To the doctor again

The doctor (who looks distractingly like Dr Cameron from House) was back in today, and I went along to talk about my blood tests. They all came back normal, and she doesn't want to send me for any more tests. I worried at her a bit more, but she basically said everything seems fine, and to come back if I'm not pregnant in a year.

I've also been using the tests I bought, and I got an LH surge on Sunday, so... I guess that means I am ovulating. Which is good! (Also, holy crap those things are expensive! The shop only had the digital ones, but if I end up needing these things again, I'm just going to get the old-fashioned kind.)

Plus I got a bit of good news: I'd heard that Ponstan (which pretty much keeps me functioning during lady-times) isn't good to take during pregnancy, and I was afraid I'd have to give it up well before we started trying in case it had long-term effects. But apparently, it breaks down in the body pretty quickly, so I don't need to avoid it until I actually am pregnant. Yay!

So anyway, it's time to stop worrying. The wedding is approaching fast*, and then we'll finally get this show on the road.

*I tried on my dress again the other day, to make sure it looked OK with the shoes I'd picked out. The first thing my mother said when she saw me was "Oh, it has a nice bit of room at the waist. Good, you can get pregnant now and still be able to wear it!" Hm, I guess I know where I get my baby-obsession from.

Pee on a stick

I've been doing some thinking. I can't go back to the doctor for a week, as the GP I want to see only works on Wednesdays, and the surgery is closed tomorrow for St. Patrick's Day. And I was going crazy at the idea of having to sit around waiting to see her, and not getting any closer to finding an answer.

My solution: I bought a box of ovulation tests. I should be ovulating over the coming week, so by the time I go back to the doctor I'll at least be able to tell her whether or not that happened. It may be useful for her in deciding what to do next, and in the meantime it'll make me feel like I'm actually doing something halfway useful. Plus... it's kind of interesting. I'm a biology geek.

(Any time I've had to get a pregnancy test in the past, I've always felt very sheepish buying them. I feel ridiculously grown-up buying ovulation tests instead!)

And yes, I know I said I wouldn't start using these until we'd been trying for a few months. That's still the plan; I'm just using them this one time to make sure I'm actually ovulating. Once I can actually establish that everything's working properly, I'm happy to take a less scientific approach, for the first while at least.

Test results

So, the blood tests all came back normal. On the one hand, this is a good thing, but on the other, I'm still having symptoms and I don't know why. So really, this is no answer at all.

It also seems that having these symptoms when you have normal hormone levels can be associated with infertility.

So... I don't really know how to feel. Back to the doctor, I suppose.

...and back again!

So I went to the doctor this morning. She listened to what I had to say, and she agreed to do a blood test. They're testing for FSH, LH and prolactin, and I should have the results next Tuesday. I'm a lot less stressed now -- it's great to be taken seriously.

Off to the doctor

So, I don't want to get too TMIish about this, but I've been having some odd symptoms for the last couple of years, somewhat consistent with a hormonal imbalance. I went to the doctor back when this started, and was told it was nothing, but the symptoms are getting more noticeable lately. I'm going back to the doctor tomorrow because I really want to get this checked out properly. I know that, while what I'm experiencing isn't necessarily a sign of something wrong, it's certainly not usual, and I'm fairly sure that it can't be deemed normal or abnormal without some kind of investigation.

I am a little worried that it could be something serious, or that it might affect the baby-making plans, but right now what's stressing me out the most is the fear of getting the brush-off from the doctor: "Oh well, you're young, I'm sure it's nothing." "It's not important unless you're trying to have a baby." "I could put you on the Pill if you want.*" "That'll be €50 please." Too often I feel like doctors don't really listen to me; I'm young and I'm nervous, so therefore I must be overreacting or imagining things. And it's horrible to be dismissed like that -- I'm always left wondering what I could have said or done differently to make them take me seriously.

I had a doctor back in college who was really good. He** would listen to my concerns, and whatever was bothering me, he'd tell me what was happening to my body. If he was treating me or referring me onwards, he'd tell me what to expect and why the treatment or referral was appropriate. He always treated me like an equal. I miss him. It's hard to find someone like that.

 Anyway, I will report back tomorrow and tell you how I get on. In the meantime, if anyone has any tips for dealing with doctors, please share!
 
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 *Nothing against the Pill in principle. But I've never been on one that agreed with me, and I've had doctors repeatedly suggest it as a way to cover up all kinds of problems rather than actually trying to address the causes of those problems.
 **Contrary to popular belief, not all male doctors are jerks.