Go Away, Mittelschmerz

A little bit of middle school reproductive health education. In the middle of the cycle, the follicles inside our ovaries will mature and one eventually ruptures as the little ovum, or egg, makes its way down the fallopian tube. Straightforward, simple... unless you have PCOS.

I am on day 19 of my cycle... and experienced what is commonly known as ovulation pains. You may also know it as mittelschmerz, which is German for "middle pain," referring to the mid-way point in a woman's cycle when ovulation takes place. You feel it in the way low abdominal and pelvic area. Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) and Luteinizing Hormone (LH) prompt those little follicles to grow and mature... and there are no openings in the ovary, so the little eggs literally erupt and break free. That's pretty violent and seems pretty inefficient.

A person with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, as the name implies, have multiple cysts on the ovaries because numerous follicles never mature all the way. What's left are the little bubbles of immature follicles, they collect fluids and sometimes have little blood vessels and keep growing. Anyway, as nothing is simple in the reproductive process for someone with PCOS, these cysts will also spontaneously burst sometimes. The first time one of these cysts exploded, I thought I had appendicitis and went to the hospital. I was told about the whole process described above in nutshell. The second time it happened... it was pretty mild. I took some ibuprofen and went about my business. Fast forward to late last night.

I went to the grocery store to get some items to prepare for my work week... and in the middle of the produce section, I felt the initial twinge. I wasn't sure... I thought I took a wrong step, maybe just an intestinal cramp? Then, I doubled over. I took a step, grabbed the cart handle, and crouched to the floor. It was awful for like 5 seconds... then it was over. I experimentally walked around gingerly... counted my good fortune that I wasn't incapacitated by pain and quickly grabbed the rest of my stuff and went home.

Later in the evening... the weird abdominal bloating and persistent achy pain set in on the right side (it's always the right side, can I just get one ovary removed?) - which turns into stabby pain whenever I took a step or twisted funny. I put my trusty heating pad on my tummy and sipped hot tea into the wee hours of morning. I woke up when my alarm went off, and drifted in and out of some strange lucid dreaming... I felt physically, mentally, and emotionally awful. I finally dragged my butt out of bed, emailed my work, and crawled back under the blankets with my heating pad.

These days, I try to to take too much ibuprofen, acetaminophen, or any other over-the-counter pain medications... not out of some crazy moral stance or funky science/non-science article... I just figured, if I can't feel progress, how will I know I'm making any? I've decided that my health is top priority in my life at this moment, and I am in a fortunate position where I can make that choice. So, if I'm not feeling well and I need the time and space for my body to heal, I'm going to let it do its thing and not mask the bad feelings and truck on with my day.

The pain was pretty manageable earlier today, I took the opportunity to go on a slow walk with the doggies... not sure that was a bright idea. I feel really exhausted, uncomfortable, and a little feverish. I took my temperature, I don't actually have a high temperature... I just feel that way. My husband brought home a can of chicken noodle soup out of love and concern. You bet I ate the soup... ate every carb-o-licious noodle. Today, I let myself indulge.

Just another fabulous day of living with PCOS. *sigh*