Hil!

Congrats! Do you need tips or help re: campus visits? Happy to offer if I can help.

Those rubbery keyboard covers? Could be sterilized without risking the actual keyboard. I use disinfectant wipes on my tablet and phone fairly frequently w/ no ill effects. The adhesive screen protector dealies probably don't hurt.

I got actual news from a dr today. Sorta. New OB said definitely gotta stop BCP immediately as the estrogen is super bad for the liver cyst. And worst case scenario is that it ruptures and i bleed to death internally. But that's not very likely. More likely is that without the addred estrogen the liver cyst won't get any bigger, but i'll start getting ovarian cysts again as nothing chemical will prevent them without added estrogen....and surgically removing one ovary would likely cause the other ovary to start malfunctioning that same way. So i stop the hormones, cross my fingers, wait and see how my body responds to the cessation of pills i've been taking for 20 years. Maybe the endometriosis will go haywire again and make my ongoing groin pain worse. Maybe nothing will get worse and i'll just have courses and cramps and such like most women. Maybe i've been on oral hormones for long enough to reset my reproductive system into functioning normally and i'm fretting for no reason. Can you tell i'm a little apprehensive about this? Ah well, just another inconvenience. A few bouts of wishing that I didn't have that second X chromosome, but id' be an odd looking dude so i'll stick with this body.

erin o, I wish only the best results for you.

erin, best, BEST of luck to you! I've played girlie-parts-healing bingo before (this works? try this! try that! try nothing! try something!) and it is very frustrating.

Oh Erin. I'm sorry hon. Girly bits are annoying enough when thy aren't malfunctioning. You know I get the ovarian cyst issue; just the worst, and scary to consider moving forward without BC. One day at a time. I'm wishing you the best.

And Connie, I'm not able to keep up as often as I'd like right now, but please know I'm thinking of you and your Hubby.

And one more thing: my cats have realized I'm awake, and it sounds like they are throwing themselves against the bedroom door while meowing pathetically. Go home, cats, you're drunk.

I know it doesn't compare with other people's situations right now, but I've been having a bad week. I hesitate to talk about it (which is a first, right, for TMI whine-about-every-little-problem me, yeah?), because it's just garden-variety life bullshit and it'll pass. And talking about it would force me to acknowledge how much of a failure I am right now at every part of my life except existing (I'm still pretty good at that).

I haven't even talked about it with Tim, because who wants to say, hey, yeah, check out how much I am sucking at every part of my life including being a good wife; aren't you thrilled you married me?

But not talking about it is so isolating and my head is the worst echo chamber ever.

It'll pass, but it sucks to be in it.

I'm sorry things are sucky right now. I hope you can break out of it.

There is no scale of importance for pain or unhappiness. If you want to talk about it, we'll be happy to listen. If you want hugs, we will offer hugs.

Many hugs to all who need/want them. Connie, I am keeping you and Hubby in my thoughts throughout this whole nightmare. erin_o, here's hoping for the very best outcome, and I'm glad at least that you have a doctor who takes your concerns seriously and is able to come up with a plan for treatment.

Tep, I don't know the particulars of your own situation, but I am also feeling right now like I don't want to admit to all the things I feel like I'm failing at. For me it's mostly a case of "not enough time in the day," and what usually falls by the wayside is spending time with M. Which sucks, because, gosh, I like hanging out with him, and I know we both get a little sad when we don't get enough time to reconnect; and then I feel guilty because I suck at being a good wife/partner. Blah.

Congrats! Do you need tips or help re: campus visits? Happy to offer if I can help.

Thanks! I don't have any questions yet, but I'll gladly take any tips.

Lots of ~ma for everyone. Seems like a lot of stuff is hitting a lot of people this week.