(un) reproductive

If you're male and you happen to stumble upon this page, move along now because you don't need to know about my uterus or ovary or any woman's reproductive problems for that matter.
If you belong to the female species, you might find something valuable (I hope) in this dilemma I have.

It started five years ago. I've had pain in my lower abdomen for quite a while before I decided to go the hospital to have it checked. There were reasons I wasn't fond of hospitals here. First, the language barrier. I wasn't as fluent as I was five years ago. Second, I had a prior experience wherein a neurologist (consult for my migraine) touched my breast while examining for my heartbeat, which I think was irrelevant to my migraine at the time, BTW. I wasn't able to do anything. I couldn't. Maybe it was fear, maybe shock, I don't know. I changed doctors, changed hospital after that.
Anyways, I went to the hospital for check-up. I was told I had right ovary tumor and I needed surgery cuz it was causing pain and discomfort. I was told they would do a laparoscopy to remove the cyst. I need not worry, they said. I was at the hospital for five days, just to make sure I don't bleed out, after that I was up and about. I had discomfort for 2 more weeks (meaning I can’t do any heavy lifting and the meds made me drowsy).

Last February, I went to another hospital (I found a female OB-GYN, finally) and had a check-up for lower abdominal pain again. I was told there was clotting in my fallopian tube. What was shocking to me was when the doctor asked me when I had my right ovary removed and why. I didn't know I was missing one up until that point. Sure I was told by a doctor in Manila two years ago that they couldn't see my right ovary in the ultrasound but that it (ovaries not showing up during ultrasound) was common, sometimes it happens.

After knowing that my ovary was missing, I went to the hospital where I had my surgery and basically asked them what they did with it. I was given the run-around at first. They said the doctor who did my surgery had retired; they can’t discuss it with me, only that doctor can. Who are they kidding? A few days after that, I had to go to the emergency room because of abdominal pain again and after so much had been done (CT scan, X-Ray, pelvic ultrasound I asked the resident (I begged him!) to tell me why they removed my ovary without informing me. He said (whispered) the cyst must have been spread throughout the ovary and the only way to remove it completely was to remove the ovary along with it. But I was assured that the cyst was not that big and that it was a simple surgery, I said. He replied that it must not have been the case during the actual surgery. He wasn't sure, he was just saying what he thought happened, he said. By the way, he was looking at my file the whole time.

During my February hospital visit, my doctor couldn't explain why there was clotting and swelling of the left fallopian tube. She thought I was pregnant. After convincing her that I'm not sexually active (poor me!) at the moment, she told me to get a second opinion because she was hesitant to do a hysterectomy (given the situation it was one of the options that we both don't want to do but if severe bleeding would occur, it was the only solution). During that time there was so much blood at my tubes that she couldn't diagnose me properly. (I also suffer from endometriosis that made her examination hard). She told me to come back after three days but I never did.

So, the pain came back. Earlier today I went there and finally she had a diagnosis. My ultrasound was clear so it was easy for her. During menstruation period, the waste (blood) needs to come out. My fallopian tubes should have the ovary where it could just circulate and go out. I don't have that on the right side so what happens is the blood accumulates inside my right tubes, causing the swelling, the pain and in my case now, small abscess. I'm taking antibiotics and pain killers. I even had a shot (antibiotic) earlier. If the pills don’t work, I need to have shots every day. Did I say I hate needles?

All this because I have an ovary removed and my reproductive system is screwed up.

Teen Pregnancy

I found this (Pregnancy Boom at Gloucester High) first at Perezhilton. I laughed at the caption: "Blame Jamie Lynn and Juno".. It's only funny at first but when you read the article, you'll want to smack some sense into those teens.

Says there it was a pact to get pregnant and raise their babies together. Where did they get the idea that raising children is easy and fun? Haven't we seen movies and news articles that dealt with the hardships of being a single parent?

They are excited to have babies so they can have someone who'll love them unconditionally. Jeez, did nobody teach these kids? How can you enjoy having a kid when you're busy studying, working and planning a future for you and your kid? Children deserve more than just being born into this world.

But by May, after nurse practitioner Kim Daly had administered some 150 pregnancy tests at Gloucester High's student clinic, she and the clinic's medical director, Dr. Brian Orr, a local pediatrician, began to advocate prescribing contraceptives regardless of parental consent, a practice at about 15 public high schools in Massachusetts. Currently Gloucester teens must travel about 20 miles (30 km) to reach the nearest women's health clinic; younger girls have to get a ride or take the train and walk. But the notion of a school handing out birth control pills has met with hostility. Says Mayor Carolyn Kirk: "Dr. Orr and Ms. Daly have no right to decide this for our children." The pair resigned in protest on May 30.
Gloucester's elected school committee plans to vote later this summer on whether to provide contraceptives. But that won't do much to solve the issue of teens wanting to get pregnant. Says rising junior Kacia Lowe, who is a classmate of the pactmakers': "No one's offered them a better option." And better options may be a tall order in a city so uncertain of its future
Gloucester isn't sure it wants to provide easier access to birth control.

Huh?? I'm always amazed at people and government officials who think that they are helping teens by not giving them contraceptives. I hate when they put their religious beliefs first and ignore reality. The issues goes much more deeper than that. It always does. Whatever it is (economics, family or religious issue) isn't it right to educate everyone so there wont be any more of this? It isn't fair.. to everyone concerned..

what started this

We all have stories we want to tell. We either experienced it, witnessed it, watched it on tv or just pure imagination and wishful thinking that it may happen to us (like me marrying Keanu Reeves.. hehe). Women like to talk. We gossip. We have intuitions.

I created this blog to specifically deal with women's issues, stories, gossip etc.
I will have stories where I'll change the names of people involved to protect them.

Anyways, let's see what happens. One thing I know for sure though, I'll write what I feel. I'll write about what affects me. Real or not...