Fun hospital times!

I've been doing a lot of reflection on my health recently. No real reason, I was writing about sex and boobs because that's sometimes my job (and i fricken love that part of my job) and I got to thinking about my mother and grandmothers times with cancer.

I used to spend a lot of my first year in university in and out of the hospital with my mother as she had her chemo. Then I got to live in Melbourne for a full month as I went back and forth with mum as she got her radiation. As I thought about all of that I remember all my own times in hospital.

First up, I was a pretty healthy kid. I loved good food and would run around all over the place because childhood I guess. Then I started getting tonsillitis and I said goodbye to the outside. Eventually I had them out but then I started getting sicker and sicker especially after... menarche. EUGH.

After all the womanhood started happening, I dropped eating for drinking a lot of coke and stuff and thus began my adventures in hospital tests! I had my first ultrasound around 14, checking my stomach to make sure it was all good.

Then I had to learn about nausea. Gosh darn, my stomach and I have visited many a place to puke. I couldnt count the number of bins and bushes and such on one hand (I may need 3 or 4) Ive used in emergencies. Turns out I was having too much salt. Sounds random? Well, I asked a doctor about it once and this old (Im guessing?) Philipino man turned to me and said to stop having too much salt and the nausea would go away... and it helped. Seriously. It's weird, I know.

Then more recently I had to get my ovaries checked because I dont have the most fun in terms of pain and such around the time the monthly red wave riseth. Like... stabby, sharp pains so bad my old nausea returned as a shock response to the pain. Funnnnnnnn. Turned out no growths or nothing on the little beans that occasionally spit out baby spheres. Yay!

Then there was another round of checks. Turned out I had angry kidneys and some buggered condition with my uterus. Too personal? Well fuck you - people gotta do the body talks or we're going to continue to normalise pain. Pain is a sign. You check it.

Anyway, I had a dismissive doctor about the uterus stuff and turns out I have to be a monk to basically keep the pain in check. Sigh. Down with sugar, down with all sorts. Things have gotten a lot better... but it wouldn't have if I just accepted the "it's nooooormal to be in pain". Nope. Nope. Nope.

Yes, it's common. There are a hundred and one things that contribute to pain and nausea and the such (including the regularity of lady times). Sometimes it's hormonal. Sometimes it's diet or exercise. Sometimes it's stress. Whatever it is, get it checked. We have doctors for a reason.