The Appointment that Changed My Life

Alright so I guess I should start from the beginning. As I've mentioned I'm a travel nurse. My last assignment was in Houston, TX...H TOWNNN!! I absolutely LOVE Houston it was probably one of my fav assignments. I meant some fellow travelers who have become some really good friends of mine. Teddy was one of the very first people I met. She was soooo nice to me AND she was from New York (no offense New Yorkers lol.) My time in Houston was during the summer so quite naturally Teddy and I were on this whole "healthy lifestyle" thing. We encouraged each other to work out and eat healthy, which was sometimes easier said than done. My goal for the summer was to get a 6-pack by my 26th birthday. Needless to say I was only able to accomplish the 2-pack, which I was happy with :-).

Towards the end of the summer I mentioned to Teddy that I was beginning to get concerned. I was starting to feel like I may have a urinary tract infection (UTI). Honestly, I told Teddy that I thought it may have progressed to something more severe, i.e. pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). I went on to describe a weird pressure sensation I could feel in my uterus, whenever I went running. I was even concerned that I was not able to get my 6-pack for the summer. I always had a hard time with my lower abs and I had a little pudge that never seemed to go away. Teddy jokingly responded, "Have you been Googling?" Lol I can't blame her it was an honest question...nurses tend to self diagnose too often. Nevertheless, I made my appointment to see an OBGYN. *Now if I can just pause for a second* As a travel nurse you bounce from city to city, state to state every 13 weeks. So, it's very hard to keep up with doctor's appointments and it's impossible to consistently see the same doctor. With that being said, making my appointment was quite difficult. Being a new patient it was hard to get an appointment scheduled somewhat immediately (new patients sometimes get put on the back burner.) However, I was insistent and determined to be seen!! 

I was FINALLY able to get an appointment scheduled. I remember that day rather vividly. The beginning of the appointment was very routine. They took my blood pressure, I provided a urine sample, answered a few questions...and then I patiently waited to see the doctor. As he was examining me, he mentioned that he felt something in my lower abdomen. He then proceeded to do a vaginal ultrasound and pointed to the screen and said, "you see that? There's quite a large mass in your uterus." I looked at the ultrasound and replied, "Uhhh no, I have no idea what I'm looking at." (Sidenote: Nurses don't really have to read ultrasounds.) Then he went on to explain there was a large mass which appeared to come off my right ovary and was about the size of a soft ball. He mentioned he was concerned that it may be malignant (cancerous) and he wanted to go for a series of test....

Little did I know, this appointment would be the first of many...