The opposite of sexy
Mar. 2nd, 2011 04:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
grammarwomanThis TMI goes to eleven...
My period arrived on Monday, a couple days late but not unexpected. After giving the doctor the news, this morning saw me back at the health clinic for more blood tests and the start of the ultrasounds. I was due up for both an external and internal, so they warned me to drink at least a liter of fluids. Evidently I was a few ounces shy, so I had to quickly down two more cups of water and cool my heels another ten minutes in a waiting room with no door. Only a thin exam blanket wrapped around my gown (which of course had a lack of ties around the back) covered the fact that I was otherwise naked from the waist down. Classy, guys.
The male tech was very professional, which was nice, but he also reminded me of Sam Huntington, the werewolf from Syfy's Being Human. I'm on day 3 of my period, so I had a brief brain flash of "Shouldn't werewolves avoid blood?"
The external exam was uncomfortable, due to the double pressure of over-full bladder and regular menstrual abdominal tenderness. When it was done, I got to pee, then we moved on to the internal exam. He asked if I wanted a woman in the room before we started. A part of me wanted to say yes, because the whole thing was so awkward, but I didn't need to be wasting someone's time just to have my hand held. I got to insert the dildo probe, and the exam blanket draped over me ensured that he didn't see anything, but still. UNCOMFORTABLE. Especially with the poky, "sorry for the pressure, I'm getting pictures of your ovaries" parts. And the interior twinges were even more ouchy than the abdominal. There's a reason that the week of my period is a no-go zone. Combined with worrying about leaking blood on the exam table, it was one of the least sexy things I've ever had done to my genitals.
The doctor called a few hours later to tell me that the pictures and blood work came out fine, but that they can't use those to detect scar tissue, so now I have to go in for an HSG on Monday. Another completely non-sexy event. This time I will certainly take my ibuprofen ahead of time, because the last HSG I had was a whole new level of HOLY CRAP OW. I also have to take a preventive course of antibiotics.
Gosh, infertility is so much fun!
My period arrived on Monday, a couple days late but not unexpected. After giving the doctor the news, this morning saw me back at the health clinic for more blood tests and the start of the ultrasounds. I was due up for both an external and internal, so they warned me to drink at least a liter of fluids. Evidently I was a few ounces shy, so I had to quickly down two more cups of water and cool my heels another ten minutes in a waiting room with no door. Only a thin exam blanket wrapped around my gown (which of course had a lack of ties around the back) covered the fact that I was otherwise naked from the waist down. Classy, guys.
The male tech was very professional, which was nice, but he also reminded me of Sam Huntington, the werewolf from Syfy's Being Human. I'm on day 3 of my period, so I had a brief brain flash of "Shouldn't werewolves avoid blood?"
The external exam was uncomfortable, due to the double pressure of over-full bladder and regular menstrual abdominal tenderness. When it was done, I got to pee, then we moved on to the internal exam. He asked if I wanted a woman in the room before we started. A part of me wanted to say yes, because the whole thing was so awkward, but I didn't need to be wasting someone's time just to have my hand held. I got to insert the dildo probe, and the exam blanket draped over me ensured that he didn't see anything, but still. UNCOMFORTABLE. Especially with the poky, "sorry for the pressure, I'm getting pictures of your ovaries" parts. And the interior twinges were even more ouchy than the abdominal. There's a reason that the week of my period is a no-go zone. Combined with worrying about leaking blood on the exam table, it was one of the least sexy things I've ever had done to my genitals.
The doctor called a few hours later to tell me that the pictures and blood work came out fine, but that they can't use those to detect scar tissue, so now I have to go in for an HSG on Monday. Another completely non-sexy event. This time I will certainly take my ibuprofen ahead of time, because the last HSG I had was a whole new level of HOLY CRAP OW. I also have to take a preventive course of antibiotics.
Gosh, infertility is so much fun!
(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-03 02:36 am (UTC)The HSG really sucks, but at least when it's done, it's pretty much done (not a lot of residual discomfort).
(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-03 04:35 pm (UTC)I had two miscarriages (blighted ovum), then an HSG to determine the state of my insides. After surgery to remove the scar tissue, we conceived the Emperor a month later. That was seven years ago.
I don't particularly want surgery, but I think I would rather have a similar sequence of diagnosis, action, and result, rather than non-definitive answers and a series of "let's try this" approaches.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-03 04:41 pm (UTC)And yeah, the "let's try this" gets frustrating fast. I have PCOS, and the rest was just, "well, we don't know." I conceived through IUI (our last run before trying IVF), but it was a long road to get there.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-03 04:46 pm (UTC)Belated congrats on making it in the end!
(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-09 01:27 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-03-09 04:09 pm (UTC)