Doctor Visits

The past week has been one of the hardest I can remember. It all started last Friday when I had my annual appointment at the doctor's office. I went to see my new doctor to get checked for moles, and to have my annual pap done. I had to changed doctors because I am now on Joe's insurance, and my doctor wasn't a part of his network. I loved this new doctor. She was very tedious and check everything that I had questions about and more. She offered solutions to a problem that I have had in my throat since April, and left no stone unturned. Everything was going well, she did the pap and then the last procedure was the pelvic exam and I would be free to go.

Have you ever seen someone's face go from having a non expression to a face that is expressing concern? Well I have now experienced it and I can tell you it is one of the scariest things I have seen. Durring the pelvic exam, I felt so vulnerable and anxious. She kept asking me questions, and immediately I knew something was wrong. After the exam, she told me that she felt something that "wasn't right." She was pretty easy on me after all I had just got through telling her what a paranoid person that I can be. She referred me to the imaging center so that they could do a sonogram to figure out what it was that she felt in my uterus. She called it a mass. A mass could be anything. I really don't like that word, and increasingly hated it all week. I also had to give some blood for all of the tests that she ordered.

So this left me with my thoughts until the sonogram on Tuesday. I actually had two different sonograms, and external and an internal. The technician couldn't really tell me anything, but she did confirm a mass, a rather large mass in my uterus. The mass is 3 inches long and looks even bigger on the screen she was looking at. I didn't really like the looks of it. After she was finished it was more waiting for the radiologist and my doctor to look at the pictures and get back to me.

Thursday afternoon, the doctor called and told me that I have a "large non-canerous fibroid tumor." So, it isn't cancer, but I have to be referred to another doctor for treatment. I am anemic and have to take iron pills for that, but that is minor. There is another twist to the story, during both ultrasounds, they were unable to see my left ovary and they think I might have been born without one. I have to do a CT scan on Wednesday to find out more about this. All the research I have done says that if I was born with only one ovary, it really doesn't matter much. I just have half as many eggs as a normal person. (still enough I hope)

I am writing about this, because I have been very ignorant about women's health issues. I haven't ever heard of fibroids, and they can occur in one in five women. I expected that as I grew older I might have some problems, as my mother did, but I did not expect them to arrive when I was 27. I am going to be okay. I am freaked out, and will never miss an appointment with my doctor again, but I am going to get the problem treated.

Joe and I are dealing with the what if's right now. It will probably be harder for us to conceive than the normal couple, but we know that there are options out there for us. My hope in sharing this experience is that all of you women out there who haven't gone to your doctor in a while, go. My problems would have only gotten worse with time. I think women should talk about their experiences more often. I felt so alone when I first found out about this, but so many other women have shared with me their experiences and I feel better. We need to stick together.

With love Always,
Kat

The beginning of a New Semester

That's right! I start school up again on Thursday. This will be my 13th semester for those of you who are keeping track! Okay, sure I have only taken one or two courses in some of those 13 semesters, but I am really excited that I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. In fact I will be done in December of next year. Only 3 semesters to go. Unfortunately, I am taking 17 credits to accomplish this. I decided to take an extra class so that I could receive a reading endorsement. This will be important when I apply for jobs. It would really suck to go through all of this schooling and not end up with a job.

Joe and I are also looking forward to the NFL season starting in just a few weeks. GO COLTS! This is our year. I can feel it! (okay I know I have said that for the past three years, but I have faith in my team) We had our fantasy football draft yesterday, and we scored the first pick in the draft. Good job picking the numbers babe! We feel very confident with the team we have. To a great season!

We're Back!

Finally an end to all the rituals of getting married. We got back from our honeymoon on Sunday evening. The cruise was fantastic. We ate way too much, drank way too much, and had a great time. Our ship "The Elation" set sail from Galveston, Texas. We spent the night in a hotel in Houston, and then took a car into Galveston to set sail. Did you know that Houston is the fourth largest city in the United States? We didn't, but they are really proud of it! This was my first trip to Texas, and I didn't have any idea how proud Texans are about being from Texas. It was like a little country within a big one.
We set sail the next day for Progresso, Yucatan, Mexico. The pier was over 7 miles long! We instantly could tell that Progresso was a new port, and the people there are really rebuilding and making the most of having cruise ships porting in their city. We had a lot of fun bartering with the shop owners for gifts. Joe has a gift for this!
The next day we arrived in Cozumel, Mexico. This are was hit by hurricane Emily about a month before we arrived, and you could tell it wasn't in it's tip top form. We booked an trip through Carnival to go sailing, snorkeling, and to stop at a private beach. The Beach was a lot of fun. We were spoiled in St. John when we went snorkeling there, so we were disappointed in what we saw in Cozumel. We had fun anyways, and went back to the ship tired.
Our final port was Belize City, Belize. This was the most exciting trip we took. We went Cave tubing through the caves of Belize. It was an hour drive in a bumpy bus, and a 45 minute walk with all of our gear through the rainforest, but it was extremely fun. The cave is pitch dark, and all you have to see where your going is a light that they strap on the top of your head. I got a little anxious when I couldn't see Joe, but he was as calm as a cucumber. When we floated out of the caves, it was raining. The only rain of the entire trip! We then were fed some Belize food, with the hottest sauce I have ever had.
We finished the cruise off with two days at sea, where we danced, looked at art, played slots in the casino, and ate! I did experience a little sea sickness, but since we made friends with other couples on the ship, Joe was able to still have good time. I actually enjoyed being by myself so I could finish my book, Wicked. (A great read if anyone is interested)
Well, were home now. I went back to work yesterday. School starts next week. We are planning on remodeling the kitchen soon. Back to reality. What a shame!

The Elation! 

After Cave Tubing in Belize 

Our first drink on the ship (there were many more to come)! 

In Houston before we sailed off! 

Teb's Troops

The Teb's Troops website is now up and ready to fight cancer. Please visit this site at www.tebstroops.org to purchase bracelets and apparel. All proceeds will help with the fight against melanoma.

Taken from the Teb's Troops Website:

Teb's Troops is a not-for-profit organization started after Tricia E. Black, or teb as she is known by her friends and family, was diagnosed with stage IV metastatic melanoma. At the time of her diagnosis, teb was 29 years old and living in Indianapolis, Indiana with her husband, Michael, and 9-month-old son, Sam. Wanting to rally her "troops" during her war with cancer and desiring to make something positive come from the negative, teb asked her friends to help her design and sell a bracelet, the profits of which would go to organizations that support the treatment, prevention, and research of cancer, including melanoma. Teb is now asking you to enlist as one of her troops by purchasing a Teb's Troops bracelet to show your support for teb and the fight against cancer