Official Diagnosis

A few weeks ago, I met with the OB/GYN who did my surgery, and we discussed exactly the findings. I also got a copy of the report. Here's the info:

1. The big cyst was not attached to an ovary. It was literally hanging out in the pelvic cavity, attached to nothing. Very odd. It was removed without incident and was benign.
2. The smaller cyst was attached to the right ovary, and removed without incident. It was benign.
3. The right fallopian tube is adhered to the pelvic wall, kinked and heavily scarred.
4. The right ovary is adhered to the uterus and heavily scarred.
5. The left ovary is very minimally scarred.
6. The left fallopian tube is very minimally scarred and very minimally adhered to the uterus.
7. Chances for conception on the right side are significantly reduced.
8. Chances for conception on the left side are minimally reduced and should work as normal.
9. Histology of the scarring is suspected to be the infection post-partum from a bad stitch job by a newbie doctor and/or a uterine infection in December of 2009, cause unknown.
10. The cysts are not expected to recur.
11. The endometrial biopsy was normal, suspected chronic inflammation caused by diet (it dropped significantly after I stopped consuming copious amounts of shit).
12. There was no sign or symptoms of endometriosis, poly-cystic ovarian syndrome, poly-cystic ovaries, or malignancy.

The verdict: I need to have what's called a hysterosalpingogram, which is where they shoot dye through your lady bits and image them via ultrasound to make sure everything's clear. But at this point, we could have normal fertility or very reduced fertility. I have been trying to come to terms with the chance of never conceiving again. We are not willing to go to IVF (IUI would not work if the fallopian tubes are blocked). I am not sure how far we would go with hormone treatments, and surgery may be an option if the fallopian tubes are blocked.

So. Half shitty, half good, I guess.

On Being Thankful

There's a lot to be said about thanks. So often, it comes off as this flippant, habitual response to nearly anything people say or do. I must say thanks or thank you at least 20 times a day, and I write it even more. In fact, I sign nearly every email with a thanks. To be honest, I rarely mean it.

So it's nice that there's one weekend a year for being thankful for all the really awesome things that one has in their life. For us here in Canada, that's this weekend, Thanksgiving weekend. It's no different than the American Thanksgiving. Well, I guess we don't have the pilgrims. But it's the turkey and the trimmings and the stuffing and the wishbone breaking and the family and pumpkin pie and wine and laughter and company. It's my grandma's kitchen and warm buns and fresh jam and combines in the field and fall jackets and walks to nowhere for no particular reason. It's my grandpa's hugs, my mom's smile, my dad's laugh, and me and my brother being terrible winners at cards.

And it's my daughter dressing up like a princess and my husband holding my hand while we fall asleep in our warm, safe, secure home.

When I share in this weekend, I don't need to remember all the things I'm thankful for because they're all around me and at their best.

New Pattern: Lace Sampler Scarf

Hello folks!

I've just released my fourth pattern on Ravelry. It's the Lace Sampler Scarf, and it's purdy.



It's four panels, with a fifth that you can either design or leave blank or leave out entirely. It's a nice, fast knit, and I'm so excited to wear it for winter!! I've never owned a hand-knit scarf before (I know, I know, BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD knitter).



The best part is that for a limited time, this pattern is free! Only till December 1st, so if you have Christmas knitting that you want to get a head start on, this is the pattern for you!

Click here to go to the pattern page (Ravelery only).

Weighing in.

I weighed in a day early today because my nutritionist is not in the office tomorrow. I lost another two pounds! Let me tell you, I have not seen this weight since Elodie was one. I feel so much better, look so much better, and I'm enjoying my new way of life. (I may or may not be eating chips right now...as a reward)

Also, I have some more finished objects to show you!

First up is my lace sampler scarf that I designed for the Knitting Room's introductory lace class that I'll be teaching next month.



The scarf has four main lace panels, which are repeated, as well as "blanks" for the knitter to design their own or leave plain stocking stitch.



Because this scarf is knit with my own handspun, and I didn't have the exact yardage figured, I did end up having to cut out a repeat near the end so that I could finish the scarf. I literally had less than a yard left.

Next, I did some contract knitting last week. A lovely person from my town hired me to knit two baby scarves. These were knit with *cashmere*. All I can say is lucky baby.



I really enjoyed this pattern. It was super fast and adorable. For the scarves themselves, I pinned out the pink one while blocking, while I laid the white one flat to dry. You can see the difference in the sizes. Just goes to show you what a difference blocking makes.



I've also finished Terra's baby blankie, but I'm not going to post the completed pictures until it's in her hands. I love surprises!

Weigh In Friday

I got weighed in on Friday. I lost another 2.75 pounds, which is awesome! It was also the second day of my cycle, so I was pretty bloated. I'm down to 169 pounds and now have a BMI of 27.2. YAY ME!

My goal is to lose 2.5 pounds each week until Christmas. That'll be a weight loss of 55 pounds in six months. Not sure if I can do it, but it'll be awesome if I can!