My Life just took on a whole new direction, a whole new phase...
Or did it? Beyond the obvious pain and other outward signs that indicated something was wrong, intuitively i knew it was something more.
I was afraid to face the obvious signals, thinking that perhaps I was being a hypochondriac, or perhaps it was the stress built up over a few very difficult months? An early menopuase brought on by my sterilization?
( Not so far fetched, my great grandmother began the menopause at 38 and my mother at 42!)
Many number of things crossed my mind as I made way to the doctors..
The symptoms:
It all began with a noticeable change in my menstrual cycle..each month the cycle became shorter at around 3 weeks between periods. They were more painful and much heavier. Having done my research into tubal ligation, i found this was
a possible side effect of the operation. However, I developed an unpleasant stabbing pain on my right side that seemed to come and go, varying in intensity and frequency. This was followed by feeling of discomfort and burning sensation
in my pelvic area, causing pain and difficulty on urinating and shooting pains in my right leg.
Having suffered from nasty bouts of Cystitis in the past, i was able to rule out a possible urine infection.
This was completely different.
I finally made it to a private gynaecologist after almost collapsing in pain and ending up at the A and E.
Having confirmed i was NOT suffering from a urine infection, i was given a potent pain killer and told to return if the pain got worse. The doctor suspected a cyst based on the symptoms and localised pain.
I made it to the gynaecologist who, after looking at the scan in silence, proclaimed that my right ovary was very enlarged and the growth present was not normal. He advised me to get in touch with the hospital immediately to undergo thorough
tests. Shaking my hand, he wished me luck and bade me farewell.
Needless to say, I walked out in shock. He'd put the bloody fear of God into me! Sitting with my friend in the car,staring out at the rain, I was filled with fear and trepidation.I was so thankful i'd come with a friend, this was not the moment
to be alone.
And so it began, another scan, confirmating what the first Gynaeo had found, blood tests and a smear test.
The MRI was done privately (Thanks to mum and dad and their insistence) as the waiting time is too long on the social security, and time is the essence, not just from a precautionary perspective but for peace of mind.
I've got to mention here the importance of having a GOOD specialist when going through something like this.
Unfortunately, when using the public hospital you are not designated one particular specialist, you will see whoever is available on the day, and in my case the last visit was a particualrly awful experience as i was attended to by someone who
can only be described as a clown!
Now, I have a sense of humour at the best of times, but sadly on this day it was woefully absent. I had to almost restrain my mother from hitting him with her umbrella, so rude and dismissive was his attitude.
Usually i'm the one with the temper!
He shuffled around in his chair, ruffling his papers, huffing and puffing and finally looked up at us to say, "I don't know why you're here. There's some blood test
results, but they're not that bad. I'm not God, so I cant confirm that the tumor's definately not cancerous but.."
We both looked back at him openmouthed and yeah, I have to admit I did mutter a "WTF!" from there it just went from bad to worse. A word of warning; If you possess half a brain, begin to ask logical questions and dare to admit you've done some research, well then you've had it! Oh my, they don't like that at all.
When I return to the hospital on my next visit I'll be telling them exactly what I think of that bloody rude gynaecologist and shall insist on seeing someone else.
Man, if you hate your patients that much, it's time for a career change!
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