Depo's Done!

After what felt like a very long and annoying time, I was finally able to get my Depo (medroxyprogesterone) shot today.  It was a bit of a twilight-zone day for me filled with mistakes by the drugstore (like not putting the prescription I had just paid for in the bag), me having to drive to and from the doctor's office and drugstore twice, and some odd people along the way, but at least it's done.  It should have been a frustrating day, I have had more than my fair share of screw-ups by insurance, pharmacies, Medicaid and even PennDOT, but if you know me, it's not really in my nature to do a lot more than just laugh at the stupidity of it all.  I mean, what else is there to do?  It's a habit that got reinforced in college when my roommate, H, and I used to just laugh at the idiocy that would occasionally surround us.  I have had so many bizarre screw-ups after I've done everything correctly at my end that I think I HAVE to last or I would just go crazy.  At least for the first time in 15 years, my driver's license has my last name on it correctly.  Maybe in another decade other things will get straightened out?


Anyway, I know it takes a few days for the shot to take effect, but part of me is relaxed, knowing at least it's in there and starting to work.  The past few weeks I felt more "PMS-y" than I have in a very long time.  I felt bloated, my appetite was up and down, and I had more pelvic pain.  The valium vaginal suppositories I use for pain weren't "holding" well anymore and I was feeling more emotional than is usual for me.  And this was not quite three months even.  It's good that it's done, but it really does make me feel chained to hormone injections and hoping that if I wait a little longer in between injections, no endometriosis will form, or rear it's ugly head.

I will now explain that paragraph better because I can anticipate some questions.  Since "PMS" (or pre-menstrual syndrome) occurs with a menstrual cycle, I do not usually experience those symptoms anymore.  In fact, my hormonal symptoms with all the hormones are probably closer to pregnancy but haven't been terrible.  The shot has hormones in it that are supposed to stop the production of more endometriosis, and since I've been taking these hormones since before my surgery, the hope is that I'm not accumulating more endometriosis.  My doctor about a month ago added vaginal valium suppositories to be used at nighttime to relax the muscles that would cramp up from pain or stress and cause "period" or "cramping" pain.  Those have been tremendously helpful, other than me not wanting to talk about vaginal suppositories.  So that lessened a lot of my pain. I won't take these long-term, they are to relax muscles that are very difficult to relax and let that area heal a bit, possibly calm inflammation.  There has also been a second layer to my pain that is acute and more stabbing and always in the same spot in the left lower quadrant of my pelvic area.  The valium doesn't help with that pain.  That is the pain that could be endometriosis, it could be nerves I guess, or it could be a problem with the surgery or, more likely, a problem the kidney stone created after the surgery.  This is the pain I keep my eye on more because I will eventually have to decide whether or not that pain is tolerable. 

I'm actually going to elaborate more on this tomorrow because I think if I continue this train of thought, I'm going to be left with an article that is way too long :)