The Last Straw (I Hope!)

I had an appointment with my gynecologist this afternoon after work to get an Endometrial Biopsy.  This was necessary due to some female problems that I've been having as of late. This procedure enabled my doctor to take a small sample of the lining of  my uterus. This sample will be looked at under a microscope in a lab for abnormal cells.  It will also help my doctor to see if there are any problems in the endometrium and check to see if my hormone levels affecting it are in balance.  Here is a picture of a medical diagram showing where the endometrium is in the uterus:

Medical Diagram Showing the Endometrium

My doctor performed this biopsy just as a safeguard before another procedure that I'll be getting in about two weeks, which I'll talk about later in this post.

During this biopsy procedure, the doctor inserts a long, thin straw (pipette) into the uterus to suction small tissue samples of the endometrium.  The straw resembles the kind that come with box juices, only it is obviously a lot longer.  When the straw enters into the uterus, it can cause some pretty intense cramping, but for me it only lasted for a few minutes.  These tissue samples are then placed into a small container and then sent off to the lab for analysis. After the doctor took the tissue samples, she applied a mustard colored antibiotic solution to the affected areas to help prevent infection.  This solution caused a temporary itching sensation in those areas. The procedure itself only lasted about 20 minutes. I'm glad that it is over and hope that it will be the "last straw" for me, pun intended! 

Once the procedure was finished, the nurse gave me this giant sanitary pad that looked like a Sumo wrestler's mawashi (diaper)!  It's a good thing that I've recently lost a few pounds and that my pants are loose!  Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to pull them up the whole way!  

I have an appointment with the doctor next Wednesday to go over the biopsy results and have further discussion regarding the Endometrial Ablation that I'll be having in another few weeks.  My doctor will perform this procedure using a robotic device to destroy (ablate) the lining in my uterus in order to treat the abnormal uterine bleeding I have had lately.  I'm not worried about this right now and I'll cross that road when I come to it!  Although I very much enjoy being a woman, this is a part of it that I could do without!

After I left the doctor's office, I went to the Waikiki Nail Spa to get a hot stone pedicure and manicure, which felt heavenly!  It made up for the discomfort that I experienced earlier.  Here I am at the Spa getting my manicure and pedicure: 

Mae Getting Manicure and Pedicure at the Waikiki Nail Spa

After my manicure and pedicure, I stopped to pick Adeline up at school and then we went home.  It was "picture day" at school today and we dressed her up in her "pretty kitty" dress and did her hair in pigtails with pretty hair ties.  Here is a picture of her in her dress that I took after school today:

Adeline in her "Pretty Kitty" Dress

She looked adorable and I hope that she smiled for her picture today!