After 9 long years, we finally know the cause of my abdominal pain and I have been officially diagnosed with PCOS.
PCOS stands for Polycystic ovary syndrome, and "is a hormonal disorder common among women of reproductive age. Women with PCOS may have infrequent or prolonged menstrual periods or excess male hormone (androgen) levels. The ovaries may develop numerous small collections of fluid (follicles) and fail to regularly release eggs." - The Mayo Clinic
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pcos/symptoms-causes/syc-20353439
I currently have a cyst on my right ovary that is about 2 cm in size, nearly encapsulating the ovary, and it looks to be growing from the inside of it. With PCOS, there's always a chance that the cyst can burst and if it is growing internally rather than externally, it could take the whole ovary with it. While I can have the cyst surgically removed, it won't prevent future ones from growing. PCOS can be treated with birth control and other medications to prevent future cysts from growing, but because I have had issues with birth control in the past I am more focused on fixing this with surgery.
As far as my liver hemagiomas go, I do now have four confirmed hemangiomas and possibly a fifth that was spotted during my most recent abdominal and pelvic MRIs that I had done on 10/31/2019. Those are still an issue that could also jeopardize my health, but in the meantime our focus is going to be on this cyst.
For the time being, I have no choice but to continue working since I still have no PTO left from the absences I took in September. I do have FMLA in place to protect me if the pain becomes too excruciating for me to go to work, but even that is limited and it is unpaid leave. I have racked up a lot of medical debt in this process of figuring out what's been causing my pain, and my hope is to not only get caught up on those, but to also save for surgery if that's going to be an option for me.
Anything is greatly appreciated, even if it’s just sharing the campaign. And if you’ve made it this far, I thank you for your time and attention.
