Medical Matters
Apr. 1st, 2003 03:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pameladeanSome gynecological. So if you don't want to read this stuff, just skip this entry. I promise not to slop over into discussing writing, or cats, or anything actually important. Honest.
I've been coughing so much my back muscles hurt, just exactly the ones that hurt after an over-enthusiastic bout of raking or shovelling snow. I almost cancelled my appointment to go get a PAP smear, but since I'd cancelled it twice before I figured I'd better keep it, and I could ask about the cough while I was at it. (Note to Papersky -- nobody I have ready access to has heard of buttercup syrup. I did reluctantly start taking the Robitussin, and it does help, while not seeming to interact badly with the blood pressure medications.)
In fact, the first time they took my blood pressure it was 156 over 99, not good but the lowest initial reading we've had in the clinic. When they took it again later it was 129 over 90. Again, this is borderline, but so low for me that there was much rejoicing.
My nurse practitioner was much pleased at a new method of performing a PAP smear. She flourished a wicked-looking brush on a long handle at me. "You insert this into the cervix and turn it around five times," she said, eliciting an involuntary, "Ewww" from me; "and then you just pop it into this container, and if there are extraneous cells, blood or whatever, they just drop on through to the bottom and the cervical cells are left behind to be examined. It doesn't hurt most people, but it does feel different from the other method." Which, involving as it did a lot of scraping, doesn't really elicit any less of an Eww from me, so okay.
It didn't hurt, in fact. We agreed, since my having several sexual relationships puts me at higher risk for STD's, to test for a bunch of them. It also turned out that I have a yeast infection. It's not much like the last one, which I developed in London in 1974, and that's okay, because those symptoms were disgusting.
I was given a nifty one-pill treatment that does not altogether agree with my digestive system (as advertised), but the symptoms I was having are almost gone, and so is some, though by no means all, of the general malaise that I'd been attributing to the cough and cold.
She opined that my cough was nothing to worry about, but to call if it got worse.
They also set me up with a free mammogram. I am not altogether certain I need one every single year, but the yeast infection unsettled me, so I'll have one this year.
The phlebotomist I got when I went to have blood drawn was singing merrily along to the radio, and did not pause except to say, "I'm singing to you!" and, during a bridge in the song, to explain that she had the song at home and knew it by heart. I told her I thought she should sing to all her patients. It was very relaxing. She was good, too; nobody else has been able to get blood out of my left arm.
I did some laundry, had a nice conversation with David, watched an episode of "Angel" with Raphael, and talked to Eric on the telephone. I was utterly wiped out, and after some consideration of the probably strength and duration of the side effects of the Diflucan, plus the tenacious nature of the cough and cold, decided it would be necessary to move the Romance Exchange away from this coming Saturday. It's the third year in a row I've had to do this. We thought the problem was January, so I got a date in April, but it must just be me.
Pamela
I've been coughing so much my back muscles hurt, just exactly the ones that hurt after an over-enthusiastic bout of raking or shovelling snow. I almost cancelled my appointment to go get a PAP smear, but since I'd cancelled it twice before I figured I'd better keep it, and I could ask about the cough while I was at it. (Note to Papersky -- nobody I have ready access to has heard of buttercup syrup. I did reluctantly start taking the Robitussin, and it does help, while not seeming to interact badly with the blood pressure medications.)
In fact, the first time they took my blood pressure it was 156 over 99, not good but the lowest initial reading we've had in the clinic. When they took it again later it was 129 over 90. Again, this is borderline, but so low for me that there was much rejoicing.
My nurse practitioner was much pleased at a new method of performing a PAP smear. She flourished a wicked-looking brush on a long handle at me. "You insert this into the cervix and turn it around five times," she said, eliciting an involuntary, "Ewww" from me; "and then you just pop it into this container, and if there are extraneous cells, blood or whatever, they just drop on through to the bottom and the cervical cells are left behind to be examined. It doesn't hurt most people, but it does feel different from the other method." Which, involving as it did a lot of scraping, doesn't really elicit any less of an Eww from me, so okay.
It didn't hurt, in fact. We agreed, since my having several sexual relationships puts me at higher risk for STD's, to test for a bunch of them. It also turned out that I have a yeast infection. It's not much like the last one, which I developed in London in 1974, and that's okay, because those symptoms were disgusting.
I was given a nifty one-pill treatment that does not altogether agree with my digestive system (as advertised), but the symptoms I was having are almost gone, and so is some, though by no means all, of the general malaise that I'd been attributing to the cough and cold.
She opined that my cough was nothing to worry about, but to call if it got worse.
They also set me up with a free mammogram. I am not altogether certain I need one every single year, but the yeast infection unsettled me, so I'll have one this year.
The phlebotomist I got when I went to have blood drawn was singing merrily along to the radio, and did not pause except to say, "I'm singing to you!" and, during a bridge in the song, to explain that she had the song at home and knew it by heart. I told her I thought she should sing to all her patients. It was very relaxing. She was good, too; nobody else has been able to get blood out of my left arm.
I did some laundry, had a nice conversation with David, watched an episode of "Angel" with Raphael, and talked to Eric on the telephone. I was utterly wiped out, and after some consideration of the probably strength and duration of the side effects of the Diflucan, plus the tenacious nature of the cough and cold, decided it would be necessary to move the Romance Exchange away from this coming Saturday. It's the third year in a row I've had to do this. We thought the problem was January, so I got a date in April, but it must just be me.
Pamela
no subject
Date: 2003-04-01 01:55 pm (UTC)I am not overly sure that I would be reassured by a nurse who was quite that gleeful about gynecological procedures that go poke.
no subject
Date: 2003-04-01 02:51 pm (UTC)I rather liked the glee; it's geeky. I think if I hadn't earlier expressed interest in the new blood pressure monitors and a general preference for more rather than less information, she wouldn't have spoken quite as she did.
Pamela
no subject
Date: 2003-04-02 08:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-04-02 12:38 pm (UTC)I imagine that "vegan-packaged live things" is a bit hard for people to get their minds around.
Pamela
no subject
Date: 2003-04-03 01:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-04-03 02:55 pm (UTC)I did once find acidophilus packed in apple pectin -- packed a wicked punch in terms of heartburn if you didn't line your stomach first, too -- but I don't recall the brand name and have not found it again.
Buttercup Syrup
Date: 2003-04-01 03:40 pm (UTC)Re: Buttercup Syrup
Date: 2003-04-01 04:07 pm (UTC)If nothing else, it could expire quietly while I didn't get sick for however long that took.
Hey, Carbonel, send me email about rescheduling that thing.
Pamela
Buttercup Syrup
Date: 2003-04-02 04:55 am (UTC)--Quill
Re: Buttercup Syrup
Date: 2003-04-03 02:56 pm (UTC)Pamela