Family History...

I have been working on this post for a while. I haven't quite been sure how it would turn out, but here it is...it's all I've got for now.

There's no easy way to start this I think, so I will start at the beginning...when I was 19, I was told that there is a distinct possibility that I will never be able to have children. And by "have children," I mean give birth.

I had some health problems during my sophomore year of college, which lead to a series of blood tests--every other month for a year, going to different doctors, not really understanding what the hell was going on...

This was when I found out I was lactose intolerant. I like to laugh at the fact that my family used to be dairy farmers...now all of us future generations are lactards.

But during this series of blood tests, I was told that I have not one--but two reproductive disorders. I was first diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. (Read about it on the link if you would like.) Basically, what I get from this one is a lot of pain. I develop cysts on my ovaries, which then burst. Some months I will be totally fine, other months I will live bent in half to try and stifle the pain.

I was then told that I also most likely have Endometriosis. (Read about is as well if you like, I am not going to go into depth about it.) Since I was so young when I was given this potential diagnosis, they didn't want to do exploratory surgery to confirm--which is what I was told was the only was to confirm this diagnosis.

So, in short: both cause me a bit of pain. I like to say that it feels like someone is taking crochet hooks to my innards, and pulling and ripping them apart, with stabs from knitting needles every now and then. (Yes, I just used my craft supplies to describe pain....)

Frankly, I am used to the pain. I have always had a high pain tolerance, so for the most part it is no big deal. This is not what this blog is really about, this is just all back story...

So, I have a family history of these things...but I also have a family history of cervical cancer. So when I discovered an abnormal growth on my cervix a few weeks ago, I began to worry.

I did the usual, "Oh wait a week and see what happens." And nothing changed. So I began the online research phase of, "What else could it be?" And of course there were a whole host of things it could be...one of which being cervical cancer.

So I waited another week. This is the kind of thing you do when you don't have health insurance.

After a grand total of 3 weeks, I finally confided in some friends what I was thinking and feeling. They were all supportive, and reassured me that it was probably nothing. But when you're an insomniac, and you're alone and awake at all hours of the night, your mind is not always as forgiving...

So finally I decided I should call the doctor. I hate going to the doctor. HATE. A lot. After deciding to procrastinate just one more day, I discovered that the growth was gone. I was elated!!

Turns out it was most likely something to do with my other reproductive disorders. But given my family history, I spent a couple weeks worried as hell that I had cancer.

I am so thankful for the outcome I got. I know not everyone is so fortunate...

So, there's another thing that runs in the family...awesome.