Liz is a toughy

Yesterday I was out grocery shopping. I started to feel like i had cramps, and the pain was bad, but i blew it off. until i got to the juice aisle. i broke out into a cold sweat and really felt like i was going to pass out. I sat down in the middle of the aisle. in my head i was thinking, well, i have to finish shopping b/c I can't miss these certain sales (in conjunction with my coupons i would be saving a lot of certain items... that's another post later...).

Anyways, i tried to suck it up, and headed to check out. Just to give you a picture of what i looked like, i was hunched over the shopping cart, probably as pale as could be, sweating, and trying to use yoga breathing. Anyways, i got to the front, and had to squat down while the lady was checking my items. This may give you an idea how sick i was: i didn't even ask if she gave me my 5 cents off per bag (i brought my own in). They kept asking me if i needed water or help, and i just said, just hurry i think i'll be better when i get to the car. and one lady asked if i needed help getting to my car so i didnt fall over. and i said yes.

She helped me to the car and put all the groceries in the back. I felt like i should call 9-1-1;
but nurses are really bad patients. and i thought, well maybe i can ride this out (as i was laying down sideways in the car). i hoped no one would come by and think i was dead.
I called cam several times, but he didn't answer.
after who knows how long... 15-20min? i felt like i could at least make it the few minutes home.

So i drove home. I was starting to feel a little better, but in my head was thinking, how in the world will i have a baby without horse tranquilizers?

I laid downstairs and was feeling better, but the abdominal pain was still there. We ate dinner, and I started to get worse. I knew it wasn't a bowel obstruction, but thought it could be appendicitis. But the pain never migrated to the right lower quadrent. Anyways, I had been hurting for about 6 hours, and cam told me to take some rolaids (tropical fruit flavor... SICK). and he said he would give me 1 hour, and if i wasn't better, he was taking me to the ER.
So, i wasn't doing better, i came up, checked out my nursing book, tried to diagnose myself with appendicitis. (and it says if you have pain longer than 4 hours, do something about it...). I hadn't taken a shower in 2 days, and thought, shoot man, if i am gonna have to have surgery, i better shower. At his point the pain was about a 5/10. I called up to work, and asked them what I should do, of course they said go into the ER. I think all your nursing skills leave your head when you are in pain. After the shower the pain was about 7-8/10.

So cam got all his school work to take with him (it was almost 10pm at this point) and we headed to the hospital. Luckily my friend Missy from CCU called the ER and talked to my other friend Laura Ann, and she ended up being my nurse, and they were all ready for me. Pays to have friends that are nurses :).

They poke and prod all around on my belly, i pee in a cup, got 2 liters of fluid (hadn't had anything to drink that day b/c nausea), got some sweet drugs (i really felt totally high), got a CT scan of my belly, and then due to the location of my pain (under belly button but in the middle) i got to get a pelvic exam (just what i always wanted)... after that, they determined i needed a trans-vaginal ultrasound.

They came back and said that I did not have appendicitis! Yeah! I did not want surgery.
BUT... I did have 2 ovarian cysts, 1 on each side... hence the pain across my lower abd. They are hemorrhagic cysts (bleeding occurs within the cyst). I just have to wait it out, then they will rupture, and my body will reabsorb the blood. It will be painful, and they just treat the pain.
And i found out i have a heart shaped uterus, which is fine, and there should be no probs later when i want to have a baby, i am just that much more special.

We got home about 1:45am. And i slept until 11:15 (ahhh!). I had some pain, but once i got around (well, i had to go vote people) it got worse. As i was waiting for my precription to be filled... it was even worse. So, now I am at home, chilling. On strict orders form the charge nurse at work to not do anything, even laundry, and that she would beat up cameron if he gave me beef. So... there ya go. I am scared of the pain when it ruptures, but it will only make me stronger...right? Right now the pain is tolerable... not bad since the one pain pill i took.

The pic below is a normal vs cystic overy. My cysts were about 2cm (about 1 inch...pretty big considering your uterus is about 8-10cm total) on each side... how type A am I that even my cysts match :).