THE DEFINING MOMENT

As I stated I was into everything..I entered into a very extensive wedding planning internship, all while planning a major event of my own, as I said I wanted and needed to be busy and I guess my body was in shock or something. I would still have painful cycle's but overall I was okay. I had pretty much gotten through the wedding season as we were winding down, my event had gone off without a hitch and it just hit me all of a sudden. It was late to mid October 2006 after my monthly cycle. I had this dull ache in my pelvic area that just would not go away. It started out as just aggravating, but manageable on a Friday...I went through the entire weekend feeling this pain and by Sunday, I was like okay I'm going to see my GYN tomorrow morning because this pain is getting worse. By the time I woke Monday morning I could barely stand up straight and walk, the pain was so intense in my pelvic area I knew something was truly wrong. I made my way to the doctor and he was like...I just saw you, what's wrong and you can only imagine the look I gave him..."ugh, that's why I'm here seeing you, so you can tell me." He immediately put me into an exam room and examined me and immediately said I had FIBROIDS and scheduled me for a sonogram and gave me pain meds....know one could have told me that this would be the defining moment in my quest to living with IC.....I laid in that bed for almost two weeks in pain, I was taking percocet every 4 hours...until my family was like something is not right, so they took me to the emergency room where he did a CAT scan and found that I had a cyst on my ovary and said that it had obsessed so they put an IV in me and ran a series of antibiotics through me and then released me. I must admit I did start to feel better in a couple of days, but the pain soon returned. My GYN told me that I didn't have a cyst and it didn't absess, just pretty much refuted what the ER told me, he had finally gotten the results of my sonogam back and that's where he was getting his information from....so after the next espisode I ended back in my GYN's office and he pretty much told me I needed a hysterectomy...so that immediately sent me running for a second opinion. Now mind you I had just had my Well Woman's exam in August of the this same year so I was truly baffled as to how I could go from being okay to needing a hysterectomy in a few months...it just didn't make sense to me. I was referred to the second GYN by several friends so I made an appointment with him in December and couldn't get in to see him until the following month. Long story short he confirmed that I did have fibroids and he suggested surgery to remove them...I had my FIFTH surgery on February 27, 2007..........

AND THE STORY CONTINUES

After the fourth surgery things were pretty much okay for a while as far as the pain goes. However I never conceived and thus got divorced, my ex-husband wanted children and ultimately couldn't deal with what I was dealing with (among other issues). At the time it really hurt, I mean it hurt like a knife stuck smack dab in the middle of my heart, but through the grace and mercy of GOD I realized and found that all things are possible! I overcame the hurt, depression, anger and so many other emotions I experienced during those several years afterwards. But not before somewhat self destructing in regards to my my behavior, attitude and my relationships. It wasn't until I turned 30 that I totally stopped feeling sorry for myself, picked myself up by my boot straps and started to live and truly appreciate life. And through all the turmoil during my self destruction phase GOD always had his hands wrapped around me and allowed me to meet my SOUL MATE and BEST FRIEND....the love of my life! At the time of our meeting we both were going through life altering situations and just needed a friend and that's what we become to one another! A love like this one took some time, but it's the journey that's the sweetest thing! He brought out the best in me and vice versa and the thing that sealed the deal for me with him is when I told him of my pelvic pain issues and the possibility of not ever being able to conceive childeren, his response still brings flutters to my heart! I'll just say he help me to understand and realize that even if I was never able to conceive that doesn't take away or make me less of a woman! Boy do I love that man......my man! So things are going along okay in regards to the pain, nothing major, but still painful cycles. And the thought of still trying to conceive loomed large and although the doctors had not said that this is just totally out of the question, I started to have those feelings again, feelings of depression and despair! So at this point I decided to get busy and focus on something other than conceiving, you name it I was into it and it really worked for a while, until the day when I guess I pushed my body into total overload.............

WOW...Where Should I Start

My name is Monica, I'm 41 years old and I have been living with chronic pelvic pain for as far back as I can remember. I remember starting my cycle as if it happened yesterday (I was eleven) and although I don't quite remember having pelvic pain at that time, I do remember having painful cycles. And back then I just really thought that was the way it was supposed to be. So as I got older I just learned to deal with it. Initially it started with me taking a couple aspirin, then I graduated to a couple of Tylenol, then in my early 20's my GYN prescribed me Naprosen because I would complain of painful periods, then it graduated to over the counter Advil or prescribed Motrin 800mg whenever I had them. So now I'm married and trying to have kids, well after a year of trying and no conception we went to the doctor and this is where it all started. I was 23 years old at this time (yeah I know I got married young) and I went to my GYN still complaining of pelvic pain, so this is when I had my first laperscopic surgery, which is a procedure to look inside through your navel, however my doctor at the time really didn't tell me anything, which in hindsight was a good thing because it sent me packing and led me to finding one of the best doctor's in the world, Dr. Conrad Duncan. He was referred to me by someone else and prior to I had heard the name a few times, so I was like why not. Once I visited Dr. Duncan, he suggested the same thing, the laperscopic procedure to see what was going on inside. He found out that my tubes were blocked and immediately scheduled a laperotomy, now this will be surgery number three @ 24 years of age. The surgery went well, the right tube was cut, the block removed and repaired. The left tube was fine and remained in tact. And actually several weeks after the surgery an HSG test was done (I believe that's the correct term,) it's a procedure where they shoot dye up through your tubes and watch it on a monitor as it spills out to determine if the tubes are free and mine were, so at this point I was good and the surgery was a success....... I came back for my six month check-up and it was discovered at this time that I had some pre-cancerous cells, so an in-office procedure was performed where they snip a piece of the cervix off for further observation and yes, this was cause for surgery number four, now at the age of 25...........Stay tuned as I continue to chronicle my life living and dealing with chronic pelvic pain.