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Post by JC on Apr 26, 2011 13:05:39 GMT -5
WOW that was really fast! But great news that you're feeling ok! Try to take it easy even though you're already working. We don't want you to burn out!
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Post by pretty on Apr 26, 2011 13:24:04 GMT -5
that is AWESOME!
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Post by JC on May 2, 2011 19:30:58 GMT -5
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Post by Lady Tewlie :P on May 4, 2011 19:42:01 GMT -5
Hey Jenaya! I had my appointment with Dr. Belizan, and he was amazing! He did a pelvic ultrasound right there in his office. The more I think about it, the more it seems so dysfunctional to have a technician do a test, then someone unrelated read the results and write a report, then have your doctor treat you based on that report. Dr. Belizan was able to look exactly where he needed and have the technician zoom in and out and take pictures exactly how he needed so he could be more thorough. He answered all of my questions patiently and thoroughly, and even though he had lots of patients waiting, he took his time and didn't hurry me. He explained all the options available and gave me thorough explanations of his reasoning for his proposed course of action.
So he found a fibroid, which I knew I had but which my (now former) gyn said was "teeny tiny" and shouldn't be causing me any trouble. Dr. Belizan explained that it can grow with hormonal fluctuations, and it is likely that it is pushing on a nerve. That would explain the pinched nerve and resulting excruciating muscle spasms and pain that happen in my upper back, shoulders and neck that I've only recently realized was related to my period. I've had this pain forever a long time, and it has only gotten worse. I've tried to get help but no one seems to have had any answers. I don't think anyone would have ever found the connection otherwise.
He said he didn't see any endo, but it might not show up on the imaging. He said he might be able to see something more with an MRI, but there was no guarantee it would be conclusive. Since he wanted to remove the fibroid, we figured it would be pointless to do the MRI. While he is in there, he's going to look for endo.
I'm scheduled for surgery on June 8th. I'm looking forward to the prospect of having some relief.
Thanks for the wonderful recommendation!
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Post by JC on May 4, 2011 20:18:39 GMT -5
OMFG!!! I'M SOOOOOOOOOOOO EXCITED YOU LIKE HIM!!!! I like how he's excited to do surgery. HAHA I didn't even have to beg him. LOL Don't you just love how you guys talk in his office rather than naked and on the table? ANd he did that ultrasound with me too right there on my first visit. It sure saves a lot of time and trouble! I'm SOOO glad you liked him! If you ever need a good cry he'll totally hold your hand too. He's an amazing surgeon and you wont be disappointed!
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Post by JC on May 4, 2011 20:22:46 GMT -5
You know what's funny is that all of the female employees have him as his doctor too. That kinda creeps me out to have a coworker all up in there but they love him so much that they don't care. The day of my surgery all the women in there were like, ohhhh he's my doctor too! Isn't he great? LOL ew. The surgery department is wonderful too. The staff in there are really super nice. I'm SO excited that he's helping you and you like him! ;D Totally made my day!
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Post by Lady Tewlie :P on May 4, 2011 21:38:46 GMT -5
That's funny about the female employees using him as their gyn! But I totally get how it isn't weird, with him anyway. I have never been examined by a male doctor, so I was afraid I was going to be super uncomfortable, but I wasn't. He was just so professional that I felt completely comfortable. It almost seemed as comfortable as if he had been examining my foot.
Thanks again for the great recommendation!
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Post by pretty on May 5, 2011 11:02:55 GMT -5
This made me smile. It's so nice to be able to share a good doc. I can just see Jenaya jumping up and down with happiness! Lady T, I'm super stoked for you and wish you the best while you wait for surgery!!!!!!
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Post by JC on May 5, 2011 11:19:21 GMT -5
Swinging from a chandelier!!!
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Post by Lady Tewlie :P on May 15, 2011 20:07:28 GMT -5
I'm pretty psyched, too. I probably could have gotten the surgery sooner, but I wasn't quite yet mentally ready to go through it yet. Plus I feel like I've been out sick a lot lately, and I wanted to get on top of things at work before I was out for an extended number of days.
BTW, he had me go off birth control ahead of the surgery, which I was just about to do anyway because I had completely had it with all the side effects. I've been off them for maybe 3 weeks, and aside from the full period I got only 1 week after my previous one (because I stopped taking them a week into the pack) but I feel great! I have more energy and feel less irritable, sleep better, and have just a general sense of webbing.
The pills never helped my cramps or decreased the bleeding. Both actually have gotten increasingly worse despite being on the pill (and trying half a dozen or more different ones.) I can't believe they have sold us such a bill of goods about the benefits of these things. Maybe they work for some women, but I have only gotten birth control benefits out of them. (If I can indeed have kids. I haven't tried. If I can't, then the pills are completely useless to me!) I am never going back on them again!
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Post by Karen on May 15, 2011 21:18:32 GMT -5
I can't believe they have sold us such a bill of goods about the benefits of these things. Maybe they work for some women, but I have only gotten birth control benefits out of them. (If I can indeed have kids. I haven't tried. If I can't, then the pills are completely useless to me!) I am never going back on them again! I came to the same conclusion! Although the pill does help some women with their symptoms, for me, the benefits of being OFF BC were far better than me being ON BC. Never again! I hope you get continuous relief and hope your lap goes well!
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Post by JC on May 15, 2011 21:32:51 GMT -5
Being on the nuva ring made me completely symptom free from endo. I loved it in that sense but I did have side effects of moodiness and weight gain. Then I had some blood clotting issues and that was it for me. I miss birth control because it helped my PMS and endo, but getting a deadly blood clot just isn't quite worth it! Funny how he took you off the pill. He made me go on the nuva ring because my symptoms came back after my lap. I guess I can't be mad about it. Nobody knew I'd have clotting issues. And I'll give him credit, it got rid of my endo completely while I was on it.
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Post by JC on Jun 10, 2011 6:04:01 GMT -5
Lady Tewlie! Looks like you had your lap on Wednesday! How are you doing???
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Post by Lady Tewlie :P on Jun 13, 2011 2:03:36 GMT -5
The lap went so fabulously well, and I am doing great! I am so thankful that I found you and was able to find Dr. Belizan. He is amazing, and the procedure was amazing! The funny (and probably sad) thing is that the pain that I am feeling post-op is basically on the level of the cramps I have every period! How messed up is that?! The doctor found a humongous fibroid (which had been described by previous incompetent moronic doctors as "teeny tiny"), along with a number of smaller ones, as well as some endo. He said the fibroid is probably the source of all my misery, including the nerve pain that shoots up my back and into my neck and scalp. Funny, I have felt pain in the neck and head on and off during recovery, which I figure has a lot to do with the swelling and the trauma in the area of the fibroid. The big fibroid was apparently outside of the uterus, which is good in a way. I guess that is why it was pushing on other stuff like nerves. During the entire pre-op process, all of the nurses and nurse practitioners had nothing but fabulous things to say about Dr. Belizan, both personally and professionally. The recovery nurse indicated that she had had fibroids removed by him and was extremely pleased. She helped me a lot by telling me a lot about what to expect. The pain I can deal with, but when I become aware of incisions, I start to get really skeeved out. She let me know that the stitches were really secure and well done, and that I'm not going to pull them out by doing anything other than maybe throwing myself down the stairs or some other funny, ridiculous scenario she threw in there. That meant so much, because I have had other procedures where stitches came undone too soon, and I was really freaking about about it when the pain meds wore off and I could feel the incision sites. The only bad thing about this whole situation is that our air conditioner has conked out, and it has been miserably hot here. It has been a nightmare getting someone to come out and fix it. Our property manager is the worst, and she uses this cheap, very unreliable guy. We were very proactive about getting this done before the surgery, but the SOB kept putting us off and jerking us around. Long story short, we spent one night at a hotel, but since we were being jerked around that they would be there earlier in the day and were sure they would resolve the problem that day, we kept having to piss our time away suffering in our apartment, then giving up after 9 pm and going to a hotel, not sure whether we should stay there another night or what. I know this posting is probably pretty incoherent. Sorry. The surgery and recovery (in and of itself) have been wonderful. But the nightmare in our apartment and the lack of ability by my husband to handle extreme stress have made me a f*cking mess. It's like he has to take on every aspect of stress, as well as ten steps out of potential "what ifs" all at the same moment in response to every one setback. He can't just deal with or set aside an issue until it has to be dealt with. He has to worry about it and all its possible ramifications, including the most ridiculous contingencies, most of which will never happen. I was able to talk him off the ledge a million times, but I have my limits, too, especially when I'm not feeling well and am being sleep- and rest-deprived. And then I have periodic heat flashes that push me over the edge. I mean, come on! It's 87-95 degrees in here, and then I get a hot flash. So how f'd up is it that I actually went to my office Saturday evening to get some ac, find some peace and quiet, and catch up on my emails?! Even though I didn't really need too much meds at that point, I realized that when I tried to do anything remotely intellectual, my body got greedy with the healing energy and stole it back from my mental processes. I tried to write a couple of basic emails, and I could hardly write coherently, much less without unconscious typos. Anyway, I didn't mean to make this a psychological outpouring when I started, but I guess it turned out that way. Sorry. The main thing I wanted to say is that I can tell that I am already so much better, and I am so very grateful that I found you, Jenaya, to help me find the help I needed for more than a decade. I'm also grateful to this board in general for all the info and the support. I needed the reassurance that I wasn't nuts, or weak or hysterical or attention-seeking or drug-seeking. I found my story in all the stories here, and I realized I was not just a wuss who couldn't handle the same pain everyone else feels, that I wasn't imagining my agony, and that the all-mighty doctors are not the gods we are taught to believe, and often they do not help us but rather hinder us in finding relief for our misery. Thank you endo girls for sharing your stories, both of pain and recovery, despondency and self-discovery, despair and redemption. And hopefully for most of us....relief. I'm a little loopy right now on heat exhaustion, pain meds, and relationship stress, but I feel pretty damn good!!!!! ;D
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Post by JC on Jun 13, 2011 4:54:23 GMT -5
YAY! I'm so happy you are feeling better!! I'm really really glad that everything went well and that you are recovering nicely. The same thing happened with me when I had my lap there; all of the employees would talk about how great he is and how I was in good hands. The surgical department at that hospital is really awesome too. I loved everyone. YAY YAY YAY! I'm so happy that you were helped!! The air conditioning thing is horrible! It's so freaking stupidly hot here, I can't imagine how miserable you are in this disgusting humid heat. And it sounds like we're married to the same person. LOL. My husband freaks out over everything too. Maybe he's also stressed about you and your health but isn't showing it in the right way? About your recovery, our bodies like to trick us into thinking that we feel 100% and then we go out and attempt to save the world only to be knocked on our asses. It's easy to make this mistake because you feel so much better than before but it's best to keep in mind that having surgery and being under anesthesia takes a lot out on you so try to take it easy! I can't begin to tell you how happy I am that you feel better. Keep us updated on your progress and good luck with your air conditioner!
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