cease and decyst
David and I are generally lumpy people (as evidenced here and here). So when I started feeling a general sense of grossness in my gut, I should have thought "Lump!" But instead I dismissed it as stress (law review does that to a person).
By Thursday night I felt like I had an eight pound weight on my stomach. And it felt like someone was pinching me. That night, I didn't sleep much. Thoughts like "Appendicitis!" and "Ectopic pregnancy!" kept me awake (even though there was no way I could be pregnant. I peed on way too many sticks to confirm that fact).
The next morning I was still alive and determined to persevere through the day. I went to school for a meeting and generally pretended that I could conquer everything. And still the heaviness and pain persisted.
David and I then drove to meet his dad and brother for a day filled with fun. But I didn't really feel like having fun. So David dropped me off at my parents' house so I could snuggle with my favorite ball of fur (I think we both felt a bit under the weather).
At some point, I called the doctor and went to the hospital for an ultrasound. Of course, that entailed drinking my weight in water (I have new respect for pregnant women who already have things pushing on their bladders and have to keep all that water in) and some first-class waddling (I looked awesome).
At the hospital, I got a nice look at my innards (and I also got to pee at some point, which was one of the biggest reliefs ever). I also got a look at my new friend. Her name is Opal.
Opal is a functional ovarian cyst. She is 2.5 cm. And she is one of those old ladies that loves to pinch and squeeze your cheeks (figuratively) to tell you how much she loves you (why she thinks that makes me feel loved, I don't know). David and I are currently waiting for her to shrivel up and die (which sounds awful, now that I say it) or to pop (like a big zit, but without the satisfaction of being able to squeeze her back). But for now the three of us are hanging out. It's a party.
[I should probably clarify that while Opal is a pain to have around, she's not too sadistic. I've gotten by with a few Ibuprofen here and there and a lot of chocolate. It could be much, much worse (as in, Opal could self-combust like Miss Havisham. That would make things interesting).]
Of course, it wouldn't be a lump story without a multitude of tender mercies. A huge shout-out goes to my mom who dropped everything she was doing on Friday to take me to the hospital so that David could spend some time with his dad who was visiting from out of state. And of course, David has been wonderful and put up with all of my talking to Opal (I say "hi" to her whenever she pinches).
But the neatest thing about this experience was rather unexpected. Before I went to bed Thursday night (and before the worst of the pain began), I got a message from the wife of a friend from law school. She told me that she had a spiritual prompting to pray for me that night and wanted to make sure I was doing okay. I messaged back and told her that as far as I knew, I was doing fine, but that I appreciated the thought. Of course, Friday rolled around and Opal made her grand entrance. When I thought of her message on Friday, I knew it was not a coincidence that she felt like she needed to pray for me. It is amazing (and humbling) to know that Heavenly Father knows our needs before we even know about them, and that He loves us enough to inspire others to watch out for us.
I am so grateful for everyone (named and unnamed) that helped me out this weekend. Knowing that prayers were coming from unexpected sources made it easier to know everything is going to be all right (and that Opal, although one of my newest and closest friends, will not be here to stay).
By Thursday night I felt like I had an eight pound weight on my stomach. And it felt like someone was pinching me. That night, I didn't sleep much. Thoughts like "Appendicitis!" and "Ectopic pregnancy!" kept me awake (even though there was no way I could be pregnant. I peed on way too many sticks to confirm that fact).
The next morning I was still alive and determined to persevere through the day. I went to school for a meeting and generally pretended that I could conquer everything. And still the heaviness and pain persisted.
David and I then drove to meet his dad and brother for a day filled with fun. But I didn't really feel like having fun. So David dropped me off at my parents' house so I could snuggle with my favorite ball of fur (I think we both felt a bit under the weather).
At the hospital, I got a nice look at my innards (and I also got to pee at some point, which was one of the biggest reliefs ever). I also got a look at my new friend. Her name is Opal.
Opal is a functional ovarian cyst. She is 2.5 cm. And she is one of those old ladies that loves to pinch and squeeze your cheeks (figuratively) to tell you how much she loves you (why she thinks that makes me feel loved, I don't know). David and I are currently waiting for her to shrivel up and die (which sounds awful, now that I say it) or to pop (like a big zit, but without the satisfaction of being able to squeeze her back). But for now the three of us are hanging out. It's a party.
[I should probably clarify that while Opal is a pain to have around, she's not too sadistic. I've gotten by with a few Ibuprofen here and there and a lot of chocolate. It could be much, much worse (as in, Opal could self-combust like Miss Havisham. That would make things interesting).]
Of course, it wouldn't be a lump story without a multitude of tender mercies. A huge shout-out goes to my mom who dropped everything she was doing on Friday to take me to the hospital so that David could spend some time with his dad who was visiting from out of state. And of course, David has been wonderful and put up with all of my talking to Opal (I say "hi" to her whenever she pinches).
But the neatest thing about this experience was rather unexpected. Before I went to bed Thursday night (and before the worst of the pain began), I got a message from the wife of a friend from law school. She told me that she had a spiritual prompting to pray for me that night and wanted to make sure I was doing okay. I messaged back and told her that as far as I knew, I was doing fine, but that I appreciated the thought. Of course, Friday rolled around and Opal made her grand entrance. When I thought of her message on Friday, I knew it was not a coincidence that she felt like she needed to pray for me. It is amazing (and humbling) to know that Heavenly Father knows our needs before we even know about them, and that He loves us enough to inspire others to watch out for us.
I am so grateful for everyone (named and unnamed) that helped me out this weekend. Knowing that prayers were coming from unexpected sources made it easier to know everything is going to be all right (and that Opal, although one of my newest and closest friends, will not be here to stay).
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