The mystery of Adenomyosis

-

I've had a not so great year in 2013 with my health.  When I turned 40 all my 40+ friends kept saying 'just you wait Jenny, everything will start to go wrong now'.  I doubted them.  I'm not a particularly sickly person.  But they were very right.  I've had more niggly health problems in the last 12 months than ever before.

But the last 5 months have been hard.  In January I had an excruciating bout of period pain at a level I hadn't experienced before.  I've always had shocking pain but this was different.  And pretty unmanageable.

Since then it has got worse.  I had to take a day off work last month.  The month before that I almost left work early because I felt so bad. Pain in my gut that radiates up my back.  I spend 5 days hobbling around like an old lady, half bent over.  I become consumed by myself.  I become consumed by basic survival.  Get to work.  Do what I absolutely have to.  Come home.  Go to bed.  I have been shocked by how selfish pain makes you.

And when the pain slows down I manage to lift my head up and look around at the chaos that results from 5 days of basic survival.  It's stressful.  I feel grumpy and angry at my life.  I feel mentally irrational and emotional and well, a little bit mad.

But then it passes and I spend the next three weeks wondering if it was all in my head.  My family assures it me wasn't.  They remember. They live through it.

I've felt challenged by what it is going to look like to be a reasonable older person.  I don't want to be that grumpy, self-absorbed old person.  But how do I do that when I feel so consumed?

Today I saw a specialist who gave me a diagnosis.  I have adenomyosis.  Look it up if you are truly bored!  It's not very exciting but it explains the pain - actually explains why it has got worse.  Apparently it will continue to get worse.

And most women end up having a hysterectomy.  There are a few other strategies to try but ultimately that's where we are headed.

Good to have a diagnosis.  But not looking forward to the continuing and worsening pain in the months ahead.


Comments

Karen said…
Sorry to hear it's been a hard few months in the health department. Praying for strength for you in the months ahead and that whatever pain relief has been recommended as the first line of attack (is that what you mean by other strategies?? I would have just been asking them to book me in for the surgery straight away, but my pain tolerance isn't great...) keeps things manageable until the time for surgery comes.

Take care.
May 20, 2013 at 10:32 PM
Kath said…
Praying for you, Jenny, sounds like it's been a real struggle.
Kath
May 20, 2013 at 11:32 PM
Tasmanian said…
Oh no. Sorry to hear about your struggle with such nasty pain. All the best as you work through it and may the doctors give good advice.
May 21, 2013 at 10:40 AM
Meredith said…
Sorry to hear this. That's a lot to deal with. Good to have an answer at least but shall be praying as you travel forward. Good on you for pressing on and continuing to be so encouraging.
Mx
May 21, 2013 at 4:02 PM
Sarah said…
Sorry to hear that, Jenny. I Googled it and it sounds nasty. Glad you have a diagnosis. Don't you just love friends and acquaintances who focus on all the negatives...not! Praying that God will surround you with good doctors and encouraging people.
May 22, 2013 at 6:48 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Confessions of an earl grey addict

-
Image
I have to confess in this public forum that I'm addicted to earl grey tea. I used to like the expensive stuff (Twinings) but because I drink so much of it, over the years I've had to buy the home brand version because I couldn't afford to sustain my habit. On Monday mornings I'd go to playgroup and have a cup of tea.  But one wasn't enough.  I'd have to go back for another. I'd visit a friend and enjoy the first cuppa.  But start to wonder if it too rude to ask for another, an hour into our visit. I don't have milk or sugar with it.  That just wrecks the purity of the experience.  I would branch out sometimes and enjoy Lady Grey or French Earl Grey for a treat.  But for everyday purposes my friend was the 'Earl'. But two weeks ago I went cold turkey.  I just decided that it was time to break the habit.  I have entered the world of herbal teas with all its strange flavours.  Peppermint (toothpaste dissolved in hot water).  Camom...
Read more

Going grey at 40

-
Image
I have written about this before , but after broaching the subject on facebook a few weeks ago I've been thinking a lot about the whole colouring your hair deal.  On facebook I asked when having natural coloured hair was going to become trendy like other old fashioned things like quilting and growing your veges?  I am quite tired of how time consuming colouring my hair is and how expensive it is. A very interesting conversation resulted with a huge variety of opinions.  Many of the women said they would be going natural, but of course they aren't gray now (and are my age) so I don't think that really counts.  Until you ACTUALLY start going seriously gray/white you can't see how it impacts on the way you look.  I think it is different to be almost white (like myself) at age 40 and agreeing in principle to going natural when it happens to you in the future (when you will be a lot older than I am now!). Just quietly, I'll believe it when I see it (let me thr...
Read more

Why I won't home school (if I don't have to)

-
Image
Occasionally I get asked what I think about home schooling.  Let me say from the outset that I'm not against it at all.  I was actually homeschooled for Year 3 because I wasn't coping with the local Indian school and I wasn't old enough for boarding school.  I have lots of friends who do it - some out of necessity (eg. missionary friends in remote places with no options) or out of choice (because their child doesn't cope with the mainstream school system).   So I'm fine with the whole concept. I have great admiration for families that choose to provide that education for their kids.  It is hard work and a significant drain on time and emotional energy (usually for the mum).  I also think that it can be a great gift for children who would otherwise get lost in a conventional educational institution. But why wouldn't I do it?  Partly because I did homeschooling myself and found it quite lonely.  I missed the social interaction of school a...
Read more