Warning: If you are a bit faint at heart or squeamish, there is a bit more needle/medical talk in this post...
Stephanie - One; Amenorrhea - Zero!
Yay for long day being over
So today I went for a fun day long fun day of blood tests. Generally this should have been a fairly simple procedure. The doctor told me beforehand that I would be incredibly bored and that it would be a long, but easy day. They would draw blood every 10 minutes but it would not really be noticeable as done through a IV line or whatever you call it. I brought all necessary supplies to keep me busy - laptop, books, coloring books (yes coloring books, no judgment), and of course an Aaron.
Never go anywhere without an Aaron.
Unfortunately, things did not go so well. Apparently, I don't like to give up blood a.k.a my blood "flow" was slow and would stop. This ultimately meant that they had to keep trying different veins in my arms we started with the right, then went to the left, back to the right, twice on the left, again on the right, and then finally on the left (I am serious this was a 2 hour ordeal). They had to "massage" (a.k.a push down hard on my arm) and manipulate the needles to get any blood. It was not pretty and to add to the fun they kept putting band aides over the spots and ripping them off. It was crazy painful (but I am fine now Grandma, I promise, don't worry!).
Not so happy (look my feet almost touch the floor...right)
All the research fellows wanted me to give up. They kept telling me that we did not have to do this study and that I could go home. But I knew that this study also meant a lot for our treatment plan. The results from this study would help us know what was the best route to take in my treatment. These blood samples would measures the pulses of my hormones and tell us where to go next instead of having to go with the "Guess and Check Method," which might take months. Thus I was determined to get this done no matter what. This led us to lots of needle pricking and "fun needle in the hand day" (I will spare you the picture). In other words, they ended up drawing blood from a vein in my hand and putting in a saline IV to keep me very hydrated. They also made me keep my arm propped and straight, my legs up, and put hot packs on my hands and arms, all in hopes of keeping the blood flowing - fun.
Thought instead I would show you how to get to the bathroom with an IV in your hand
So that's that. Stephanie - One; Amenorrhea - Zero. We got the tests done and hopefully, even though we missed a lot of blood samples, it should be enough to get a good sample and help us make a plan. We should know more next week.
By the way, big thanks to all the wonderful blogger support today especially Jenny with her rocking Twitter jokes keeping me smiling. Also my friend Janette who came to visit and texted me throughout to make me smile. Thanks ladies!
But as hard as today was. It reminded me of something that I almost forgot in the past two weeks -
I AM STRONG! I WILL GET THROUGH THIS!
I WILL PRESERVE!
How do you stay strong and preserve when things get tough?
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