Monday 14 March 2016

At least I'm not in menopause

Last week I got my results back on the medical tests I had recently. There was nothing particularly interesting about them, hence why I haven't updated sooner.

Bone density scan: Dr. Gnomish said it was pointless to even requisition this test for me (resident inexperience?) because there is no data on bone density for someone who is 36 years old. The standard age to begin the scans is 50. So unless I have another x-ray in some years to compare to this one, they have no reference with which to make a judgment about my scan.

Blood tests: The numbers were within normal parameters for a woman who is cycling.

Pelvic ultrasound: The fibroids were noted, and that they are much the same size. Everything in my pelvis looked fine. The ovaries were "hard to visualize", but appeared normal. I asked what that meant. Basically, no cysts or anything unusual. Dr. Gnomish said ovaries get smaller with age and that is probably why they were hard to see. But they didn't do anything like an antral follicle count.

So, the conclusion: I have no emergent health problems, and I'm not in menopause. While none of these tests had much to say about fertility, after events of the past few months I am very happy to hear that they saw nothing unusual in my innards and my organs are all working fine.  And I'm glad I'm not in menopause, although I already knew that as I've had (fairly) regular periods since January.

Dr. Gnomish said that if we wanted a referral to The Fertility Clinic, just give him a call. Easy. That part of it, anyway. Do we want a referral? What would we ask the Fertility Clinic to do if we got another referral? Not so easy.

I'm hoping my cycles are trending a little longer. The last 3 were 19, 21, 24 days. Maybe this next one will be a good one, two or three days longer? One can hope. AJ was conceived following several wonky short cycles, after all.

In the meantime, I remind myself to be grateful for and enjoy the life we have. Would we be excited and happy for another pregnancy? Yes. (When not shaking with anxiety). Are things pretty great the way they are? Yes.

We have adjusted to life as a family of 3. I meet the definition (for now at least) of "having it all," though I find that phrase ridiculous for many reasons.  I still have ambiguous feelings about my current teaching position, but I do like it better than I did a few months ago. There are upbuilding, fun things happening. Daycare ("baby school") continues to be a positive experience for AJ. She hasn't cried upon being dropped off there for several months and neither have I. Although I always feel bereft when I leave her, rather like I am leaving half my brain and half my heart behind. Overall it's like I have acquired a mild disability. I can't make it go away but I can learn to work around it and I'm slowly getting better at it.

At the end of March we are taking a week's vacation in the mountains, between 4 and 5 hours drive away. In preparation we took our bikes to the shop to be tuned up. They haven't been ridden in almost 3 years. But AJ has a chariot now (it was one thing my dad particularly wanted to buy her) and so we have hopes of adding another family activity to our routines. Between work, grad school, and the daily stuff that we need to do to survive, we don't do much for active leisure except walk.  As AJ gets older I want to get into the habit of doing more interesting things so she gets a variety of experiences not to mention a good example. On the other hand we enjoy our day to day and we have a decent amount of downtime, so we mosey along pretty well. Certainly, we have more downtime than we would with a second child. Another reason to be grateful for the present.

I am looking forward to a week of cycling and ambling and being lazy as a family. We don't have many plans as AJ still naps for an average of 2 hours right in the middle of a day. Unless she sleeps in the car there's really no point in planning ambitious day excursions, or anything that takes longer than 2 hours to complete. But the main point is  to be together with less distractions. Maybe talk about some of that fertility stuff too; it goes down easier with fresh air and mountains.

10 comments:

  1. Have a great time in the mountains! And let me know how the chariot works out- we are thinking about that for Bubs next summer! And yay for not being in menopause! Although, fertility and family building aside, I personally can't wait to be done with periods and am really looking forward to it!!

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    1. I still can't see beyond fertility issues, but you are right periods aren't much fun. My mom has always said she was relieved to be in menopause too. She had 3 kids, however. The chariot seems really nice, I'll update after trip.

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  2. I'm glad all your tests came back okay! And I can very much relate to wanting to do more interesting leisurely activities with baby (or rather, toddler). I'm getting a bike seat installed for SB tomorrow, and I hope we'll be doing some small trips with her. I actually sometimes have the impression she's bored at home (which is heartbreaking in itself), so it'll be really good to get out.

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    1. Getting outside is great, for toddler and mom too. I hope the seat works out well. (Make sure you use a good helmet; I was in an accident in one as a child).

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    2. Ouch :(
      Yes, I'll pick up a helmet along with the bike later. Everyone bikes here, so at least it's easy to find good helmets and seats.

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    3. Cool. The guy at the bike shop said that Baby Nut is good. Nobody wore helmets when I was a baby and I cracked my skull when a motorcyclist collided with my dad. I don't remember it but my parents were permanently traumatized on some level. And I can now say "I cracked my skull: that explains a few things har har".

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  3. Good news with the medical results. Have fun in the mountains, I always find being in nature the best place to think about things.

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    1. So true! Mr Turtle and I have the best conversations when walking outside.

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  4. I'm glad your test results were good -- having a good report on the innards is lovely. :) I hope you enjoy your vacation in the mountains, that sounds amazing. It's funny, one of my cousins told me recently, "You know all those amazing activities on Pinterest? Totally realistic and doable with ONE child. Have another and it all goes out the window." It doesn't necessarily take the sting out of wanting more and accepting the possibility that that may not be, but it made me chuckle and came to my mind when you talked of how things are now. Nevertheless, I hope the short wonky cycles are followed by an A.J. cycle... :)

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    1. Thanks for the good thoughts. Even with one child I'm not really into Pinterest lol. I've found a few good things for school on it but I'm confused by some aspects of it. I think it's a getting older thing: instead of being an early adopter I wonder what exactly is worth my time to learn. Or maybe it's the diminished IQ/emotional exhaustion. I'm super pleased that I've figured out how to use google drive for student portfolios though. Ha I got off topic here but I am excited I can brag about something.

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