First off, we decided to take some time off of trying to conceive. We are not preventing it, but we haven't been obsessing. It's been nice, though it's not yet gotten us closer to being parents. In the meantime, we've had some health concerns on my part. On my 23rd birthday in April, I went to the doctor for stomach and throat pain. After what seemed like more than 2 weeks, I was diagnosed with GERD (acid reflux). I was given a prescription and that seems to be well controlled now. Along the way, my doctor drew a complete blood count (CBC) and noticed that my white blood count (WBC) was elevated above normal. He pulled my old records and back in September 2011, my WBC was elevated too. We dismissed it then as a simple UTI/Yeast infection and I was given a prescription for that and never thought another thing of it. Well, since it was still elevated, he ordered another CBC a week or so later. It was still elevated. He did an ultrasound and discovered my spleen is enlarged, which is most likely what causes my abdominal pain. I was referred to a hematologist and on June 6th I met with a Cancer specialist who explained the next steps to getting my health understood. I had another CBC, and it came back higher than before. He scheduled the next test to check for BCR-ABL, which is the Philadelphia chromosome that is most commonly linked with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML). He said according to my blood work, he has seen cases similar and they resemble CML. That along with my symptoms:
I didn't always have all these symptoms at once, but most of the time I had at least 3 at a time, with pale skin, pain and being tired the most common in daily life. This seemed to increase drastically during May and June, and on June 19 I was scheduled to get the BCR-ABL test done. The previous night, I began having intense pain in my lower abdomen, back and vagina. Pinching, stinging and then suddenly, I began bleeding. It felt as though my insides were falling out and nothing helped the pain. I began bleeding through several tampons and pads in less than an hour, and I felt like I was going to pass out. Regardless, I held out and decided to wait until my appointment the next day when I'd meet with the cancer specialist. I made it to the appointment, spoke with the nurses and once the doctor saw me, he admitted me to the ER right away. Thankfully, my wonderful mom was there with me. I got admitted and was instantly bombarded with the same question "Are you pregnant?" Though I consistently declined, they kept insisting that they check. I knew I wasn't pregnant. But of course, they didn't listen. ;) Anyway, I had an intra-uterine ultrasound and everything appeared "normal." I was given an antiinflammatory injection and that helped with the pain and swelling I was experiencing down there. The doctor, who was very callous, told me I was fine. My body was keeping up with the amount of blood lost (thank god) and that it was most likely gynocological. I was referred to the Women's Center to speak with a Gynecologist who specializes in PCOS and Enodmetriosis. I have yet to make an appointment with her.
The following week I called in to the Cancer Center, twice, in order to get my blood results. While in the ER, they ran the BCR-ABL test and faxed the results to them. I was told the test came back negative, which means I do NOT have the Philadelphia Chromosome. (YAY!) However, this means I need to have a bone-marrow biopsy to screen for other forms of leukemia. It's usually the last step before discovering what type of cancer (if any) you have. Well, for whatever reason, I stopped seeking help for awhile. It's been well over a month, and I haven't been contacted by the Cancer doctor, so I've sort of been putting it off. But, I know there are things wrong somewhere so I'm going to schedule an appointment this month. It'd be wonderful if my WBC was back to a normal level and all could be put in the past, right? Here's hoping!
In other news, my sweet hubby got a job at the Utah County Jail, where he has YET to start. However, he also got a job at the Utah State Hospital in May, and less than one month after completing the training period, he got a promotion! This included a pay increase, consistent employment as well as benefits! He's doing so well there and is really showing them how big of an asset he is! I am beyond proud of him. We were able to get a new vehicle by trading in my tiny car for an SUV/crossover that will meet all of our needs. We're in the process of getting Tim his Mustang so he can stop showing me ads for cars! ;) Along with this new job and benefits we discovered that infertility is covered by the insurance by 50%! We're very excited about that. It even includes coverage on Adoptions. So... that gives us hope for our future family goals!!
Other than that, Tim and I are just going day by day, through the normal routine. We have yet to have any sort of vacation or luxury in well over 2 years, so we are set to go to Lagoon for the entire day on August 21! I am so excited! I hope you all are doing well in your daily lives. Thanks for reading, Xo
