WHOOP!!!! (Or: Some Good News!!!!)

*HUGE FREAKING SIGH OF RELIEF* Ok, I still don't know what IS causing my recent cruddy feelings, but I DO know what IS NOT.

Long story as short as I can make it. My last period was extremely abnormal (and I've been paying close attention since I had my tubes tied 2 years ago, and went off hormonal birth control, so I'd know what "abnormal" is) and I was dealing with a lot of symptoms consistent with pregnancy. Now, the rate of pregnancy in post-tubal women is just less than 1 in 100, and very few of those pregnancies are viable pregnancies. IE: a pregnancy in a post-tubal woman is much more likely than not to be an ectopic pregnancy, a pregnancy that occurs OUTSIDE the womb. No two ways about it, an ectopic pregnancy is not a good thing. Under ANY circumstance. Needless to say, this has been weighing VERY heavily on my mind. I went through that tubal ligation so that I wouldn't ever have to worry about pregnancy again, and here I've been suffering from symptoms rather consistent with pregnancy.

I DID take a pregnancy test last saturday, but the home preg. tests aren't always accurate, esp. early on.

So, I decided the only way to know for sure is to get in for an exam and get a dr-run preg. test. That's what I had yesterday. I actually did NOT get my cholesterol checked, I'll have to have that done in the near future.

The exam itself went well. My weight is down to less than 200 lbs, fully dressed. (It's been about 6 years since that's been the case.) My bloodpressure, even as stressed as I was, was within the normal range. In fact, it was as normal as it's ever been. Except the still existent stomach pain, and the complete lack of appetite, and the fact that my period was wonky, everything else is great, so far as we know.

I haven't yet had an ultrasound to look at my innards. Based on the cyst that was removed when I had my tubes tied, the Dr. agreed that it's time to go ahead & have an ultrasound to check out my other ovary & make sure nothing is growing there that shouldn't be. At that point, we should also be able to get some idea if there's some abdominal obstruction (or, what have you) that's causing my stomach pains and lack of appetite.

But, we do know what it IS NOT! It is NOT an unplanned pregnancy. For which I am most eternally grateful!!!!

Thank you, THANK YOU ALL for your thoughts & prayers and comforting vibes. *sigh* Maybe I'll get to sleep decently tonight. (Well, I DID sleep decently last night, but not nearly long enough.)

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Oh, and as for the bloodtest, they were able to do that with a finger-stick. The lab tech (who was so sweet that she almost made me cry, I was so stressed by the time I finally got to see her) said that all that is needed is two tiny vials full of blood. So, she poked my finger (twice, actually) and milked, and milked, and milked till she got 3-1/2 vials. 2 for the preg. test, the other 1-1/2 for the cholesterol check. Unfortunately, she let me know this morning that there wasn't enough for the cholesterol check, so I'm supposed to go back in at MY convenience to have that redone. That, I think I can handle. I DID have a panic attack yesterday, while getting the finger-stick done, but I think mainly because I hadn't had ANYTHING to eat at all, and it was already almost 1 pm by that time, and I'd been stressing so much....

By the time I finally had it done, I just sat back & talked to the tech while fading in & out of this panic attack. I recovered quickly and left under my own steam within 10 minutes, heading straight to work where I attempted to eat something before starting my now very-short workday. (Even when I feel hungry, which isn't much, lately, I just don't wind up wanting to actually eat anything. It's just not appetizing. And more than a few bites fills me up sufficiently that I feel sick if I try to eat more.)

(When I say panic attack, I don't mean I necessarily go nuts & start kicking & screaming & hitting and all. More often than not, it's like a silvery-gray curtain closing across my vision. My hearing goes all "spoken through a tunnel" sounding, and I get really clammy & sweaty and REALLY light-headed. It's not a pleasant sensation. Bloodtests, yeah.... Those result in a lot of whimpering & crying, even uncontrollably so. Finger-sticks, not-so-much.)

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Let's see.... Something considerably lighter??? Yesterday, while dealing with all these personal medical traumas of mine, we were also seeing a mini-blizzard. We got approx. 6 inches of snow by mid-afternoon. It was wet, dense snow, coming down thick & fast, and sideways. The wind was blowing so badly that yes, the snow was actually falling sideways. The weather forcasters (who'd failed to see this coming) promptly got on the ball and predicted us 6 more days of similar weather. And, wouldn't you know it, we woke up to sunny blue skies this morning. Still somewhat breezy and cool, but not cloudy except in the distance. (Well, looking at those clouds now, they COULD drop on us yet!)

I would LOVE to be a weather forcaster. Who else do you know that gets paid THAT much to be THAT wrong?!?!?! *wink*

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I got home from my grocery shopping today to find that Puck had escaped his outside kennel, and there was a good deal of blood on the snow INSIDE. *sigh* We have no idea what prompted the dumb-butt to successfully attempt this escape. Somehow, before running, he scraped the tip & top of his nose raw & bloody, which is where all that blood came from, but we've got no idea why. Anyway.... I finished hauling in groceries (bought only about 2/3 of the groceries I usually buy, mainly because the thought of food was making me so sick I had to "cut & run") and took Jenny out to do her "business" while calling for Puck. She assisted by howling in time to my yelling Puck's name, without success. So, I came back inside, called Scott to let him know, and then went BACK out for more yelling and caterwauling. (Me yelling, Jenny caterwauling.)

Whadyaknow?!?! Here came Puck, loping across the back yard from the street behind us, looking all chipper to get to be running the neighbourhood without supervision. Dummy!!!! Evidently he doesn't realize that this is a good way to wind up BACK in the pound, yet again! *shaking head* Anyway, he's home, safe & sound. (Or, relatively sound, as he does still have a scraped up nose. Though that doesn't seem to be bugging him now.)

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Ok. I think that pretty well covers it all for now.

Have a VERY Blessed Day!!!