Gilberts' Fridge

A week of highs and lows…

Well, I have a gym membership that I have been using! I went to Scartho baths (that’s the swimming pool, for all us normal people who don’t try to sound all posh) and signed up for a month to month membership there. It gives me unlimited access to weight training facilities, a cardio room, the swimming pool, and a sauna. I haven’t used the weights and machines yet as I had to wait for my induction. Tonight I am meeting with a personal trainer who will help me set up a training regime and familiarise me with all the machines, etc. Then I will be able to use those facilities. But I HAVE been swimming twice this week. It would have been three times, but I couldn’t make it yesterday. I spent the night drugged up on the sofa!

Yesterday was my HSG, and it was the most uncomfortable medical procedure I have ever had! For the medically squeamish, now would be a good time to stop reading. You know I have to explain what it involves!

An HSG is a very special kind of X-ray. That’s all the information they gave me when they told me I needed one. Being the sort of person who likes to know what to expect, Martin and I went on line to do a little bit of research and see what would be involved. Special X-ray? That doesn’t even begin to cover it!

Basically, you get naked from the waist down and they open your cervix, insert a little plastic tube, and inject you with dye. Then, while the dye is filling up your uterus and fallopian tubes, they take the X-ray. This allows them to see the shape of your reproductive system, and also to determine if there are any blockages.

It sounds rather nasty, but it doesn’t sound nearly as bad as it actually was! My friend Sam warned me it was miserable—she had one about two years ago. It hurt so much! Honestly, I know I had it done so I can have a baby, but the pain involved made me think that I won’t be able to stand the pain of childbirth. Maybe it’s not worth it! The doctor and technicians were all women, and they were really kind, so it wasn’t awkward or uncomfortable in that way, but still—I hope I never have to have that done again—EVER!

On a positive note, I got to see the X-rays, and my fallopian tubes look clear. I was a little worried about that after my ectopic pregnancy last fall. Plus, they look really groovy. They are all twisty and delicate, like the tiny little off-shoots on morning glory.

When we got home, I had a nice surprise waiting for me. Grandma Lofley gave us a subscription to the Ensign for Christmas, and our first issue had arrived in the post. I have never been so excited to get a church magazine before. I popped a Lortab and sat down and read the first 30 or so pages. Hooray for the church, and for prescription pain medication!

Anyway, that’s the update. A good week, and a bad week. I’ll probably have more to post on Sunday as Martin and I are going to a football match tomorrow. It’s only a local team, Scunthorpe City, but we have seats in an executive box. Should be a good time.