Ain't nothin' gonna break my stride

This past week has been challenging, health-wise. Again I must issue a disclaimer - female issue ahead!! Just sayin'.

I mentioned my surgery on Sept. 9 for the removal of a uterine cyst and insertion of an IUD, which was supposed to help my psycho-cycle. It's normal to have some breakthrough bleeding/spotting for the first few months after IUD insertion and I have definitely been experiencing that. However, a somewhat disturbing pattern is emerging.

When I exert myself physically, i.e., exercise, the bleeding is heavier. After the 5K last Sunday, the floodgates opened to the point where I ended up in the ER on Tuesday, wondering if there had been a perforation or the device had shifted or WTF was wrong with me.

I called the doc who inserted the IUD on Monday and was given an appointment for the 12th. Now listen to this: I asked his receptionist - who had previously advised me that if I had any questions to call the office - if it was normal to experience heavier bleeding after exercise like this. She said "Well, if you're seeing a pattern of bleeding after exercise then I would say that's normal."

WHAT? No...what? What the hell kind of answer is that? Ridiculous.

At the time, the bleeding was heavy but not too horrible, so I figured I'd give it a day and if it hadn't got better by Tuesday, I would call back and demand to either speak to the doctor or get an appointment that day. Lo and behold, it got worse. Much worse. So I called back on Tuesday and was told the doctor wasn't in and if the bleeding was that bad, I should go to the emergency room. Great.

The situation was such that I couldn't hide it from my co-workers or bosses. I mean, I was in the bathroom most of the day. So late afternoon, I called Erich to tell him what I was doing - I didn't see any point in him taking off work to go with me - and headed to the hospital.

I had visions of being there till the middle of the night, but I guess when I told the ER staff how much blood I was losing, they decided to get me in quickly. So in total I was only there a few hours. Nothing really happened, though. I was examined by a doctor who told me the IUD seemed to be in place. An ultrasound was ordered and I had it, but when I called my doctor - the guy who inserted it, not the ER doctor - for the results, I was told they wouldn't have them till Tuesday.

So the moral of the story is: Suck it up and get over it. I guess. Jesus.

I have an appointment Wednesday morning anyway, so whatever. At this point the bleeding has completely stopped. I have no idea what the hell happened. Several people asked me if it was my period. If it was, it was 10 days early and the heaviest, weirdest (I'll spare you the details) period I've ever had in my life. It scared the crap out of me in part because of how sudden it started, coincidentally right after the 5K and how heavy/weird it was.

I'm now in a situation where I'm a bit hesitant to exercise. If I go to the gym and push myself, will that start up another geyser of the damned? Here's the one thing I know for sure: I must exercise to maintain my weight loss and I won't allow anything to get in the way of that. Ain't nothin' gonna break my stride. So...depending on what the doctor has to say on Wednesday, I may have this thing taken out immediately.

A couple months ago, I wrote a letter to the editor of "O Magazine" and found out today they published it. A friend told me about it on Facebook. I subscribe to the magazine but haven't even had a chance to take it out of the wrapper. I ripped it open right away (LOL) and there I was! Pretty cool. The letter I wrote was in response to an article they did about makeovers for women who had lost 100 pounds or more. Two women who had weight loss surgery were featured. I was moved to express my appreciation for this as it's a rarity to see a WLS patient's success validated in the same way as a non-WLS patient. So go Oprah for that! My letter appears in the current issue (November), if you're interested in reading it.

Weren't you here a few years ago?

Warning: Female blog ahead. Just an FYI to my male readers!

Maybe you remember me talking about a gynecologist who was very rude to me a few years ago. I have persistent issues with my psycho-cycle and my family doctor referred me to him for a regular pap smear. She usually does that in her office, but opted to send me to a specialist because of my size. In Canada, a gynecologist is considered a "specialist" and you must have a referral from your regular doctor.

When I saw him before, he did the test and had me wait in his office. He then came in and lectured me for at least five minutes on why he would not be able to help me and basically, I needed to either lose weight or suck it up. When I tried to explain to him that I was considering gastric bypass - and would possibly lose some weight - he rudely interrupted me before I could get my sentence out. When discussing treatment options (and why they wouldn't work for me), including surgery, he gestured to my stomach and said "What am I supposed to do with that?"

Then he gave me a prescription which did help my severe cramps somewhat. Why he decided to humiliate me first and not just go right to the treatment is beyond me. The whole experience upset me so much that I sat in his parking lot in my car and cried for a while before getting it together enough to head back to work.

So you can imagine how I felt when, after tests revealed I have a uterine cyst, my family doctor again referred me to the same guy. Now, I was tempted to demand another doctor but I stopped myself....no. I wanted to go back and see how he treated me now that I've lost 250 pounds. A little social experiment.

I spoke with friends about this doctor and everyone seemed to love him. They were shocked to learn the way he had treated me. Said it didn't sound like him. All these women were thin, I might add.

I had my appointment recently. This time I went straight into his office. There wasn't any need for an exam as I was simply being referred to him for surgery to remove the cyst.

He was affable, charming. Smiled broadly at me and explained everything in great detail with patience. He does have a sarcastic wit, but that's fine. So do I! In short, it was a different visit. Near the end, he was looking through my file and said:

"You were here a few years ago, yes?"

I nod at him. "Yes."

*shuffling paperwork* "You...you've lost quite a bit of weight, haven't you?"

Picture me trying to stifle a grin. "Yes."

"How much?"

Pause. "250 pounds."

He shook his head and said, "Wow! That's fantastic! Amazing!"

"Thank you." I think I actually crossed my arms in front of me at this point and smiled with satisfaction. LOL!

Then he launched into a bunch of questions about where I had it done, what my life is like now, do I still take any prescription medication, etc., etc. He told me he was very happy for me and "You see things like this on tv, but wow, here it is! Amazing."

Mm-hm.

Did I mention that the surgery I'm scheduled for is not invasive? They will go right in through the vagina, no cutting required. So his whole argument of "what am I supposed to do with that"? goes right out the fucking window. I'm just sayin'.

My family doctor told me I had "mild" endometriosis, but he wasn't prepared to make that diagnosis. Basically, he said, you can't say for sure that someone has endometriosis without removing the uterus to examine it. Diagnostic tests are not advanced enough to be so definitive. Which makes me think if MEN had to put up with psycho-cycles, I bet science would have a cure for the shit by now, let alone have proper testing in place. But I digress. So to treat said psycho-cycle, he will insert an IUD at the time of the surgery. Since I've never had kids my uterus is very small (HEY! at least something is!) and insertion will be painful if it's done in an office visit, which is the norm. So since I'll be knocked out for the cyst removal anyway, he'll do it then.

Now listen. I don't know for sure why none of this stuff was addressed till I lost weight. Perhaps testing was more difficult on a 450-pound woman. I totally get that. But honestly....couldn't something have been done to ease the suffering I have to endure every month?? Obviously, my weight was not the issue since the problem is still there now that I'm thinner. So...what? If you're fat, too damn bad? That's not acceptable. It's especially not acceptable to make obese patients feel like their ailments are entirely their own fault when it's not necessarily true. Doctors are supposed to help ALL patients. A doctor throwing up his or her hands because it's more difficult to diagnose or treat an obese patient is shameful.

Surgery date is September 9. Here's hoping I get some relief.