with severe cramp-like pain on the right side of my abdomen. i thought it was just cramps, so i took some ibuprofen and went to bed. monday, it was worse. i went to school all day and went to UTC that afternoon.

they suspected a pulled muscle or appendicitis, so they ordered a CT. good sam hospital's radiology dept was closed, so they told me to go to the ER. being stubborn, i went to my parents' instead. (in case i birthed alien babies or something in the middle of the night).

tuesday morning, it was a little worse, so i decided to go down to good sam. (little did i know i could've just gone to st joe east...but that is beside the point). after waiting forever, they took a ton of blood and did a CT scan. blood was normal, it was not my appendix, but they found a 2.2 cm adnexal mass on my ovary.

i was ordered to my ob/gyn the following day for an immediate ultrasound. i went to dr. jean's office on wednesday where she attempted a pelvic exam. it was too painful, so she ordered the ultrasound for thursday.


thursday, i went to st joe for my ultrasound. it hurt quite a bit. i took the results back to dr. jean where she informed me:

  • i have a ruptured ovarian cyst with fluid in the cul-de-sac (ovarian area)
  • probable endometriosis (reason for the mass)
  • my ovaries and uterus are normal size. i have a slightly tilted uterus, but that will not affect future child-bearing.

(read more about these things here and here)

every woman has (functional) ovarian cysts at all times, but they are normally dispelled during ovulation. cysts can grow if there is a problem with the release of the egg or other things spelled out in the website above.

the tissue mass is never anything that would be benign OR cancerous...it's just tissue (it is what it is). the fact that my pain has gotten worse over my last few periods leads her to believe it is more than just a ruptured cyst. also, my bowels are VERY jacked up during my periods.

the course of action is being put on hormones for the next 3 months.

if the pain gets better, then i will remain on hormones until menopause. if the pain stays the same, i will switch to a stronger hormone. if the pain gets worse, she will have to go in laproscopically to remove said tissue.

so, there you have it. it was a stressful week and i'm still in quite a lot of pain. i hope this course of action works out. i'm greatful for everyone's thoughts. now, on to the holidays....

Saturday, November 15, 2008

my wordle

this is the wordle maria made of my blog. my archaic* computer is unable to view this in a bigger size, but i just LOVE that the biggest word is ONE.




*in the market to buy a new, snazzy computer this weekend!!!

Sunday, November 9, 2008

in search of...

i am in search of the following things:

  1. new laptop
    *this computer is from early 2003 and is SOOOOO slow
    *
    any suggestions?

  2. female orange kitten
    *lilah needs a friend

  3. 30+ mason jars
    *centerpieces

  4. someone to ice 400 funfetti cupcakes the week of the wedding
    *i can make & freeze them ahead of time, but i am NOT going to want to ice them.
    *or even, someone to make them for me...that won't charge upwards of $1.50-$2 for ONE CUPCAKE (which is what one baker told us). the entire box of funfetti doesn't cost that!

  5. new camera
    *mine is from high school and takes FOUR batteries (= cumbersome)
    *i spilled applesauce on it one time at the lake and the zoom hasn't been the same since
    *any suggestions?

j'adore reader

i am obsessed with all things google reader.

i love the simplicity and the fact that i can create wedding categories to file away for the exact moment i need to look at pics of wedding hair. blogs i read must have a humor factor. after my hard days at work, i don't need anyone bringing me down!

here are a few blogs i've been frequenting:
  • weddingbee : my #1 wedding blog of choice forever. hilarious, diverse, LOVE it
  • keepyourreceipt : any blog that has the line The massage place was on the end of the row and before I even opened the door, I was assaulted by eucalyptus-scented potpourri, like they spent the morning roasting koalas on a bed of cough drops. in it is AMAZING in my book.
  • cake wrecks : HILARIOUS. gives me a guffaw every day. i LOVE that someone else critiques grammar and poor workmanship as i do.
  • who dey revolution : great blog that commiserates with fans of the worst team in the NFL. step down, mike brown (sometimes NSFW due to language)

anyone else have good suggestions?

greetings

wow. i have been neglecting my blogging duties. my november resolution is to blog more.

i have been working hard on wedding stuff for the past month. i got my dress, worked out more with the budget, started planning centerpieces, and created & ordered my save-the dates. i hope to start picking out colors soon -- so bridesmaids, when are you free?

here is a teaser from our save-the-dates


chris was in town this weekend and we had a wonderful whirlwind of a time. we visited all sorts of people and had the surprise shindig at shamrock's last night. he is already nearly to NY already. here is our schedule for the next months:

*two weeks: thanksgiving in philly w/ the andersons
*one week after that: army/navy game in philly
*two weeks after that: xmas break/xmas cabin

this is one of the best stretches of our relationship yet, in terms of getting to see each other so much. i can't wait until i get to be with my best friend and love every DAY.

okay. one post down, dozens more to go.
i resolved; therefore, i type.