Biopsy Blues

I've been working with my OB/GYN doctor for over a year to try and correct endometrial hyperplasia.  After a six cycle round of progesterone, she did a second biopsy and found that it had improved from "complex" to "simple".  That was good but not good enough.  So, I took hormones again.  I finally got around to scheduling a third biopsy appointment for this week.

I've been dreading going through this again but was hopeful that the tests would come back great and it would be the last one I'd need.  Unfortunately, my cervix didn't cooperate and was closed so tight there was no way to get an instrument in to retrieve a sample.  Ugh!  All that pain for nothing! 

The risk of cancer with this is slim and I'd love to just move on and forget about it.  But, like my doctor said on Tuesday, we can't play roulette with my life.  Plus, having peace of mind that it's gone (what I'm hoping for) would be great!  We discussed some options...another D and C (like she did the first time when she also removed polyps), trying something that would possibly (but not guarnteed) dilate my cervix to get the sample (ugh!...more pain!!), or continue the progesterone to reduce the risk of cancer.  She told me that she was concerned that the hyperplasia didn't go away with the first treatment and that if it isn't gone now (if we were able to get a biopsy) that we'd need to consider a more serious option...a hysterectomy.  UGH!  I left the office in pain, tears and frustration!

For now, I've decided to go with another six cycle treatment of progesterone and then try the method she mentioned of trying to get my cervix to dilate and cooperate.  She gave me a prescription for something to help me relax this time but I don't think it did a thing.  I'll need something much stronger next time since it hurt so much more this time.  Ugh! 

I almost always reward myself with a trip to the yarn shop after appointments like this and mammograms.  I think I needed a trip to the yarn shop more than ever this time!  One of the good things about this doctor is that her office is literally down the street and around the corner from a cute little yarn shop, Labors of Love in Fallbrook.  I didn't spend a lot but I did find some yarn to treat myself with.  A pretty skein of Cottontots.  I'm planning to knit another cowl.  I love the colors and it should go with a lot of things I have in my wardrobe.  Here's the colors from one end of the skein...

And, the other...

I'm thrilled to find out that Cottontots isn't discontinued after all.  I love this yarn!

They had so many beautiful colors of it in the shop.

This yarn isn't fancy either but they had a sample cowl made with it and I loved it.

So, I bought two skeins and picked up a copy of the free pattern.

It's Lion Brand Tweed Stripes in the "Mixed Berries" colorway.

Ahhh.....yarn!  Always makes me feel a bit better!

It's been a crazy few weeks...my husband's grandfather has been in and out of the hospital.  Last weekend, he took a turn for the worse and we weren't sure he was going to make it.  He was on life support and it wasn't looking good.  But, he seems to have taken another turn and is now breathing on his own, working with a physical therapist, and they're moving him to a convalescent hospital today.  He's 93 and has beaten the odds so many times.  Looks like he's doing it again!