Quietstorm Session

I’m the type of person who only goes to the doctor when it is necessary. I usually go twice a year, once to see my primary care doctor and once to see my gynecologist. I wouldn’t say that I’m afraid of doctors because that is not the case. I just get anxiety thinking about the negative outcome of a doctors visit. And this was the case recently.

At the beginning of the year, I decided to find a new gynecologist because within the last year I moved from Virginia to North Carolina. My sister recommended a clinic for women. So, I called and made an appointment.

My appointment was set for February. Even though my anxiety kicked in during the wait for my appointment, I didn’t think anything was noticeably wrong. I was up for a big surprise. My appointment was for my yearly pap smear, breast examination, and std testing. I always take the day off for these appointments because these appointments are always so uncomfortable for me.

The day comes and I’m up bright and early (it is an early morning appointment). I could barely sleep the night before due to my anxieties. I always have issues with my anxiety when going to a new and unfamiliar place. As this was my first time at the Woman’s Clinic.

I arrived early to fill out paperwork. I played a game of Solitaire Live as I wait. The wait was minimal. The doctor came into the room and greeted me. I was a bit happy to know that she was indeed a woman. I prefer women doctors and I forgot to state that when I made my appointment. After telling her a bit about myself, she started the examination. During the examination, she probed my abdomen and being to question me about the hardness of my stomach with a puzzled look on her face.  I begin to tense up and feel like something wasn’t right. She then states that she believes there is something abnormal going on with my ovary. She wanted me to come back within a week for a ct scan and ultrasound.

During my ultrasound, it was determined that I had a not so small cyst on my ovary. I had a dermoid cyst on my left ovary.

The cyst was so big that the only way to get it out would be to take my ovary out as well. Yes, I would have to have surgery. If I cared about my health, there was no avoiding this. The doctor office called me to set up an appointment to discuss my next steps with the doctor. The doctor discussed with me that in order to remove the cyst she would have to perform a procedure called laparotomy. During a laparotomy, a single, larger cut is made in your tummy to give the surgeon better access to the cyst.

The doctor wanted to schedule the surgery within the next month. After a few more doctors visits, a surgery date was set for May 26. Oh and I forgot to tell you that following my surgery, I had to stay out of work for 6 weeks. My anxiety was really kicking in.

I think I will end Part 1 of the story right here. I look forward to sharing Part 2 with you soon.