Wow. That entry from Saturday is awful! What a whinger I am. So, I know you are all sitting there on the edge of your seats waiting to hear the latest. Guess what? I learned something valuable today. I love it when that happens.
The first half of the week has been fairly bleak. I have been in really ouchy pain and it felt like cramps. I have also been very, very tired. I convinced myself it was endometriosis. I hate hypochondriacs;I sure as hell don’t want to be one. I don’t think I am. After all, I have several, really nasty diseases that have to be treated on a daily or weekly basis. (For instance, I am infusing right now.)
However, that doesn’t mean I don’t want to find a reason for my chronic pain. This gets especially tricky when it moves around. The pain has been in my pelvic region this week. It hurt from my hips back to my lower back, especially on the right side. I have felt nauseated too.
So, today I had my ultrasound scheduled at the ob/gyn’s office. When I got there, I told them I was in pain and wanted to see the doctor if possible. I went ahead with the ultrasound (NOT FUN) and waited another hour to see my doctor.
This doctor is one of my all time favorites. She got me through a tough pregnancy with my son and has always been there for me. I love her. So, when she came in I was groaning away and spread out on the table like a lump of fat tissue. She said, “I don’t think your problem is gynecological. We have checked out your blood work from last week and other labs, plus the ultrasound, and I just don’t see much of anything. You are NOT in menopause and I am going to put you on progesterone ten days a month to regulate your cycle for a while.”
I sort of bitched and moaned and asked some questions. She said, “you have chronic pain issues, right?”
“Yes,” I said. “I have chronic inflammation issues.”
“Right. That means your neurons are all screwed up. They signal a fire alarm where there is no fire. If I go in there and dig around for something I don’t think is there, like endometriosis, I could make it all worse.”
“Oh.” I said. Fire alarm. Neurons. This was starting to make sense. Then she said,
“Did you do anything in the last few days that could have exacerbated that area?” Then it hit me like a ton of bricks.
“Oh my God! I am an idiot! I swam on Sunday and I went twice as long and twice as hard as I have been. I thought I was doing well.”
“You’re not an idiot, but you did set possibly set something off.” So, now I know.
Fire! Fire! Fire! I have a strained muscle and where some people might hurt a bit, my body tells me my hip is broken. Why? I don’t know. Can it ever be fixed? I’m working on it. I went back to acupuncture this week and I( heh, heh, )started swimming more. (Oh well.)
I think I have a long way to go. I also remember that my right hip has been gamey since my mid twenties when I fell skiing in Switzerland. And, that is not nearly as romantic as it sounds, really.
So, I have to remember: the fire alarm is broken. It is good to look for fire or sniff for smoke, but I need to remember that most of the time, there is no fire: just a hare trigger.
So, lesson learned and respected today.
Let’s see if I can remember it tomorrow:)
Veeerryyy interesting. She seems wise. Perhaps you could talk her into being sort of a mentor for you though this process. I wonder if she knows any pain docs or alternative therapy people? it sounds like your pain sensors are on override. Good luck – I will keep reading!