I don't know what to do...
I'm 41, I had skipped a well-check and was overdue for a mammogram when I noticed I had been getting my period twice a month for four months running. I'm used to it being irregular but not consistently regular (late here, early there...) Went in and my horrifying family history took longer that the actual visit with the doctor. I knew I had lost some weight because my clothes were looser but stepping on the scale I was down 17
pounds in just under two months without trying - that DOES NOT HAPPEN FOR ME. Bloodwork, ultrasounds, off to first available OBGYN. Bloodwork showed a couple things but of note was low iron and saturation - take ferrous sulfate once a day. Ate a whole bunch of Christmas cookies and home baked goods and managed to maintain my weight until I met with the OBGYN, or should I say the APRN that was not at the location I requested - over 20 miles away. Why didn't she just prescribe you OC's? I'm over 35 and have family history. Oh, she's covering her butt. She wanted to schedule ultrasounds, I just had them done. Oh, here they are, those are okay. Well we'll do a pap and an endometrial biopsy. Everything is clear, we'll try Progesterone only to regulate you. Didn't want side effects of pills or Depo-Provera. If Depo goes wrong you're screwed for 3 months, IUD can be removed, right? Yeah, it can make you irregular and moody for 3 to 6 months but it shouldn't be worse than what you're going through now and after that it's great. Okay, I'll try. She didn't tell me I could be bleeding in agony for 3 to 6 months, something had to be wrong. I was looking at my records to see when I was supposed to follow up on the ferrous sulfate to see when levels should be checked for dose adjustment or discontinuation - nothing I was diagnosed and released. Didn't want to go back there anyway. Changed PCP and scheduled with a different OBGYN (an MD this time). After two weeks of bleeding and severe cramping I called to move up my insertion check - there had to be something wrong. Got moved to the next available Dr. and when I get there he's family medicine and doesn't do IUD's. I'm in tears so he listens to what I have to say. He's very concerned about the weight loss and skin issues I forgot to tell the first PCP. Orders more blood work, a mammogram, stool sample, urinalysis, chest x-ray, orders me to drink three ensures a day in addition to what I normally eat to see if I could put some weight on (I was down another 9
pounds in just over 2 weeks). Blood work shows I am no longer anemic and my hematocrit is high - schedules me with a hematologist. The chest x-ray shows multiple opacities, he wants a CT scan. Cramping comes and goes but when it comes it's getting worse and I'm passing odd tissue (not red endometrial stuff - clear stuff and fleshy stuff). Now there's brown clots and the cramping feels like the labor pains one step before you ask for the epidural but they are lasting much longer. I bent over to pick something up and seized up - couldn't stand for 30 seconds. I can't take this - there has got to be something wrong so I go to Urgent Care, they don't do imaging and send me to the ER. Before they take me at the ER they tell me they don't remove IUD's. Fine, do you do an ultrasound to check placement? This can't be right. I was there for over 5 hours - no meds, no heating pad, nothing. It was tolerable until after I stood up after the transvaginal. I was curled in a ball in tears. I pushed the button to call the nurse and said look-if it's "properly placed" and you're not going to do anything get me out of here so I can get home to my heating pad. She brought me a warm blanket while my paperwork was done and they sent me home in severe pain. If I wasn't worried about the pre-existing and continued weight loss along with the chest x-ray and hematocrit levels I would consider giving it at least 3 months if they'll prescribe me something for the pain as the ibuprofen is not helping much and even with food my stomach can't take it anymore. With everything else going on I am thinking this thing needs to come out so it doesn't compound or distract from the underlying or additional diagnosis that was missed. I'm thinking I would be crazy to keep this thing in right now.