Womanhood Problems - Part 2

So here is the follow up for my last story on womanhood. If you are male, you may not care to read this, although it's much more tame than my last one.

For the last few weeks I have had some pain in my lower abdomen, just on the left side.. Some days I thought it was just cramping, while other days it felt like a pulled muscle. I tried to put it off and not think about it. The pain didn't go away and I started having other symptoms. I felt like I had horrific gas, but the over the counter gas medicines didn't do anything for it. I felt like I couldn't empty my bladder completely. I felt like my abdomen was distended and swollen. I felt like I had a charlie horse in my abdomen. There would be sharp pain and then none. I thought maybe I was having a tubal pregnancy since I still hadn't started my cycle, but I was fairly certain you still test positive with those. The pain was, well, a pain, but that was about it.

On Thursday, I woke up and tried to get ready for work, but was in horrible pain. I don't think I am much of a wimp and consider myself to have a fairly high pain tolerance. This hurt though. I couldn't stand up straight or walk without hunching over. I just laid on the couch, feeling really nauseous. G finally recommended that I call the doctor when I told him it felt just like when I woke up from my C-section. It was really weird. My entire lower abdomen hurt so bad and had a burning sensation. The doctor couldn't see me until Friday morning, so I finally got in the shower and when on to work. The pain got better as the day went on, but never let up completely.

So this morning I went to the OBGYN. It turns out that I am indeed not pregnant. I had a cyst in my left ovary that apparently ruptured yesterday, hence the pain worsening and then letting up some. Apparently they are not all that uncommon and occur when an egg doesn't release quite right and starts collecting fluid. The fluid builds up and can be anywhere from the size of a golfball to an orange. I guess sometimes (especially the smaller ones) just go away, sometimes they rupture and sometimes you have to have them removed surgically.

I guess it is a good thing that it ruptured on it's own, since the insurance plan we have right now isn't worth much and surgery would be costly. So that answers some of our questions. I just hope it doesn't happen again. The doctor said the good news is I am definitely ovulating again. Now if everything will just do what it is supposed to do I can be "normal" again?