August 2008 - Seeking Help

I finally said "enough is enough"! I wasn't pleased that my regular OB/GYN had told me we had to "manage the symptoms" and wasn't planning to do anything else for me. So, I talked to my sister who recommended her OB/GYN Nurse Practitioner who she described as compassionate and caring. In my emotional state, I decided it was that environment I needed to go to seek help. So, I made an appointment.

I went to her and she immediately said I needed 1) a new ultrasound to see the size of the fibroid, 2) a consult with a Dr/Surgeon to see if I'm a candidate to take care of the fibroid (which she assumed was the culprit) 3) a blood test to check for anemia, and 4) a visit with a counselor to deal with my escalating emotional breakdown and depression over this issue.

1, 2 and 3 I could handle, but 4 was a bit much for me with my pride. But I looked at it as a traumatic situation I needed help dealing with. Not that I was an overall depressed person as a whole. So, I made all the appointments she suggested.

She also gave me a new birth control pill to try - something that was a bit stronger and she recommended taking 2 BCPs a day to stop the bleeding. It worked temporarily, but when I went back to 1 pill a day, the bleeding started again. There are some risks of taking 2 pills a day for an ongoing period of time. One is blood clots, so I had to keep an eye on my legs for pain, etc. Also, there is a possibility of having the fibroid grow. She explained that fibroids are generally fed by estrogen and the BCPs could possibly be making the fibroid grow. But I figured the risk was less than the reward of not bleeding. So, I went back on 2 pills a day until I had my meeting with the surgeon. It was just 3 weeks out, so I figured it wouldn't kill me.

The blood test also came back that I was severely anemic. My HGB was 9.4 (standard range: 11.5 - 15.0) and my Hematocrit was 29.8 (standard range is 34.0-46.0). My Ferritin, which is the store of iron (like the "savings account", she described) was at 1 (standard range is 22-291). Come to find out, I was just a few points away from needing a transfusion! I started immediately on iron supplement pills - 3 doses a day.