Wednesday, August 12, 2009

The No-Uterus Club

Hahaha! Ok, Rhondalue suggested we start this "club" to which I laughed and then thought, what the heck?!?!?! Seriously, though, it did get me thinking that I could/should post about my experience qualifying me for "No-Uterus Club" Membership; especially if it helps someone else with similar stuff.

~PAUSE~
If you are my Father, you can totally opt out of reading this post. I mean I'M not embarrassed... I'm just saying. If you continue, you do so at your own risk. hehehe.
~RESUME~

I knew there was "something" wrong was shortly after my first child was born. My complaints were usually brushed aside or discounted, and at times I was even blamed as to having made it up to get out of certain activities. Hmmph. Fast forward about six years. During the last trimester of my 3rd pregnancy, the pains seemed to intensify. My OB/GYN advised me that it was probably a "tipped uterus" that is common with pregnancy and will almost always resolve itself after the baby was born.

Needless to say, the baby was born and I was still having horrendous pains. I resumed the Depo Provera birth control shots and then started hemorrhaging, for like 60-90 days at a time. They prescribed Premarin to help slow the bleeding. It never helped. A year later I was in for my annual. They took me off the shots and gave me the "new & improved" birth control patch. Another year goes by. Then the pains got worse.

My OB/GYN referred me to an Internist. She couldn't find anything wrong. She sent me to my family practitioner. She couldn't find anything wrong. She sent me to a gastro-enterologist (sp?). He ordered a CT Scan. Came back just fine. He sent me back to my OB/GYN. All of that was during the course of a year.

So, now I am three years into this; still being "blamed" for using it as an excuse to get out of certain intimate "chores" (yes... chore). It was suggested by *that* person that it was all IN.MY.HEAD.

I started to wonder... Perhaps it was in my head. Well, lemme just say that just THINKING you might be a little crazy is enough to mess with someone's Psyche. I ended up on Prozac for clinical depression.

Finally, they did exploratory surgery and found out I had Endometriosis. They burned off what they could see and told me that if I was still having problems in six months to come back. The pains came back in less than two months. I sought a new Dr. He said, "It's really hard to tell whether the Endo is back or if it's the other..."

I asked, "Other? What do you mean Other?"

Turns out not only did I have the Endo. But I also had Congestive Pelvic Disorder (varicose veins in the uterus) and ovarian cysts. My first Dr. NEVER told me that. I was placed on Lupron for 6 months. Two months later the pains were back with a vengeance. I tried to get in to see him, but he was booked. I went to one of his partners. Turns out we already knew each other. Our kids went to school together and were in the same class. We used to be neighbors and friends. I liked her. I named her as my NEW Dr. Then she revealed unto me the following truths:

  • Nearly 75% of all women who suffer from pelvic pain are eventually diagnosed with Endometriosis. (If it's so common, why does it take so long to figure out? Because they can only TRULY see it during exploratory surgery.)

  • Depo Provera has many side effects. Aside of the big one being weight gain of 5-10 lbs per year, Depo is also known to trigger anxiety or depression.

  • Depo can trigger Endometriosis in women who are already prone to the disease.

  • Depo Provera can cause break through bleeding in some women.

  • Premarin can also cause anxiety and depression

  • Premarin can also cause weight gain.

  • Premarin can also cause break-through bleeding.

  • Premarin is also now known to cause increased risks of endometrial carcinoma, ovarian cancer, and breast cancer.
I wondered how many of the side effects (and those are just a few) were actually CAUSED by the initial use of Depo and Premarin, and how many I would have had regardless. My new Dr ordered more ultrasounds, another CT Scan and a Barium Enema (Butt-loads of fun! tee-hee).

Finally, they scheduled me for surgery... THE surgery. The surgery to remove my girly-plumbing. After surgery, they found I had ANOTHER disease...Adenomyosis.

I am grateful that they finally figured it all out. I am glad to have the confirmation that I did the right thing. And I am glad that I was able to bear children in spite of the diseases. Sometimes I get sad thinking that if I ever get remarried, I won't be able to give my future husband a baby of his own. And again, I know that I already have children to love and adore. But I don't think it matters if you have zero children or ten; when the choice to bear children is no longer yours, it just feels sad.

So how about it? Anyone else out there with credentials that allow you to be a part of the No-Uterus or Broken-Uterus Club?

10 comments:

Denise @ Sunflowers, Chocolate and Little Boys said...

OOOhhh...can I join? Actually I can't join until tomorrow. I am scheduled for a hysterctomy (among other things) tomorrow morning at 8. So then I can be a member of the no-uterus club.

Im so sorry it took that long to figure out what was hurting you. It frustrates me to hear stories like that....and I am only guessing but all those idiot docs were men, right? They dont listen. I hope that after your surgery you are feeling much better with no more problems.

okeydokeyifine said...

Long story short. I bled after my last child. Not only bleeding but hemorrhaging for a year. I was on meds to help but one night I was afraid to go to sleep thinking I would wake up dead. I called the doctor the next morning and told him "Parts is Parts, mine is broken, rip it out". He counseled me and then set up the surgery date. I thought maybe it would be a long time to recover, but I was camping in 2 months. Yay for me. And I have not had problems ever since.

Ruthykins said...

i don't think anyone should ever worry about waking up dead. ha ha ha. well, my uterus is fine, it's the tubes that are broken. guess i can't join.

Puphigirl said...

My parts are working, just Kyle won't let me use them. (At least not for another kid)

Rhonda said...

I'm a member already and happy to be there. I'm doing oodles and gobs better than I was WITH my uterus. I won't get into all that was wrong but I am grateful I knew I was done having kids before the uterus had to go. In fact, I *could* have suffered through one more pregnancy had I wanted to. I didn't want.

What's hilarious is that the hub had already gotten snipped and then a few months later I had to tell the ol' uterus adios. he did it for nothing! HA HA HA (can you tell I don't feel sorry for him?!)

Susie said...

I hate medicine when it ignores women or pushes us aside!

Tulsi said...

I don't remember exactally when I became a Hysta-sista. I was still sleeping 22 hours a day and on so much medication that I only know it was done. 5 years or so. And it was because of 4 year long hemorrhaging, off and on with certain medication. Finally it just didn't stop for a year. It took that long to find a doc - as well as a doc for my sleeping. They had no idea I had endometriosis (sp) until I had surgery. I had no pain. Just overy pain sometimes. And we even picked the months our kids were born except that Mikele threw that all off when she came 4 weeks early. It was actually Steve that made me do it. He said he wasn't going to watch his wife bleed to death. I don't feel different one way or the other. Except I'm not the one who needs "girly products" in my house. Boy, THAT is nice.

Laura said...

Well I cant join your club I guess.. but I do understand your sentiment! I cant have anymore either.. my youngest goes to kindergarten next week and I am having a REALLY hard time with it!!

Megan said...

That's quite the road you traveled. I'm SO glad that you finally were validated and were told that you were not in fact, crazy.

I'm infertle, but we don't know exactly why. No money to go find out either {and no insurance right now, too}. Some day.

Anonymous said...

Sorry you had to go through so much, but I'm glad it's resolved.